Young author to take inspiration from trip of a lifetime

AN enterprising Melton author has begun work on his third book, a first person account of life as an English student at an American University. 

Ben Atkinson (20) of Lincoln Drive, who has previously had two novels published, is taking the leap into travel writing after spending about five months studying at Minnesota State University, Moorhead. The ambitious writer, whose former novels The Kracken’s Curse and Walking on Cinders are available to buy on Amazon and in e-book format, visited the university with four other members from his Media Production course at Lincoln University.

Ben hopes that the book, which will take the reader on a journey of Nashville and which will be crammed full of comical anecdotes and interesting characters, will be released in time for World Book Night on April 23.

The former King Edward VII pupil, who dreams of working in radio, spent his time in America recording a weekly country music show, which airs every Wednesday on three community radio stations, Melton’s 103 The Eye as well as Hermitage FM in Coalville and Lindsey Coast Radio in Skegness, he also took part in the 2011 Country Music Association awards where he got to interview the stars. 

It's strange where it starts, isn't it?

More often than not, when I give a talk or take part in a question and answer session I'm asked: "Where did it all start?! You're writing books, that's something most people only dream about." Well the trouble is I've always found it hard to give a truthful answer to that one.

I don't know actually know where my love of writing began. I know I've always enjoyed writing and I still maintain that it was a skill natured in me by teachers at both my Primary and Secondary schools in Melton Mowbray. I remember early on, we would all enter writing competitions as a school and the idea was that each student in each year group would create some kind of story and they'd all be displayed around the school for parents, friends and family to enjoy. It was called the Writing Festival, and we did a similar thing with maths and science in the years that followed.

Around this time I was writing short stories with my friends, given that we'd been reading The Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling I think we decided to call our set of stories The Just School Stories. Of course, as with most young minds we soon got distracted and we never finished the set of stories. But if anything, that's one of the few sticking points where I can say writing actually started.

Welcome to the future, it's 2012!

Well here we are it's now officially 2012, a very big year for London and the UK. This year we'll see the Olympics in London for the first time in a generation as well as celebrating the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. Here at Walking on Cinders we've got a lot of events planned for the summer, many to coincide with the Cultural Olympiad so you'll have to keep an eye out!

You might have noticed a new addition to the site over the festive period. On the Books page there's a placeholder for Ben Atkinson's next release, a travel book based around his recent four-and-a-half month stay in the United States of America. Filled with exciting details on Ben's travels, a twenty year old's perspective of life across the pond and plenty of great anecdotes from a near half year of living with college students, it will be released in the late Spring to coincide with the 2012 World Book Night.

Throughout 2012, Ben hopes to tour the UK, building on his 2011 Summer Book Tour by visiting literary festivals and schools up and down the Country and beyond. At these events he'll be talking about Walking on Cinders and reading extracts from the new travel book.

Time to Write Again

Boxing Day has arrived, the magic of Christmas is behind us and we've finally got a chance to enjoy those toys and eat those chocolates we received in plenty the day before.

Over the next few weeks, I'm going to let you into a few secrets. That's the plan, because we've got a lot of stuff going on in the New Year and into 2012. By now I'm well on the way to writing my travel book about my time in the United States. Here's a little extract from the start, hopefully it will convince you to read more:

"And you've got to go to Taco Bell..." It seemed like, somehow, we'd been told this a thousand times at every meeting, as if the one thing that the Engilsh students abroad would enjoy, was something wholly American and located four blocks from campus. Did I neglect to mention, Taco Bell serves Mexican food?

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight...

We've reached that time of year again, Christmas is upon us and everyone is rushing around to buy last minuet presents and prepare for the feast that is Christmas Dinner. I feel that at this time of year we always seem to loose sight of what Christmas should really be about. A hightlight for me at this time of year, is always the local carol concerts and the shows that feature carols on TV! I often fall asleep on Christmas eve night to that kinda music, it just puts me in the Christmas spirit.

It seems when we reach this time of year, we always end up reflecting on everything that's been and gone. And this year more than most, I've got a lot to be thankful for. With everything Walking on Cinders, the Lincoln Book Festival and a Summer Tour, four months in the USA and several promotional trips to London, I can't believe where the year has gone. They say time moves quickly when you get older, I can certainly see it happening!