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High Tide
High School
I began writing poetry in high school. Unfortunately, I didn’t have many friends because I wasn’t cut from the same cloth and at that age anything foreign is heinous. As it was a boarding school, I endured a pretty lonely existence and, in the evenings, I’d go to the empty library to cry in peace. After a while I ended up reading most of the classics there, over the course of seven years. Reading gives you somewhere to go when you have to stay where you are. And so, I wanted to be like my heroes, I wanted to be a poet. You’re never really ready for anything, you just have to start. So, I started writing then and there.
Lord Byron
Lord Byron is at the forefront of my idols. I used to comb over his work, especially the lyrical poems like ‘She walks in beauty’; ‘When we two parted’; ‘So we’ll go no more a roving’. Even though these were written two centuries ago, the emotional resonance strikes deeply. I wanted to be like him, to be able to express aesthetically universal emotions that could resonate with others who have felt them without knowing how to put them into words.
Brandon Flowers
I’m a big fan of the Killers, it’s no secret. Their first four albums came out during my time in high school and it’s all I’d listen to. I reference their work directly and indirectly in my poetry as an ode, for example, ‘Riptide’; ‘On top’; ‘Andy’. Brandon Flowers had a positive impact on my life when I was growing up, and I believe his song-writing makes him one of the best modern poets we have (whether he knows it or not). His lyrics are emotional, honest, complex and accessible. I never want to meet him.
A good ex
I wrote my first volume “High Tide” about my third love, Hugh Vidler. It was a difficult long-distance relationship and we weren’t a good match. But the love was real and I wanted to capture it while I felt it. I’m grateful to him for being my muse and inspiration. I only want good things for him.
A bad ex
After that relationship ended, I unfortunately got tangled in a toxic relationship. I don’t want to name the person because I don’t have anything nice to say. But I wrote the second volume about our time together and that book will be out next year. He was my biggest hater and continuously wanted me to fail, urged me to stop writing, pressured me not to sign any publishing contracts. But every time he tried to invalidate my success, my emotions, my ambitions, it just made me want to succeed more, to prove him wrong.
The futility of existence and the brevity of life
At an early age I realised that life is unfair, fragile and can end abruptly. We had a family tragedy when I was seven. But after years of processing the chaos, I came to the conclusion that because life is so meaningless, all we really have to do is try to enjoy what we have while we have it, be grateful for our joy and try to make a positive impact on others and our society. I am the sum of my experiences and my reactions to them, and on my deathbed all I’ll have are my memories, and I’d like to capture the emotions in poetry, the highest form of expression (in my opinion).
My readers
Most of all, I am grateful for my readers, who are my reason to continue writing, thank you for making “High Tide” a bestseller, I hope not to disappoint you with my future works.