Straight Chatting from the Library: Ben Gartner

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. One randomly drawn winner will receive a $50 Amazon/BN GC. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

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Any weird things you do when you’re alone?

I’m very comfortable being alone. I know not everyone is. I love people too, but I often prefer to be alone. My family being a notable exception, of course (though even alone time can be needed then too!). I don’t know about “weird” but I do tend to talk or sing to myself at times. I like to dress as casually as possible, but I don’t think that’s atypical. I guess I have no surprise reveal here. But now I’m curious what others might say to this.

What is your favorite quote and why?

Choosing favorites is always hard, but I’ll call out three that stick with me:

1. “Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes.” -Walt Whitman. This one is about not painting yourself in a corner. You’re allowed to change your mind. In fact, it’s encouraged.
2. The next two are variations that help with my perfectionism:

a. “Don’t let perfect be the enemy of the good.” -Voltaire
b. “And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.” -John Steinbeck

Who is your favorite author and why?

So hard to choose one favorite! I really like a lot of the authors I’ve befriended over the last several years, but that is so many. If I had to choose a “favorite,” I think I’d probably go back to my early days when I really wanted to write like Stephen King.

What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing?

Clarity of language. Emotional honesty. Human truths conveyed simply. The ability to paint a picture in the mind’s eye of the reader. Clever. Engrossing.

Where did you get the idea for this book?

People of the Sun is book 3 of The Eye of Ra series. The historical era and setting for each book were selected in collaboration with my two young sons by discussing what interested them. The first book was even more of a team effort where we sketched out the characters and the plot in detail together. The series was born from a bonding exercise with my kids. Those moments were priceless fun.

Thank you for having me on your blog!

READ THE BLURB

The explosive reveal about who John and Sarah really are and why they’re traveling through time, with their most gut-wrenching challenge yet.

In the time of the Aztec, a scoundrel named Cortés arrives and the kids are forced to make an extremely difficult decision: If you could change history, should you? For more twists, more danger, and more fun, read the third book in The Eye of Ra series, People of the Sun!

READ AN EXCERPT

When they came out of a pine forest and could see the lake below, with Tenochtitlan as a dazzling island city, John couldn’t help but mutter, “Wow.”

He heard his sister mumble the same thing.

The city sparkled and spread out with a much bigger footprint than John had imagined. He’d heard of the famed city of the Aztec, but he’d always pictured something . . . smaller. This was a regular metropolis, with suburbs and floating islands and multiple huge temples. Canoes drifted on canals like the pictures he’d seen of Venice in Italy, though these canoes were loaded with goods headed to market. Farther out into the lake, men cast nets and brought up flopping silver fish, their scales sparkling in the sun.

John’s mouth watered when he saw a floating garden bursting with leafy greens. The rectangular plot of land had poles sticking out of each side, securing boards that held the dirt like a raised garden bed back home. But this was in the middle of the lake. John squinted at the marvel of it all.

The sound of sloshing water pulled his stare toward a stone trough that started in the hills and was then suspended on man-made islands right across the lake and into the city. “An aqueduct?”

“For our drinking water,” Ome said.

“But you’re on a lake,” John said, implying that there was fresh water all around.

“Lake Texcoco is too salty to drink. Great for the fish, bad for the people,” Huitzi said.

“There are dikes that keep some fresh water close to the island, but that is used for farming,” Ome added.

Wow. John never knew that either. They lived on a lake and yet had to build a system of aqueducts to bring in safe drinking water. Amazing.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Ben Gartner is the award-winning author of The Eye of Ra time travel adventure series for middle graders. His books take readers for a thrilling ride, maybe even teaching them something in the meantime. Ben can be found living and writing near the mountains with his wife and two boys.

WEBSITE: https://BenGartner.com
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/BGartnerWriting
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/BenGartnerAuthor
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/BGartnerWriting

BUY LINKS:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/People-Sun-Eye-Ben-Gartner/dp/1734155280/
Local bookstore: https://indiebound.org/search/book?keys=author%3AGartner%2CBen
Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/people-of-the-sun/id1578394762
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/people-of-the-sun-ben-gartner/1139909512?ean=9781734155280
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/people-of-the-sun-2
Everywhere else: https://books2read.com/people-of-the-sun-ben-gartner

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Straight Chatting from the Library: Ben Gartner

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Ben Gartner will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

READ THE INTERVIEW

What is the favorite book you remember as a child?

I really remember James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl. That was probably second or third grade. I also remember getting into the Dragonlance Chronicles. Typically, I preferred the fantastical and this was reflected in a lot of my writing at the time. Still does, to a certain degree, though my fantasy these days tends to lean toward the more realistic and plausible, with a hint of magic.

