Brenton Cullen

 

Today I've having an author sit-down with Australian author Brenton Cullen to talk about his upcoming (as of July 2025) book The Prime Minister Problem.

I asked Brenton five curly questions and here they are with his responses.

1. So - The Prime Minister Problem! Give us a high concept in 25 words or fewer.

It is a middle-grade novel about a quiet boy who goes viral for his efforts to stop loneliness after his grandma is sent to a faraway nursing home.

2. How did you choose the name for your protagonist? Did you give it a lot of thought, or did it just pop into your mind?

The main character is a ten year old boy named Wren - I purposely wanted to give him a 'unique' name. This highlights his feeling of being on the outside, as though he views his family and schoolmates through a glass screen. Wren's feeling of being an outlier prompted me to give him a name that immediately stood out as 'different' - just as Wren in the book feels different. I was also inspired by superb fairy-wrens, a little twittering bird I have always loved for their pretty colours. The birds are a motif throughout the book - Wren goes birdwatching, and sees the same fairy-wren multiple times. Though in real life, fairy wrens often are in pairs or packs, the fairy-wren that Wren sees is always alone. Just like Wren (the boy!) often is. I like the special meaning Wren's name holds, in this regard. 

3. Did the story turn out the way you thought it would? If not, what surprised you?

Originally, this story began with the title 'The Prime Minister Problem' and one single thought: What if a kid tried to become Prime Minister? It was inspired by my partner who is a political enthusiast. But quickly, the story naturally evolved and moved away from the initial spark of inspiration. I was surprised to find that themes of rural living, cost of living, loneliness, and intergenerational relationships were much bigger themes lurking below the surface of the story and begging to come out. 

4. Did your fascination with golden age literature influence your writing of this book?

In the golden age books I read and loved as a kid (and I still read them now!), I always gravitated to stories that featured special connections between grandparents and grandchildren. My book is a 'quiet' story, about people, so I feel I was influenced by all the books I had read over my whole life - all those 'quiet books' - to put this sensitivity, alongside the special grandparent-and-child relationship, into my story. Many books are extroverted with confident sassy quirky kid protagonists - nothing wrong with that! - but I want shy, quiet, sensitive, brooding kids (like the ones in many of my favourite Golden Age books) to see themselves be the star of a story in a modern age.

5. What, if anything, do you have in common with your main character?

In a way, The Prime Minister Problem is the story I have written that is closest to my heart. In saying that, it isn't autobiographical - none of the things in the book actually happened to me! But the feelings and emotion and inner dialogue of my main character Wren is definitely very similar to what I felt and thought as a ten-year-old. Like Wren, I have always been a big reader;. Like Wren, I hold a lot of worries and curiosities about the world. And like Wren, my grandmother was a very special influence on my love of stories. 

The Prime Minister Problem is my debut middle-grade novel to be published in 2026 by Riveted Press. 

Thanks, Brenton.

Brenton has been a big supporter of Australian literature for years. 

To the reader - if you would like to talk books (yours or someone else's) send me an email at sallybyname(AT)gmail.com with AUTHOR SIT-DOWN in the subject line. Tell me your focus and I'll shoot you five questions.