WEST SUSSEX, England, Aug. 25, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- Nearly 221,000 men were diagnosed with prostate disease in 2003, according to the American Red Cross, and nearly 30,000 of them died. The severity of the disease is no laughing matter, but survivor Ben Smith uses humor in his new novel, Faulty Diagnosis (now available through AuthorHouse), to raise awareness of this deadly illness.
"The story has been presented as a philosophical and humorous portrayal of a life threatening disease, which will affect most men at sometime in their lives," Smith says.
Based on Smith's true experiences, Faulty Diagnosis is a farce about a womanizing, struggling writer named James MacCormack and his eccentric clique of friends. When James is diagnosed with prostate disease, he continues cheerfully meandering through life with stoicism and is determined to shag as many women as he can until the end. Throughout his adventures, he is supported by an unusual, yet uplifting cast of colorful characters who find their lives intertwined through a series of hilarious situations.
There is Peter Blunt, an old writer and literary genius with a barbed wit and a penchant for cigars. Smith invites readers along for laughs and surprises at Peter's birthday party and the outrageous funeral of Scraggy Watson, a homosexual harpist. Peter is cared for by his soul mate, Doctor Mariona, but she almost meets an unfortunate end at the bottom of a cliff. Margaret Sutcliffe is another member of this motley crew. A racy, rich widow and complementary medicine practitioner, she has her shifty, amorous eyes on James as a potential husband. Throw in a dodgy investment banker, a "gas fitter" and a mad nun, and Smith has all the crazy ingredients for an entertaining farce.
Despite all of the humorous mishaps and snafus, Faulty Diagnosis has a serious thread running through it that relates an educational message for men and their partners.
Smith lives in Ashdown Forest in Sussex, England, where Rudyard Kipling, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and A.A. Milne drew some of their literary inspirations. He also has a home in Costa Brava, Spain. After a long, successful career in the financial markets of London, he left to pursue other interests, such as single handed sailing, gardening, music and holistic medicine. Faulty Diagnosis, his first novel, is based on his own battle with prostate disease. Smith is married and has two daughters and two grandchildren.
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