Interview with James Jenkins

By Sebastian Vice & James Jenkins

Introduce, and tell our readers about yourself

Hi, I’m James Jenkins and a UK Suffolk based writer of gritty brit noir and dark humour. I also have a passion for filthy realism and often try to apply this to my style. It took me a little while to realise my passion was writing literature. My early years were mostly spent writing music and playing in local bands so I know I’ve always had the need for creativity.

I grew up in a little seaside town twenty minutes down the road from where I live now. The town is dominated by a huge container port and shares the rest of the area with an incredible amount of natural beauty. This has definitely been a major source of my inspiration for writing. I’m obsessed with that sometimes-destructive blend of industrialism and nature.

I work full time as a plumber for a local authority and although I have absolutely no passion for my job, it has allowed me to meet some pretty interesting and diverse characters along the way. It isn’t just the tenants who inspire me though, it is those who I have worked with and the baffling trade mentality. This toxic masculinity is an absolute goldmine for sourcing my material and poking fun at it within the humour of my writing.

My first real piece of writing was my debut novel Parochial Pigs. A gritty and depraved yarn full of dark humour at the expense of those who have inadvertently inspired me. I’m a huge fan of British gangster flicks and this inspired the backbone of this book. But a traditional gangster tale this is not. PP follows the relationship between a self-professed gentleman hardman who is too deluded and deranged to realise his own insanity. A bent cop born in a generation of entitlement and a sleepy town who make Summerisle look like a good holiday destination.

Tell us about your latest work

My latest novel Sun Bleached Scarecrows is a direct sequel to PP and was released by Anxiety Press in March this year. We pick up the story five years on following the deluded gangster Bobby Cavendish and his obsession with respect and power. Unfortunately, a close-knit cult like village and the only honest copper in the British Police Force stand in his way. It’s full of dark humour, utter filth and over gratuitous violence – just the way I intended. The third and final installment The Swine, The Pig and The Porker, is due for release with AP early 2024.

Sun Bleached Scarecrows

What are some of your inspirations?

Film is without a doubt my biggest inspiration next to literature. I won’t win any awards for originality here but my biggest influences in that field are Tarantino, Shane Meadows and Guy Ritchie. I’m really proud that my novels have been described as cinematic because to me this is exactly what I set out to do. But my inspiration can come from almost anywhere. As I mentioned above, work environment has been a major factor for me. Real people always have the best and most honest stories to tell. Finding the right ones and manipulating them just enough is what really makes me come out with my best material. These days I find itssome incredible authors in the writing community that inspire me. It seems like every week I discover someone new. Both Outcast and Anxiety Press can take a hand in that for putting some of the finest words out there.

What are some of your essential reads?

This type of question always puts me on edge in the writing community. The fear of saying something everyone thinks is shit or predictable. Haha. Again, not original but pretty much anything by Hunter S. Thompson is a winner with me, as is Chuck Palahniuk and Irvine Welsh. To name three essential reads I’d have to say Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (HST), The Wasp Factory (Iain Banks) and absolutely Papillon (Henri Charriere).

Any writing advice?

Enjoy it and do it for yourself. It’s like anything in life where creativity is involved. Your best moments are going to be between you and the pen/keyboard so don’t rush that experience.