I want to thank “Author’s Lounge” for the interview today.

What is your book all about?

My first book, “Work, Night’s Out and Other Short Stories” is available on Amazon. https://rb.gy/ku1b33 and is semi-autobiographical.

The book is full of funny and sometimes poignant short stories, about my life and work experiences. Beginning with leaving school, getting a job and working in North East England in various jobs until I was forty.

What inspired you to write the book?

I had left my job in 2019, and rather than look for another job I found myself unceremoniously retired.  I had often been told I was a “good writer.”  This led me to believe I could write a motivational funny book about the first days at work and starting a new job.

I quickly realized that people who had already started a new job, weren’t going to be interested in a book about first days in a new job. Additionally the book was already looking and sounding like an incredibly boringly bad PowerPoint presentation. I promptly scrapped that book and that idea.

Thankfully the process wasn’t a complete waste of time, while gathering my thoughts on all the places I had worked, I had begun to remember all of the funny and strange incidents that had occurred along the way. As soon as I began to write the first story, I instantly felt inspired and smiled all the way through to the end. I ended up writing my first two books at the same time, only editing and splitting them in to two after I had finished.

What is your target audience for the book?

This is a great question. Initially, I hadn’t really put much thought into the type of  audience I was trying to attract. My first writing attempt had left me frustrated and lacking  direction, at that point my wife asked me this same question. That made me take a step back and focus. Then I pictured in my mind who would enjoy reading my book.

My first thoughts were of the business commuter, or traveller who likes light reading, imagining all of the people on their way to their office chuckling on the train, or people going on a flight chuckling during take-off.

However, as I understand from feedback, most of my readers are people relaxing at home, on vacation or sitting in the garden, with a slightly higher female readership than male.

My subsequent books were then written to appeal to anyone who wants to enjoy some light humorous reading, relaxing at home, on the beach or traveling,

What do you hope readers could get out from your book?

I would like Ben’s stories to remind readers of their own fun times and personalities at home and work. Even if Ben would be the annoying one they avoid.

What are your future goals/plans for the book?

I have already edited the book and cover a couple of times, increasing dialogue and humour.

Occasionally I think about taking a few of the stories and expand them into a story around that period of time, developed into a book. That would require a lot more character development and dialogue, but I might do that one day.  My aim when I began writing was always to create a series of books. Now I have three, and another on the way hopefully soon.

And something more about yourself.

I was born in Peterlee, County Durham, a small town in North East England. I worked in and around many of the towns in the North, until I was forty, then I moved to Texas.

Here in Texas my wife and I live in a small two bedroomed house about thirty miles west of Houston TX.

I am now retired, spending my days writing, playing guitar and playing at being a house husband, helped along by our two dogs and one cat.

When I first began writing, the first thing I did was quite frankly not good. Frustrated I put the book to one side, and we went on a vacation to England. For the journey home, my eldest daughter gave me a small book to read, full of different short stories, by many different authors. A had a lightbulb moment. I realized that when I travel, I prefer to read magazine’s and short stories, rather than start and possibly not finish an entire book on the journey.

I knew I had a lot of short stories to tell, and in that moment I decided I could put together a book of short stories, aimed at people either on a commute to work, or traveling and wanting to read stories that they could pick up and enjoy, and if they didn’t finish the whole book in one sitting didn’t feel that they had missed out on a conclusion.

Three important things I learned over the course of my writing were, be brave, don’t be frightened to write truth’s. People won’t judge you they will enjoy the story more if it’s an honest telling of a story. And secondly use dialogue to illustrate situations and humour. Finally make sure you have a good pen name.