And now for something completely different! I would like you to give a very warm welcome to Ben Adams whose debut novel, Six Months to Get a Life, is being published on Wednesday. I discovered Ben on Twitter back in May and started to read his very humorous blog.
"What do people do when their divorce comes through?" he asked in his very first blog post.
Well, what Ben did was write a book, a funny one at that, and I think we'll all be very glad he did. Since that first blog post, I've followed his path from new writer to publication and I wouldn't be surprised if he is destined to become the new David Nicholls.
So let's make a start, Ben.
First of all, what made you come up
with the idea for Six Months to Get a Life?
I am not sure I came up with the idea really. I think it
came up with me. My writing career has had a few false starts. While I was at
school I wrote science fiction nonsense that I didn’t dare share with anyone.
In my 20s I dabbled with crime fiction but too many hours spent staring at
blank pages and a lack of life experiences meant that I couldn’t make my
stories sing.
In my 30s I mostly wrote boring work-related web content and
the occasional acerbic complaint letter to the council, the Royal Mail, The Guardian
and the dog over the road – it defecated on my drive.
And then my 40s came along. Sometimes it takes a life event
to set you off on the right track. ‘Six Months to Get a Life’ was ultimately
triggered by my own family upheaval. My head was filled with a variety of emotions that seemed to
me to be looking for a way to escape. Eventually, I just started writing.
Over the course of the Spring and Summer of 2014, my furious
typing eventually moulded itself into ‘Six Months to Get a Life’.
I suspect I already know the answer to this, Ben, but how much of the story
is based on your own experience?
To start with, a lot. And then through various moments of
realisation (including ‘people will slit their wrists if they read this crap’
and ‘my ex will go ballistic and she would have every right to’) the book
evolved. I invented a new ex – one who the principal character, Graham Hope,
had met at a sexually transmitted diseases clinic. I invented some new friends
for Graham, some totally new scenarios for him to get caught up in and, without
giving too much away, I invented a love interest.
Whilst I found it hugely therapeutic to get my own personal
emotions out of my head and on to a computer screen, I actually enjoyed writing
the made up stuff even more. It made me smile and even laugh out loud at times.
OK, I know you shouldn’t admit to laughing at your own jokes, but I just did.
You have probably noticed that I haven’t said anything about
reinventing the lead character. That is because Graham Hope is essentially me.
I know I won’t sue myself for misrepresentation, so, with Graham, I thought I
would stick to what I know.
Graham does his best to have a
positive outlook on life, as do I. Graham craves human company, whether it’s
going out for a few beers with his mates or something more intimate. As do
I. Graham hates nightclubs and is
hopeless on the dance floor. As am I. Graham gets tongue-tied around attractive
women, as do I. According to Graham’s ex, Graham has a big ego and a small
penis. Next question.
Moving swiftly on! I know your children
have read your novel – what was their reaction?
Um. ‘Six Months…’ isn’t a children’s book. I didn’t object
to my youngest (he is 12) reading the book, but I didn’t exactly give it to him
to read either. I put a version on to my Kindle to take on holiday to
proof-read (don’t worry, it was professionally edited and proof-read too). But
what I hadn’t realised was that the book would appear on my son’s Kindle as
well as mine.
On about day four of our holiday, I was floating about in
the pool when, out of the blue, my son asked me what ‘twerking’ was. It
transpired that he had been reading the book for the past few days.
He did read the whole of the book. He recognised bits of me
in it, as well as the odd venue that we have been to as a family or the odd
event that I had ‘hijacked’ (his words – I prefer to say ‘adapted’). He turned
out to be a pretty good continuity editor too, pointing out a few mistakes in
that early draft.
At the end of the day, much as it pains me to say it, I
don’t think I have knocked JK Rowling off the number one spot on his reading
list. And I haven’t even made it onto my elder son’s reading list, but that’s
fine by me.
There is a rather
disturbing scene in a night club... what’s the most embarrassing thing that has
happened to you?
Yes, the aforementioned ‘twerking’ scene. That would never
happen to me. No matter how much I have to drink, I would never be seen within
ten yards of a dance floor.
