Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m originally from New England, now living on a mountain in the panhandle of Idaho. I’m a disabled, retired Navy Seabee, and retired owner operator truck driver.
To date, I have written seven books, 5 are children’s books, 1, the first book I wrote, is about my first year in my off gird cabin. The most resent book is a book of short stories.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is titled, Meanderings of a Muddled Mind, and it’s all short stories I have written over the years, The first one I “wrote” was at the age of 4, when I told my mother, who was working on an article for a local magazine, that I wanted to write a story. She put a fresh piece of paper in the typewriter and away I went. She still has that story in a safe place, and I included it in my book.
As for inspiration, many things inspired the stories in the book, a song, something I heard, or just my imagination.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know about unusual, but I write sitting on the couch, with my laptop in my lap. It’s a small cabin and a desk would be taking up room. I also don’t force myself to write, I feel it creates bad work. I like to write when the inspiration hits, and run with it until it’s gone. I find I don’t have to go back and delete a bunch of words that were thrown on the page if I don’t force it.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Oh boy, that’s a tough one. There have been so many. Hemingway, Bradbury Richard Bach,
Tolkien, the late Robert Jordan. There are a few I am sure I have missed, but those are a few of the best.
What are you working on now?
Currently working on 2. A novella, and another book which encompasses the years in my off gird cabin where I left off. I have a few other things sitting around waiting for my attention, like a few more short stories and a fantasy novel I started many years ago and put aside.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have a website, and on Goodreads as well as a few other platforms, but marketing has been a struggle.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes, just write, don’t waste time trying to figure out some arbitrary rules everyone seems to think are important, they aren’t and most writers would ignore them if they even knew what they were. Also, don’t think you have to write every day, or even a set amount of time. In other words, don’t force it, or you will regret it later when you go to edit it.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Pretty much the same as I wrote for advising new authors.
What are you reading now?
I often read as many as 5 books at once, currently I am reading 2. The first is a fantasy by another independent author I found on Twitter. It’s called; The Call of Chaos, the first in a series of three.
The other book, I just started is; Founding Brothers, the Revolutionary Generation. I just cracked the cover on it.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Well, as I said, I have a few more to finish. So I will most likely delve into one of them soon and try to finish it. Unless another story pushes its way into my head, as has happened before and won’t leave me alone until I write it down. Only time will tell what happens next.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
That’s like trying to pick a favorite child. Not something I would contemplate without driving myself crazy. Let’s just say I would try to smuggle my entire library, and then a few book stores as well.
Author Websites and Profiles
Benjamin Scribner Website
Benjamin Scribner Amazon Profile
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