TEN WORDS OR FEWER INTERVIEW: L. J. Robson, author of The Boy with the Thorn in His Side

L. J. Robson, author of The Boy with the Thorn in His Side, has been invited to take part in TriumphOfTheNow.com‘s “Ten Words or Fewer” interview format!

Read on below!

Q: What is the title of your book?
A: The Boy with the thorn in his side

Q: Why did you choose this title?
A: Living at “Number 5” as described in the book was a hell house in my early teens and was a thorn in my side as far as building any meaningful relationship was concerned.

Q: What’s the book about?
A: My childhood memories about living in extreme poverty with an alcoholic mother, her abusive partner and trying to parent my younger siblings when I was 11.

Q: Why did you write this book?
A: I stayed silent for 25 years, the demons got the better of my mental health, I found writing the memories down rid me of those demons

Q: And why now?
A: I don’t know, it’s took me years to talk about those dark days but I’m ready to move on

Q: Who is your favourite character (real or imagined!) in the book and why?
A: My wife, Sue. I went off the rails in my early 20s and then meeting her changed my life

Q: Describe the ideal reader of your book.
A: Any young person going through trauma. Have belief that you can come through it!

Q: What are your politics/values?
A: I get angry at politics in the UK. The big decision makers, most of them have only got to that position because they were born into money and havent experienced poverty and how people in the real world live!

Q: Why might someone with oppositional politics/values enjoy your book? If they wouldn’t, do you regret that?
A: My book has been described in a review as “not for the faint hearted”. It would resonate better with people from a working class background but that’s fine.

Q: Why do you write, generally?
A: I find it cathartic

Q: Where/how do you write?
A: I wrote most of my book on Holiday in Cyprus, sitting up until the early hours of the morning, drinking beer after beer on our balcony

Q: As a writer, what is the biggest challenge you face?
A: Writing was the easy part, getting exposure and interest in it has been the biggest challenge, especially for a 1st time author!

Q: Are you working on any new projects?
A: Not at the moment, I’m an operational manager at a well known company in the UK and that takes up most of my time currently.

Q: What/who you do read?
A: I like historical fiction, Brian Klein’s series about the reich is pretty cool

Q: Why do you read?
A: Usually audio books whilst I’m gardening to keep my mind occupied but also reading books helps me chill before bed

Q: Where/when you do read?
A: Evening before bed

Q: What book disappointed you most? Why?
A: The Shining, Stephen King. I only read the book a couple of years ago, it wasn’t anywhere near as creepy as the movie I’d watched years ago. Maybe I should have read the book first though

Q: How do you relax?
A: Usually with an audio book in my air pods whilst I potter around working in my Japanese style garden, very therapeutic.

Q: Are we alone in the universe??
A: Definitely not. The earth is only a pin prick on the universe, there’s got to be other life out there somewhere!

Q: Do you listen to music?
A: Love Prog rock and British indie. Early Genesis, Pink Floyd, The Who, The Smiths. Went to see Oasis last month, they were amazing

Q: What differentiates us from the animals?
A: We can actually talk and express how we’re feeling, it’s sad that animals can’t tell you if they are sad or in pain

Q: Do you have a mantra? If willing, please share.
A: Sorry i dont have a Mantra

Q: What is your preferred breakfast – something you could have every day?
A: When I’m at work all I like is a cup of black coffee until dinner, when I’m off it’s a bacon butty usually

Q: What’s the highest altitude you’ve been to on land? (i.e. not in a plane)
A: I guess 120 metres when I went up Blackpool tower, can you believe they have a glass floor as well, pretty scary

Q: What’s the largest animal you’ve seen running free?
A: Probably a horse in the field where I take my dog Rolo for a walk. Scariest was when they had to close our swimming pool in Mexico because a crocodile went into it.

Q: Which film/movie[s] from the past five years do you think will be future classics?
A: I love a classic western like Unforgiven or maybe Zulu or the Godfather trilogy but they just don’t make movie like they used to. I am a huge fan of Yellowstone, 1883 and 1924 are the best things I’ve watched in recent years.

Q: Do you have any pets? Why/why not?
A: Rolo, sausage dog, 2 cats, Luna and Willow and 2 unnamed gold fish. I find animals calming and good for my mental health

Q: Where is somewhere you’ve been to that you will never return to? Why?
A: “Number 5” our childhood hell house. I’ve now exorcised those old ghosts and don’t need to return

Q: When was the last time you climbed a tree?
A: Probably around 35 years ago in my Grandmas garden, It didn’t end well.

Q: How often do you swim?
A: Just when I’m on holiday somewhere

Q: What happened the last time you went on a first date?
A: I’ve been with Sue for 23 years so I must have a bit of an impression at that Chinese restaurant back then

Q: What’s the best decision you’ve ever made?
A: Not leaving my job prior to stepping up to management 10 years ago. I nearly joined the army

Q: Would you relive your life as a spectator if you could?
A: No, that would be a hard watch! I would however do things much differently with hindsight

Q: What is “cool”?
A: Oasis. Watching Liam Gallagher singing Champagne Supernova live was worth waiting 30 years for

Q: Do you like routine or spontaneity?
A: Definitely routine, I have a little bit of OCD

Q: What do you need to thrive??
A: I need a home project to keep my mind occupied whilst away from work and the writing the book helped me thrive a lot

Q: What do you need to survive?
A: I’m a man of simple means, I don’t need a lot but it’s the luxuries like holidays and cars that I have to work hard for

Q: How do you nourish yourself on a psychological level?
A: Pottering around in my Japanese zen garden which has taken me 5 years to finish

Q: What makes you laugh?
A: I still laugh at classic British comedy and love Only Fools and Horses

Q: What makes you cry?
A: My dachshund Rolo has just had a back operation and his back legs are paralysed. It’s enough to make an onion cry watching him now.

