Ben Braddock

What inspired you to start writing?
As a former professional actor I had to perform in new plays which were almost always rubbish. I thought "surely I can do better than that". It turned out I was right which led me to writing scripts for British television (under a different name) and eventually to writing my first novel.
Can you tell us a little about your latest book?
Ben Braddock, a struggling actor and playwright, is celebrating his fortieth birthday. His friends hire a psychic off the internet for the party who makes two predictions. First, that Ben will win the lottery and second, that he will probably die before his next birthday. Ten minutes later, Ben wins a million on the lottery. Fearing he has less than a year to live, Ben looks for love among the luvvies and learns how to write a novel along the way, opening with the words “By the time you read this I may or may not be dead...”LUVVIE: a humorous term for an actor." (Oxford English Dictionary) One reviewer compared it favourably to JP Donleavy's modern classic, "The Ginger Man". Others (not my family, see next question) said lovely things about it on Amazon reviews which was very kind of them.
How do you create your characters?
They are usually based on real people, sometimes a combination of people, including my family which they don't like very much.
What does your typical writing day look like?
Coffee, writing, breakfast, writing, exercise and fresh air, sit in my underwear and watch cartoons.
What has been the most rewarding part of being an indie author?
The act of writing is as much fun as I can have with my clothes on (except sitting in my underwear, watching cartoons). I dare to hope that the fun I have writing finds its way on to the page.
What’s one challenge you’ve faced in your writing journey?
Buying food.
Do you have any favorite writing tools or apps?
No. It all happens up top, in my noodle.
What advice would you give to new or aspiring indie authors?
Embrace poverty.
How do you handle book promotion as an indie author?
Not well.
What’s next for you? Are you working on a new book?
Yes, a satire on AI.