MATT CAIN

‘The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle is a novel in the “uplit” genre about a shy, lonely and secretly gay postman, who’s served notice of compulsory retirement and is prompted to delve back into his past to confront an unresolved trauma and track down his lost love – in the process learning to love his true self, engage with his community, and finally experience happiness. One of the things that inspired me to write it was the joy I felt at seeing gay men like myself being embraced by British society. I think you’d be hard-pushed to find any other minority community in the UK that was as hated and feared as gay men were fifty years ago and is now as warmly embraced and loved. I wanted to write a book that would celebrate this, one I hope makes readers feel good about themselves and the part they’ve played in bringing about this extraordinary social shift.

‘My alarm is set for at 1.30. My creative flow tends to run dry at about 5 o’clock. By that time, I’ve had enough of my own company and am straining at the leash for some human interaction!