My second paid gig was for the publishers of Take That Official Magazine — a long story (I'll tell you another time).

In between my first and second paid writing gigs I moved to London — I always reasoned that it had to be done sometime. I had a lot of fun, made some great mates and went to a lot of gigs.

Around this time I began the novel that would become My Legendary Girlfriend.

Also around this time I nearly launched a teenage girls magazine (yes, really). Here’s the scene: I go for an interview to be an editorial assistant and end up pitching an idea for a teenage girls mag. They liked it and took me on.

I have been made redundant once and sacked once — I was gutted both times.

I used to be Features Editor on Tank Girl magazine — Great comic. Terrible film.

I was also Features Editor at Just Seventeen — Alas J17 is no more. Here’s a quick story though. I was recently buying a wardrobe in a furniture store when the girl behind the till told me that she recognised me from the Just Seventeen Year book that she’d bought the year she turned 14. I was gobsmacked. All I could think was: “How weird is that?”

In between those two writing gigs I became a magazine agony uncle. If I were to ever have a FAQ page the question at the top of the list would be: “How do you become an agony uncle?” The answer I’m afraid involves the phrases “luck”, “charm” and “being the only boy in an office full of girls”

After leaving Just Seventeen I wrote for a lot of different publications  — Sometimes I allow myself to feel quite smug about the idea that I’m probably the only person in the world to have written for the Guardian and Girl Talk (the number one read for six year-old girls).

At the same time I picked up My Legendary Girlfriend and finished it off and then got my deal. Which you can read about here.