In 1976, Hoagie, Toad, Toggie and Jonesy love the Sex Pistols, shopping trolleys and getting wasted. When boredom is a crime and sedation is the solution it's never likely to end well. Cue the music and roll back the decades through misadventures in Amsterdam, disorder on the dance floor, a dodgy portaloo at at Millennium and a couple of dead rats. Maybe if that thing with Kecks hadn't happened, life for Hoagie would have been different?
Author Interview
What inspired you to
write Burnt Lungs and Bitter Sweets?
I attended an author talk by local author, James Jenkins, who included a short creative exercise at the end of the workshop. The prompt was a photograph of a shopping trolley in a river. In about 10 minutes I had written a poem, ‘Shallow Grave in the River Gipping’, which was a poem about a punk who has drowned in the river, inspired by the skeletal look of the trolley. I included a lot of ‘70’s punk imagery. I then wrote a short story for an online call by Jenkins who had founded Ipswich-based ‘Urban Pigs Press’ – an indie publisher whose goal was to open doors, not charge authors extortionate amounts of money to produce good books. The story was based on the poem, where a punk drowns whilst running from the police (based on a true event) and I then kept writing and it formed chapter 1 of a full novel about the punk (Hoagie and his friends, Toggie, Toad and Jonsey) from teen hood to adulthood and eventual death (I tell the readers he dies right from the start but they then discover how). I think I was also inspired by my cousin, a former well-known punk who actually lived to 63 despite a lifelong addiction. He was a kind and funny person who was a bit hapless, and I definitely had him in mind. Most of the book is fiction – although I sometimes use real incidents which I have massively embellished. It was quite different in style and tone to my gothic story collection and some of my poetry, because the sweary and irreverent characters took on a life of their own. It’s very funny and you might not expect that in something so dark and tragic. Readers seem to love the characters and root for them – they are anti-heroes who make very poor choices and are sometimes criminals, but they are very human. I put a music soundtrack on Spotify and listed it at the back of the book; readers seem to like that too. You can find me as ‘Holly Smith’ on Spotify. The genre is one I call Brit Grit – I was definitely the first person to use this term, but I have seen it being used elsewhere since. It might sit alongside something like ‘Trainspotting’ on the bookshelves. Urban Pigs Press subsequently read it and then edited and published it and now I am part of the Urban Pigs editing team.
I attended an author talk by local author, James Jenkins, who included a short creative exercise at the end of the workshop. The prompt was a photograph of a shopping trolley in a river. In about 10 minutes I had written a poem, ‘Shallow Grave in the River Gipping’, which was a poem about a punk who has drowned in the river, inspired by the skeletal look of the trolley. I included a lot of ‘70’s punk imagery. I then wrote a short story for an online call by Jenkins who had founded Ipswich-based ‘Urban Pigs Press’ – an indie publisher whose goal was to open doors, not charge authors extortionate amounts of money to produce good books. The story was based on the poem, where a punk drowns whilst running from the police (based on a true event) and I then kept writing and it formed chapter 1 of a full novel about the punk (Hoagie and his friends, Toggie, Toad and Jonsey) from teen hood to adulthood and eventual death (I tell the readers he dies right from the start but they then discover how). I think I was also inspired by my cousin, a former well-known punk who actually lived to 63 despite a lifelong addiction. He was a kind and funny person who was a bit hapless, and I definitely had him in mind. Most of the book is fiction – although I sometimes use real incidents which I have massively embellished. It was quite different in style and tone to my gothic story collection and some of my poetry, because the sweary and irreverent characters took on a life of their own. It’s very funny and you might not expect that in something so dark and tragic. Readers seem to love the characters and root for them – they are anti-heroes who make very poor choices and are sometimes criminals, but they are very human. I put a music soundtrack on Spotify and listed it at the back of the book; readers seem to like that too. You can find me as ‘Holly Smith’ on Spotify. The genre is one I call Brit Grit – I was definitely the first person to use this term, but I have seen it being used elsewhere since. It might sit alongside something like ‘Trainspotting’ on the bookshelves. Urban Pigs Press subsequently read it and then edited and published it and now I am part of the Urban Pigs editing team.
What do you hope
readers take away from the book?
I hope they find it funny, although if you are offended by swearing and drug addiction you probably should avoid it. It is absolutely in context for the characters and could not be watered down or it would not sound realistic. I am not as sweary in real life! I also hope they feel a range of emotions – because it is certainly dark and tragic too. Prisoners read it for a book group and some of them admitted to crying at the end before asking when I was writing the next one! I think all readers relate to the antics of youth and love the cultural, local and musical references – even if they were better behaved when young. Everyone wants to believe they were once a rebel though. Maybe they might begin to empathise with the issues surrounding addiction and become less judgmental? I hope it provokes some deep thought.
I hope they find it funny, although if you are offended by swearing and drug addiction you probably should avoid it. It is absolutely in context for the characters and could not be watered down or it would not sound realistic. I am not as sweary in real life! I also hope they feel a range of emotions – because it is certainly dark and tragic too. Prisoners read it for a book group and some of them admitted to crying at the end before asking when I was writing the next one! I think all readers relate to the antics of youth and love the cultural, local and musical references – even if they were better behaved when young. Everyone wants to believe they were once a rebel though. Maybe they might begin to empathise with the issues surrounding addiction and become less judgmental? I hope it provokes some deep thought.
Was there anything that
happened in the story that you didn't originally plan?
