Bringing nostalgia back to Whitley Bay - the author whose debut novel is the talk of the town
A man from Whitley Bay has released his debut novel after watching Netflix in lockdown and believing he could write a better story.
Austin Burke, 50, has self-published his debut novel, titled 'Crazy on the Waltzer'. It is a "part gangster, part love story" that follows a man called Paul Docherty whose dad has been murdered. He twists his way through the world of crime and finds he has got a dilemma. Does he stay in the world of crime and try and find out what happened to his dad, or does he go straight and win the heart of the woman he loves?
Austin explained why he decided to write the book: "I was watching Netflix with my girlfriend towards the end of lockdown and I said ‘I could write a better story than half of these’ and she said, ‘go on then.’ She did not say it as a challenge, it was just an off-hand comment. Then a couple of days later I sat down with a pen and paper, got an idea for a story and started writing. Nine months later I had a book.
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Austin said he wanted to write a book that was more realistic than shows he had watched on television, which he found to be too unbelievable. The title of the book 'Crazy on the Waltzer' may sound familiar to some people, and that is because it is the first line of a song by Dire Straits.
Austin said: "The title of the book is named after the opening line of a Dire Straits song called Tunnel of Love, which is set in Whitley Bay in the old Spanish City years ago. There used to be a big funfair in Whitley Bay called the Spanish City where the white dome is now, and the song is about a guy who meets a girl and he works on the ride called The Tunnel of Love. She disappears through the fairground, then he follows her. Obviously, because the song is about Whitley Bay and the book is set here, that is where the title came from."
Austin was also able to send a copy of the book to Mark Knopfler, the lead singer of Dire Straits, as well as AC/DC lead singer Brian Johnson as one of his friends worked with Johnson's brother. Unfortunately, he said he did not hear anything back from either rock legend.
And it was case of write what you know when it came to deciding where to set the book according to Austin.
"The reason for setting it in Whitley Bay is because it is where I am from. It is a story that is set in the bars and the clubs of Whitley Bay which are now all long gone."
The decision to set the book in his hometown has paid off for Austin. The book has an amazing 4.8 stars out of 5 on Amazon, the reaction closer to home has been nothing short of amazing too.
He explained: "The reaction to the novel has been absolutely fantastic. Considering it is a debut novel it is amazing. The biggest feedback I have had back from it is that it brings back the nostalgia to all the bars and clubs that used to be in Whitley Bay in the 1990s and 2000s."
Austin has even drawn comparisons to one of the most well-known and beloved crime writers in the country: "Somebody was even kind enough to describe me as the Geordie Martina Cole, which I thought was a particularly nice thing. I was over the moon when I got that comment and definitely take it as a compliment."
Despite being compared to such a successful and proficient writer such as Martina Cole, Austin admitted he is not a great reader of fiction. "The less you read fiction, the less you are influenced by anyone else and you can just sit down and write what you want. You are not trying to follow a pattern of what has worked for other authors."
Austin also said that a portion of the books sales will go towards NE Youth, a charity in the North East that supports young people and children. He said: "10% of the profits from the book are going to the charity NE Youth. I would like it if the money donated could go towards helping somebody else to keep them out of trouble."
The author has also achieved something that not many authors have succeeded in doing. Austin has been able to combine the real world, with the world he has created in his book. He also explained what happens if a reader is able to figure it out.
Austin said: "There is a passage in the book and it is kind of like a treasure hunt. And what I have done, I have hidden something out in the real world, and if you can work out what it is, where it is and bring it back to me, I will give the person £1,000 worth of 24 carat gold bullion.
"What I have done, is I have hidden a fake gold bar somewhere with a note. If you can work out where it is in the book and you can go and find it, bring me the note and where you found it in the book, I will give you 13 grams of 24 carat gold bullion."
Austin stressed though that there is a three-month limit on the hunt. He will release clues every four weeks, however, if the gold bar and the note is not found within three months, he is going to donate the gold to NE Youth.
For Austin though, it was not easy to get the book published. He explained: "I sent the book out to a lot of book agents and they deal with the big publishing places. I did not get any agents that would take me on, so I decided to self-publish it on Amazon.
"All the copies, you either buy off Amazon or I get them at a trade price of Amazon and have them on sale in The Bound in Whitley Bay and To The Moon and Back in Tynemouth. Apart from that it is Facebook and word of mouth."
It is a decision that has paid off for Austin following the reaction both locally and further afield to his debut novel. He also teased that a second book could come towards the end of the year, and potentially a third.
He said: "I am currently working on a book. I have finished getting the story nailed down and I have written about 20% it. As I say it took nine months to write the last one because I kept going back and changing bits here and there. It takes a long time to get the story, but I have the outline of the second story and then that one, if it all works out ok, will lead onto a third book, a trilogy with most of the same characters."
Austin also hinted of another book potentially coming soon: "I have an idea for another book, but it is a standalone book. It is another crime story, a murder mystery built in the world of crime set in Whitley Bay, but most of the characters will be different."
You can purchase Austin's book 'Crazy on the Waltzer' at The Bound in Whitley Bay, To The Moon and Back in Tynemouth, or online from Amazon.