The author of 4 books, “Til Death We Do Part,” “Til Death We Do Part, Too,” “Scrabble Babble Rabble,” and the latest, “2034” Bruno Beaches has been on a roll in the past few years. We got a chance to have a heart-to-heart with the lively and ever energetic author. Check out his goodreads author profile to know more about him and the reviews of his books! Sharing an excerpt in conversation with Bruno Beaches:
Akhila Saroha: I would like to begin this interview by congratulating you on the back-to-back publications of 4 books. How has the journey been so far?
Bruno Beaches: Brilliant! I got accepted by 4 of the first 8 publishers I approached with my first book, and I thought that was a very good start! The one I chose to go with like my writings and have accepted 5 out of 5 books so far which again, is very encouraging.
Akhila Saroha: Since you published one book after the other, how does the mind of Bruno Beaches work to get ideas which are unique and beyond imagination, which is visible in “Scrabble Babble Rabble” and “2034”?
Bruno Beaches: I think that a lot of stories had been accruing in my mind over many years, and then when I actually started to write about them, they just gushed out a bit like a dam breaking, but in slow motion.
Akhila Saroha: In “Til Death We Do Part,” “Til Death We Do Part, Too,” “Scrabble Babble Rabble,” and “2034,” you have created characters that sprung to life in an instance of their creation. How far did your experiences inspire the characters?
Bruno Beaches: Totally. When I write, I am actually thinking of the kind of people I have met over the years, and if not actual people, then types that I have come to recognise.
Akhila Saroha: “Til Death We Do Part” follows an interesting time sequence where the novel shows human lives at very different stages. What was your thought about how the audience would receive the book while writing it?
Bruno Beaches: I had no idea. Although that book purports to be fiction, it is largely based on events I experienced in my own life, and the reason I was writing that story was mainly to analyse what had happened and to try to understand where I had gone wrong. To some extent it was also an exercise to park all the issues outside of my head. It is a warts-and -all expose, and I hope people can learn lessons from it without going through the pain I went through.
Akhila Saroha: If you were to choose one of the 4 novels that were the closest to you or most relatable, then which one would it be? And why?
Bruno Beaches: I’m afraid that it is undoubtedly Pablo, and I have expressed his nature with both his extraordinary strengths but also his recurring weaknesses. Why? Because he is based on me!
Akhila Saroha: “2034” is a vision of a life a little more than a decade later. What were the events that led you to come up with the unique concept and share your vision of the future?
Bruno Beaches: I wrote this story during lockdown because I was concerned that the government were succeeding so easily in dividing society along vaccinated and unvaccinated lines, and I could see the rapid emergence of prejudice and discrimination among ordinary people, and I wanted to write a about possible consequences if people carried on down that disastrous road.
Akhila Saroha: How far did your experience influence the creation of “Scrabble Babble Rabble”?
Bruno Beaches: Very much. Unbelievably, all the little stories laced into the main story are real stories that have left a mark on me over the years. Some are famous historical stories such as that of Shackleton, Turing, or Sutcliffe, but all the others were about people I knew, and of course, I have known a lot of criminals.
Akhila Saroha: When you began as a writer, what were the events that inspired you to take the pen? Or was it something you had been planning for some time?
Bruno Beaches: Personal tragedy. I lost a wife of 30 years and my life was absolutely shattered, I lost everything I had been working towards for 30 years, and everything I looked forward to for the rest of my life, and I wrote to help myself understand what had happened and to come to terms with it, and it made an interesting story!
Akhila Saroha: “Till Death We Do Part, Too” ends on a note that leaves the readers in wonder and amazement. Is that a loophole for another sequel to follow? Or is it just for the imagination of the readers?
Bruno Beaches: I finished it like that because I don’t know how the story ends. The real story is still going on!
Akhila Saroha: “Scrabble Babble Rabble” shows the story from the inside and perhaps from a viewpoint that has never been written before. How did you manage to present the characters as more humans and less of law offenders and make sure they remained heroes despite being fit to be antagonists?
Bruno Beaches: The last few years of my police service was spent befriending criminally-active drug addicts, and trying to get them into rehab. I therefore built rapport and trust with people for whom I had to look beyond the ‘criminal’ label. I had to understand them, their backgrounds and the challenges of their own lifestyles. I had to see beyond the stereotypes and see them for the human beings that they were. So, writing in this vein came easily.
Akhila Saroha: All your books have titles that are interesting, intriguing, and yet apt for you’re the plots in them. How did you come up with them? Did you have any alternate titles in mind?
Bruno Beaches: They came easily. For the first 2 novels I was focusing on how true love and devotion somehow tragically turn into hatred and animosity, so I wanted the title to reflect how the commitment of the marriage vows (til death us do part) could so easily morph into the opposite by changing just one word. ‘Scrabble Babble Rabble’ simply and accurately summarised that whole story and was perfect as a title. ‘2034’ is a nod to George Orwell’s ‘1984’, which again, just seemed so appropriate for that story.
Akhila Saroha: “Scrabble Babble Rabble” features stories within one story. How easy or difficult was it for you to come up with interesting plots that also aligned with the rules of the game the characters play?
Bruno Beaches: This is going to sound weird, but I actually played out the scrabble games using the four different characters I had introduced. I literally used the words that I could make from the random tiles on each turn, and from those words I simply looked for opportunities to write the various stories. If I went through that process again, the words, and therefore the stories, would be completely different!
Akhila Saroha: Since you have given the readers contemporary classics which would be read even later, what are the next projects you have in line? Would you like to share with the readers?
Bruno Beaches: I have written another book which will be out later this year. The idea was to tie up the ends of the first two novels, like a trilogy, but the story soon got legs of it’s own and it became a stand-alone thriller with little connection to the earlier stories. It is laced as usual with life -lessons thrown in for good measure.
Akhila Saroha: Many writers have their personal favorite authors who shape the authors in them. Do you have any? Which of their writings did you enjoy?
Bruno Beaches: Undoubtedly George Orwell. His Animal Farm and 1984 are the best books ever written in my opinion. They are so full of insight and understated wisdom. I am full of admiration for him.
Akhila Saroha: Thank you so much for your time. Is there any message you would like to share with the readers?
Bruno Beaches: I am very grateful as a brand new writer for any attention anyone pays to any of my books, and I simply hope that readers find some meaningful in them as opposed to them being simply entertainment.
