Pies, peas . . . and passion

CONSIDERING he has such a deep-seated passion for all things Lancashire, Charles Nevin lives an awfully long way from the object of his affection.

The author and journalist was born in Liverpool but left the North West 23 years ago and now lives in Somerset with his wife and two children.

However, Charles sees himself as exile, rather than escapee and, with the publication of his first novel, he has even turned into an evangelist.

"I see myself as a missionary," he explained.

"There's no point in preaching to the converted.

"I need to take Lancashire to the people who don't know about it."

That's certainly what Charles has accomplished in his book, a scarlet-covered volume with the unlikely title Lancashire: Where Women Die Of Love.

Rather than being a milltown Mills And Boon though, Charles' tome tells the tale of how he returned to his roots, his enlightening chats with the locals and draws from his store of Lancashire anecdotes, with a scope that spans bullfighting to Brief Encounter and Gandhi's visit to Darwen to Shakespeare's trip to Hoghton Tower.

What comes across most of all, though, is Charles' enduring belief that Lancashire, as the title of his book suggests, is the land of wit and wonder, romance and surprise.

"Over the years," he said, "I've grown fed-up with this image of life being grim Up North, when Lancashire is clearly not like that. That's Yorkshire!

"I wanted to redress the balance and rock people's preconceptions about Lancashire."

Hence the title of Charles' book -- a phrase originally coined by French novelist Balzac. But does he really think Charles really think women die of love in Lancashire?

"People do tend to take one step backwards when they see that title," he laughed.

"That was really my mission -- to show it's not so ridiculous that Lancashire has this romantic side."

The romance of Lancashire, though, may seem a little improbable to those of us who have trudged to work through the rain-lashed streets and dined on pie and peas in the local hostelries.

Have time and distance, perhaps, clouded Charles' memories of the place?

"Obviously," he said. "I'm not so blind that I can't see there is a humorous side to this title.

"When I was researching the book I didn't actually discover a woman who had died of love. In fact, one girl I met who came from Blackburn suggested the only things women from Lancashire die from is the cold or too many chips."

But Charles thinks the keen wit of Lancashire minds will appreciate the slightly humorous portrait of the place and its people that lies within the book's pages.

"A great Lancashire characteristic is the sense of humour," said Charles. "And there's plenty of that in the book. As a Lancashire exile, I've been noting down stories about the place for years and I've put them all into this book. I don't think I'll be writing another one -- I've haven't got it in me."

It may be his first and only book then, but Lancashire: Where Women Die Of Love has certainly caught the national media's imagination, with the Observer describing it as "enchanting". Part of the pleasure of reading it lies in the author's enthusiasm for rediscovering his roots, for Charles made many trips up to the area while writing his book.

"It gave me an opportunity to wander around the county," he said. "I spent a great deal of time talking to people in Southport, Blackpool, Darwen, Oldham, Manchester and Blackburn. I wrote it a bit like a travel book, but it was also important for me to get out there and talk to people."

Charles, 53, now writes for the Guardian magazine. Suggestions that he might retire to Lancashire are met with mild indignity.

"I'm not thinking of retiring yet!"

Then, the humour kicks in. "Of course, when I sell three million copies of this book, then I'll probably try to buy Hoghton Tower and settle down there. I'd like to just sit there and relish the atmosphere!"

Lancashire: Where Women Die Of Love by Charles Nevin is published by Mainstream Publishing, priced £12.99.