Q&A: Benjamin Dean, Author of ‘Bury Your Friends’
We chat with author Benjamin Dean about Bury Your Friends, which is a dark, decadent and deadly YA thriller following the perfectly privileged lives of spoilt rich kids and the messy, murderous things they’ll do to get what they want.
Hi, Benjamin! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hey! Sure, my name’s Benjamin Dean and I’m a bestselling author of young-adult thriller stories and fantasy adventures for children. I have a background in celebrity journalism/interviewing which basically means I live for gossip and scandal, which you can probably tell from my books for older readers…
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I’ve always loved writing stories but I vividly remember rewriting The Three Little Pigs when I was in Year Two, and then trying to write my own version of Alex Rider when I was fourteen that I naievly sent to Penguin with no context, cover letter or synopsis, and only the first three chapters. I always wonder if someone ever actually opened that envelope…
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: I think Lemony Snicket and A Series of Unfortunate Events. When I look at my writing now, especially for children, I can see glimpses of that inspiration hiding behind my words.
- The one that made you want to become an author: Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman. I think it was the first time I realised books were written by actual people and didn’t just fall out of the sky already complete. It also made me realise that someone like me could write stories, and it became a dream from then on to write my own.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Last year, I read Songlight by Moira Buffini and I absolutely adored it. The sequel comes out later this year, so it’s been on my mind!
Your latest novel, Bury Your Friends, is out August 14th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
I think ‘nepo baby performative allyship slasher’ just about covers most bases…
What can readers expect?
A lot of scandal, secrets and lies (which has kind of become a staple of my YA thriller books) but also quite a lot of humour? I think? This was the book that definitely made me laugh out loud the most when writing – the characters can be a little ridiculous and self-absorbed at times, which made it an absolute joy to write.
Where did the inspiration for Bury Your Friends come from?
I was staying in a country house with a group of friends in the absolute middle of nowhere, and I am not good with that kind of setting lol. I spent the whole weekend predicting we were about to find ourselves in some kind of slasher movie. I just remember it was largely made of glass and at night you could only see your own reflection looking back and absolutely NOTHING in the darkness beyond. It was creepy as hell! But it definitely got me thinking and the seeds of the idea were planted from there.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I think Baby was my favourite character to write. She means well and is doing her version of allyship, but it’s often so misplaced and self-absorbed that it just ends up being the complete opposite. There was originally a scene where she stood up at school to ‘come out as an ally’ and I had the best time writing it. In the end, the scene got changed so it’s actually a video in the earlier chapters, but I still absolutely love that moment. As for something a little more frightening…the double-sided fireplace scene (Chapter Fifteen: Knock, Knock, Let Me In) was terrifying to write! And that fireplace was inspired by one in the country house I stayed in.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
I think this was the book that I had the most self-doubt whilst writing. I’d accidentally taken a year off writing not long before I started the project because I was so burned out, and when I sat back down at my desk and looked at the blank word document, I genuinely wasn’t sure if I could do it again. Getting to the end of a draft is half the battle, and things always get better when you polish the work up in the edit, but the blank page was so daunting and I just couldn’t get past it! Eventually I just had to ignore the pressure and remind myself that this job is an absolute dream come true and something I’ve always wanted to do. I’m incredibly lucky and grateful that I’m in this position, so I held onto that thought when I started doubting myself. I also made sure to keep a stack of my own books in view…a reminder that I’d done it six times before whilst staring down self-doubt, so of course I could do it again!
What’s next for you?
I have another children’s fantasy adventure to write, which I’m really looking forward to. And then…who knows! I’m toying with some ideas for something new, but you’ll have to wait and see…
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year? Are there any you’re looking forward to picking up?
I read The Glorious Dead by Justin Myers and Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid, both adult books which I loved. As for books I’m looking forward to picking up, I’m dying to read the adult fantasy book Silvercloak by L. K. Steven, as well as Torchfire, the sequel to Songlight by Moira Buffini.
