HWS recently caught up again with our good friend Iain McMillan, which is always interesting. Iain has just finished his latest novel, *The Money and the Honey*. This is his second book, and it has piqued our interest once again.
Thanks for meeting us again, mate. How’s things?
I am very well mate, mega busy with the book recently published but it’s all positive stuff.
The first thing I need to ask is where the title of the book came from, and is there a meaning to it?
I’m glad you asked that question! There is a meaning behind the title. Back in 2002, I admitted defeat and made some lifestyle changes, which included knocking the drink on the head. It was the start of a new way of life for me. I was fortunate enough to have met a few guys who had walked the path before me and had many years of walking the path of sobriety under their belt. I was given a bit of strong advice that always stuck with me and that was the two things that will mess up your sobriety is the “Money and the Honey”. With Romance and greed by such a central part to the story I felt the title very fitting.
The character in the book, Chris, is fascinating. I’m sure a few will relate to him. Also, a sign of the times, living in a Northern town during the nineties, where status was more important than anything else.
I think given the age I was during the 90s it was prime time for me. I left school in 1989 with the world at my feet. Your late teens and early twenties are generally a carefree time before any real responsibility comes along. I’m grateful that I grew up in the era I did, as we had great music through the 80s and some great times at football, etc. Then when the 90s come along the rave scene was groundbreaking and gave us some of the best years of our lives. I think like any young man you’re trying to find your place in the world and belonging to your tribe gives you a certain status. That is before you get through your twenties and you need to choose responsibility before anything else and the whole game changes again.
Much the same as in your last book, the central character, Chris, comes across as a street-tough romantic who is also a deep thinker.
It is important for me not to write a character as one dimensional and hopefully I’m able to show a bit of depth in each character I write about. I think with the main characters being in their early twenties it is still a decade in your life where you are shaped by your peers and your upbringing before you work life out a bit. Chris spends a lot of time in his own head navigating his way through the trials of love and friendship. You can hopefully see where he is becoming truer to himself and working out his strengths and weaknesses and becomes more of an individual rather than playing somebody he’s not.
Did you feel the new book was easier to write now that you are an established writer?
I feel I gained a great deal of experience writing the first book and the other bits of work I have had published since. That experience gives you a better idea of where I could have improved in the first book though, so I wanted to write a something that was an improvement on my first effort. I had a much better idea on how to structure the story and develop characters. I had also overcome any self-doubt about publishing my work and I was more comfortable seeing myself as a writer as unfortunately it’s not a title the working classes tend to resonate with.
I admire the way the book touches on the terrace-casual overlap with the clubbing scene. This has always been an interesting topic, with some lads unable to mix the two. How did you see it?
It was definitely a clashing of two completely different worlds. I always compared it to the mods in the sixties becoming hippies and growing their hair long. We had that too from the football terraces to the dance floors. The numbers at football dropped rapidly as the clothes got baggier. Despite the mood enhancers and how big rave culture was in Motherwell the football thing never completely died out. I always simmered away in the background. With Motherwell winning the Scottish Cup in 1991 it gave the town a real boost and we kept the football thing going to a degree. Just on a smaller scale as most couldn’t be bothered with turning up after dancing until 6am and the penalties for getting arrested at the match became to severe.
Motherwell is an interesting town. I have always felt that, even though it suffered a lot of hardship, and it is predominantly a working-class town, it has always had its creative side. I am glad it states that in the book.
In an era where there was no real work about and a generation who wanted designer clothes and four-day weekends it seemed to spark a creativity and entrepreneurship within many. When your days midweek are tough people want to make the most of the weekends. I still see that legacy in Motherwell to this day with a new generation of DJ’s and bands who have been inspired by the older lads they once looked up to as kids. The attitude that anything is possible is still prevalent and Motherwell has always punched well above its weight…..just no on the football field.
I agree that this town was one of the first to embrace certain trends, including the early casual scene. Additionally, Street Rave had a significant impact on the Scottish club scene. Was this just a natural progression?
I think so, yeah. With Motherwell knee-deep in the casual thing throughout the eighties, it created a generation of young people who were very aware of fashion and music and were always hungry for the next big thing. Part of culture when you’re young is about staying ahead of the game, and as football faded onto the dance floor, Motherwell were there when the starting pistol went off.
I know we touched on this in your last Q&A, but was dance music your thing, or did you prefer bands?
I have always been heavily into music, but guitar music has always been my passion. I loved some of the early house music, and you wouldn’t want to listen to anything else when you’re in a club, but for me it’s always been indie, Britpop and sixties type bands. I would never listen to dance music out with a club, and I listen to a lot of music and travel all over to attend gigs. A good guitar riff is what makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. I get the same feeling of unity in the barras as a clubber would in the sub club.
I see that you’ve been writing short stories for the Spinners Fanzine. I’m a big admirer of the magazine, and I think there are some talented writers involved. Does contributing to the fanzine help keep your creativity flowing while you work on your next book?
Writing for Spinners has been great for creativity, as it allows me to indulge in a subject I wouldn’t be able to turn into a whole book, but maybe turn an idea into a short story. It gives you a lot more freedom, as a novel can have a section where you’re struggling to find the groove of the story. That doesn’t really happen when you only have three or four thousand words. The Fanzine also gives you a deadline to submit your piece, so it forces you to get typing and stop procrastinating. It’s like anything in life: if you want to get good at something, you need to keep doing it.
Can you give us an IN and an OUT for this week?
IN – Has to be the Stone Roses with the recent passing of Mani. Not very often I’m touched by the death of a celebrity, but Mani was different.
OUT – Moustaches and Mullets. Get a grip lad, this not Australia.
And finally, what are the next steps for Iain McMillan?
I plan on promoting The Money and the Honey as much as I can going into 2026 to try and get a bit of exposure before I move on to my next project. I have quite a few short stories written so I might release a book of short stories before I tackle my next novel. I think when you find a creative spark in you, it gives you a certain drive to do better, so I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.
Thanks for your time again mate.
No problem.
The Money and the Honey can be purchased here at the links below …
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Money-Honey-Iain-McMillan/dp/1836888902
Holywell Street 
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