Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m the result of a teenage life of reading superhero comic books. While I’m an adult now and have three kids of my own, it’s the four years of solidly reading superhero comics that has shaped my view of the world. I like to see the good in people and I want to bring change to bad situations.
That desire to empower people led me to start writing superhero fiction.
I’ve written ‘The Miranda Contract’, which is a novel about a 17 year old kid who struggles against his family’s reputation. His grandfather is a psychotic, megalomaniacal super villain known as The Mad Russian, and everyone expects the same from him. It’s a book about making your own life rather than letting other people dictate who you should be.
I’ve also written ‘Small Sacrifices’ which is the first in The Adventures of Charlie Conti. It’s a book I co-wrote with my 13 year old daughter and it’s about a girl trying to lead a normal life but failing miserably because she’s basically a criminal genius and trouble gravitates towards her.
As well as the novels, I’ve written short stories and even edited two anthologies of neo-pulp/superhero stories. I guess you could say I’m a fan of the genre!
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is ‘Small Sacrifices’ and it was truly inspired by my daughter who complained that there weren’t any books for her to read. They were all BORING and she’d prefer to watch TV instead of reading.
Instead of giving up, we worked together on creating a character she could be excited about. Charlie Conti was born through long discussions, rewrites and revisions.
I’m a high school teacher and I write to inspire the kids around me. My first book was targeted at teenage boys in an attempt to get them to pick up a book. The Charlie Conti book was more personal, and driven by my daughter’s frustration with YA fiction.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Most of my writing starts with dialogue. I orchestrate conversations (or monologues) between my characters in my head and let them go on for a while. I’ll take the core parts of the conversation and write them down – usually cool one-liners or interesting twists.
Once the dialogue is on the page, the scene builds up around it.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
As far as YA writing goes, I think my biggest influence has been Lish McBride, who wrote ‘Hold Me Closer, Necromancer’. I’d also say that Rick Riordan’s ‘Percy jackson’ series is also an important part of my journey from reader to writer.
But I read widely and everything I read impacts on my writing. TV, film and comic books are also huge influences. Recent comics like Ant Man, Hawkeye, Saga, Wicked and Divine and (my perennial favourite) the X-Men help me to visualise my stories and to look at the different ways characters can be formed.
What are you working on now?
Right now I’m working on ‘The Halo Effect’ which is the sequel to ‘The Miranda Contract’. All of my books are set in the same fictional world, so there are lots of cross-overs between my books. For example, Dan Galkin from my first novel, appears in the Charlie Conti books – and Charlie herself will appear in ‘The Halo Effect’.
I guess I enjoy the cross-over potential of shared universes like Marvel Comics.
I’m hoping to have ‘The Halo Effect’ completed by early 2017, and from there I’ll shift back to writing the Charlie Conti sequel, ‘Friend Zone’.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Goodreads is good, and there’s a Facebook page I’ve recently joined called: Scribes and Bibliophiles ( https://www.facebook.com/groups/ScribesAndBibliophiles/ ) which is a nice and friendly virtual place.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
The best advice is to keep a realistic view of your writing.
Your first book won’t be a best-seller (unless you’re insanely lucky and talented). Accept that writing is an art and that you will learn and grow as you keep doing it.
Listen to advice, but don’t be dominated by it. Everyone writes differently, so what works for one writer may not work for another.
Speaking of listening, you should listen to www.writingexcuses.com for advice across the whole field of writing and publishing. (But also remember that you don’t have to take the advice.)
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
There is no single book that everyone loves.
You should always expect that some readers will love your work, while others will hate it or simply be uninspired by it. Get used to criticism. And get used to praise.
What are you reading now?
I’m reading two books:
1) ‘Brave New World’ by Aldous Huxley,
and
2) ‘Stasiland’ by Anna Funder (non-fiction)
What’s next for you as a writer?
I consider myself still in my apprenticeship phase of writing. I have outlines for another four books which will take me, realistically, five years to write. During that time, I’ll hopefully build up a following, a handful of reviews and maybe a budding career. After that, I may take stock of my writing life and embark on a different genre altogether.
I will never be a full time writer, though. I need to balance my life with family, work as a teacher, and writing.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
1. The Action Heroes Handbook, by David Borgenicht (that will help me fight crocodiles, fall out of a plane and signal for help.)
2. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee (it’s my favourite classic and I could re-read it forever)
3. The complete series of Marvel’s Uncanny X-Men (600+ comics)
4. My latest work-in-progress because… well, all that FREE TIME would help me write faster!
Author Websites and Profiles
Ben Langdon Website
Ben Langdon Amazon Profile
Ben Langdon’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account