Nobel Prize Winning Interview with Michael Keenaghan

Ey up, I know that I’m always moaning about not getting Nobel Prize but here’s a big shout out to the judges for the Oscars who neglected to nominate me for a single Oscar!!! How very dare you, I am more dramatic than Brian Blessed and deserve all that is coming to me….oh well rant over and on to my next rant….Please welcome Michael Keenaghan the author of one of my favourite reads of 2024 Smiler with Knife….

Q1: Hello, tell us a bit about yourself?

I’m a born and bred Londoner of Irish extraction first; a writer second. I chronicle London’s contemporary shades of light and dark. Mostly dark. Watch out, I have something of the night about me.

Q2:  What is Smiler with Knife about? And can you explain what the title means?

It’s a threatening and violent image – a title that accurately summarises the stories in the collection. The book contains a nice array of urban characters, from hapless ex-cons and smackheads trying to earn their next pound note, to faded Britpop musicians mired in nostalgia, to nine-to-fivers trying to forget about the workmate they buried in a wasteland about to become a new-build housing estate. There are bent coppers and immigrants and lost teenagers seeking love, so a fair bit of variety for all tastes I’d say. If not, there’s always Mills and Boon.

Q3:  Why did you go with short stories and not a full novel?

My first novel ‘London is Dead’ was released at the tail end of 2022, so I felt it was time to get some of my short fiction out there in a collection. ‘London is Dead’ is my take on the Great London Novel. It’s starts with a distinctly cockney flavour at the Essex borders and meanders its way inward through the alleys of Hackney, Tottenham and Archway to the remaining Irish community of County Kilburn (and its outlaws) to the gang territories of Harlesden and Stonebridge. Throw in some Albanian and Turkish delights and away you go. It’s a novel quite panoramic in its ambition. I wanted to write the book I’ve always wanted to read, and feel I didn’t do too badly.  So hence it was time for ‘Smiler with Knife’ a book of shorts set within those streets and with a similar degree of scope – lots of different characters in one bustling city all trying to get by (and sometimes failing badly). The tales that begin and end the book are fictional but based around real events, so I’m skirting Jake Arnott/David Peace turf there, delving into the ‘faction’ thing, a little habit of mine. All in all, the short story is a form I particularly favour and should be celebrated more I think.

Note to self….get a copy of London is Dead.

Q4:  How well has the book gone down?  Are copies sold in the millions now?

Yes, sales have just passed one million so any day now I’m expecting a fairly substantial royalty cheque… no, I’m joking. But put it this way, for an outsider scribe like me sales have way surpassed all my humble expectations. And feedback has been positive which is always good. 

Q5:  Do you have a favourite story in the collection?

I quite like ‘Death of a Party’. It’s a wildcard thrown in there which is inspired by my days as a budding musician playing the scuzzy venues of Camden Town. There’s drink and drugs and a body ends up in the canal… but I won’t spoil the story for the uninitiated. I also like ‘Exile’ which is about an Irish immigrant of the 50s/60s diaspora getting to grips with the big city experience. There are lots to choose from. I made sure I only included my very best in this book.

Q6: GNOME QUESTION!!!!  If the apocalypse was about to happen how would you survive the Attack of the Gnomes? I’m putting together a handbook, you got a random bit of advice to add?

I’d find a safe bunker (or garden shed rather) and happily watch as the Gnomes take over and rule. They’d be far more interesting than those currently at the helm. Fascinating events can create fascinating fiction, so bring it on!

Q7:  Where did you get your inspiration from?  I could get a sense from a few British films and so many characters had me thinking of Vinny Jones.

Inspiration mainly comes from everyday life, but it’s very possible some British films may have bled (so to speak) into the proceedings. ‘The Long Good Friday’ is an urban tale set back when London still had the smoggy grit etched into its crumbling walls. It’s a great film and piece of history. I also like ‘Dead Man’s Shoes’ – a film as amusing as it is horrific. Shades of comedy can exist even in life’s bleakest moments and I like to reflect that in my writing.

Ahhh! Dead Man’s Shoes, what a movie, been many a year since I’ve seen that, must be due a rewatch.

Q8:  What sort of research did you carry out for the book?  The language has a real authentic feel to it…are you an undercover cop….whoops!

I’m not Old Bill so you can keep puffing on whatever it is you’re smoking and rest easy. I tend not to research and write mostly about things I know about, or at least have observed or absorbed in some way. Growing up and living in London is an education of sorts… Now that’s out of the way, you’re nicked sunshine!

Q9:  The main characters are mostly male in the book, was there a reason?  Would you have liked to have had a female gangster/villain?

Writing within your own gender comes more naturally so maybe it’s just laziness on my part. Having said that, there is a female character in my novel and in some of my stories outside of ‘Smiler with Knife’. Now you mention it, more female characters will certainly be on the cards.

Q10:  Have you considered creating an audiobook version?  Who would you love to see voicing it for you?

An audio version would be good. I’d like Craig Fairbrass. He used to be in Eastenders but more recently starred in a film called ‘Muscle’ by the director Gerard Johnson. It deals with male inadequacy and intimidation, and is shockingly gritty. Not recommended for the easily shocked – which I suppose includes me as by the end I was pretty unnerved. Fairbrass is a charismatic and under-appreciated actor. 

Q11:  What plans you got for the future, is there gonna be a second series?

There will be another short story collection at some point, Tales from the Dark Heart of London Part 2, but up next will be another big, edgy novel about life in the Smoke. That’s the next big project. Wish me luck. But in the meantime let the Gnomes (and shoplifters) take over…

Practical task:  I am doing a gnome gallery on my blog, can you create a piece of artwork based on Gnomes, can be any medium and you are welcome to name the piece. 

Title: ‘Chillin’ on the South Kilburn Estate’

Massive thanks to Michael for taking part in this interview, having read Smiler with Knife I feel I have only just touched the surface with this world and am looking forward to reading more.

I asked for any links that the author would like to be added at the end of this interview, ya know the type, links to buy the books, links to buy merch or links to do a bit of stalking of the author. Today the legend has gone with a different route, go and search for a copy of this great book whilst this video plays in the background…