All of it! Each chapter is a snapshot of a particular year for the characters and an incident in their lives. Even though I knew the protagonist would die and how, it was almost as if the journey was guided unpredictably by the characters themselves. I enjoyed making myself howl with laughter and feel absolutely despairing in equal measures. Hoagie, the main character, is always really likeable and he does some good things. Much of his life is shaped by a traumatic incident when he was 20, so he makes mistakes. Like all of us. When I edited the first draft, I changed the order of some chapters, and if I got a bit stuck on where a chapter was going, I used to go a wine bar with my husband and we would bounce ideas off each other. I think some of the other customers got very concerned – the main character smuggles drugs in his socks, goes to prison and falls in a canal in Amsterdam as well as there being some ambiguity over whether he kills a couple of ‘bad guys’. Imagine overhearing that conversation without context.
All of it! Each chapter is a snapshot of a particular year for the characters and an incident in their lives. Even though I knew the protagonist would die and how, it was almost as if the journey was guided unpredictably by the characters themselves. I enjoyed making myself howl with laughter and feel absolutely despairing in equal measures. Hoagie, the main character, is always really likeable and he does some good things. Much of his life is shaped by a traumatic incident when he was 20, so he makes mistakes. Like all of us. When I edited the first draft, I changed the order of some chapters, and if I got a bit stuck on where a chapter was going, I used to go a wine bar with my husband and we would bounce ideas off each other. I think some of the other customers got very concerned – the main character smuggles drugs in his socks, goes to prison and falls in a canal in Amsterdam as well as there being some ambiguity over whether he kills a couple of ‘bad guys’. Imagine overhearing that conversation without context.
Is there a particular
moment in the book that has stayed with you since you finished writing it?
There are – a real sadness over the incident which haunts Hoagie and his mate, Toad and most people are also appalled by the lengths people might go to in order to feed their addictions – Hoagie himself has quite a solid moral compass in some ways – there are some behaviours he is disgusted by and at heart he is a good person who has done some bad things. The scene when he dies is heart-wrenching because it is avoidable and over something trivial in the end.
There are – a real sadness over the incident which haunts Hoagie and his mate, Toad and most people are also appalled by the lengths people might go to in order to feed their addictions – Hoagie himself has quite a solid moral compass in some ways – there are some behaviours he is disgusted by and at heart he is a good person who has done some bad things. The scene when he dies is heart-wrenching because it is avoidable and over something trivial in the end.
If you could write a short
story about one character's life before the book, who would you choose?
I would probably choose Hoagie’s girlfriend when he was young – Kecks. But although I have written the story of young men, because that was the story that simply grew, I will write another prequel book fore fronting the women in the book. It would be interesting to develop their stories.
I would probably choose Hoagie’s girlfriend when he was young – Kecks. But although I have written the story of young men, because that was the story that simply grew, I will write another prequel book fore fronting the women in the book. It would be interesting to develop their stories.
LET’S ADD SOME FUN!
How many bookshelves are
in your house?
9, each with 6 shelves, double-stacked! And a couple of smaller ones. My ‘office’ room, where I teach, doubles up as a library.
Tea or coffee?
Diet Pepsi! I am obsessed with it. I loathe tea and I will occasionally drink coffee, but it sends me to sleep if I have too much!
Read in silence or with background music?
Silence because I join in. I can sometimes have classical music on if I am working or reading, but I am very easily distracted.
9, each with 6 shelves, double-stacked! And a couple of smaller ones. My ‘office’ room, where I teach, doubles up as a library.
Tea or coffee?
Diet Pepsi! I am obsessed with it. I loathe tea and I will occasionally drink coffee, but it sends me to sleep if I have too much!
Read in silence or with background music?
Silence because I join in. I can sometimes have classical music on if I am working or reading, but I am very easily distracted.
LAST, BUT NOT LEAST
Where can readers find out
more about you and your books?
My books are in local independent bookshops in Suffolk, and can be ordered online from them or major bookstores. You can also get them from Amazon including on kindle, and also from me directly. I am in the process of launching a new improved website but I think it will still be virginiabetts.com. This will include a shop for my books. But I am on all of the socials – mostly @ginnb900 for Instagram and virginia c betts on Facebook. If you look me up, I am easy to find because I am also a performer so there’s lots of information about me scattered about online. You can also find me if you search for Urban Pigs Press or Results Tutoring Ipswich. I post a regular monthly blog on Author’s Electric, which I also upload to Substack as Virginia Betts.
My books are in local independent bookshops in Suffolk, and can be ordered online from them or major bookstores. You can also get them from Amazon including on kindle, and also from me directly. I am in the process of launching a new improved website but I think it will still be virginiabetts.com. This will include a shop for my books. But I am on all of the socials – mostly @ginnb900 for Instagram and virginia c betts on Facebook. If you look me up, I am easy to find because I am also a performer so there’s lots of information about me scattered about online. You can also find me if you search for Urban Pigs Press or Results Tutoring Ipswich. I post a regular monthly blog on Author’s Electric, which I also upload to Substack as Virginia Betts.
I’m a multi-genre author, actor, performance poet and tutor of English. I was first published by an independent press in 2022 with a collection of Victorian pastiche Gothic stories and I won some notable prizes for writing. I then had two full poetry collections published and numerous articles and individual poems and stories published in journals and books. I had my novel published by a small press in 2024 and reached the finals of the Page Turner Awards in 2025. This year I’m nominated for the Best Indie Novel awards and I’m currently completing my second novel which is darkly funny story about friendship, love , fame and redemption, with Britpop soundtrack.
