The celebration quickly gave way to dread. It was the day after selling the proposal for Year of The Rat, my book about going undercover in the British far right. I had seven months to write 80,000 words even though I had a full-time job and Glastonbury tickets. Where was I going to find the time? I asked a published author, my colleague Joe Mulhall, for some advice. He’s the director of research at HOPE not hate, the anti-fascist organisation where I work.