Why I Wrote Mick and Jane
January 1, 2026 Mick and Jane were never meant to be background characters. They come from the place I know best. A council estate in Roehampton, not far from Ashburton. A world where money is tight, options are narrower than people admit, and love often shows up sideways because there is no space for softness. I did not invent that environment. I grew up in it. Mick and Jane are not copies of my parents, but they are shaped by the same pressures. Working lives that grind people down. Systems that do not reward effort evenly. The quiet understanding that if you slip, there is no safety net waiting underneath. That context matters. Why Mick Is the Way He Is Mick is not emotionally articulate. He does not always say the right thing. He carries frustration, pride, and exhaustion in equal measure. That is not because he does not care. It is because he was never taught how to express it safely. Men like Mick are raised to survive, not to reflect. You work. You provide. You keep go...