Author Interview - Andrew Hall

1)     What was your inspiration for Green Laughing?

The timelines are a little hazy, but I remember sitting inside Chiquitos at the Printworks, Manchester – it must’ve been around 2013 because I know United were just about to play Real Madrid and all the dates in my head are somehow linked to football. I remember telling my friend about the idea I had of using a vehicle, in this case a spaceship, as a loose metaphor for a body – specifically, a disabled body.

At first, maybe due to internalised ableism, it was only going to explore the negative side of that situation, but as time went on I wanted to explore the positive side. I wanted to show that hardly anything is a binary black and white. That it’s entirely possible to feel multiple, sometimes paradoxical, emotions at the same time. That it’s entirely possible for tears to fall in happiness and laughter to roar in sadness. And I like to think Green Laughing does that.

2)     What drew you to sci-fi as a genre?

I think sci-fi is a great way for us to view our own society from a distance. Sometimes in order to see something clearly, you need to take a step back. Sci-fi shows us worlds similar to ours but from across the road.

There’s also a greater freedom. You don’t have to stick to scientific or logical rules. You can play around with everything. There’s a chance to invent something that doesn’t exist in our reality to help speak to our reality.

Plus, let’s not forget the ultimate reason: spaceships, flying cars, and aliens are bloody fantastic…

3)     What was the process for your writing?

I actually learnt how to write on this book. I remember one evening in 2013, around 6:00pm, I opened up a document and just began to type. Then I realised I needed to do some planning. So I drafted the rough beats – the premise of each chapter, marks that I knew I had to reach by the end the chapter, making sure to leave room for spontaneity, before finally getting stuck in. It was a little difficult because of my health, but the aim was always just a page a day. A lot of times I’d write a little more, but if it was just a page, it meant I’d hit my target.

Ten drafts and twelve years later and it’s being published by the wonderful people at Northodox Press! Not bad for a ginger-haired disabled guy from Lancashire!

4)     Are there any titles that you could compare Green Laughing to?

Maybe not necessarily in terms of narrative, but in mood, some similar titles might be: Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang; The Martian by Andy Weir; Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer. The film Moon by Duncan Jones; as well as the film Cinema Paradiso by Giuseppe Tornatore; and the film Her by Spike Jonze.

There are beautifully bittersweet and melancholic moments in those titles that I think are also present in Green Laughing.

5)     What are your preferred genres to read?

You can’t beat a bit of sci-fi! But I also really like those stripped-back noir books from the 1920’s/30’s and all the modern day homages that followed. There’s nothing like a short, snappy sentence and a clipped piece of dialogue.

6)     Do you have any further novels planned?

I do! My next novel is called What the Sunrise Kills, and is again going to be published by the fantastic people at Northodox Press. This one zooms in more directly on the subject of disability, coupled with class and contemporary concerns like climate change. It depicts a near future where humans have lost the ability to dream naturally, and so have to take artificial dreams (called ‘Nightscapes’) in order to function.

7)     What is one piece of advice you would give to an aspiring author?

It sounds obvious and boring but write! Just write! It’s entirely okay to learn on the job. It’s perfectly fine to take a hundred drafts before you get to where you want to be. There are thousands of courses that teach writing, and I’m sure they’re great, but I sometimes feel there is an element of procrastination around them. If you have a story you want to write, write it now. You can always edit later. Don’t wait until you’ve completed your education on how to write before you actually write, because an education is never complete.

Remember, every story is just a collection of small scenes made to look grand. Don’t be overwhelmed. Just take it one step at a time. It won’t always be fun. There will be highs and lows, rejections and acceptances. It’ll be a grind. Some days you will feel like you can’t string two words together and you don’t deserve to call yourself a writer, but keep going.

And of course, read! Watch films! When you’re not writing, see how other stories have been told. Soak them in, lap them up, and then tell your own! 

Green Laughing by Andrew Hall publishes on 11th September 2025. Order your copy here:

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