Tell us about your current book in 10 words.

Two siblings travel through time to save the world.

E-Reader or print? and why?

Both. I prefer print if I can relax in a comfy chair with a cup of tea and read into the night. But I have no qualms with e-readers. I love that I can sync my place across multiple devices, can easily download from my library or NetGalley or any of the retail shops, and can easily look up words while reading!

One book at a time or multiples?

Definitely multiple, but this is a bit of a trick answer. You see, I have two children and I read with each of them on alternating nights. So, I have a book of my own going, plus a book with each of them. For my own pleasure reading, it is rare that I have more than one going, though I’m not counting reading my own stuff, editing, etc.

Dog-ear or bookmark? (don't worry—Librarian Judith won't hold it against you—much)

Bookmark! I have been known to dog-ear in my past, though, I’ll admit.

When do you do most of your reading?

Seeing as how I have a day job, I do most of my reading at night. Though it’s nice to get in some pages in the morning or afternoons on the weekend, time permitting…

Favorite place to read?

Comfy chair in a quiet space. And since I have two kids, that’s why most of my reading happens at night after everyone is in their own rooms reading. ;)

Favorite genre?

I like stories and characters I can trust, even if they have magical or fantastical elements. Or even if they end up tricking me, then that is what I can trust about them. What’s interesting to my answer about this question is that I have a harder time now reading full-on fantasy and science fiction (though I do occasionally), but I love watching those movies. Conversely, I don’t really like to watch horror movies and yet I love to read Stephen King.

I love realistic contemporary fiction, historical fiction, and fantasy and science fiction that has some basis in reality. Though I am open to anything and everything that has a good story.

Do you loan your books?

Definitely! I love encouraging and sharing the exchange of ideas and what better way to do that than over a book discussion!

Re-reader or not?

Typically not, though there are a few notable exceptions. I’ve re-read Stephen King’s On Writing a few times, and probably will a few more.

I also read the Lord of the Rings book as a kid, then re-read them to my oldest, then again to my youngest. It took awhile, but it was worth it!

Thanks so much for having me today. It was a pleasure. And let me just say that I love hearing from readers, parents, teachers, librarians, and the writing community. Don’t be shy about reaching out.

READ THE BLURB

Siblings John and Sarah barely made it home last time, but in their next time traveling adventure the challenge really heats up. Surrounded by clashing cultures on the ancient Roman frontier, they must fulfill their quest to unite the emperor with his enemy, an Alemanni barbarian, or risk being stuck in time forever.

An action-packed fantasy full of sword fights, chariot chases, fearsome wild animals, and high mountain survival. For graduates of the Magic Tree House looking for a thrilling middle grade page-turner, read Sol Invictus, book two of The Eye of Ra series!

READ AN EXCERPT

John’s whole body shook. His irregular breathing created a feedback loop of anxious nerves. On one side of him, Lucas was now armed. On the other, a squad or regiment or whatever you call it of Roman soldiers pointed spears at them, and they looked very, very serious. John’s worrying spiraled and he couldn’t steady himself and—

If only he could trace the eye of Ra again. Why on Earth had he thought tracing it would be a good idea in the first place? What was he thinking?!

Then Sarah asked for him to hand it over. Of course! She would save them. She got them out of ancient Egypt. She’d save them again.

He couldn’t get the leather cord over his head, so Sarah leaned in close and put her finger on the pendant. With the loop still around his neck, their foreheads pressed together.

“We’re going to get out of here, Johnny,” she whispered.

“Get up!” the boy standing over him said again.

Given that he was one of the fighters about to face a lion, John assumed he was a venator and thus wasn’t trying to kill them, or the other people in the ring. They were supposed to work together to overcome the lion, right? In fact, this boy had offered to help them. John examined Sarah’s face—her single pointed look of determination as she traced the eye. Why was she reluctant to accept this boy’s help, to work together?

Sarah finished tracing the almond eye and moved to the line with the curlicue finish while mumbling to herself in some kind of mantra, “Please work, please work, please work.”

MEET THE AUTHOR

Ben Gartner is the award-winning author of The Eye of Ra adventure series for middle graders (ages 8-12). His books take readers for a thrilling ride, maybe even teaching them something in the meantime. Ben can be found living and writing near the mountains with his wife and two boys.

BUY LINK: https://www.amazon.com/Sol-Invictus-Eye-Ben-Gartner/dp/173415523X
WEBSITE: https://bengartner.com/
TWITTER: http://twitter.com/bgartnerwriting
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/BenGartnerAuthor/
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/86465769-ben-gartner
BOOKBUB: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/2710189959

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