People are scared of death, scared of living for the rest of eternity in a satanic land where cruelty and punishment are the common occurrence – because you lived a life of sin. But what if you arrived at the gates of Hell and the Devil wasn’t there? What if something was wrong with Hell?

That is where Ben Docherty’s playful novel picks up, with the Devil in a deep slumber and the control over the underworld hanging in the balance. In steps a human, Peter, and all ___ breaks loose.

We spoke with Ben about how he approached his version of Hell, how he made the Devil a comedic character and how he’s managed to cram writing an entire novel into his busy schedule.

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Lullabies for Satan is a humorously dark and gripping read that explores the recesses of humankind and existence in endless creative ways. Have you always been drawn to this genre of fiction? Could you name any inspirations that helped in your writing?

I’ve always been a fan of sci-fi - a genre that this book doesn’t quite fit into, but I see parallels.

The creative ways in which an alternate, or future, society can be put to you and yet still be about people, and what it is to be human. Books like Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and Slaughterhouse 5 come to mind, as well as the Culture series by Iain M. Banks.

At the heart of it, these stories are about the human condition, but it’s presented to the reader in these fantastical ways, which really transport you to another world.

The religious fantasy elements of Lullabies for Satan are certainly a product of being raised in the church and growing up surrounded by these kind of ideas and images. I’ve been out the church for a while now, but those influences remain strong.

Satan – the evillest being in all existence – is known the world over and feared by many. When approaching your depiction of the Prince of Darkness and trying to add a comedic twist to his actions, did you run into any issues and were there any pitfalls you were aiming to avoid?

Certainly, I was trying to avoid the character becoming a cliché. My take on Satan is of a creature that is really just doing his job, rather than being the literal Anti-Christ.

It was tough to create something new with such a recognisable character, as Satan has been frequently portrayed throughout various mythologies and pop culture. Drawing from other versions of the Devil was something I did often and had to pull back from.

What I always came back to was that although my version wasn’t human, he took a human form, he had problems like any of us do, he was a fallible creature, with worries and concerns, and not an all-powerful being. I hope that made him somewhat relatable, and that the readers are able to laugh with him.

Similarly, Peter, the human protagonist of your book, must have an eviler-than-most backstory - given he currently resides in Hell. Therefore, how did you approach making Peter likeable but believable as your lead?

In the universe of the book, most people end up in hell, often through no fault of their own.

Peter is no saint, but he’s not a bad guy. He was unlucky in life and made a lot mistakes, but who hasn’t? To err is to be human after all. He’s a normal guy who’s been thrust into an extraordinary situation. He holds no power in the story, so there’s an element of the underdog to him as well.

I think people can relate to Peter trying to make the best of a bad situation, being terrified, yet resolute, in the face of adversity and trying to maintain his humour while his world falls apart around him.

In your free time, you are a member of a local Hockey and Squash club, as well as running a Ki Aikido Dojo. We’re asking this for ourselves, as well as the rest of our readers, how do you find the time to write?

The short answer is whenever I can!

It’s definitely a challenge, particularly with the 9-5. I try to set myself targets for the week, rather than the day, as I might not always get the chance to write every day. Even just doing fifteen to twenty minutes before going to bed can keep the needle moving, I don’t necessarily need to be churning out the pages every time I sit down to write. A few hundred words here or there and a story can come together quicker than you think. And when I’m not writing, I’m probably thinking about writing, so I generally know what I’m going to do next time I sit down to write, and it flows quite naturally.

I also think my writing style helps - I’ve always been concise and to the point. I don’t tend to write in sprawling passages with great detail.

When it comes to sport and Aikido, they’ve always been a big part of my life, and key to my physical and mental well-being, which I take very seriously. I like to keep the mind and body active and limber!

With our previous question in mind, where is your writing journey next headed? Will we revisit Hell or are we heading to brighter places?

We’re keeping to similar themes, but we’re heading to sunnier climes - if you can call Edinburgh sunny!

The story I’m working on now is primarily set on Earth but features two former Angels as the main characters, trying to navigate life on Earth and everything that comes with being mortal creatures. There’s a bit of the religious fantasy and satire brought over, but I’m aiming for a story that’s more grounded in reality and trying to dig deeper into what it means to lead a finite existence, and the roles we play in each other’s lives.

I try not to get too deep or preachy with it though. I find it impossible to write without humour, so hopefully there’s enough comedic relief in there for the readers.

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Lullabies for Satan is available now in paperback.