PAUL Bennett, 67, from Chelmsford, has just published One Bullet Too Many, the latest book in his Mercenary series of thrillers.

When you come to write your memoirs, what title will you choose?

“I Just Got Lucky”. For two reasons. Firstly, you need a lot of luck to get an agent as there are so many budding authors sending in their submissions.

Secondly, it harks back to the old saying, “the more I worked, the luckier I got”.

Which incidents and people in your life would you be sure to include in your memoirs?

Though I hated school, I learnt a lot about how towrite and how to express myself with good punctuation, grammar and spelling. I would have to give them a credit for that.

Then I would fast forward to my days at an advertising agencywhere I was a planner and could develop my love of people and what makes them tick.

I would give a lot of space to my mentor at the ad agency (who became the character Saul Drummond in Catalyst).

He is one of the finest thinkers I have ever come across – read my novel Catalyst to get inside his head.

How long have you been writing – did the habit start at school age or develop later?

I first began writing at the age of ten when I started a school magazine, so I suppose the love of writing was there even then.

I then had several jobs where writing readable reports was the aim.

I only started writing seriously at the age of about 40 when I soldamarket research company I had set up and built up, and had some funds behind me to take some time off to write fiction.

Do you feel you have a talent for writing, and if so, what are your particular skills?

For a great novel you need five ingredients – plot, characterisation, pace, fear/tension and a dash of humour. I like to think, immodestly, I include all these in my books.

Most of all, though, I love writing sharp and witty dialogue that involves the reader and says a lot about the personality of the characters.

How did your latest book come to be written?

One Bullet TooMany is the third in the Mercenary series.

The series features a band of aging mercenaries who get together for one last job – one can’t see as well as he used to, another has put on weight and so on.

The original book in the series came about from an idea for a novel I wanted to write with Nick Leeson of Hambro fame – or infamy – featuring fraud inamerchant bank that wasmafia owned and run. For legal reasons he couldn’t participate, so I reworked the plot and wrote it myself.

Did you need to do any research for One Bullet Too Many (eg for locations)?

I needed to do a lot of research as the novel is set in Poland. I had only visited that country once – to do some lecturing in market research – and got a feel for the country, but needed lots of detail on a general level (what food is popular, for instance) and then on specifics such as gun law.

I handled the task of research by reading a lot of guide books and through research on the internet.

Are there any “messages” you are trying to get across in the book?

TheMercenary series features characters who have a strong moral code – theywouldn’t shoot anyone in the back, for instance – and, maybe naively, I try to get across thatmight isn’t right, it’s the good guys that win.

Do you have a routine for writing?

I have a set routine as if writing is like any other job – it’s way more fun, though. I start around nine in the morning and work through to one in the afternoon, by which time your mind is starting to flag. I take a break for a couple of hours and then do two or three hoursmore.

When I start in the morning, I always begin by reading what I wrote the previous day, which gets me in the right frame of mind to continue.

What is your ultimate dream as an author?

To get on a plane and see everybody reading one of my books (that they’ve heard about by seeing it inamovie, although I suppose that’s two things–writers like to cheat sometimes).

Who was your favourite author in childhood, and what was their special magic?

I’ve always loved reading and I read very widely from my teenage years, but I suppose the first series of books that really caught my imagination was Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels. Being transported to that fascinating world of adventure, losing yourself in the fictive dream, becoming the hero in your mind.

Are there any adult writers you really admire, and perhaps have had a particular influence on you?

Thewriter that has influenced me most was the late great American crime writer Robert BParker with his Spenser series of books. Such wit, such sharp dialogue and a hero with amoral code which I have transported to my novels.

What book are you currently reading?

I’m currently reading Dead Simple by Peter James, a fellowmember of the Crime Writers’ Association. It’s the first in a long series of novels much praised by CWAmembers – some believe him to be the best crime writer of all time.

What tips would you pass on to other aspiring writers?

Persevere. Don’t get dejected when the rejection letters arrive from agents.

Keep working at your writing, making it as good as it possibly can be.

Try to write something every day – likemost things in life, you get better with practice. Read widely to learn from other writers and surround yourself with stimuli – TVprogrammes, movies, quality newspapers and journals. Your ideas can come from anywhere.