His novel, Trading Vincent Crow, is the hilarious tale of a man who decides to better his position every three months, without fail. This means trading up for a better job, a better lady friend, better - everything.
An amusing take on one man's ambition, Wardle weaves a tale that is both cautionary and brings out the laughs. You can get his book here:
Here is my interview with Mr. Wardle:
1) What is your inspiration?
The idea of trading-up Vincent’s life for a better one is loosely based around the experience of a man on e-bay who traded a giant paperclip online, and after many more trades got himself a house. I expanded this idea so that Vince has to trade-up his entire life every few months, not just the job, but the clothes, the house, girlfriend, car, everything.
A lot of the socially-challenged elements that make up Vince’s character I’m sure came from my own experiences entering adulthood where I was absolutely hopeless when it came to talking to people I didn’t know or exuding self-confidence. I believe with age I’ve got a lot better in this regard, as I’m sure most people do, but I think this vulnerability is what makes Vince’s character fairly accessible to many readers.
At times the sub-plots draw vaguely on some of my own experiences. For example, Vince starts off as a washer-upper in a suburban pub. My own formative years saw me employed part time in a number of pub kitchens devoting my evenings to the contents of industrial-sized sinks.
2) Who is your favorite author and why?
Some of my favourite books are from the Jeeves and Wooster series by P.G.Wodehouse. I also enjoyed some of Gerald Durrell’s books as he has a pleasant way of being entertained by peoples’ (and animals’) eccentricities without judging them. However, I am interested in a wide and varied range of book styles. Through my travels and work abroad I’ve had the pleasure of delving into whatever books previous travelers have abandoned to lighten the load of their backpacks, and with it the chance to experience a range of authors I wouldn’t otherwise have encountered.
3) Who would you say your writing style is most influenced by?
My joy of the dialogue in some of P.G.Wodehouse’s books have inspired me to dabble with the dialogue in trading Vincent Crow, all though I think my style is actually quite different.
Beyond the literary, my sense of how to express or tell a story will have been influenced by a range of media. For example, I am a fan of the radio panel game Just a minute and am in awe at the linguistic abilities of the contestants to weave their witty monologues on the spur of the moment. Similarly, comedians such as Vic Reeves who delight in the use of language as they deliver their jokes have probably been equally influential.
4) Tell us about your book in under 140 characters; Twitter pitch.
Vince Crow decides to trade his life for a new one: job, girl, wheels, pad, threads, until he’s a success -witty, satirical, British humour
5) What are your future plans?
I am just starting the publishing process for the sequel to Trading Vincent Crow called Vincent Crow: Export. This time I’ve extracted Vince from his natural habitat in UK suburbia and scooted him off to the depths of Asia to set up a new business venture. As is the case with Vince, mayhem and catastrophe are never too far behind. I’ve really enjoyed writing this book as the lead characters and their intricate quirks are now well established. It’s been a fantastic opportunity to bring out the joys of the rhetorical conversation between Vince and his nan. In addition, with the book set in Asia, anyone who has experienced the joy of traveling in Asia, and particularly the delights of working within Asian cultures may find an extra level in which to wallow nostalgically.
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