Interview with Author Jeff Bennington (Reunion)

Today I have an interview with author Jeff Bennington who is currently touring the blogosphere to promote his book Reunion (my review coming later today).  So join me in welcomin Jeff to My Reading Room today!

Hi Crystal. Before we begin the interview, I’d like to tell your readers that I’m
giving away a Kindle on May 15th. If they’d like to enter, all they have to do is go to
jeffbennington.com and follow 2 simple directions. Good Luck!

Describe a typical writing day.
I only get to write two days in a row and then I have to take two days off because of my work schedule. That actually works out quite well, because by the time I get back at it, I’m ready to write. I hit it hard and heavy. I start out with a cup of coffee and then lay down anywhere from 2,000-3,000 words. Editing is much slower. I’m a slow reader.

How has the response been to Reunion; it's such a controversial topic? (However I will note that you don't make it political or about choosing sides - you make it about the people and I really enjoy that aspect).
The response has been incredible! Every review has been encouraging. The thing that surprises me the most is how attached the readers are getting to the characters.  When I write a book, it can be hard to know how a reader will respond, because I know every detail, so much so that I get desensitized to the plot twists and
characters. I still feel the emotional moments, because they were emotional to write, but I guess I didn’t know how believable the characters would be to my readers.

Do remember where you were when you first heard about the Columbine
shootings?
I was at work. I had just started my apprenticeship in January. Life was pretty exciting for me. We had two little boys at the time, so when I came home and watched the news that evening, I was stunned. I hadn’t heard of school shootings before. I remember looking at my boys, and for the first time, worried about their
future.

Crystal:  I was actually on vacation with friends and they had a 3-year-old little boy and I remember her fear and I remember at the time I was glad I didn't have children, of course the very next year we had our first son.  I don't think a day goes by that I don't think about it.

Was Reunion easy to write or was it difficult?
LOL! Is any book easy to write? A co-worker of mine was asking me about this earlier today. He asked if I’d sign his copy of Reunion and then asked me how I do it. He wanted to know how I came up with all the details and dialogue and ideas.  Although I really don’t have a good answer for that, I told him I make a small
outline and then fill in the gaps, transposing what I see in my imagination, as if I’m describing a movie that’s playing in my mind. Is that easy? I don’t think so. You have to be a very detail oriented person to write and polish a good novel. I think I have a natural talent for writing and I REALLY enjoy it, so I think it’s easier for me than for someone who doesn’t have a love for writing carved in their heart like I do.

What is your writing office like?
I’ll write on my breaks at work. We have four kids so when I’m at home I write anywhere it’s quiet, the bedroom, the livingroom, the breakfast nook, the garage, starbucks, the back porch or in the car…I don’t care where I do it as long as it’s quiet.  Although sometimes I’ll play mood music depending on the scene.


Crystal:  Oh my - I have two kids and when I have to work at home with them I am pretty sure I am going to go crazy so my hat is off to you!

How much research did you need to write Reunion?
I usually research as needed, but with Reunion I was curious about how the survivors respond to school shootings and PTSD long before I wrote the book. If I had to guess, I’d say I put in about 10-20 hours of reading before I felt comfortable creating my own cast of survivors.

What is your favorite snack food?
Hmmm? I’m not a big snacker, but I’d say cheese/crackers type snacks. I do love my coffee!

Night owl or morning person?
Hoo Hoo! I work from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. for two days and then I’m off. Two days later, I come back and do it again. That makes me half night owl and half lunatic!

What do you have in the works right now?
My next release, Act of Vengeance, is ready for editing. When I’m not writing for the blog tour, I’m working on Federal Underground, a story about a struggling creative writing student (Penn Mitchell) who disappears and shows up on his mother’s front porch three months later with a Novel screaming to get out of his head. The book soon becomes a bestseller, but when the FBI discovers that the book is filled with
top-secret information they bring Penn in for questioning. When the interrogation goes bad, Penn escapes deep into the Federal Underground, guided only by the information inside his book, to prove his innocence and to find out how and why he knows about the world’s darkest secret. Federal Underground is coming along very nicely. I should have it done by the end of the summer.

I also plan to have Act of Vengeance edited very soon (coming late 2011). Act of Vengeance is about Rick Burns, a struggling Indianapolis police detective, who encounters a ghostly boy. The mysterious kid takes Rick on a wild ride through the city, revealing the dark force behind several unsolved murders and the detective’s dark past. Act of Vengeance has the supernatural mystique of Sixth Sense and the freakiness of Damien.

Thank you so much for having me!

If your followers are interested in Reunion, they can get it now for only .99!
Here’s the link: http://www.amazon.com/Reunion-ebook/dp/B004S7AR0E
Reunion is also available in Nook, Sony, ibook and in Print.

So I suggest if you haven't bought Reunion yet, you run right out - it's a steal for $0.99!

Thanks Jeff for joining us today!