A dramatic twist helped turn the dream of writing for a living into a reality for a new author.
Laz Newton, from Oakham, will this month launch her debut novel, Finch's Arms, a dark comedy about a man who grows an extra pair of arms.
Yet the book almost never made it to the shelf. After a string of rejections, Laz was on the verge of calling it quits when fate intervened with a last-gasp deal.
"I punted it out to the literary agents which led to about 27 rejections," she recalled. "Some of those contained some quality feedback, so I went back to the drawing board and then thought about small press publishers."
"Again, I punted it out to about 20, heard nothing back and remember the morning I went to work thinking 'oh well, that dream was fun while it lasted'. And then came the email from Burton Mayers Books. I couldn't believe it. I think I read the email a hundred times."
Having written her debut while working part-time, this 'sliding doors' moment has allowed Laz to try life as a full-time author. She is two-thirds of the way through her follow-up, another dark comedy called Marzipan.
"I've learned so much from writing this book," she said. "Because it was my first, I didn't really map the plot, it all grew organically, but this is more ordered, less chaotic. And I know the ending already this time."
Craving a slower pace of life from working as a PA in London, Laz moved to Rutland with her partner shortly before the pandemic. It allowed her to try a different approach to life and writing.
"I've always loved reading, writing and making up stories, sitcoms, and scripts, but just for fun, never anything serious," she said. "But when I moved here, I thought, 'I'll work part time, have a slower pace of life, get some dogs, and write a book', do the whole cliche thing."
For many in Rutland, Finch's Arms immediately conjures up the Hambleton pub, within a few miles of Laz's home. However, she says the book's title was inspired by its title character alone.
"It's a lovely pub, but it's just a coincidence," she said.
The quirky storyline was inspired by attempts to relax outside on a windy evening. "I was out on the porch trying to light a cigarette while holding a glass of wine and wrestling my hair out of my mouth," she said. "The wine was lost and my hair singed, and just in that moment I wished I'd an extra pair of hands."
"Then, after maybe one glass of wine too many, I wondered what if that wish actually came true? It just got me laughing about the situations you might get yourself into and went from there."
While the book aims to make readers laugh, it also deals with some hard-hitting issues as Danny is sucked into the world of celebrity and sees its dark, exploitative side.
"It's about the misuse of power if that gift was placed in the wrong hands," Laz explains. "Like Midas with his power of turning things into gold, and Icarus flying too close to the sun. It didn't really end up too well for those guys."
The surreal plot has led to comparisons with influential Czech writer Franz Kafka, but Laz's influences are more recent. She loves the satire of stand-up comedian Ben Elton and classic TV sitcoms such as The Likely Lads, Rising Damp and Only Fools and Horses.
"For Danny, I got a lot of influence from old TV that my dad used to show me - a lot of Norman Wisdom and Tony Hancock," said Laz. "He's more of a Norman Wisdom character crossed with Trigger from Only Fools and Horses. A hapless everyman, infuriating, frustrating, but you just can't help rooting for him."
