An Interview with Author Ben Wolf

I’m stoked (I really hope you all get that vampire reference) to have the award-winning author Ben Wolf on my blog today. I’m a fan of his writing in general, and I have to tell you, his novel Blood for Blood is awesome. Please give Ben a warm welcome.

Yes, there is a giveaway! (Details at the bottom of the post.) And you can get Blood for Blood for 99 cents, but only for a limited time! This sale ends Saturday the 24th of October, so get your copy before the Halloween season (and this deal) ends.

Blood for Blood is the story of what might happen if a vampire got saved and tried to start living his life for God. 

 Me: Thank you so much for being here, Ben! Please tell us a bit about you. What do you like to do when you aren't writing? Are you a coffee or tea person? Do you have any children or pets?

Ben Wolf: Thanks so much for having me. I'm a bit nuts, but in a good way. I love watching action/adventure movies and TV shows, and I also take MMA classes at a local gym. I enjoy playing volleyball, sword-fighting, shooting friends with Nerf guns, and hearing myself talk, especially in front of large groups.

I prefer tea to coffee (I don't like coffee at all), but I don't drink tea very often either. I'm caffeine-free these days since I get too many withdrawal headaches when I do drink the caffeine and then don't follow up with more caffeine soon enough.

I've got two adorable kids, Liam and Violet. They're amazing. I also have a furry child named Marco. 

Me: What was the inspiration behind Blood for Blood?

Ben Wolf: I've always been a fan of vampires and their lore, but the story idea is actually one I stole (with permission) from a fellow writing friend. He was talking with me about how ironic it would be for a vampire to get saved and then have to endure life as a Christian among other Christians and their religious symbols, practices, etc. I loved the idea so much that I hijacked it and wrote the novel in the course of only a few months' time. 

Me: You recently won an award for Blood for Blood - tell us about that!

Ben Wolf: I was honored to win the Oregon Christian Writers 2015 Cascade Award for Best Speculative Fiction Novel. I was up against some stiff competition, and I was thrilled just to be nominated, but I'm even more thrilled that I won. I really think it's a great book, and I'm happy to see it get some recognition. It's also validation that I should keep writing. 

Me: The character of Raven is unique and complex. How do you think people can relate to him? How do YOU relate to him?

Ben Wolf: I'm glad you think he's unique and complex. That's a huge compliment to me. 

I think people will relate to him in his uncertainty. I know I certainly do. Raven is uncertain about his new faith from the very beginning and throughout the entire book until almost the end. The moment he finally decides to really go for broke and surrender EVERYTHING to God is the key moment in his faith development.

I'm like that, only it's a daily struggle. I am constantly fighting against surrendering to God, even though I should do it and need do it. I think a lot of American Christians are like that as well. We tend to think that we've got it under control, and we'll just call on God when we get into a bind. But that's not what God wants. He wants an ongoing relationship, not one of convenience. I struggle with this personally, and I definitely can learn from Raven's story and character in this way. 

Me: If you could spend the day with one of the B4B characters, which would it be?

Ben Wolf: Oooh, tough one. I think I'd benefit the most from hanging out with Luco. My hope would be that he'd rub off on me in a good way. He could mentor me a bit in my faith. 

Me: What authors have influenced you the most?

Ben Wolf: Frank Peretti is responsible for me falling in love with reading and also for inspiring the desire within me to write. Robert Liparulo and Ted Dekker furthered that drive, and Randy Ingermanson and James Scott Bell both contributed a ton with their excellent work on teaching the craft of writing. More recently, Stephen King has become something of a favorite of mine. 

Me: What are you working on now? What's next for you?

Ben Wolf: I'm developing a sci-fi horror novel as we speak. I've got most of the basic outline done, and I'm set to begin working on it in November for NaNoWriMo. I have purposely given myself permission to write during that month, despite a busy freelance editing schedule. I'm hopeful that I can knock out a big chunk of the book, if not finish the first draft entirely. 

Me: I assume you’re dressing up for Halloween this year. Are you going as a vampire?

Ben Wolf: It's highly likely that I'll be going as Wolverine for Halloween this year. Gotta get some more mileage out of those claws. 

Thank you again for taking the time to be a guest on my blog today!

I know you want to know how win a signed copy of Blood for Blood AND two copies of Havok Magazine. All you have to do is sign up for Ben’s newsletter. Make sure you do it by 11:59 p.m. Saturday October 24^th, 2015. Good luck!

