Interview With Shaun Baines
Many thanks to the talented author, Shaun Baines, for talking to me today.
Do you remember the first story you ever wrote? 
I have a vague memory of writing a Christmas play for my parents when I was six-ish. I persuaded my sister to play an elf while I played Santa Claus returning to his Grotto from the pub. I’m not sure why Santa was drinking on Christmas Eve, but I was very judgemental about it. He certainly shouldn’t have been flying his sleigh. The narrative arc started and ended there, but we received rave reviews from our parents. Forty years later, we are still hoping to tour the play at some point.
Could you tell us a bit about your recent book and why it is a must-read?
The book blurb for Woodcutter goes a little something like this –
On the run from his criminal family, Daniel Dayton returns home to Newcastle Upon Tyne when his abandoned daughter is attacked.
But his family have problems of their own. Targeted by a brutal mercenary, their empire is destined to be destroyed should Daniel refuse to help.
Betrayed by his parents. Despised by his brother. In love with his sister-in-law. Home has become a dangerous place to be.
Daniel wants his daughter safe. And he wants his revenge, but in the shadowy streets of Newcastle, things are never what they seem.
I wrote Woodcutter having moved from Newcastle to Scotland. In an odd way, it’s a sort of love poem to the place where I grew up. There is a lot to admire about my hometown – the people, the culture, the convivial atmosphere, but I can’t deny there is a seamier underbelly. It is largely out of sight, something you glimpse from the corner of your eye, but vanishes when you turn to face it. Woodcutter is my answer to this.
How did you get to where you are today?
After university, I had a series of office jobs. Any excitement I had during this time came solely from my choice of tie. It was stressful, mundane and thankless. My life stretched out in front of me in an endless collage of grey. So, I quit and started my own gardening business. Taking control of my life was the key and I made a resolution. If I had to work (and I did!), then I was only going to work at something I wanted to do.
Nothing is beyond your reach if you’re passionate about it. It’s how I feel about writing and how, after some hard work, I got published by Thistle Books.
Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?
In everything I’ve ever written – short stories to novels – I always name one of the characters after my best friend. And because I’m incredibly childish, something terrible always happens to him. Falls off a cliff. Gets trapped under a shed. Anything to make me smile.
When I tell him I’ve written something new, he groans. “How do I die this time?”
It guarantees at least one sale because my friend likes to know. It sounds like I’ve got a sadistic streak, but in reality, it’s just good business.
Of all the characters you have created, which is your favourite and why?
Maybe I have low self-esteem, but I have an affinity with side-kicks. In Woodcutter, Bronson works for Daniel as a right-hand man. He’s loyal, funny and determined. Although he’s a violent man, he’s likeable and generous. For him, being a gangster is a job and one he is very good at, but he sees the bigger picture. Bronson is a mentor to Daniel, guiding him toward better choices.
Where other kids grew up wanting to be dentists or football players, Bronson wanted to be bad. I love that about him.
What character in your book are you least likely to get along with?
Scott Dayton. Even I find him intimidating. He’s characterised as being icy and single-minded. Scott believes he is the true heir to the Dayton empire so when his brother returns to Newcastle, we see him react in the worst of ways. He’s dismissive of the weak and cruel toward those he can over-power. Five minutes in my company and he’d be measuring me for concrete boots.
Of all of my characters, Scott is as close to a real-life gangster as I perceive them to be. Uncompromising, unforgiving and not people I’d want to spend time with.
Where do you see yourself as a writer in five years?
Probably in the same butt space on the same sofa writing books. My second book is with my agent and will be published next year. I’m also working on a short story collection, which I may self-publish in the future. I’ve been bitten by the writing bug and while there are people out there willing to read my stories, I’ll be happy to write them.
But I may also be in the gym in five years time. Writing isn’t the most active of jobs and these biscuits are going to catch up with me eventually.
What is the biggest surprise that you experienced after becoming a writer?
I am amazed by the public reaction to being an author. It’s always positive, but I fear their perception of being a writer and the actuality of writing are two different things. One is to be admired and to be put on a pedestal as a creative being. The second is to be wrapped in a grubby dressing robe, pacing the floor and hoping someone says something interesting enough to steal and claim as my own.
When I told one lovely lady I was a writer, she said, “Oh, you must be very clever, then.” And I hid my smile. The day before I’d broken my can opener and decided to open a tin of beans with a claw hammer. Had she caught me picking exploded beans from my hair, she would have changed her opinion.
I write stories, but I’m not sure I’m a writer. Well, not a very clever one.
Do you have anything you would like to say to your readers and fans?
I’m not sure I have any fans as such, but to my readers, I say this – thank you. Thanks for your support, the kind comments and for allowing me to have the most amazing job ever. Money is hard to come by these days so it means a lot that you spend some on me. And as long as you do, I’ll work hard to earn it.