Interview with Ben Cass

Author of The Lost Tayamu

Where are you from originally and where do you reside now?

I’m a native Floridian. Born in Tampa, grew up on the Space Coast, and now live in Broward County.

If you currently reside somewhere besides where you were born, what’s the story that lead from there to here?

We moved from Tampa to Palm Bay, on the other side of the state, when I was 3, and stayed there until I was 14. We then moved to Ohio for a year, but fortunately came back to Palm Bay exactly one year after leaving. I vowed to never live outside of the state again, and I haven’t. Went to college in Lakeland, spent my first year teaching in Jacksonville, then moved back to Polk County in 1999 and stayed there until 2015, when we moved down to Broward County. Been here ever since.

What made you decide to write and publish your first book?

I’ve always made up stories, and when this one popped into my head in 2005-ish, I decided to see if I could write. It took me 13 years to get it into a good enough shape to publish.

How would you describe your books to first time readers?

I write contemporary fantasy, which is fantasy set in our world. (No “Lord of the Rings” style fantasy here!) My goal is to write fantasy stories for people who say, “Oh, I don’t like fantasy!” Sure, I have a unicorn in my series…but she swears like early-career Eddie Murphy! Yes, there’s a giant telepathic dog…but he loves to sing ABBA songs and watch television whenever he can. I go more for character relationships than description, so my story’s focus is on the characters and whatever it is they’re trying to accomplish.

Who do you feel is most likely to connect with the topics you write about?

Ideally, everyone. I’ve had middle schoolers read my books and love them, and I’ve had parents or grandparents read my books and love them. My main characters are sisters, 28 and 16 years old, and they each have their own story arc that goes throughout the trilogy. They deal with both age-specific issues (high school crushes, careers, etc) and universal issues (friendship, loss, change, etc.) My books are not aimed at a particular age group, so they’re not Young Adult or New Adult or anything like that. They’re just…stories. Whether you’re 13 or 70, you can relate to something in the story.

What unexpected or surprising thing did you learn during the process of writing and publishing?

That characters really DO develop minds of their own. Two of mine forced me to completely redo a story arc or character arc. I couldn’t write anything at all until I decided to change things, and then the words flowed.

They’re so annoyingly stubborn sometimes.

If you could, what advice would you give to your past self before embarking on this journey?

Don’t doubt yourself. Reach out for assistance earlier.

How many people would you ideally like to reach with your books?

Does anybody NOT answer “as many as possible!”? LOL

Seriously, though…I approach writing like I do teaching. My story isn’t for everyone. If only one person tells me they love my stories and can’t wait for the next one…well, that’s success. Sure, I’d love to have LOTS of people tell me that, but if I only had an impact on one person, that’s still somebody whose day was brightened some by my words.

What has been the biggest challenge and frustration during the process to date?

Not knowing what’s going to happen next in the story. I’m a pantser, which means I plan nothing out. Sure, I might know two or three major moments in the story, but I don’t know what’s going to happen in between them. I literally don’t know what’s going to happen as I’m writing; my fingers just start typing. I’m surprised on a regular basis by where things go.

What’s your biggest strengths when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

a.) Character relationships. I’ve heard several times from readers that they feel like the characters are friends of theirs, that they know them.

b.) I self-published, so I’m not sure there’s really any strengths to that. LOL

c.) I have none. I really don’t even know where to start when it comes to marketing. I’m an introvert, so putting myself out there is extraordinarily difficult.

What’s your biggest weakness when it comes to book a) writing, b) publishing and c) marketing?

a.) Not knowing what’s going to happen.

b.) Again, self-published, so not many issues there.

c.). Like I said, I don’t even know where to start, so…everything is a weakness?

When do you think you will write your next book?

I’m writing it right now! I published the second book in the trilogy this summer, but my brain decided it was done writing for the moment, so I didn’t do anything from July to November. I used NaNoWriMo 2019 to start the third book, and hit the 50K mark in 24 days. The first draft is now about halfway done, although I have a sinking feeling this book is going to be even bigger than my second, which was not my plan!

Are you self published or did you use a hybrid publisher, or a traditional publisher?

Self publish.