Jay Stringer

Jay Stringer (James Marshall Stringer) is an English author. Most of his work so far has been within the crime fiction genre, and his novels have been set in the West Midlands. He has also contributed to websites on the subjects of football, politics, film reviews and comic books. He has also published poetry. Stringer is a founding member of the crime fiction collective Do Some Damage and still regularly contributes content to their website. In 2014 he joined Panels.net as a contributing editor.

Early life

Stringer was born in Walsall in 1980. He spent time living in Walsall, Bloxwich, Darlaston, West Bromwich and Wednesbury. He attended Wolverhampton University but left before completing his course.

Stringer moved to Glasgow in 2006.

Career

Stringer's first three novels comprised the Eoin Miller Trilogy. They were written in the first person voice of the half-Romani protagonist, Eoin Miller, and dealt with racism, poverty, corruption and drug addiction. Stringer has said of Miller, "If you’re a businessman looking to find a statue of a falcon or a family looking for a missing toddler, you need not apply to Eoin Miller. If you’re a drug lord looking for a missing stash, or an illegal immigrant looking to stop a rapist, then he might be the man for you." Of writing about his hometown, he said "I think we need art, music and fiction that reflects the voices of the people. We need to take back what should be most important to us, and to hold up our art as a mirror to what is really happening throughout the country. Regions need to be allowed to matter again. I want to write about a place that matters to me and to hopefully make you laugh, make you reel and make you think- after I’ve entertained you." Stringer signed a three-book deal with Thomas & Mercer in 2011.

Works

Eoin Miller Trilogy

• Old Gold (2012).
• Runaway Town (2013).
• ''Lost City (2014).

Anthologies

Stringer's short stories and poetry have appeared in the following collections.

• "Terminal Damage" (2010)
• "The Mammoth Book Of Best British Crime 8" (2011)
• "Collateral Damage" (2011)
• "The 5-2: Crime Poetry Weekly, Volume 1" (2012)
• "The Mammoth Book Of Best British Crime 9" (2012)
• "Beat To A Pulp: Hardboiled 2" (2013)
• "The Mammoth Book Of Best British Crime 11" (2014)

And the following self-published collections.

• "Faithless Street" (2012)
• "The Goldfish Heist And Other Stories" (2012)

Personal life

Stringer is married and lives in the east end of Glasgow. He is dyslexic. Stringer is a supporter of Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Political Views

Some readers have complained about the perceived political subtext of his work. Stringer announced in February 2014 that he was intending to vote for Scottish Independence and began writing a series of blogs on the subject at his own website. This included "An Open Letter To England,."