Q: Do you have a favourite place? Where is it?
A: St James’ Park, home of Newcastle United football club

Q: What don’t you eat?
A: Stodgy Yorkshire puddings

Q: How did your oldest friendship begin?
A: I joined a group of kids I didn’t know playing football one day at my Grans when I was 12 and hit it off with my best mate to this day Steven

Q: What is a soul?
A: I’m not sure souls exist but if I was going to say something then It’s an intangible part of you what produces emotions and feelings

Q: Have you ever been on a pilgrimage? If yes, where to?
A: Not religious but i did once dedicate a whole weekend to the life of The Beatles. Visiting their childhood homes and visiting the Cavern club. I’m obsessed with the genius of John Lennon

Q: Are you trained in first aid?
A: I was but my qualification probably needs a refresher course

Q: Have you ever written any songs? If yes, describe your sound.
A: No im not that clever unfortunately

Q: What’s the biggest thing you’ve personally destroyed?
A: Relationships with close friends through alcohol, that’s why I’m a recovering alcoholic and a year sober

Q: What are your weekend plans? Are these typical?
A: I work most Saturdays then usually go out for lunch on Sundays. I’m thinking of taking up golf though

Q: Have you ever seen a monkey in the wild? If yes, where were you?
A: Yeah spider monkeys at our hotel in Mexico last year

Q: Describe your hairstyle.
A: I’ve been bald since I was 22

Q: What’s your favourite item of clothing?
A: A white Ralph Lauren polo shirt I think

Q: If you could meet a historical figure for a chat over a beverage, who would it be and why? And what would the beverage be?
A: Id probably share a coffee with Hitler. Id be interested to see if he had any remorse for what the Nazis done in WW2. I mean how arrogant was he to think his army could just march into Russia and occupy the country. The fella was a total lunatic

Q: What is the scariest thing?
A: Hearing the news that you have a terminal illness like my Mam

Q: What’s the most painful meal you’ve had??
A: I once cracked a tooth on KFC chicken, it hurt and cost a lot to fix!

Q: How many close friends do you have?
A: Probably 2 real friends

Q: What makes a “close friend” close?
A: Someone who will be there for you no matter what

Q: Where is somewhere you could go every day?
A: The back garden to potter in my zen garden but we live in North East England and the weather is often rubbish

Q: How often do you buy groceries?
A: Once a week we usually do a big shop

Q: What’s the most popular thing that you don’t enjoy?
A: Pop music, rap music and people from Newcastle supporting Manchester City, Chelsea or Liverpool because they are successful clubs. “Glory seekers” drive me nuts

Q: What’s the most unpopular thing that you do enjoy?
A: Music by The Smiths or Pink Floyd. Most people I know don’t like their music but it’s each to their own

Q: What’s one skill you wish was taught in schools that isn’t?
A: Like I said In the book, suicide prevention skills would have been useful to me when I was at school. Mainly because of my teenage home life with my mam

Q: What’s the best museum, gallery or historical monument you’ve ever visited? Why?
A: I’ve been to Auschwitz Birkenau in Poland twice now and find it very emotive

Q: What was the most important invention of the last 100 years?
A: Internet by far

Q: Would you like to suggest a new question for future interviewees?
A: No not really, I think you’ve covered most things

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Bio and introduction to the book from L. J. Robson:

Author and operational manager.
Interests: Newcastle United FC, indie, progressive rock music.
Lover of Japanese gardening.
Mental health ambassador.

My book, The Boy with the Thorn in his Side, is a non fiction memoir about my traumatic childhood growing up in 80’s and 90’s Newcastle Upon Tyne, Uk.

Aged 9 our parents split leaving myself and my brothers with a suicidal, alcoholic mother and her boyfriend who soon turned out to be a violent alcoholic. Life soon spiralled into extreme poverty and neglect for me and my 2 younger brothers and I became a parent to them both age 11.

The poverty meant no food, heating or electricity during cold winters in the North of England for long periods. Due to our conditions at home, bullying was a constant at school. After some personal heartbreak and preventing my mother from suicide one day, it left me also seriously contemplating my own life when I was 15 years old.

Luckily, I got out of that life. But the demons were there, sitting silently in my mind, dormant. I buried the memories deep, not even telling friends or my wife. But the silence only lasted so long until the demons came back with a vengeance. 25 years since the events back in that hell house, I’m finally telling the story. This is my story.

A journey through trauma, survival, and the battle to reclaim my own mind. It’s about the ghosts of the past that never stopped whispering, the questions no one wanted to answer, and the slow unravelling of a reality I had been forced to forget.

Order my book      https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1917329725

My Website           https://ljrobson.uk/

Goodreads             https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/189967585-l-j-robson

Instagram               https://www.instagram.com/lee_j_robson/

TikTok                     https://www.tiktok.com/@l.j.robson?lang=en-GB

Facebook               https://www.facebook.com/people/LJ-Robson/61576620970408/

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“Ten Words or Fewer” gives writers (novelists, poets, essayists, playwrights, screenwriters, anyone writing anything else) the opportunity to introduce themselves and their work. If interested in taking part, email triumphofthenow@gmail.com for more details.

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