Ben Gartner ~ About the Author

Posted February 9, 2023 by karenbaron in About the Author, Contest - Giveaway / 3 Comments

February’s featured author is Ben Gartner.

Ben Gartner writes these amazing middle grade books that bring joy and adventure to all readers. I have read all of his books and love getting lost in the setting. The characters are realistic, it feels like I am right there with them, joining the adventure.

Mr. Gartner is such a fantastic author, I highly recommend his books to all ages, but if you know of a middle grader looking for a brilliant book, tell them to check out Ben Gartner’s books.

Now let’s get to know Ben!

Personal

What made you want to become a writer?

I’ve loved reading and imagining stories forever. When I’m in the groove with writing and the thoughts are flowing, it’s a feeling like no other that I’m constantly chasing.

Do you play a musical instrument or sing?

I play a little guitar from time to time, but just for fun. My mother and my son are the singers in the family. (Not counting shower or in-car time, of course).

What is the best job that you have ever had?

I worked at a used bookstore. I would go back to doing that in a heartbeat if money were no object. I also worked as a volunteer at an elementary school teaching kids to read. That was immensely rewarding and fun too.

What is your favorite place to escape?

Does “my head” count? Hehe. Seriously though, I love the mountains. I often say they’re my playground, gym, therapist, and church all rolled into one.

Who is your hero (real or fictional)?

I’m going to say “kids,” in general, are my heroes. Growing up is hard, and challenging, and fun. Anyone who can do that is a hero in my book. Oh, wait, I guess I mean that literally since kids ARE the heroes in my books!

Would you rather live in a haunted mansion or live in an un-haunted cottage?

Uh, un-haunted cottage, please. Even if the mansion weren’t haunted, I’d probably still choose the cottage. A cottage sounds cozy and probably in the mountains. A mansion sounds big and desolate and too much to clean.

What is your favorite recipe or restaurant?

Chocolate, hehe. In terms of recipes, in our house we like trying a lot of different dinner recipes and are often experimenting.

Writing Style

What do you love most about your writing process?

ALL THE THINGS. I love the act of creation and inspiration, of discovery. I also really like research and learning new and interesting things. I often say the day I stop learning is the day I die. And I love hearing from readers. That is a thrill that never ceases to give me the good tingles!

Do you like music or silence?

Both, in the right moment. I love music and listen often. But when I write, I have to have complete silence. I lose myself in the story and outside influences often snap me out of that zen.

What comes first for you, the plot, or the characters?

The plot is probably a narrow winner in this race, but really they’re pretty intertwined. It’s more of a leap-frogging kind of effort where one builds the other. Research is a big part of this, and that is probably more a “plot” answer.

Do your characters seem to hijack the story, or do you feel like you have the reigns of the story?

I typically set up the bouncy house, but then the kids jump around in there like spinning atoms.

Do you choose the character names based on how they sound or their meaning?

I either go down a rabbit hole about their name or I pick from a random name generator. There’s no middle ground. So often, my characters’ names will have a secret or roundabout connection to the overall story. And sometimes they’ll be completely random. Can you guess which is which for the characters in my books? 😉

Describe your writing space.

I typically do most of my research and outlining at a desk. Then once I have things stubbed out, I take a laptop or an iPad and sit in a comfy chair in a quiet area of the house. Having a family (two boys) can make that last criteria challenging (the quiet, though I’m not complaining), and that often dictates which method I’m using to write by where I’m doing it.

How do you deal with the emotional impact of a book (on yourself) as you are writing the story?

Writing is most definitely an exploration of self and a huge reward. It’s like the phrase about the journey is the prize. I’ve had people close to me point out things in my books that correlate to my own life, or my own history, that I didn’t even recognize when writing it down—the subconscious having some fun with me. It’s a learning process every time, and I love it.

How much ‘world building’ takes place before you start writing?

