I’m terrified of spiders! There, I’ve said it. No matter how tiny they may be, I always imagine they’ve got a huge father and half a dozen big brothers lurking nearby, ready to jump out at any time. Eeeek!
Pam Howes
When I was a teenager, in the sixties, I harboured secret ambitions to become a record producer, working alongside the likes of George Martin at Abbey Road Studios. It never happened of course. Girls didn’t do jobs like that in those days!
Nowadays, my secret ambition is to run a club similar to the type I used to go to. Live bands and a great DJ, a Rock’n’Soul venue. I hold a reunion night once a year for my favourite club, The Manor Lounge, and it’s always well attended by people of a certain age. You can’t keep a good Mod down.
You’ll have gathered by now that music is my first love, almost. My large family really comes first; I have three adult daughters and seven assorted grandchildren who keep me feeling young and smiling.
I love to read crime/thriller stories, but could never write them. I don’t know that I could murder anyone successfully enough to make a story, so I’ll stick to my sagas.
I’m involved in a campaign to get Blue Plaques erected on buildings around my hometown of Stockport for all the old music venues that are no longer open. Many famous acts performed in the clubs, including The Who and Rod Stewart. We have a strong musical heritage in the town, but so far only one music-linked Blue Plaque is in place and that is at the famous Strawberry Studios.
In 1980 my I emigrated to Canada with my then husband and the girls. The move wasn’t a success and I suffered badly from being homesick and missing my friends and family. After the third freezing cold winter I’d had enough and we came back to live in the UK. Never again.
Unlike others, I never had any early aspirations to become an author. I am creative by nature and ran a small interior design business before the writing bug took a hold of me.
My first book was supposed to be factual, about the music scene, but halfway through my partner suggested I write a fictional story about a young group of musicians getting a start in the business. I had a think about it, and that’s how my fictional band The Raiders, that feature in my Rock’n’Roll series were born. Once I created a life for them I couldn’t stop and the series now stands at five books, so far.
Apart from being a busy mum, grandma and author, I’m also a part-time roadie to my musician partner.
