Charles Benoit discusses his novel Cold Calls, and talks about bullying and the ramifications it can have on both the victim and the perpetrator.
Cold Calls by Charles Benoit is a fast-paced story about keeping secrets — at all costs. The pace is relentless, and as the story takes surprising twists and turns, you’ll find it increasingly difficult to put this book down even for just a moment. Read our review.
Speaking with the author, we asked what inspired this book, what message he wanted to convey with it, and if we can expect a sequel.
How did you come up with the idea for Cold Calls?
Everybody’s been talking about bullying, and that’s a good thing. It’s an important topic and we need to take it seriously. The bully, of course, is always somebody else, never us or our friends. No, we’re too mature for that, too kind, too darn good. But the truth is, any one of us can be a bully, and given the right motivation, we’d jump at the chance to pick on someone else in order to take the spotlight off ourselves. I wanted to explore the premise that good kids could be blackmailed into becoming bullies — and doing it for what they believe are really good reasons.
Was it difficult to portray your characters as both victims and bullies, or did you find that more realistic?
At one point in the book, the characters realize that they are both the victims of bullying and bullies themselves. The reality is that we’re all coerced into exhibiting behaviors we don’t always agree with, and then we force others into following the same set of behaviors, even though we know better. Education, politics, fashion, parenting, relationships, tradition — every area of human existence has expected behavior norms, and heaven help the person who steps out of them. The sooner we realize that we don’t have to stand for it — and that we shouldn’t be forcing it on others — the better off we’ll all be.
You have three main characters in this book, each with their own point of view. Which did you enjoy writing the most?
That’s a tough one, but I’m going to say Shelly. She’s a young woman of strong faith, but she doesn’t go around waving her religion in people’s faces. The people of faith I respect the most are not the ones who pray the loudest, but the ones who live their beliefs. It’s not easy and they get it wrong a lot, but their struggle to live their faith with honesty and conviction is compelling. Oh, and just because someone has a strong faith doesn’t mean that they’re automatically easy to get along with or that they still won’t have major problems or that they’ll sit around listening to gospel music all day long. Getting to explore all that with one character was really cool.
The anti-bullying workshop in the book is not very effective on most of the kids. Do you think this is true in real life? If so, why?
I was a high school social studies teacher for 15 years and I’ve seen a lot of school programs designed to help kids address discipline and behavior issues like bullying. At worst, they were a waste of time and money. At best, they got a few participants — a very few — to reconsider their behavior. I’m sure that there are better programs out there (please, there has to be), but in my experience, they did little good. Why? If I knew that, I’d be running an effective anti-bullying program somewhere!
What sort of message did you want to convey with this story?
I don’t know, what message do you want? You want your takeaway to be that bullying destroys everyone involved? There’s plenty of evidence to support that theory. You want to believe that the message has to do with being honest with people from the start? Lots of examples of that in this story. You want to contend that blackmail is an effective tool in manipulating people? I suppose you could back that up with things from the book. The point is, the only message that matters is the one you get out of it. I know what it says to me, and I can show you—scene by scene—why I believe it. But that’s my opinion. The “message” of this book is whatever you want it to be, all you got to do is back it up with relevant evidence in the book. And that’s why I love reading!
What is the most difficult to write, the first line or the last line?
Last, for sure. The first line gets rewritten 50+ times, but that’s during the writing process when you can go back and forth a lot. But the last line, man, that’s killer. You’re going along and suddenly, there it is, that last thing you have to say. I wrote the last chapter of Cold Calls in about 4 hours. I then took a full week to get the last line where I wanted it. If I could, I’d probably still be tweaking it.
Is there a YA novel today that you wish you had when you were a teen?
“A” as in one? Man, you are tough. Ok, I got this. When I was a kid I liked really thick books with heroes, impossible odds, alien/dystopian worlds, swordfights, monsters and more swordfights. While it doesn’t have all of those elements, The Hunger Games has enough to keep me happy. But I would have flipped past the love story stuff to get to more fighting.
Cold Calls ends on quite a cliffhanger. Can we expect a sequel?
I love, love, love writing books with WTF endings (Wild Thrilling Finish). And I don’t do sequels. No second chances, no do-overs, no redemptions. (Insert evil laugh here.)
If you’re not working on a sequel, what is your next project?
The summer after 9th grade, I made a list of the things I wanted to change about myself. Let’s just say I wasn’t happy with the direction I thought my life was going. The list was based on this fantasy of who I thought I wanted to become. As crazy as it sounds, that list changed everything for me. I wanted to take that idea and, in typical Benoit fashion, twist it around a bit so that our main character finds himself someplace quite different from where he thought he was going. It’s got drugs, violence, backstabbing, sex, danger, abandonment and a tiny, tiny glimmer of hope. So something for the whole family!
Is there anything you’d like to say to teens that may read Cold Calls and relate to any of the characters?
I hope everyone who reads the book relates to the characters. I hope that it makes people think about the way they treat others, because right now, in ways you’ve never considered, someone you know thinks you’re the bully. (More evil laugh.)
About Charles Benoit
Charles was born in a small log cabin along the banks of the Genesee River in Rochester, NY, where he was raised by various woodland creatures. At the tender age of 5, he was sent — without his consent — into society to be “educated.” He endured many years in various institutions of learning, both higher and otherwise, with one ill-advised break to spend some time with his Uncle Sam in the Army. It was during this time that he met his future wife, sweeping her off her feet with tales of derring-do and promises of riches beyond her wildest dreams. Fortunately for Charles, Rose was easily impressed and had affordable dreams. He taught high school social studies in the Rochester City School District and at international schools in Kuwait and Trinidad and Tobago. Rose and Charles returned to the high-life in exotic Rochester, where today Charles works in advertising, creating ads that drive consumers into a buying frenzy.
Visit his website, Facebook page, Goodreads profile, and find Cold Calls on Amazon.
Photo credit: Kurt Brownell
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