Can you give our readers an overview of your novel Dead Straight Line?
Sixteen year old Rory takes a risk that goes horribly wrong. The story explores the consequences of Rory’s action and how he must battle to win back the trust and love of his family and friends.
If you could do it in just 5 words or less, what would they be?
Fast and furious.
What inspired you to write Dead Straight Line?
I’ve always been fascinated by the risks people take. I looked back to when I was a young guy and the risks I took. I once got into a car with a drunk driver and didn’t wear my seatbelt. The driver crashed and I went through the car windscreen. I still bear the scars to this day.
But I wanted something more unusual than a car accident. When I was a teenager, a friend said we should head back to his house, not via paths and roads, but in a dead straight line through people’s front and back gardens. That game was the inspiration for this story.
What research did you do for the book?
I contacted the Spinal Injuries Association, and spoke to Dave Eastham, a young guy who was paralysed after a scooter accident in Thailand. Dave gave me great insights to what life is like to be wheelchair bound at an early age.
I also contacted a war veteran, Julian Barrett, from the Falklands War. Julian told me his amazing story of how, as an eighteen year old, he was shot during the battle for Mount Longdon. Much of what Julian told me made it into the book and helped create the character of Tanker.
What do you want readers to take away from Dead Straight Line?
I’d like readers to think about how we treat those who have done something wrong. We live in a world where, through social media, and societal pressure it’s so easy to criticize, and so difficult to forgive. I’d like to readers to consider how they’d react, one, if they were Rory, and two, if they suffered as a result of what Rory did.
What has been a recent favourite read?
I recently read the YA book, The Glass Girl by Kathleen Glasgow, a harrowing, but brilliant account of a young girl’s battle with alcohol addiction.
Where can our readers find you on social media?
On X (@malcolmduffyUK) and Instagram (malcolm.duffy)
Finally can you give us your favourite quote from a novel (it can be yours!)?
‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.’ Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities.
Dead Straight Line by Malcolm Duffy is out now in paperback (£8.99, Zephyr, an imprint of Bloomsbury)