Some Thoughts with ... Ben Schenkman
The Author/s
Ben Schenkman
Ben Schenkman likes many things in life: his 20-pound Maine coon cat, his family, his coffee, and his eclectic hobbies—not necessarily in that order.
Ben also likes to play devil’s advocate in his urban fantasy books by exploring the gray areas of good and evil with questions like, “Does the end really justify the means? Or is it all simply black and white?” Ben leaves these questions lingering in the ether to challenge readers’ conventional thinking and delve into the complexities of moral dilemmas.
As a native of Connecticut, Ben draws inspiration from his upbringing and college years in New Haven, where his novels take place. When he wants to escape being a writer, he’s a massive foodie who goes on gastronomic adventures, an overachiever who collects degrees in Theater, Nuclear Engineering, and an MBA, or dances with fire—all in a day’s work, really.
Want to know more about his work, or talk about coffee and cats? He loves hearing from readers!
The Interview
1.- Could you introduce yourself to Jamreads’ readers?
Hi Jamreads' readers! I’m Ben Schenkman, urban fantasy author and audiobook narrator. I’m the author of three series at the moment, The Devil You Know, The Chronicles of Corbin Pierce, and The Cycle of Ash. I’m technically multi-genre in that I also co-authored Underleveled: The Legend of Rolph (a light progression fantasy) with my dear friend AJ Alexanders, but that’s the only work outside of my main genre at the moment. You can find me and all of my social media accounts at https://benschenkman.com
2.- What made you choose self-publishing over other routes?
I had tried to pursue some more traditional avenues a while back, but in the end I decided that I didn’t have time to wait for someone else to decide that my stories were worth being told. I also had sat on the finished manuscript for the first book for about 9 years, so it felt like it was time.
Independent publishing has come a long way from when I started writing the first book, and especially given a lot of the challenges of traditional publishing I have zero regrets.
3.- How did the first idea for the Devil You Know series appear?
I was working what felt like a dead end job at the time, and had a random thought of “what would I do if the devil offered me a job?” It was an interesting thought, because I’m Jewish (there’s no real concept of the devil), so have little experience with Christian mythos other than what I learned through my friends as a child. So other than deciding I would have said “yes” (I mentioned it was a dead end job, right?) I kept going down the rabbit hole of that thought exercise and decided to start writing a book about it. That eventually became two, then three, and now four books.
4.- At this point, you are at the fourth book in this series. It is what you expected when you started publishing?
It’s much more than what I expected. The response to my writing has been overwhelmingly positive, I’ve established my own small publishing house which I use for both my work and the authors in a local co-op, and have seven published works (and two audiobooks that I narrate and produce). It’s led to one of the most fulfilling aspects of my life that I’ve had so far.
5.- You have currently three ongoing series. Which one would you recommend to which kind of reader, and why?
The Devil You Know is for the cozy fantasy fans and the readers that want deep topics hidden behind a mask of sarcasm. It’s a dark comedy, urban fantasy, not-so-cozy set of stories. There are romantic sub plots, cats, supernatural contract law, gods, and witchcraft.
The Chronicles of Corbin Pierce is for fans of the more action-oriented urban fantasy. Its magic system is based on animism and inspired by the Indigenous folklore of Connecticut. It also has a magic raccoon that people love.
The Cycle of Ash is for crime noir, detective, mystery focused urban fantasy readers. The magic is by-the-book Jewish mysticism and has a lot of Jewish culture in it as well. It also had a jaw dropping twist in the first book.
6.- Which advice would you give to any aspiring writer?
Decide why you want to write, and why you want to publish. Those decisions will influence what you focus on, because there’s only so much time in the day to dedicate to anything.
7.- What hobbies does Ben Schenkman like to practice in his free practice?
Besides writing and narrating, I’ve been a professional fire dancer for many years, I play video games (platformers are my favorite), and read/listen to audiobooks. I also love to go dancing at the local goth clubs with my partner, and go on culinary adventures wherever we travel.
8.- What can we expect from Ben Schenkman in the future?
A lot, I hope! I’m currently working on editing the second book in The Chronicle of Corbin Pierce, and drafting the second book in The Cycle of Ash. The audiobook for the third book in my series should be out some time in November, followed hopefully within 6 months by the fourth/last.
I have a lot more ideas in the hopper, and plans for getting to them, so people should sign up for my newsletter to keep updated!