Interview Jeremy Benjamin

by

Ed Koonce

 1) Your novel sounds intriguing. Have you always been interested in futuristic concepts, such as Star Wars, 2001, A Space Odyssey, etc?

Not exclusively, but emphatically, yes. As far as genres, I can’t imagine one more pertinent than speculative science fiction. I like to think that the imagination it takes to write a compelling story and the imagination it takes to build a spaceship are closely linked in the brain. If there’s any form of expression that bridges the gap between art and science/technology, futuristic sci-fi is the closest thing.

2) What is your “driving force” that prompted you to write this novel?

I had been kicking around in my head the idea of telling a story in retrospect from the point of view of a character jumping off a tall building, and the story unfolding in flashbacks while the protagonist is in freefall. I first suggested it to a filmmaker friend of mine as a joke, and he was amused. Whenever I entertained the concept, I kept running into the roadblock that there was only one inevitable ending to choose from, and that seemed just plain boring. Then I started toying with the idea of making it a comic-book-like fantasy in which, at the apex of the story, the protagonist gained the ability to fly. At first I dismissed it as silly and over-the-top, but then I said ‘what the hell’ and indulged myself. Once I decided to delve into superhero fantasyland, the novel pretty much wrote itself, as the expression goes.

3) What kind of writing have you done previously?

At my age, I suppose I’d still fall into the category of ‘up-and-coming.’ I’ve dabbled with different forms of poetry, and I’ve written screenplays and the occasional one-act stage play, but prose has always been my primary animal. I’ve written several short stories and a few novellas, most of which could be classified under humor or absurdity.

4) Who are your favorite authors? Favorite titles?

I grew up on Stephen King, and along with that territory, I’d have to peg Edgar Allen Poe, H. P. Lovecraft, Clive Barker and such names as my early influences. In college I discovered the epics of Ayn Rand, which I recognize as the crowning achievement of the written word as I know it. I’m a big fan of Ken Kesey, not to mention Tim O’Brien. In the field of contemporary science fiction, I tip my hat to Gregory Benford and John Cramer.

5) You mentioned that you were in college when you wrote After: what college?

I attended the University of Southern California, where I divided my free time evenly between lifting weights and drumming at the beach, and where I divided my non-free time evenly between fluid mechanics equations and poetry.

6) What part of the U.S. do you call “home”?

Home? That would be my bicycle, and wherever I decide to park it for the night… which for the past 261 days has been at the same one-room apartment in Ithaca, New York. Before that it was a college dormitory in Los Angeles. Backtracking further, you’d find me coming of age in a small coastal town in Maine, and/or Boston suburbia. Oregon is my natural home, I think… although I’ve never been there; for now I’m just wandering through a nine-to-five rut, trying to find my way home.

7) Are you from a large family? Are they supportive of your writing?

No, and yes. I’m an only child, which means I had a lot of time on my hands, and at nine years old, there’s no better way to pass the time than to mine your subconscious and craft zany, introspective fiction. I received lots of encouragement, and still do; of the subcategory of my work that’s kosher enough to show to mom and pop, my family members are always eager to read my stuff and offer feedback.

8) What effect do you hope to have on your readers?

I want to make them angry, puzzled, hysterical, analytical, intellectually challenged and sexually aroused, all in the same breath.

9) Who had the most influence on your first efforts at writing a novel?

Myself. I don’t think of it as an “effort” per se. I could say it’s what I do to keep myself sane, but in truth it’s something far more basic than that. That would be like me asking you who had the most influence on your first efforts to inhale and exhale.

10) What types of reading do you enjoy?

When I visit my public library, I go straight for the fiction section. I mostly read contemporary novels, preferably ones that have been banned at one time or another in some context. I like to know that the text I’m reading has made previous readers uncomfortable.

11) Would it make you happy if a producer contacted you about making a movie of your novel?

I was very pleased to see the cover art my friend Doyle Trankina came up with, and I’d be equally intrigued to see a work of mine adapted into a motion picture. I don’t think any author would be unhappy to hear from a film producer. If that happens, I’ll go straight to the concession stand and purchase a medium popcorn for my date and some Junior Mints for myself. My only demand would be that they cast me in a cameo appearance, preferably as one of the bad guys.