No, this isn’t journey as in “This book has taken me on quite a journey.” I’m thinking more geographical then spiritual and will save spiritual for the ‘beliefs’ page.
If there is a metaphorical journey that brought me to ‘Overtones’ it is a very short journey indeed. In fact, I dreamt ‘Overtones.’ Perhaps it sounds more poetic to say ‘Overtones’ came to me in a dream. I went to bed a musician and woke up a writer. I never intended to write a novel, but one morning the main characters and plot were all there and I was stuck with it. I usually remember my dreams, which are mostly a nonsensical and forgettable jumble. This time I had the main characters and plot and became obsessed with transforming the dream into something concrete.
So, back to geography. The novel is set in London, Yorkshire, Japan and Hong Kong, or more precisely: Clapham, Huddersfield, Kanazawa and Cheung Chau Island. These are all places I know.
Clapham, London.
Although originally from Upton Park (East London) I’ve lived in Clapham for 35 years. This is where David Carpenter lives.
Huddersfield and Outlane, Yorkshire.
In the 70’s I went to teachers training college in Huddersfield. My close friend, David Worth, to whom my book is dedicated, lived in a house at Outlane. This is where the Kelly family live.
My friend, David, was a builder. He began a long-term project to build a house on the Moors and often stayed in the caravan at the top of the track. In Overtones, Barrie lives in the house and Luke uses the caravan.
Turn left, walk a couple of yards along New Hey Road and you’ll come to a row of houses. The Kelly family live at number 702.
Cross the road and you’re outside the Waggon and Horses where I spent many an evening losing at pool. This is where James Kelly learns to play darts, David Carpenter spends New Year’s Eve and an altercation leads to a major incident.
Kanazawa, Japan
I was travelling from Tokyo towards Kyoto and decided to spend a couple of days in Kanazawa. I was delighted to find a building with the following notice
Society to introduce Kanazawa to the world
Just to prove that I’m not making this up, here’s a link:
http://www.nihonlinks.com/jamiller/japan/japanese.html
In Overtones, this is where Lee Chun Chow meets his wife.
Hong Kong and Cheung Chau Island
I know Hong Kong reasonably well as I used to write music for the Chung Ying Theatre Company. In my free time I frequented two haunts featured in Overtones.
The Old China Hand is a pub on Lockhart Road, where, in the novel, James hangs out with his Australian friend, Sid Furney.
The Fringe Club was a another of my regular haunts, where I’d often perform. In Overtones, the Fringe Club is the venue for James Kelly’s 21st birthday.
Cheung Chau is a a small island South West of Hong Kong island. Although I loved the craziness of the Hong Kong, my escape was the ferry to Cheung Chau, where many of my ‘Western’ friends lived. Cheung Chau plays a major role in Overtones and is where final events unfold.