Hull author's debut book released

By imidgley

Mathematical equations, Morse Code, looking out of the window, and even polar bears have all served as inspiration for Richard Sutherland's debut book.

In fact, there's very little passes by the Hull author's gaze that doesn't spark an idea for a short story or a tall tale.

The 27-year-old's first book, called The Unitary Authority Of Ersatz, draws on the 27-year-old's lifetime of experiences living in Hull – from the city's zebra crossings to memories of civil wedding ceremonies – mingled with flights of fantasy and dips into a strange, slightly off-kilter reality.

"I'm inspired by anything really," says the Hull-born writer, whose day job is as a marketing assistant at Hull Truck Theatre.

"I was sat on a bus coming down Spring Bank and gazing out of the window one day when I saw the Polar Bear pub – and that set me off thinking about some weird and wonderful tale with a polar bear in it.

"I've got one story in the book that is just a year in the life of a set of traffic lights – which was inspired by just walking around town."

Richard's quirky stories, set in an imaginary region called Ersatz, have taken 18-months to work their way from his imagination to the printed page.

"It's something I've always wanted to do," he says. "Ever since I did English literature at Wilberforce College I said one day I wanted to write a book. Then, about 18-months ago, I thought, 'I've got to stop talking about it and actually sit down and get on with it'. Now I'm in my late 20s I wanted to have a proper stab at it before I turned 30."

While thinking about the perfect setting for his skewed story-telling style, Richard says he wanted to find somewhere like Hull – only more so.

"I wanted my book to be grounded in somewhere recognisably real – somewhere like Hull – but also a place where there was always the chance of something fantastical happening around the corner," he said.

"I was thinking along the lines of Alice In Wonderland or The Wizard Of Oz – then, when I came across the word Ersatz, which is the German word for fake, it fitted perfectly."

Richard has now self-published the book through the Suffolk-based Think Ink publishers and is busy establishing distribution for his work. It is already available through his own website and at Waterstone's, in Jameson Street, Hull.

And, not content with having one book published, he's already started work on a sequel.

"Half the battle is actually getting the first book written and physically published," says Richard, who has not only written the stories but designed the cover. "Now I've got to let people know it exists and to get them to read it.

"For me, just to be able to hold my book in my hand is a tremendous achievement. When the first proof came I was physically shaking because I was so excited.

"For me it's already a success."

* Richard Sutherland's debut book The Unitary Authority Of Ersatz costs £7.99 is available now from Waterstones.