His first novel,
A Year in the Merde, originally became a word-of-mouth hit in Paris in 2004. Since then it has been published all over the world, and earned Stephen a nomination for the British Book Award for Best Newcomer. The follow-up,
Merde Actually, went to number one in the Bookseller chart. In 2006, he published his guide to understanding the French,
Talk to the Snail, which he divided into ten ‘commandments’ or chapters that include “Thou Shalt Not Work,” “Thou Shalt Not Love Thy Neighbour” and “Thou Shalt Not Be Served.”
During his research for Merde Happens, Stephen was interviewed by the American police twice, found one real pistol, was told to “have a good one” 127 times, and became allergic to cranberries.
