A Walsall writer has celebrated the publication of his debut novel – and it has already been highlighted as one of the best novels for 2022.
Daniel Wiles, who lives in Pelsall, was named in The Observer as one of the top 10 debut novelists of the year and in The Times as one of the best historical novels of the year for his locally based story Mercia’s Take.
Mercia’s Take Story
Published by Swift Press, Mercia’s Take is set in the coal mines of Pelsall and Brownhills in the 1870s and also takes in the industrial landscape of Dudley.
It tells the story of Michael Cash, a miner who is desperate to earn enough money so that his young son, Luke, can go to school and not have to follow in his footsteps.
When he finds a seam of gold in his station at the Pelsall Hall Colliery, he hopes this will help to seal a better future for his family, but his unscrupulous workmate wants more than his fair share.
The conflict between the two men leads to a raw tale of greed, fear, violence and humility.
The story is peppered with local dialect in both the dialogue and the narrative sections – something 26-year-old Daniel, who has a Masters in creative and prose fiction from the University of East Anglia (UEA), said he worked hard to perfect over the 30 drafts he wrote.
“My appreciation of the local dialect was something that grew on me when I was finishing my first degree at the University of Wolverhampton,” said Daniel, whose Masters was funded by a Booker Prize Foundation scholarship.
“When I was at UEA, I had classmates from America, Israel, India and Hong Kong and they completely understood what was being said. I had to make an educated guess about the local dialect from the 1870s, based on my research and experience of talking to my grandparents from Blakenall.
“It’s definitely a huge part of the book and something I worked hard on to make it as authentic as possible.”
Daniel, who went to Shelfield Academy before studying fine art at Walsall College and later creative writing and film studies at the University of Wolverhampton, said his interest in writing developed after deciding he wanted to work in film.
“I didn’t know you could be a writer when I was growing up,” he said. “I was never really interested in reading and writing when I was at school, but when I left I became obsessed with film and wanted to be a film maker.
“From there I started writing screenplays and then into short stories. At the start of the Masters, we had to submit a piece of work for a workshop, where other students pick it apart.
“I submitted the section about Michael down the mine, but I didn’t know where the story was going then. Over time, it grew into what it is now. The criticism at university really helped me; you develop a thick skin.”
Daniel, who spent time in the Walsall Local History Centre to do his research on the local mining industry, completed his finished novel in January 2021 and approached about 20 literary agents, but it was not picked up by any of them.
When he came across the newly launched Swift Press, an independent publisher, he submitted the novel and it was accepted just a day after.
Although he was “happy and surprised” to be named in The Times and Observer earlier this year, he is more proud that Mercia’s Take was praised by award-winning historical author Hilary Mantel, who wrote Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies.
“It was nice to be recognised by The Times and The Observer, but getting praise from writers such as Hilary Mantel was exciting for me,” said Daniel. “She contacted me and wished me good luck, which was great. She is a really inspirational writer for me.”
Daniel is now finishing his second novel, which is based in the Midlands in the period between the Romans leaving England and before the arrival of the Anglo Saxons, and is also gathering ideas for a third book.
Mercia’s Take is available in bookshops and via the Swift Press website.
Written by Jayne Howarth.