MY INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR BEN SCHNEIDER

MY INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR BEN SCHNEIDER

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What’s your name and what genre would you consider your books to be?

My name is Ben Schneider. I have 3 books: 1 Adventure/Sci-Fi novel & 2 Air Force cartoon collections.

Tell me about your book. How did you come up with that (story, angle, idea)?

My ideas were mostly inspired by James Cameron films and novels that later became Blockbuster thrillers. The story started off as a collection of exciting scenes. After a few years, I came up with a series of events to link the scenes together.

How did you get interested in writing this particular genre (historical novels, mysteries, sci-fi, children’s books, etc.)?

My interest in sci-fi came from Star Trek.

What kind of research did you do for this book?

I used Google maps for location accuracy and Google Images for aircraft and firearm terminology.

What’s a typical working day like for you? When and where do you write? Do you set a daily writing goal?

I write at home after I get off work. I try to complete at least 1 page a day.

Do you have a new book in the making and if so, what’s the name of your upcoming book?

Realm Journey

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How important are character names to you in your books? Is there a special meaning to any of the names?

Names are not that important to me. All I require of my character names is that they not be too long or over-used.

Where do your ideas come from?

Some are from the news, some are from TV, and some are from events from my youth.

Is there a genre that you’ve been wanting to experiment with?

Comedy

What is the hardest part of writing for you?

Coming up with an interesting story for my characters and ideas in less than a year.

What do you think of book trailers? Do you have a trailer or do you intend to create one for your own book?

Since I believe book trailers have potential to inspire interest, I am in the process of having a trailer made for my debut novel – Chrome Mountain.

What do you consider to be your best accomplishment?

My Amazon reviews for Chrome Mountain – 31 reviews, averaging at 4 out of 5 stars.

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What’s the best thing about being an author?

The more I write, the more I learn about myself.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

As a writer and cartoonist who still can’t quit his day job.

Have you always liked to write?

Yes

What writing advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Characters make the story more than anything else. Always make sure your protagonist is someone you and your readers would care deeply about.

If you didn’t like writing books, or weren’t any good at it, what would you like to do for a living?

Stand-up Comedy.

Do you read reviews of your book(s)? Do you respond to them, good or bad? How do you deal with the bad?

Yes, I read the reviews. I do not respond to the reviews because the reviewers want to be left alone. On the bad reviews, if I find the opinions to be very popular among all the reviews, I make sure I don’t repeat my mistakes in my next novel. When the opinions are unpopular, I don’t take them to heart because the reviewer either lacks reading comprehension skills or does not read often enough.

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What is your least favorite part of the writing / publishing process?

Searching for overused words / Paying the publisher.

Can you give us a few tasty morsels from your work-in-progress?

Realm Journey Synopsis: No ship that ventured to Mount Korzoth has ever returned. While this worries the people of Topoli, King Felix’s sole concern is a war caused by his own greed and malice. He is not aware his most revered knight, Sir Xandar, plans to end his reign. When a faraway queen sends a team to take a powerful key from Xandar, his mission detours through a war-torn nation and a kingdom afloat in the sky. After a clash with the queen, Xandar is hunted by her navy, driving the vessel he chartered into an unplanned voyage. Often menaced by a “phantom” ship and a volatile shield-maiden, Xandar uncovers chilling secrets in a fight for survival.

Why did you choose to write in your genre? If you write in more than one, how do you balance them?

Some of my ideas only work in the Sci-fi genre. Others only work in the High Fantasy genre. I have not yet learned how to balance them.

Where did your love of books come from?

I came to love books for 2 reasons: 1) my imagination makes what I read more vivid. 2) Since I am often disappointed by reality, reading is an effective escape.

Do you have any favorite authors or favorite books?

My favorite author is Terry Goodkind.

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Of all the characters you have created, which is your favorite and why?

My favorite character is Sir Xandar because he fears a half-lived life much more than he fears death.

Does writing energize or exhaust you?

Writing usually energizes me for about 3 hours. After that, it often becomes exhausting and I need a break.

What is your writing Kryptonite?

Loud noise.

Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?

I try to balance the two.

What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?

What helps me become a better writer is reading material from extremely successful authors who do not even know me. I am still trying to make time to befriend other authors.

If you were writing a book about your life, what would the title be?

Why I Don’t Carry a Shovel

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