Ben George Johnson was born in the South Leicestershire town of Market Harborough and has lived in the area all his life. Coming from an extremely creative family it came as no surprise that his career in graphic design flourished – founding his own agency – in 1996.
It had long been an ambition of his to write a book and in 2020 he began writing his debut novel The Creaking Tree. Ben explains how the idea came to him during a particular evening during April of that year.
‘I hadn’t been sleeping very well so was apprehensive about going to bed. Somewhat surprisingly, I nodded off immediately. During the night I had the most vivid of dreams, full of crazy characters and magical happenings. When I woke in the morning I was shocked that I had remembered every detail of the dream. The meat of the story was already in my head, all I had to do now was sit down and write the book!’
The Covid years had been extremely difficult. Having lost my father to the virus in January, I struggled to cope with the grieving process especially during the lockdown. I felt a strong urge to try and spread some happiness by writing the book as the themes it highlighted are many we can learn and take heart from.
Ben continues… ’Having a vehicle to take people away from their worries was something important to me. A form of escapism to champion the strength of the human spirit and how to battle back against difficult circumstances and cruel bad luck. Nothing is insurmountable if you believe everything is possible.’
The feedback from those who have already read the book has been incredibly positive. To read the reviews click here.