THE iCANDIDATE

Short Description

The iCandidate follows Michael Bennit, a high school history teacher whose life changes after he loses a bet to his students and agrees to run for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. With little money and his students helping run the campaign, Bennit turns to social media and becomes an unconventional virtual candidate. What begins as an improbable campaign quickly attracts national attention—and the determination of a powerful incumbent who has no intention of surrendering his seat.

Genre

The iCandidate is a political thriller with elements of drama, suspense, and contemporary political fiction. The novel combines an election campaign with personal conflicts, media pressure, political maneuvering, and questions about leadership and public service.

Inspiration

The inspiration for The iCandidate began during my time as a substitute teacher at New Milford High School. My students were always eager to make bets with me—usually playful wagers involving classroom challenges, predictions, or who would be proven right. Their enthusiasm for turning almost anything into a contest sparked the novel’s central premise: What if an ordinary teacher made an extraordinary bet with his students and agreed to run for Congress?

The story also grew from my love of a good underdog story, especially one involving a candidate who has not been corrupted by the political system. Michael Bennit enters the race without the money, influence, or political machinery enjoyed by establishment candidates. He is an ordinary person challenging a system designed to favor insiders. Through his unlikely campaign, I wanted to explore whether integrity, courage, and unconventional ideas could still inspire people—and whether an honest outsider could survive long enough to bring meaningful change to American politics.

Behind the Book: The iCandidate

• I based Millfield, Connecticut, on the neighboring towns of New Milford and Brookfield.

• The bridge at Briar Point State Park was modeled after the historic bridge at Lovers Leap State Park in New Milford.

• The Perkfect Buzz is entirely fictional, but it grew out of my love of coffee—and my longtime dream of owning a coffee shop.

• Like the substitute teacher in the novel, I frequently made bets with my students. I won every one of them, although none involved test scores or academic performance.

• The students in The iCandidate are fictional, but I drew inspiration from the personalities, humor, and energy of many of the students I encountered while substitute teaching.

• I loosely based Chalice Ramsey on my ninth-grade English teacher.

• Kylie went through several different names during the writing process before I finally found the one that fit her character.

• I intentionally gave the students sharply different personalities. And yes—I channeled a little of The Breakfast Club when bringing the group together.