Into The Team (23 page)

What fired up the Reds in that friendly clash with Eastend United? After smashing the visitors to an 8-0 defeat, the Reds walked off the pitch to the sound of something new in the air at The Quayside stadium. That something could have been down to the amazing win witnessed from the terraces, just the higher than usual jubilance at seeing the home team annihilate another visiting side. But ask anyone who sat in those seats last night, and they’ll all say the same thing. Todd Mackerson.

It’s been a long time in English football since a fresh pair of legs has been launched into midfield and then gone on to score not once, but twice. The twenty year old even took a shot just seconds after kick off, hitting the cross bar and giving the away team an early warning of who to watch out for.

Anyone would have thought the Reds new signing had been playing premier league football for years instead of the month he’s been sitting in Aiden Marshall’s stockpile. How the man does it? Nobody knows, but Mackerson was plucked from obscurity just four weeks ago, trained at The Valley, and unleashed in last night’s game onto an unsuspecting Eastend United.

But was it just him? There will be some who watched the game give hesitation when answering that question, for it was clear something was brewing between the new midfielder and the Reds blue eyed wonder boy Daryl Atkins. It seemed the two of them played as one, always seeming to be right where the other needed them to be. And if it wasn’t for this special pairing, maybe the win would not have reached the humiliating score that sent Eastend United back home with tails routed firmly between legs. Not only did they work together in securing those goals, but Mackerson came to a speedy defense of Atkins after a nasty elbow from McCollen, which got the Eastend striker a red card. However, it wasn’t all plain sailing for the Reds new upstart, as he took a yellow card for a cheeky shoulder dig at the offending player.

But, yellow card or not, the fans, the premier league clubs, and even the entire nation, will be waiting to see the magic grow between Atkins and Mackerson this season.

Think differently –

Rob’s strategy in life.

 
 
A bachelor of science (Computing), Rob worked as a software developer for over 15 years before turning his full time attention to learning the craft of writing. His love of science drew him into science fiction, but his love of man drew him to the MM genre. With his strategy of thinking differently, he aims to bring something to the market that pushes the boundaries.

Rob was born and raised in Manchester, England. Spent seven years living in London, but now lives back in his home city. Interests include: reading, film, weight training, and learning all he can about people – what makes them tick, what motivates them.
 

Into the Team is his first published novel.

An Interview with Rob Damon

CDP: You love writing – what would you tell a writer just starting out?

RD: That’s simple: write. There is no secret, you just have to write. Also, the most useful piece of knowledge I learned and accepted when starting out was that most of what you write will never be read by anyone. Accept that and your creativity will bloom.

CDP: What do you think of Nanowrimo? Have you ever taken part in Nanowrimo?

RD: It’s a great idea but I’ve never taken part in it. However, I do apply that strategy when writing a first draft. All of my first drafts have been written inside a month.

CDP: Tell us about your writing day.

RD:
On the days that I am writing, or rewriting, as soon as I wake up my laptop gets switched on. After making myself a coffee I start working, stopping only for food, until early evening. Then I wind down and quietly reflect on what I’d written that day, and mentally plan what needs to be done tomorrow.

CDP: Todd is an ambitious young man and that comes out quite vividly in the book, in fact, most of the characters are vividly drawn, did you draw any of them from real life?

RD: Maybe subconsciously I did, but I cannot say any particular person I have known or know inspired any of the characters. They are all fabrications of characters I imagine would make up a typical football team. However, I did play football at school and I remember the adrenaline felt when running with the ball and hearing people cheering you on. So I suppose I drew from my memories of being part of a team back then.

CDP: What music do you listen to while writing, or is silence your best friend?

RD: Usually silence is best for me. However, I have another story I’ve worked on for a few years and during various rewrites I took to listening to music. This has resulted in an “our song” for two characters in that book. Whenever I hear that song I am with those two characters again.

CDP: Into the Team covers various issues, one of them as I’ve said, is Todd’s ambition and he’s obsessed with achievement, there is the bisexual issue, and of-course there is the bonding issue, in all, how would you describe bisexuality in football in 2015?

RD:
What a question. Hmmm, I can only presume, as I have no first-hand knowledge of a gay or bisexual football player currently playing. I think it’s safe to say there will be some gay, and probably more bisexual players, in English football, but, as football is still a very “manly” sport in the UK, they will be keeping themselves quiet. I would say though, that those players who are gay or bisexual would likely be “out” within the team, and this issue has been dealt with in the British TV show Footballer’s Wives. But until the day when the general population no longer cares about a person’s sexual preferences, we will not see anyone like Todd and Daryl having a celebrity wedding.

CDP: Do you write prolifically every day?

RD: No. We all need a break from whatever we do and I tend to have phases when I write prolifically, and phases when I don’t write at all. These phases are defined by particular writing goals that I set for myself, such as writing a first draft of a new novel, or producing a subsequent draft of a novel I’ve let sit for a while.

CDP:
The underlying theme in Into the Team is that one doesn’t need a label to practice free intimate relations with men or women.  But, labels are important in society.  What are your feelings towards labeling?

RD: I am very tired of labels. This idea that we must box ourselves and present ourselves with a tag that someone else has defined is so restrictive. It is also the basis of prejudice. I understand it’s convenient for society to have a name for certain groups, but I feel that labeling people is a failure for us as people. It is a dismissive gesture and fails to recognize that we are all unique.

CDP: How do you see yourself as a writer in a few years from now?

RD: I am hoping I will have several published novels that have been enjoyed by readers. I would also like to branch out into new territories – science fiction, crime, horror etc.

CDP: Into the Team is a bold project.  Research must have been a priority.  Which areas did you research?

RD: I already understood the rules of football, most people in England do, but there were specifics I had to check and was mildly surprised with what I found out. For example, there is no standard size for a football pitch, and even in the Premiership, football pitch sizes can vary amongst the clubs. There are also no rules regarding numbers on shirts, clubs can choose any number they like. One thing I did spend a lot of time on before I started writing Into The Team, was coming up with all the names I was going to use. I needed names that sounded like footballer players, names I could imagine a commentator saying. They also needed to be names that were not actual real life football player names. So I spent several days coming up with the character names.

CDP: Are you focusing on sport in all of your books?

RD: No. Into The Team is the only novel I have with a sport theme. My other stories have their own unique themes too, for example I have an action thriller, a whodunit, and an on the run drama. All with an MM subplot.

CDP: I would like to see a romance between Todd and Daryl, I’m sure the readers would like to see that too.  Any chance of a follow up that might expose Todd as a completely gay man?

RD: You mean you want me to give Todd a label? Does he deserve one? I think he is unique enough to love for who he is, and until he wants to give himself a label I am not going to force one on him. LOL

Anyhow, I think the romance between Todd and Daryl is there already; it may not be explicit as in they are not holding hands while walking along the beach, or making breakfast in bed for each other, but I think readers will see the romance between them is strong. However, I have a seed of an idea for a follow up story, but I will need to come up with a decent thesis before I can commit to writing it. I like the idea of Todd and Daryl “coming out” to their teammates, and also the press speculation that they are involved in some heavy bromance.

CDP: Where to from here?

RD: I have two other novels waiting for me to sign off as final drafts. So that will keep me busy in the coming months. Then it will be back to my other projects and ideas for new stories. I am amazed at how much I enjoy this long laborious process of writing….