Light is a British vampire – not in doubt from the very first line of Blood Dragons: ‘You know those vampire myths? Holy water, entry by invitation only and sodding crucifixes? Bollocks to them.’

I wanted a fantasy novel with a British vampire front and centre. Neither the love interest. Nor the sidekick. But the antihero at its beating heart.

A Londoner born in the Victorian age, Light takes on the persona of a 1960s Rocker. He loves only two things: his Triton motorbike – ‘a sodding scarlet slash of beauty…and my bloody god’ and his Ace of Spades leather jacket. Unless you include Ruby: ‘my red-haired devil, Author, muse, liberator…my gorgeous nightmare.’ Or Kathy… And then there’s Grayse…

But being boldly British – a mix of Victorian and 1960s – Light has a way of speaking, which is all his own.

So here’s 20 Blinding English Slang Words and Phrases You Need to Know

Barney = a fight

Bawling = crying

Belt = hit

Blinding = brilliant/really good

Done in = killed

Duff up = beat up

To have a gander = to have a look at

Leg it = run away

Manky = Unpleasant

Mug/Mush = Face

To be/get narked = to be get/annoyed

Neb = mouth

Nitwit = Fool/foolish

Nosh = food/eat enthusiastically

Nut = head

Peepers = eyes

Ran-tan = drunk

Starkers = naked

Wanker/pillock/berk = idiot

Snuff it = die