My novel Cinnamon Twigs: The Life and Pseudocide of a Celebrity is about Daniel Mace, Hollywood star and bestselling author. All he’s ever wanted is immortality, the Holy Grail. To be remembered when he dies. But he soon finds that fame isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and he makes a decision to avoid the media that  has devastating consequences. The novel is a fiction memoir in the tone of celebrity autobiographies.

What genre is it?
The novel is difficult to confine to a genre, but I would say it conforms to the tropes of romance in many respects. There is a love story concerning ghosts that transcends time itself, and this story is at the centre of the novel.

Ghosts? We weren’t expecting that. Is there any other book out there that’s similar?
The Time Traveler’s Wife.

Let’s get back to Daniel Mace. Tell us about him.
Daniel Mace is a Welsh-born protagonist who grows up to become a superstar. He is an inherently flawed character who makes some devastating mistakes. He becomes a bestselling author, a Hollywood actor and producer, but he gives all this up and attempts to become reborn, like a phoenix from the ashes.

We’re curious about the title.
When a phoenix intends to become reborn, it builds itself a nest out of cinnamon twigs. Pseudocide is the act of faking one’s death, which is what Daniel Mace does in my novel.

What kind of readers will it appeal to?
I believe it will appeal to a variety of readers, from fans of romance, to memoirs, autobiographies, film and theatre. Anybody who enjoys comedy, tragedy and a spoonful of poignancy. My novel is fundamentally a story about life and everything it throws at you – the good or the bad.

Tell us a bit about yourself.
I am a Shakespeare scholar at Cardiff University specializing in Elizabethan drama. Like my protagonist, I was born in Wales and, as well as writing, I love to act. I am currently directing a production I have collaborated on for Edinburgh Fringe Festival called Satan Met a Shamus.

How can we follow you on Twitter and/or Facebook?
My Twitter name is @Cinnamon_Twigs

What’s next?
Well, apart from an 80,000 word thesis… I have a controversial novel in line concerning a confidence trickster, and an action/adventure novella set in the 1500s.