About the Author

Alex Banwell is a contemporary fiction author and her novels focus on the life of a boy named Benny who lives with severe epilepsy, and the effect of his disability on his family and friends. Alex has an incredible ability to create characters we can all relate to and gently share Jesus’ love through her stories. She’s also a member of the Kingdom Story Writers team and hosts their podcast.

Welcome to our blog, Alex! Can you tell me more about yourself, where you live and who you live with?

Although I was born in the South Wales Rhondda Valley, I now live in the beautiful Forest of Dean, which is just over the English border. It is a quiet rural area, ideal for long walks, which I enjoy with my husband, Jonathan.

Alex, you write stories about families living with disabilities. What makes you uniquely placed to do that?

Well, I’m blind! During my early teens, I attended a boarding school for the blind, where my roommate, Sarah Tummey, and I discovered a shared passion for creative writing. We enjoyed inventing characters and writing plays about them. I think we are both glad none of our crazy jottings will ever see the light of day, but they were a wonderful way to pass the time.

My main character, Benny, is epileptic, but I imagine epilepsy as only one of his problems, possibly coupled with a mild form of autism, and the full extent of his limitations is yet to be explored. I have seen this for myself in the blind world. Once a diagnosis of blindness is given, people hardly ever look for other underlying conditions, unless they are forced to do so.

So, when did you decide your writing would be more than “crazy jottings”? 🙂

My head is a constant jumble of characters and stories. However, I went through an extended period during which I mistakenly equated creative writing with childish habits. As an adult and a newly married wife, I thought I should do more serious and God-honouring things, so if I wrote at all, it was sermons or devotionals.

Then, in 2021, the Holy Spirit nudged me to return to my first love of writing for fun. By this point, I had read a lot of Christian fiction, and I’d seen the impact it could have on people’s lives. Many of my closest friends became more serious about their relationships with Jesus after reading Christian fiction. However, at this stage, I didn’t think I was brave enough to write it, but Jesus had other ideas. As I wrote, he brought out the Christian message and showed me there was a bigger purpose to what I was doing.

What do you want your writing to communicate?

I want to be able to communicate Biblical truths and Christian life principles to people who aren’t yet ready to pick up a Bible. That’s why I aim my books at non-Christians, although I hope Christians will enjoy them too.

I am passionate about telling people that Jesus and his Word are as relevant today as they were two thousand years ago. Jesus is real, and he wants to be in a real living relationship with each and every one of us. We are all here for a reason, even if we currently don’t believe it. We can find meaning and purpose in Jesus.

What keeps you writing on your darkest day? What’s your passion?

It is the simple fact that I know Jesus wants me to do this. I suffer from a crippling case of self-doubt and over-analysis, so each time I begin a new project, I worry that maybe the Holy Spirit won’t come through for me. But He always does. Also, I simply love writing. It is how I relax. I write for fun alongside my novels, and my fun-writing takes away the pressure because it isn’t for public consumption. It reminds me of how much I love what I do. It also helps with character development and ideas for future plot-lines, giving me a chance to explore before I return to the next novel.

What’s next for you?

I am currently praying and seeking God’s guidance for book 3 in the Benny Wellander series. A few months ago, the Holy Spirit gave me a clear overall plan for the storyline. Now I just need the courage to write it. I also have vague ideas for at least another three Benny books, and a possible unrelated series.

Wow! Thanks so much for joining us, Alex!

Inspired by Alex?

At Broad Place Publishing, we operate on a partnership model where we ask people like you to partner with us to support our authors in their ministry. We don’t believe they should have to pay thousands of pounds to bring amazing God-honouring content into the world, but sadly, that’s the reality with most publishing models in these challenging times. If you want to support Alex with a regular or one off donation, you can do so by joining her VIP club here. If you want to pray for Alex, you can sign up to her prayer team here.

Interested in Just Benny?

You can also support Alex by purchasing her books. We give a higher royalty percentage back to our authors than most publishing houses because, quite frankly, they deserve it! Writing a book takes hundreds of hours of work, and you get to benefit for just a few pounds (similar to a cup of coffee and slice of cake).

While you’re considering that, why not pray about someone who could benefit from the message of Just Benny, and buy them a copy as a gift too?

Read more about Just Benny here.

Purchase Just Benny here.

Then enjoy!