Chris Nickson

Chris Nickson has written since he was a boy growing up in Leeds, starting with a three-paragraph school essay telling a tale of bomb disposal. That brought the revelation that he enjoyed telling stories, and then more stories, teenage poetry, and music, as both a bassist and then a singer-songwriter-guitarist.

Nickson spent 30 years living in the US, playing in bands and writing. He's made a living as a writer since 1994. Much of his work has been music journalism, combining the twin passions of music and writing, specializing in world and roots music. He's the author of The NPR Casual Listener's Guide to World Music and dozens of other non-fiction books, most of them quickie biographies.

The latest of his Leeds novels featuring Richard Nottingham is The Constant Lovers.

Last month I asked Nickson what he was reading.  His reply:

I’m currently reading Robin Blake’s novel A Dark Anatomy, a mystery set in Preston in the 1740s. I was on a panel with him on Saturday at Bodies in the Bookshop in Cambridge. As my books are set in Leeds in the 1730s we mine very similar territory, so I was curious to see how he approached things. His style is completely different to mine (a good thing for both of us!) and I’m curious to see where he goes with the tale. There’s a second in the series out, too.

Visit Chris Nickson's website, and view the book trailer for The Constant Lovers.

My Book, The Movie: The Constant Lovers.

The Page 69 Test: The Constant Lovers.

--Marshal Zeringue