What a month September was. School is back again for students everywhere, myself included, autumn has fallen, poetry is in every breath and scent.

I have three BIG things to talk about this week, things that came about this month and made it great…

 

Mordecai – Episode One: Bloodthirsty was published.

First, I got my fourth book published! Mordecai – Episode One: Bloodthirsty was released on Amazon.com in paperback and eBook editions. So far, I’ve heard only good things from the readers. I’m looking forward to hearing what the giveaway winners think, as well, when they get their copies very soon. The sequel, Episode Two: Imprisonment, is already underway!

 

I was featured in MiLLENNiAL Magazine

MiLLENNiAL Magazine is an online magazine written by and for millennials. This week, I was featured as one of their Professional profiles. Here’s an excerpt of the feature:

 

“Benjamin J. Law was born in Colorado in 1996. Like most imaginative boys, Benjamin used to pace around his house, making up stories and acting them out. But before the passion for writing overtook his interests, he loved animals and wanted to become a veterinarian, but soon realized animals didn’t like him as much as he like them.

Instead, he turned to writing short speeches at the age of eight, and soon that evolved into short stories getting scribbled into notebooks. When he wasn’t writing, reading, or doing homework, he was that kid jumping from couch to couch, avoiding the imaginary bullets and defeating the imaginary giants.

By nine, his family moved to Arizona, where he started in on the first draft of what would become his first novel, The Book of Ardilia. Over the next eight years, he rewrote the story three times, and adopted the pen name Benjamin J. Law. In February of 2014, at 17 years old, he published my first book. Since then, he’s turned this passion into a viable career, having published four books to date.

MiLLENNiAL caught up with this young author to learn more about his work and how a 21-year-old can write such elaborate fantasy stories.

 

You published your first book at 17! What motivated you to become a writer? And how long does it typically take you to write a book from concept to finished product?

 

The initial motivation was that I needed another world to inhabit. My parents had divorced when I was young, and one of my brothers was suffering with some addiction issues, which is actually why we moved to Arizona—for rehab options. Reading was great, but after so many books, it just wasn’t enough anymore. What pushed me onto the line of insanity and genius that all writers walk was the words of my 4^th grade English teacher, named Mrs. Lopez, I think. We had a poetry assignment, and when I submitted it through the online system I used for distance learning she told me that I had a gift. That poem was called Four Friends, and I included it in We Are Humans Collection, which I published in 2016.

The time it takes to write a book has decreased over time. The final draft of The Book of Ardilia took me two years. The War for Yokendale, my second novel, took me six months. And my most recent release, Mordecai – Episode One: Bloodthirsty, took me three months. Editing is where the time is, though. Mordecai, for instance, took me four times as long to finish during the rewriting and editing process, as opposed to the three month first draft period.”

Click here to read the full story, which includes a little bit about Mordecai – Episode One: Bloodthirsty.

 

Finally, I got engaged!

I’ve talked about my girlfriend, Victoria, on my blog a couple times, and this past Wednesday I got down on one knee and asked her to spend the rest of her life with me–in the form of a poem.

SHE SAID YES!

I’ll of course keep my readers updated as the wedding plans unfold, but I’m a happy writer, blogger, and fiancé!

To keep updated on my writing, thoughts, adventures, and even my engagement and wedding, follow my blog and add me on social media.

 

Here’s to an awesome October and rest of the year!

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Here’s this week’s writing prompt (and don’t forget to email me your results for a chance to get them shared here on my blog):

Dear NameHere, I’m writing to share my strange weekend at the farm with you…

 

To check out Mordecai and my other books, click here.