Same Token, Different Side

So, I was sitting on the couch with my husband and my adorable son. He's two (my son, not my husband).

My husband says, "Are the twos really terrible?"

My response was nothing more than a smooth, slow, head turn and an incredulous glare, complete with a catfish mouth.

"No really," he continues. "I mean, he is so fun at this age."

At this point, my adorable son is sitting quietly, a rarity for him, drawing on his magnadoodle. But, I got it. It was true. Even though he'd had a meltdown earlier that day when I pulled out my dumbells, and cried because he wanted crackers and I gave him cucumbers, and literally screamed "no" when I told him it was time to change his diaper, two is a lot of fun. I imagine the answer to the "why" would be: because I love my son.

When I love what I do, it's fun.

I love writing, even though I sometimes have to kill my darlings because they aren't working out, or stay up late because a certain plot twist just came to me and I have to write it down before it's forgotten in the abyss of lost ideas for eternity, or even when I'm riding that roller-coaster of emotions--that all writers face--way down into the depths of self-doubt land.

Everything has its dark side. It's loving the bright side that eclipses the rest.

Thought for the day

If perseverance was easy, everybody'd be doing it.

Total Destruction

So, it's the end of summer. What does that mean? The county fair of course! And what's synonymous with the fair? Well, right, lots of things, but around here the best part of the fair (besides your yearly dose of elephant ears) is the demolition derby!

That's right: TOTAL DESTRUCTION!

So, I'm sitting in the bleachers watching these cars ram into one another for fun, and our whole section decides to cheer for this one particular driver. Why? Well, his car was the smallest out there. And he was giving the biggest hits. He was having a blast. He was losing his bumper, taking hits, and his car was bashed, beyond recognition, into a vehicle half its original size.

The one thing I kept thinking as I watched him go up against the big guys was that he wasn't giving up. He wasn't giving in. He wasn't letting intimidation rule or deter. And he was having a blast.

So, what have I learned from this great night of pure fun and entertainment in the form of bumper cars for adults?

Even if the odds are stacked against you, and you face fear, rejection, critique, or whatever life throws at you...

Never. Give. Up.

Perspectives

So something occurred to me the other day while I was feeding my dogs (I'll get to that part in a moment).  You know that old adage "beauty is in the eye of the beholder"?  It's true, but not just physical beauty, right?

Let's face it, as writers we get a lot of rejection.  Rejection letters from agents, publishers, and editors.  We face rejection from opinions of friends, family, critique groups, judges, etc, etc.  But even from ourselves!

We love our work...we hate our work! Rinse. Repeat.

The thing is, because rejection is such a part of this business, I think it's important to turn some of that awful feeling (yes, it happens to all of us) into something useful.  I don't buy the whole "you need to have thick skin" argument.  And I'll wager most of you don't either.  It's not about having thick skin.  It's about taking the good with the bad, and letting the good get the better of you.  After you've had your private moment to wrestle with the bad of course.

It's about picking yourself up, dusting yourself off, and learning from your mistakes.  It's about letting go of what you can't control, persevering toward your goals, and making that darn lemonade!

See, when I went to feed the dogs the other day, the bag slipped, fell, and sprayed dog food all over the kitchen floor. At first I was frustrated with myself for not holding the dog food bag right, mad that I'd made a mess to clean up, but then I saw things from their point of view...hmmm a bunch of kibble all over the kitchen floor.  It was a free for all.  And you know what, I didn't have to clean it up, AND I didn't have to feed the dogs supper.

It's about seeing the beauty and embracing it.

One Smart Dog: Nemo's take on getting around the problem

So my dog blew me away with his intelligence yesterday.  You would think I'd know how smart he is by now, but he can still get my heart to swell with pride.

Of the two boys, Nemo is the sweetheart who loves to play fetch, and Cory is the resource controller--read: if it's in Nemo's possession, he wants it.

So, Nemo wants to play fetch with me and he knows Cory is going to take the FIRST toy he brings.  Then I'll tell him to get another for us to play with together.

Cory's been favoring this pink, plush octopus--well, really it's a hexa-pus anymore--so Nemo get's that, and his favorite earless squirrel.  He carries both toys over to Cory and drops the pink octopus at his paws.

Then prances over to me, squirrel still in his mouth, and he promptly drops it at my feet.

Did it work?  You bet.  Cory and I play tug with the leg losing octopus and Nemo gets to play fetch with his first pick.

Life throws us challenges, sometimes your best way around them is a little creative genius.

So go out there, and write the best you can.  Sooner or later, someone will notice.