When I first started writing, I loved watching the world unfold as I wrote. A lot of writers who are “pantsers” talk about watching a movie in your head and transcribing the details. I still love that. But I’ve also learned that I can be impatient with the long process of crafting a full novel-length manuscript. So if I don’t plan ahead, then I will be doing a lot of rewriting and potentially even lose interest in an idea. Now, unless I’m doing some random writing (which is still fun), I sketch out a framework for the world and the characters and then let them dance around in there and see what they kick up that makes the world even better.

What is your favorite cover out of all your books? Why is it your favorite?

Oh, such a tough question, ouch! My very first book, The Eye of Ra, has a definite soft spot in my heart for what I hope are obvious reasons. But the cover for my latest book, One Giant Leap, might just be my favorite so far. It’s fantastic. Really conveys the emotion of the scene. Anne Glenn illustrated the covers for all of my books and she is terrific. I’m lucky to get to work with her talent.

Book/Series

How did you come up with the title of this book?

One Giant Leap comes from a pretty famous quote by Neil Armstrong when he first stepped on the lunar surface. The full quote is “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” And, fun fact: he actually made a mistake when it came time to say the line for the world to hear. It was actually supposed to be “That’s one small step for THIS man, one giant leap for mankind.” If you think about it in that context, what he actually said is kind of redundant, right? But anyway, that title for this book didn’t come early. Only as I was sketching out the idea for the story, and I had this vision of this boy adrift in space, and I was trying to figure out how he got there—he jumped from one ship to the next trying to save someone. Jumped. Leapt. One giant leap! Then the metaphor held beautifully true for some of the emotional challenges in Fin’s life too. It worked on several levels.

Does one of the main characters hold a special part in your heart? If so, why?

It might be a cop-out answer, but Fin, the main character, is someone I’ve grown close to over the course of our relationship with this book. He’s a space nut like me and my son, but he’s also flawed and I can relate to that.

Can you share something about the book that isn’t in the blurb?

There is SO much research that I cut from the first drafts. I had way too much minutiae in the earlier versions because I just think there are so many interesting and mind-blowing pieces of science and history around space travel. But I quickly realized I couldn’t tackle it all, and I pared it way back in subsequent drafts. The feedback from readers and critics alike is that I hit a good sweet spot, so I’m pretty happy about that. Hopefully it inspires some young minds to learn more. And there’s a pretty extensive “Fact vs. Fiction” author’s note in the back that gives a bit more detail for those who want to continue their learning after the story has ended.

What is the future for the characters? Will there be a sequel or more books in the series?

I’d love to do that, and I left it open for that possibility, but no immediate plans to do so. We shall see.

What is your favorite part about working in the middle grade genre?

For whatever reason, I feel like I have a solid middle grade voice. I guess I’m just a kid masquerading as an adult, and I’m okay with that. It’s interesting that when you ask any adult about a book that influenced their life, or that they remember in vivid detail, they’ll often cite a middle grade story. I am no different.

How did you find the setting for this book/series?

My youngest son is really into space. Maybe more so than me. I wanted to learn more and enjoy his passion with him.

What was the highlight of writing this book?

Sharing it with my son. Learning factoids and sharing them around the dinner table. Watching his mind expand with possibilities. I will not be surprised if he ends up going to space, or walking on the Moon or Mars, or be among the thousands of people that work tirelessly to make that happen.

What project are you working on now?

I used to be very open about upcoming projects, but I’ve slowly moved the other direction. I don’t regret sharing about past projects before they were done, but I’m also enjoying keeping some secrets for myself until I’m ready to more broadly share them. But I can tell you it’s another middle grade adventure with lots of learning and action involved. 🙂

Thank you so much for having me on your blog. I really appreciate the opportunity and thank you for all you do to help writers in this crazy wild world of marketing ourselves! On that note, if people want to learn more about my books, my website is the best place: BenGartner.com. I’m also active on Twitter and Instagram as @BGartnerWriting. Happy reading!