Novelist George Veck chats with me today about his new psychological literary fiction, 91-Day Sanction.
Welcome, George. Please tell us a little bit about yourself.
Born in Hastings but raised in North Wales, I mostly write gritty crime fiction set in Wales. This will be my 7th book.
My inspiration partly derives from political greed, and the plights of those who suffer as a result; whether that’s from mental health issues our criminally underfunded health system won’t treat, housing shortages, domestic abuse, or living in crippling poverty without hope.
Please tell us about your current release.
91-Day Sanction is a ferocious depiction of the hell most reliant on state benefits have to endure, offering a true reflection of Britain’s modern-day housing crisis. It’s a Psychological Literacy Fiction about homelessness, and the many unexpected forms it now comes in to the most unexpected people.
Blurb
Gwynedd, 2024. Sadistic work coach James Burgess has finally bagged his dream job after three years of trying, two hundred miles from home in rural North Wales. But with promotion firmly in mind, cutting the jobcentre’s wage bill soon becomes his sport, at any cost, leaving a trail of turmoil in his wake and plenty of skipped meals at his hands.
With house prices soaring and job prospects scarce, many of James’ ‘casualties of war’ wind up at Morywelon Homeless Hostel, where the waiting list is insatiable. It takes gall to manage such a place, and Denise Groves’ ten-year stint certainly took its psychological toll. But she’s back for a second spell, to the job she loved and held since leaving university.
The catch? Well, this time, the hostel’s security guards have been laid off…
So when the occasional hell-raiser is asked to leave, she’s forced to face the whirlwind alone, and any grudges that fester as a result.
But Denise’s support network has fallen apart, when she needs it most. Best mate Jules thinks a boyfriend’s the answer after a decade in the ‘single lane’, and tries everything to set Denise up. Great, if only for Jules’ choice of men. Seedy, Cockney serial scammer Rick is the latest, and has a few turbulent potential answers for Denise’s ‘problem’.
What inspired you to write this book?
Partly my own experience of living in a homeless hostel. It’s not something you ever think will happen to you and it changed my life. But overall, 91-Day Sanction is dedicated to those who’ve been left to dry by the UK government’s inexplicable disregard of the most vulnerable: the pensioners who may die in their own homes after losing their winter fuel payments, PIP claimants inhumanely cut off from support by a system designed to trip them up, and the hundreds of thousands relying on food banks as their hard-earned, full-time wages fail to provide the most basic of living standards. I just can’t stand society’s black-and-white stigma against the homeless and disability benefit claimants, fueled by pathetic culture wars. Most of that anger exploded into this book.
What exciting project are you working on next?
My next full-cast audio drama Monotone Masquerade, which will be out in Spring. It’s a super dark psychological drama about Justin Billings, a fifteen-year-old lad who willingly leaves his abusive family home to enter the care system.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
Deep down, probably only after my second book. Anyone who is actively writing, whether they’ve finished their book or not, is a writer. But imposter syndrome probably didn’t let me accept that straight away.
Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your workday like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I try to write full-time when possible. Being self-employed means I can sometimes. I don’t really have a set workday, just get it done when the time and energy is there.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I didn’t have a clue for my entire childhood. At the time I just hoped to have a varied life and avoid being stuck in the same dismal job for 50 years.