Hi Tom. Thank you for talking to us and for contributing to our cause. I certainly recognise that first book cover above. I’ve only had ‘Repetition Kills You’ for a few days but I’m making very healthy progress and that’s on top of possibly my busiest period ever. It really is a bit of me. I think I’m getting a good sense of you, but can you tell our readers a little a bit about yourself?

Thanks for having me! My name is Tom Leins and I’m a crime writer from Paignton in Devon. I’m probably best known for my ongoing Paignton Noir series of books, stories and e-books, but my biggest seller was The Good Book: Fairy Tales for Hard Men – an interlinked collection of wrestling noir stories set in 1980s Florida. 

I’ve published hundreds of stories over the last two decades, and I’m happy to say that my newest short story – ‘In the Land of the Pig (The Butcher is King)’ – will be appearing in the Hunger anthology next month. Like all my stories, it’s violent, foul-mouthed and surreal!

Food banks have become a part of our life. What started as a means to support those in financial difficulty has now turned into a long-term lifeline for many. Do you think that we will ever be free of them, or do you believe they will be here to stay?

The UK is one of the ten wealthiest countries in the world, so the fact that food banks even need to exist is genuinely troubling. I want to be optimistic and believe that things will get better, but I’m also a realist. It took a long time for the UK to get to this point, and it will take a long time for the next government to undo all the damage that the Conservatives have inflicted on this country over the last 14 years.   

Do you think it is down to the volunteers and fellow man to keep food banks going or should the government be doing more to intervene?

The government should definitely be doing more to help ordinary people. Sadly, the Conservatives seem determined to leave behind nothing but a sinister, toxic legacy. This particular chapter in the history books will read like a dystopian novel: Brexit, Rwandan detention centres, floating prisons for asylum seekers, eating-or-heating, culture wars – all marinated in pungent blend of corruption and sleaze. Seriously, what kind of psychotic would be proud of that legacy?

Their version of levelling-up feels more like punching down, and the rise in – and reliance on – food banks is one of the bleakest aspects of the government’s legacy. Who would have thought a queasy cabal of millionaires and billionaires would fuck a country in such a dead-eyed, remorseless fashion? (Oh, everyone…)

Here at Urban Pigs Press we believe that the indie writing scene is an incredible place of support. From fellow writers to zines and indie presses. Who is your favourite writer in the indie community and why?

The indie scene has been hugely important to me over the years. I’m 44, and when I started out writing fiction 20+ years ago I used to send submissions to literary magazines through the post – and had to include a stamped addressed envelope if I wanted a response! If an encouraging, open-minded editor hadn’t chosen to accept that first story I mailed out, I’d probably be spending my free time very differently these days!

Truth be told, I’m desperately out of touch with the indie scene these days. I’ve had a little break from the scene over the last couple of years, and the landscape now feels very different. New writers have emerged and writers I’ve known for years have tapped out. I respect anyone who takes the hits and keeps on coming, as writing fiction for scant reward is a fairly masochistic experience!

One guy who definitely deserves props is Beau Johnson, the author of the grisly Bishop Rider stories and books. He is relentlessly supportive of the indie crime community, constantly buying, reviewing and recommending books. This summer he is overseeing the release of a new anthology of Bishop Rider stories – all of which have been written by other people. There are some insanely successful names involved (and me!), so crime fiction fans are in for a real treat. Look out for Bishop Rider Lives in June.

Tell us about your latest work? Do you have any books you would like our readers to know about?

I’m currently ‘between publishers’, and don’t have anything new to promote, so I’ll plug my most recent book: Sharp Knives & Loud Guns. I think it was the last book published by All Due Respect before it folded. (Or the final nail in the coffin, to look at it differently!) It comprises three interlinked novelettes: Slug Bait, Smut Loop and Sweating Blood, and it’s probably the most unhinged book I’ve published to date. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

How did you first hear about Urban Pigs Press?

Twitter/X. I don’t spend too much time on social media these days, but I saw the Hunger submission call in one of those random ‘Twitter highlights’ emails. It piqued my interest enough to take a closer look, and I’m really glad I did, as I’m going to be exposed to stories by a whole bunch of writers whose work I’m not familiar with – which is always a good thing!

Great answers mate. I’m really seeing that our UK contributors have a very different approach to foodbanks than those outside. LG Thomson mentioned this too on X the other day. I think you highlighted the reason pretty well. The drastic shift has certainly come from our current governments insanely long draconian ragime. To think I started writing a dystopian novel idea where we put prisoners on redundant ocean liners about ten years ago (hardly original I know). Yet here we are! I’m really pleased you found us and sent ‘In the Land of the Pig (The Butcher is King)’. I mean I’m pretty easily seduced by brit grit noir featuring a pig. Readers are going to love it. I love it. Can’t wait to share it.

Read Tom Leins’ ‘In the Land of the Pig (The Butcher is King)’ in the Hunger anthology from the 7th March.

Tom Leins is a crime writer from Paignton, Devon. Over the last two decades hundreds of his short stories have been published in anthologies, literary magazines and online. His books include: Meat Bubbles & Other Stories, Boneyard Dogs, Ten Pints of Blood, Repetition Kills You, Sharp Knives & Loud Guns, and The Good Book: Fairy Tales for Hard Men.

Website:

https://thingstodoindevonwhenyouredead.wordpress.com

Twitter:

@tom_leins

Amazon:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Tom-Leins/author/B01M7ZSCML?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

Release date for the HUNGER anthology!

We have good news! The release date for the HUNGER anthology is set for the 7th March. Initial release will be through Amazon and Kindle but we hope to have physical copies in local book shops soon after. One place you can be sure to find this incredible collection will be Dial Lane Books in Ipswich. Andrew has been as much a part of this fantastic cause as all our contributors. We couldn’t be any more excited to share this with everyone. 23 different authors have given up their time and talent to help us make a difference to those in need and we are beyond grateful to each and everyone one of you. Jo Andrews has gone above and beyond to deliver us a cover that represents everything we set out to do. Cody Sexton has also contributed with an incredible piece of talent for our title page. We are both proud and humbled by the incredible efforts of everyone involved. Stephen J. Golds and Rob Jelly (BBC Suffolk) have also given their time to praise this darkly beautiful collection.

As part of our promotion for the anthology we will be posting interviews from the authors involved. Judging by some of the answers given already, I can confirm that we really have discovered a great bunch of humans in this anthology.

This book won’t put an end to poverty or hunger. Neither will it change the agendas of our politicians. But it will make a direct impact to a few of those we hope to represent. And for now, we’ll take it. So, please set that date in your calendar and help us to make that difference.

The Hunger anthology is a collection of 23 stories by 23 different authors. Tales of brutal reality, dark horror, gritty crime and dark humour sprawled out upon each page. Each story delivering a unique take on the prompt HUNGER. A true representation of some of the strongest talents within the writing community.

“A collection of stories that are as close to the bone in literary class as they are in their scathing analysis of a broken society.”

– Stephen J. Golds

Author of Say Goodbye When I’m Gone