Doomsday Cult Inspires Novel

April 9, 2011 - PRLog -- Mitchell was born in a cottage in Sale, England, to Australian parents who were members of an American doomsday cult; his mother a former farm-girl, and his father a newly ordained minister: both naive to the abuse and corruption of their chosen religion. In this birth setting Mitchell begins a story of a family’s journey to freedom, one that travels from Manchester to Melbourne, via Sydney beaches, outback deserts, and the tropical paradise of Hawaii, before climaxing at cult headquarters in Los Angeles, California.

Discussing what led to his writing what he describes as an ‘autobiographical novel’, Mitchell is candid about the inspiration behind The Last Great Day.

“It wasn’t until we left the cult, on the eve of my tenth birthday, when I started to understand it wasn’t everybody else who was weird, and it was actually me and my family who had had the somewhat unique experience. In my twenties, I began to reflect more on how my baby twin brothers and Aunty all died unnecessarily—due to the cult’s ban on seeking medical assistance—and it occurred to me some of those early experiences might provide the makings of a pretty good story.”

Besides Mitchell’s childhood spent believing the end of the world was coming in 1975 (when he would have been six), he has had other ‘unique’ experiences too. Mitchell is likely the only son of a cult minister to star on Neighbours (playing Cameron Hudson in the nineties), and definitely the only cult survivor to record songs for his critically acclaimed album, The Stars Can See, at The Beatles’ producer, Sir George Martin’s London studios.

“Acting was fun and performing helped me come out of my cult-induced shell, while writing music taught me how to be economical with words. Having written my first novel though, I think I’m hooked on a medium that allows for more depth of meaning—and perhaps a greater subtlety of humour. The Last Great Day has its fair share of tragedy, but it’s not all doom and gloom. I think it’s safe to say—without spoiling my story—in the end the world doesn’t end.”

Benjamin Grant Mitchell is appearing at the Emerging Writers’ Festival 2011.

More info at: http://www.benjamingrantmitchell.com

The Last Great Day (published independently April 2011)
Paperback book RRP AUS$29.95 - ISBN 978-0-646-55032-9
Amazon eBook RRP AUS$19.99 - ISBN 978-0-646-55360-3

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The Last Great Day is a NOVEL by Benjamin Grant Mitchell.

‘A naive Australian minister in an American doomsday cult fights to discover the truth about his corrupt sect, while his wife, tormented by grief and guilt, resists his urges to leave.’