{Character Interview} Ben Bracken of 'A Wanted Man'
We’re thrilled to be talking to Ben Bracken from Robert Parker’s A Wanted Man It is a pleasure to have him with us today at Pimp That Character!
Thank you for your
interview, Ben. How old are you and what
do you do for a living?
I’m 34, and for a living,
as you put it, I was a soldier. A
Captain – Her Majesty’s Royal Army, Welsh Guards. I had 10 years on the record
before they wiped it.
Who knows? My witty repartee, or my ability to put someone
in a leg-lock which breaks both their legs above the knee in less than five
seconds? Both are great at a party, so it’s completely up to you.
What would I hate the
most about you?
You can’t take me anywhere. We spend more than an hour
together, and I’m agitated and want to get moving. I can’t sit still. My legs
just can’t do it. You’d be irritated to hell by me.
What is your most
treasured possession?
I don’t have any trinkets, or heirlooms. Nothing like that.
But I do have a bag I’m rather fond of - in it there are five prison guard
shirts soaked in a dead inmate’s blood. I’m not telling you were it is, but
it’s an insurance policy which keeps me free.
What is your greatest
fear?
Ah, you’ve gone all Freud on me. Fear is nothing to be
ashamed of – it’s a natural response to pressure, and we all take on pressure
differently. I don’t do fear often, but I’m open enough to admit it’s there.
I’m worried I’ll die, and my record will still say ‘dishonourably discharged’.
I didn’t piss away a decade in the dust and blood for that. You can have the
medals, you can have the certificates, you can have the damn uniform – but you
can’t take away the effort or the scars, so I don’t want either to be forever
meaningless.
What are three must
haves when shopping at the grocery store?
Jerky, chocolate and water. If the world goes belly up in a
heartbeat, you can make it a few days on just those three.
Do you have children?
Nearly did once. I can be candid here right? She got rid of
it before I even knew she was expecting – I didn’t get a say. I’d have changed
everything about myself to make that work, but… we’ll never know if it would
have I suppose. Now? I think that ship has sailed.
What’s your idea of a
perfect meal?
A guaranteed one. Seriously, ten years in the army gives you
a sense of perspective.
When you were a
child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Didn’t have a clue. Unless you’re blessed with a divine sense
of purpose – and that’s not a bad thing, I might add – then it’s too much to
ask a question like that of a kid. I wasted my teens wondering what I was going
to be, pestered by school all the damn time. How could I decide what I wanted
to do at forty? I was a bloody kid.
If you knew you were
going to die tomorrow, what would you do today?
Exactly what I’m doing right now – try to make a difference
somehow. I’ll be trying to keep it off for some time yet, but dying tomorrow
sometimes does seem like a possibility.
About the Author
His latest book is the
crime/thriller, A WANTED MAN.
WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:
WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK
About the Book:
Author: Robert Parker
Publisher: Endeavour Press
Pages: 307
Genre: Crime Thriller
It’s down to
fathers and fatherhood.
Ben Bracken, ex-soldier, has just got out of Strangeways.
Not by the front door.
With him, he has his ‘insurance policy’ – a bag of evidence that will guarantee his freedom, provided he can keep it safe – and he has money, carefully looked after by a friend, Jack Brooker.
Rejected by the army, disowned by his father, and any hopes of parenthood long since shattered, Ben has no anchors in his life.
No one to keep him steady.
No one to stop his cause…
The plan: to wreak justice on the man who had put him in prison in the first place.
Terry ‘The Turn-Up’ Masters, a nasty piece of work, whose crime organisation is based in London.
But before Ben can get started on his mission, another matter is brought to his attention: Jack’s father has been murdered and he will not rest until the killers are found.
Suddenly, Ben finds himself drawn in to helping Jack in his quest for revenge.
In the process, he descends into the fold of Manchester’s most notorious crime organisation – the Berg – the very people he wants to bring down…
This action-packed and fast-paced story will keep you turning the pages. Manchester is vividly portrayed as Ben races around the city seeking vengeance.
Ben Bracken, ex-soldier, has just got out of Strangeways.
Not by the front door.
With him, he has his ‘insurance policy’ – a bag of evidence that will guarantee his freedom, provided he can keep it safe – and he has money, carefully looked after by a friend, Jack Brooker.
Rejected by the army, disowned by his father, and any hopes of parenthood long since shattered, Ben has no anchors in his life.
No one to keep him steady.
No one to stop his cause…
The plan: to wreak justice on the man who had put him in prison in the first place.
Terry ‘The Turn-Up’ Masters, a nasty piece of work, whose crime organisation is based in London.
But before Ben can get started on his mission, another matter is brought to his attention: Jack’s father has been murdered and he will not rest until the killers are found.
Suddenly, Ben finds himself drawn in to helping Jack in his quest for revenge.
In the process, he descends into the fold of Manchester’s most notorious crime organisation – the Berg – the very people he wants to bring down…
This action-packed and fast-paced story will keep you turning the pages. Manchester is vividly portrayed as Ben races around the city seeking vengeance.
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