Author's debut novel looks back to Walsall in the 1970s
A first-time novelist from the Black Country has been inspired by a romance from his youth for his debut novel.
Steve Brotherton, who grew up in Bloxwich, has received positive reviews for Another Shot.
It tells the story of Freddie and Jo-Jo, two old flames who are reunited in a coffee shop 35 years after the end of their teenage romance.
The book is set in Walsall in the 1970s and early 1980s, with Jo-Jo and Freddie enjoying frequent nights out in Walsall.
Jo-Jo works as a Saturday girl at a hairdressers in Bloxwich, while Freddie is on a youth opportunities programme scheme at a timber yard in Walsall – all of which are autobiographical for 55-year-old Steve.
He said: “It’s based loosely on a relationship I had when I was 18.
"It’s not exactly the same in the reasons why we separated and there hasn’t been any reunion.
"But it is based on my first love, the first proper relationship I was involved with.”
The former Manor Farm Comprehensive student said he is already working on his second book – which will be a follow-up to Another Shot.
