In a charming turn of events, 50-year-old bookseller Adam S Leslie has enchanted the literary world by clinching this year’s Nero Book Award for fiction with his novel Lost in the Garden. The folk horror tale, published by independent Dead Ink Press, follows three women voyaging through a fantastical rendition of rural England. Leslie’s hypnotic storytelling reflects an Britain through an eerie, distorted lens.
Dreaming Up a Spellbinding Story
Fascinated by the enigmatic phrases that surface in his mind as he drifts between sleep and wakefulness, Leslie began jotting down these “nonsense phrases.” Little did he know, they would seep into Lost in the Garden, manifesting as mysterious transmissions one character hears on a peculiar radio station. This playful curiosity is quintessential to Leslie’s spirit.
It’s so tempting to daydream.
Adam S Leslie
The author, sporting a paisley shirt and green jumper, radiates a professorial air as he enthuses over historic artifacts adorning his office in Oxford’s Blackwell’s bookshop. It was the city’s reputation as a haven for “literary” and “artsy” types that lured Leslie nearly a decade ago. Previously, while living in Milton Keynes, he often felt like “the weird one.”
Pursuing Passions Over Promotions
Since earning a film diploma in Middlesbrough in the 1990s, Leslie has strategically sought out low-commitment, minimum-wage jobs to carve out ample time for writing. He chose to work “the minimum amount of days a week I can get away with,” consistently turning down promotions that would encroach upon his true calling.
I think, well, I’d better not let that 13-year-old chap down.
Adam S Leslie, on his lifelong commitment to writing
While Leslie had published two novels with a now-defunct publisher over a decade ago and garnered a smattering of screenwriting credits, Lost in the Garden marked a turning point. The seed for the story was planted in his teenage years, initially envisioned as a film script inspired by the book Fantastic Cinema by Peter Nicholls.
From Rural Roots to Fantastical Fiction
The rural backdrop of Lost in the Garden echoes Leslie’s childhood in the Lincolnshire village of Carlton Scroop. He and his friends would embark on countryside escapades, though Leslie, a self-proclaimed mix of the novel’s shy Antonia and childlike Heather, often felt “far too anxious” for the trespassing hijinks his companions relished.
Now, as Leslie basks in the glow of his Nero award win, he muses on the possibility of claiming the £30,000 Nero Gold prize. The sum would allow him to bid farewell to his Blackwell’s job and devote himself to writing full-time “at least for a year or two.” With dreams of penning a political thriller and bringing screenplays to life, Leslie’s quiet confidence in his writing destiny is set to take flight.
I’ve never had much interest in just normal boring everyday life. I’m generally fairly consumed by creativity and pop culture.
Adam S Leslie
