Ben Ellis has written In A Right State.
1. What is your name and where do you call home?
Ben Ellis. I live in Worthing on the South Coast of England.
2. Do you have a pen name?
No.
3. What is the name of your most recent book and if you had to sum it up in 20 or less words, what would you say?
'In A Right State' - It's a near-future adult dystopian/satire set on the South Coast of England.
4. What or who inspired you to start writing? And how long have you been writing?
I've always been creative but started writing fiction about 10 years ago. I started by doing an evening course in creative writing.
5. Do you gift books to readers for book reviews?
I gift books to book bloggers.
6. How did you come up with the cover? Who designed the cover of your book?
It's a scene from the book and was designed by a good friend of mine, Emery Greer.
7. Did you listen to any particular songs whilst writing your books?
Yeah, I've posted some of the playlists I listen to whilst I'm writing here - http://www.b3n3llis.com/?s=playlist - mainly downtempo/house music.
8. How did you come up with the title for your book?
The original title for the first five drafts was 'Railroaded' but my editor and a beta reader said it wasn't quite right, and reluctantly, I agreed with them. It was too antiquated plus there are no trains or railways in the story so it could be confusing. I spent months thinking of a new one. 'In A Right State' just popped up but I liked it almost immediately as it referred to things being in a mess and also the country moving to the right, politically. I've never read it but I've always liked the double-meaning of the title from his book, 'The State We're In' by Will Hutton - http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-State-Were-In-Overcome/dp/0099366819
9. Do you have a book trailer? And what are your thoughts on book trailers?
No but I did think about doing one. I like them if they're well done and not just powerpoint presentations. I didn't think I could do one justice with the very minimal budget I've got to promote my debut novel.
10. Do you prefer e-books, paperbacks, hardcovers or audiobooks?
I prefer paper books reading outside and ebooks in bed. I've never listened to an audiobook.
11. Are you a self-published / Indie author?
Self-published.
12. Have you ever read a book more than once? And if so what was it?
No I haven't but I would like to read 'I, Robot' and 'Sophie's World' again as they are two influential books in my life.
13. What is your opinion of novellas?
I like them...I've written one which is a prequel to my 2nd novel, yet to be published. I've read a couple which have been good. They're a good option to dip your toes into a genre or writer you've never read before without committing to a 300,000 word magnum opus.
14. Have you ever read a book just based on it’s cover?
I must've done but looking through my bookshelf I'm not sure I have. I think all my choices come from reading reviews, recommendations and the blurb. I've bought loads of albums just based on the cover.
15. Has the quality of the cover of a book ever put you off of reading it?
Yes.
16. What books have made it onto your wishlist recently? And why?
To Rise Again at a Decent Hour by Joshua Ferris - http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00H7O87H0/
I saw a good review in a Sunday newspaper so added it to my wish list.
17. What book are you reading at the moment? And in what format?
'Fearsome Dreamer' by Laure Eve, in hardback.
18. Do you have any advice for other writers?And what’s the best advice that you have been given when it comes to writing?
Keep going, forget about word count. Momentum is everything.
Ignore the editor in the back of your mind constantly sowing seeds of doubt during the first draft. The first draft is crap. The second draft is where the fun starts.
19. Do you have any hobbies that aren’t related to reading & writing?
Swimming, running, football, tennis, web development, listening to music, eating out.
20. Where can your readers follow you?
Blog: http://www.b3n3llis.com/
Goodreads author page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8344637.Ben_Ellis
Twitter: https://twitter.com/b3n3llis
Thankyou so much for taking the time to do this interview and allowing us a glimpse into your writing world!
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