An evening with Colin Morgan
Actor, musician, and now writer, Colin Morgan, reveals his inspiration, writing process, and thoughts behind his debut novel 'The Ballad of Ronan McCoy' – spoiler free.
Colin Morgan is already the winner of multiple awards including the 2013 National Television Award for Best Male Drama Performance and famed for his roles in Merlin (2008–2012), Humans (2015–2016), and The Dead Don’t Hurt (2024). Now, setting his sights to fiction writing, Harper Collins has released Morgan’s debut novel The Ballad of Ronan McCoy calling it, ‘A tender coming-of-age story about friendship, first love, loss, and facing the ultimate question: who am I going to be?’
Last week, Morgan carried out a small book tour in three UK cities Edinburgh, Bath, and London in order to promote his new book. There, he had the opportunity to talk to fans about the inspiration behind the novel, the writing process, and how the characters became ‘the beating heart’ of the story.
Under the shadow of Christ Church in Bath and hosted by local independent bookstore Mr B Emporium, Morgan met with a small group of fans to discuss the novel. The 228-year-old church old offered a low-key but spectacular location for Morgan and being a fan of both the author and the city of Bath (and of course, a self-proclaimed bookworm!), I was jumping at the opportunity to attend and get a sneak peak of what was to come.
The Ballad of Ronan McCoy follows the character Brendan, an anxious teenager who works at the funeral home washing cars (not touching the dead bodies – he’s very adamant on that!) whilst studying. His only friend in school is Ronan, a sporty, outgoing student, who in comparison to his awkwardness, is everything Brendan is not. One day, strategy strikes and Brendan is forced to navigate his final year of school without having his friend by his side. It is a story of grief, loss, friendship, and stepping into adulthood.
The evening began with a thunderous round of applause as fans from across the country gathered to see Colin Morgan, who had taken time to sign every copy handed out. Then the interviewer started asking questions and the night quickly lapsed into silence, everybody listening intently to the interview and author.
When asked about the characters, Morgan explains that while they might seem like opposites, without Ronan there is no Brendan. This stemmed from his acting past, as he has always favoured ‘the underdog’ or ‘the outsider’ role.
‘Writing the characters was similar to playing them,’ speaks Morgan.
Morgan made his major professional debut at the West End in the Young Vic’s 2007 adaptation of Vernon God Little, but rose to fame in the BBC’s Merlin the next year. In spite of his background, Morgan requested that focus was to be mainly on his upcoming novel.
When discussing the writing process, Morgan told fans that he originally wrote The Ballad of Ronan McCoy in a notebook and the opening line of the novel, ‘I see death nearly every day’ was the first part he wrote. This line was never edited or re-worded during the editing stage. He credited that first sentence to being the ‘springboard’ for his inspiration and every time he hit a dead end or experienced writers block, he went back to that sentence and inspiration would strike again.
As the book developed, the narrative truly ‘revealed’ itself to him, and he landed on a novel that’s far more character-driven than he had first expected. He expressed that as time went on, he found he was learning more about both himself and his abilities as a writer. While this at first gave him a sense of imposter syndrome, Morgan eventually went on to see it as an ‘instinctual process.’
Due to the nature of the tragedy that Ronan experiences, Morgan wanted to give voice to those often overlooked by society, and he was deeply moved by stories of people who had endured hardship. These stories are reflected within the lives of both Brendan and Ronan, and offers a much needed look into lives without a filter.
The novel is a poem of grief and the unlikeliness of friendship through tough times. It details boys on the cusp of manhood and the eternal struggle of who they are and what they want out of life.
As the evening drew to a close, it became clear that The Ballad of Ronan McCoy is more than a celebrity debut novel. Morgan’s research and dedication to the book is reflected within the quality of his writing. Whether readers know him from his acting performances, or are discovering his work for the first time, The Ballad of Ronan McCoy marks an impressive new chapter in his creative career.
And judging from the applause and cheers that echoed as he exited, many of the fans in Christ Church are sure to follow him on this new journey.