Benedict Patrick is from a small town in Northern Ireland called Banbridge, but has been living and working in Scotland since he moved there at the age of eighteen. Tragically, that was quite a while ago.
He has been writing for most of his life, and has been reading for pretty much all of it (with help from mum and dad at the beginning). Benedict’s life changed when a substitute primary school teacher read his class part of The Hobbit and later loaned him the book – he fell in love with the fantasy genre and never looked back.
Let’s talk books and music – are there any non-obvious links you have made between songs/stories that you will never be able to unmake?
Ugh, throwing me right in the deep water, aren’t you? That’s not what I deserve from you! I usually connect songs/bands with memories and people not with books. It happens a few times that a song clicks with me while reading, or when I look for songs for my reviews I realise what a perfect match a song and a book can do. On the other hand, some songs do inspire my writing. I have an unfinished novel – got a manuscript which would need a LOT of working – for which I have a mile long soundtrack list. Even though I left that story behind, every time certain songs come up I immediately think of a scene or character I wrote. My current WIP – a short story I talked about to Keith McArdle – is heavily influenced by music. I seem to like to write about characters who are also musicians or have any connection with music. Go figure.
I just had a conversation with an author friend of mine, saying I can’t believe there isn’t more fantasy books in which music gets a prominent role. Think of all that high fantasy novels with bards and NO MUSIC BASED MAGIC! Although I’d like to be corrected, so if anyone happens to have a book recommendation, please hit me with it!
What is/was your favourite fairytale when you were younger?
I was – and think I still am – a huge fan of fairy tales. As far as I can remember, every time before bedtime/nap time my mom read to me. I can’t quite remember what was my favourite though. Grimm, Andersen, Hungarian (folk)tales, kids’ books from Czechoslovakia and the neighbourhood countries, I loved them all. There was a story about a witch who by the end of the story was thrown/fell into a pit. I was scared of that story but requested it frequently – I always felt really bad for the witch I think. There was a book about Snowhite, where you had to make decisions and according to that you experienced different stories. I really loved that, discovering alternative plotlines to the same story, seeing where one decision can lead and how that affects the ending. And there was not always a happy end, I must say!
I actually asked my mom what my favorite story was, and she just started to throw titles and books at me I loved, so, there you go, I had a broad interest in stories from a very young age. Later of course I loved the Disney movies, probably Aladdin was my favourite – you can check my Jasmine costume out in my answers to D.P. Woolliscroft. I had most of them in a book form and LOVED reading them over and over so much so that I knew most of them by heart. Hercules also was one of my most favorites. Honestly, I have so many childhood books, that they actually take most of my shelf place because I refuse to throw them out.
Did you have a moment (or maybe a certain book) in your life that made you realise/admit you were a ‘reader’?
Not that I can remember. Reading was something I always did. It started, as I said above with my mom reading to me. I was 3 years old when I learned to read. I already knew the alphabet I just needed an afternoon with a family member to help me out how to read letters together. From then on? There was no stopping. I always had a book at hand. I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t a reader.
I can however remember the moment I realised I was a writer (or that I wanted to be one more like). I was about 9, I wrote my first story for a competition – I invented stories before but never wrote them down – I was so proud of myself that I went up to my mom and told her I’ll become an author. You can go and read it – well, what remained of it anyway – on my blog, titled The Gifts of the Fairy.
Have you ever walked out of the cinema in the middle of a film?
Nope. If I pay for it then I sit it through. I hardly disliked a film I went to watch in the cinema, though there were a few that angered me – the later Harry Potter films for one, or the last Three Musketeers adaptation a few years ago. That one was horrible.
First/last book you ever cried at?
Honestly? I’m not the crying type at all. I don’t cry on movies or books – well, there are exceptions, *looking at How To Train Your Dragon 3*. I think the first I remember might have been Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Maybe not outright cried but I’m sure I teared up. But the who wouldn’t?? Or Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows. Damn, those two books were emotional…
Your favourite non-fiction book?
I don’t have one. I don’t read non-fiction, though I’d like to get to some true crime books in the future.
What is your favourite item of clothing you own?
Easy, my leather jacket. I got my first back in 2012 – it was real leather, custom-made, and looked pretty good. Then it got small, so I resolved to buy faux leather ones. I just had to get a new one and I’m in love with it. It has studs – of course – and I put some pins on it too, my own blog one amongst others. I’m thinking having a patch on the back with my blog name and logo. I’m also thinking to get my first leather jacket and have it made into a vest or something.
What is your number one tip for someone who wants to blog about their passion?
Do it! Be patient, work hard, experiment what works best for you/your blog, engage with other bloggers/authors and enjoy!
Do you have a secret shame, a book/song/film/tv show you love, even though it really isn’t good?
I’m sure I have a few, though “good” is pretty subjective you see. But of course nothing comes to mind, so I need to go through my lists… khm, anyway. For books I can’t really come up with anything. What can I say? I have a good taste. I could name a few which supposed to be good but I didn’t like it… *cough* Girl on the Train *cough*
Songs, yeah, I was just thinking the other day that I could make a list of songs like that. For the sake of playing, I will say Blue by Eiffel 65. Don’t shout at me, it was a really popular song in the 90s/early 00s!
Films… well, I have a weakness for those which have music/dancing in them. I love the Step Up movies for instance. Or the Pitch Perfect movies. And probably there are a dozen others as well…
What was the last sweet thing you ate?
I always have my favourite band of chocolate at hand. I currently have a caramel creme filled bar on my work desk.
Who in the world (alive or not) would you love to be able to meet?
Why are you guys doing this to me? How the hell should I be able to pick only ONE??? I’d love to meet all the friends I made across the world during this past year – some I did already at BristolCon and some I’ll do at WorldCon this year. Aside that I’d love to meet some of my favourite musicians such as Ben Burnley (Breaking Benjamin), Lzzy Hale (Halestorm – I’ll try to request an interview with her when they come to Budapest), Jacoby Shaddix (Papa Roach) just to name a few.
Thanos snaps his fingers and blinks pandas out of existence – what would become your new spirit animal?
Why Ben, why? I thought we were friends! Pandas blinking out existence? Really?! What kind of monster are you? But let’s pretend this happens *throws killing glare* my new spirit animal probably would be an African Pygmy hedgehog. Have you seen how cute they are? Also they have their spikes to keep people away. But ultimately they just small and incredibly cute.
If you’d like to get in contact with Benedict Patrick, you can find him on social media:
Twitter| Website | Facebook | Goodreads
Read my review of And They Were Never Heard from Again, and get it for FREE by clicking on the button! If you haven’t got into the Yarnsworld yet, what are you waiting for??
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