Girls Like Funny Boys

Set over more than twenty years, Girls Like Funny Boys charts the turbulent adolescence of wannabe comedian Johnny Goodwin through to his troubled modern day fame. ‘A long time ago I wrote a 70,000-word novel focusing on Johnny's teenage years,' Franklin said. ‘It wasn't bad, had some decent scenes and an interesting character in the form of Gina Wood. However, like many first-time efforts, my prose wasn't quite on the money and there was far too much navel-gazing. Over the years I kept trying to fix it but eventually I gave up and chucked it in the bottom drawer. A problem remained though: Gina kept whispering to me. In fact, she wouldn't leave me alone. About fifteen years after I'd abandoned the novel I got the idea to ruthlessly edit it into a prologue and try to continue the story two decades later. Gina morphed into this enigmatic character who really powered the novel, electrifying every scene she appeared in. She remains one of my best creations.' Franklin said Girls Like Funny Boys tapped into school life and the way so much of our personality was formed during the awfulness of adolescence. ‘You simply can't forget the people you went through school with, while teenage mistakes can haunt you for decades afterwards.'