This month’s interview with a journalist from a popular
international website would certainly be up there on my list of most
embarrassing moments. The journalist had told me she wanted to talk to me about
the book. Great. Why then, did she spend the whole interview asking me about my
personal situation and my attitude to dating?
Questions such as ‘Why did you split up with your wife?’,
‘Have you dated since your separation?’ and ‘After being with your wife for 20
years, are you worried about having sex with someone different,’ were all
answered with versions of ‘mind your own business’. I was embarrassed by how
little I was able to offer her and won’t be holding my breath to read that
particular article, if it is ever even written.
I have to confess I'm rather intrigued to read it now, Ben. Next question - you’ve put a lot of
effort into marketing your book- how important do you think this is and any
tips as to what you think has worked?
I was about half way through writing the book before I even
gave a thought to marketing. I was under the impression that if you write the
killer book (here’s hoping anyway), it will fly off the shelves. End of.
I now realise that you might write the killer book, but
unless you invest money and particularly time in promoting it, it won’t even
make the physical shelves. Instead, it will languish in a dark corner of
Amazon’s behemoth of a website, undiscovered by anyone except for my mum.
I loved writing the book, but my goals go beyond writing
something. I want people I have never met to read it. I want to make my mark on
the world. What have I done to turn that goal into a reality? Well, I
have jumped into social media with both feet. I didn’t do twitter and was only
an occasional Facebook user before my author journey began. I now tweet, have a
blog and an ‘author platform’ (I am still not entirely sure what that means).
The most valuable activity I have undertaken over the past
few months though has been the networking with fellow authors on social media,
meeting friends who have ‘been there and done it’. Wendy is one such author who
I am indebted to for her willingness to share.
One lesson that comes out loud and clear from the author
networks is that you won’t sell your book without reviews. I have spent much of
the past month pitching my book to bloggers. The book launches this week.
Hopefully the promised reviews will flood in over the coming days.
In addition to my own work, I am still hoping that my publicist
secures some much needed media coverage. My own hard work will only take me so
far…
Now let's get down to the nitty-gritty. If Six Months to Get a Life was
made into a film (and I shall be expecting seats at the premiere) who would you imagine playing the part of Graham?
As I have said, Graham is pretty much me. So I’m thinking
Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp or Jude Law… Cough.
Finally, publication day for
‘Six Months…’ is nearly upon us. What’s next for Ben Adams?
A pint of beer, a quiet smile to myself, and then it’ll be
back to writing. I am already well into my second book, ‘Six Lies’. Hopefully
it will be out by Christmas.
Thank you, Ben for a very enjoyable (and amusing) interview... I hope you will remember me when you are famous!
Graham Hope had it all – a wife, two perfect
children, a detached house in the suburbs and a huge TV.
He now has an ex-wife, lives
in his parents’ spare room and gets the kids and the dog at weekends.
He might be lost and lonely,
but Graham is not a victim. Six months from today he will be forty-three. He
vows to sort this mess out by his birthday. He gives himself six months to get
a life.
Will Graham play a
meaningful role in his boys’ lives?
Will his mates take him
under their wing?
Will he move out of his
childhood home?
More importantly, will he
ever have sex again?
For Graham, failure is not
an option.
You can read extracts from six Months to Get a Life here
You can buy Six Months to Get a Life here
Author Biography
Like a lot of people, Ben went to school, then college and eventually grew up and got a responsible job, a house and a family... and then his mid-life crisis kicked in.
Realising that life was in danger of becoming all too serious, Ben started writing. Not in the way that Forest Gump started running, but at least he started. He wrote on steamed up mirrors in the bathroom to make his children smile. Eventually he graduated to making up stories to entertain his kids at bed-time.
Ben now concentrates on writing stories for grown-ups. He writes for people who have lived, loved, worked, strived and suffered – people like himself. People like you.
Ben lives in southwest London with his two boys, his dog and his constant stream of girlfriends. He dreams a lot too.
Contact Ben
Website: here Facebook: here Twitter: @benadamsauthor
In the meantime, 2017 has started with a bang! I've already had two story sales and, at the time of writing, have five stories on sale in the shops - one in The People's Friend Special, two in Woman's Weekly Fiction Special, and two in Take a Break Fiction Feast (I can't imagine that happening again!). One of the stories was a ghost story but two were a new genre for me - crime mystery.
