A selection of information from efforts to promote the pop novel ‘FM247: Radios In Motion’.
FM247 – Radios In Motion: Psycho intrigue mixed with pop on the airwaves culture. It’s therapy by DJ that’s bound to be top of the charts for music fans.
Rob Spooner’s ‘FM247 – Radios in Motion’ is going live. You’re invited to tune into this FM247 radio show in words. The story of a man’s experiences with his own mental health, interpreting his inner dialogue through his DJ alter-ego, the colourful characters of the community of his youth and the psychiatric hospital in which he began his recovery. It’s an interesting concept – the novel references popular music in its chapters in a descending order of numbers from 100 to 1, just like a pop chart. It is narrated in the style of a personal radio broadcast. There’s an absorbing sub-text to the novel, one of political intrigue and State machinations and how the DJ narrator, who is in recovery from an acute mental illness, tries to reconcile the conflict between government power and individual freedoms.
Media Contact:
Rob Spooner Email: robnoxious247@outlook.com
This ‘pop’ novel is a worthy sequel to ‘FM247: This Is Radio Binfield!’ by Rob Spooner and Andrew Worsdale. Following an acute psychotic episode, Lugwin Loggins, the DJ narrator of FM247: Radios In Motion, is admitted to Speedwell Hospital. Locked away in the hinterlands of Binfield State, he is haunted by a childhood dream about the killing of the Albanian Civil Rights leader, Ramiz F. Kreshnik.His hospital physician, Dr. Beradi, prescribes radio therapy to help unlock the meaning of this dream and as part treatment of his schizo-affective disorder which causes him to hear voices, including that of his inspirational DJ persona, ‘The Emperor.’
Lugwin resolves to compile a playlist of 100 songs for his radio therapy. Each song informs his understanding of how his fractured family background has impacted on his brittle mental health as he seeks to transition to ‘community care’ at Pier View Court, a supported housing unit in the fictitious Binfield-on-Sea.
Will this be sufficient to protect his struggling mental health? Can Lugwin make his dream of public service broadcasting a reality? Tune into ‘FM247: Radios In Motion’ by Rob Spooner to find out.
Synopsis of ‘FM247: Radios In Motion’ by Rob Spooner:
“In dreams begin reminiscences” – Dr Ahmet Beradi, Consultant Psychiatrist (2000).
Lugwin Loggins, the DJ narrator of FM247: Radios In Motion, has been admitted to Speedwell Hospital, locked away in the hinterlands of Binfield State, following an acute psychotic episode. Lugwin is haunted by a dream from his childhood about the killing of the Albanian Civil Rights leader, Ramiz F. Kreshnik. Dr Beradi prescribes radio therapy as the method to unlock the meaning of this dream as part of Lugwin’s treatment of his schizo-affective disorder which has caused him to hear voices, including that of his inspirational DJ persona, ‘The Emperor.’
Lugwin sets out to compile his own pop chart, a playlist of 100 songs – his radio therapy – in an effort to grasp how his disjointed early life has affected his mental state. These 100 songs are set out as the chapters of the novel.
Lugwin is joined in this therapeutic process by another radio voice, that of his lost childhood friend, The Captain, whose own journey through the mental ill-health system informs Lugwin of the shared history that binds them together emotionally despite years of physical distance. Lugwin discovers that their history entwines a political dimension due to The Captain’s family connections to the Civil Rights campaign waged by the Albanian people of nearby Coney Island. Lugwin goes to Coney Island, which holds happy memories from his childhood, and discovers a link to his own family and ‘the struggles’ of the Albanian community there. A combination of circumstances lead to Lugwin’s suspicions of ‘dark ops’, including the use of hypno-programming, committed by shadowy operatives of the mainland State to neutralise the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement and their armed offshoot, Brigada Shqiptare (the Albanian Brigade), and this forces Lugwin to consider how he can manage the ramifications of these seemingly paranoid thoughts in his ongoing efforts to protect his mental health.
On Lugwin’s return from Coney Island, the disappearance of his closest friend at Pier View Court and the sudden departure of Liza Radley, the occupational therapist who has supported him in his After Care programme, conspire to send Lugwin back into a clinical depression. Can Lugwin still make his dream of public service broadcasting a reality? And will ‘The Emperor’ play a part in this dream?
In the author’s words:
“I’m continuing to write music-related narratives in the FM247 genre and I hope to release them in a new collection in 2022.”
Reviews:
“This novel has great psychological depth and plenty for the reader to contemplate and reflect upon” – Yanina Goldenberg, co-author of ‘The Edge Of Spring: A Collection of Contemporary Poetry.’
BH Author4.0 out of 5 stars Unusual Novel but well worth reading
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 August 2021 Verified Purchase
This is a very unusual novel but don’t be put off – it’s actually really good! It is not just about the ever-growing issues with mental health problems. There is a fascinating, well-written storyline, a little crime and a little romance. Knowledge of the music scene may help but is certainly not necessary. Readers who know both Essex and Cornwall will recognise places – and even if not, they will be drawn into this interesting story. If you want to read something a little different, then this one is for you!
Customer5.0 out of 5 stars Sometimes things come along you don’t expectReviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 September 2021
I am really enjoying this book . A real antidote to to all the other struggles. It’s well written and hugely entertaining and takes you off guard. Full of humanity and the Music titles are so evocative as a reader too. I believe there may also be Podcast to accompany this from the Author. Go buy it.
SomewhereinwestCornwall 