Christopher Bensinger
Author Interview - Christopher Bensinger
Author of The Sooner You Forget
Soon to be eighteen, Charlton Buckley is looking to escape the grips of his dead-end Wisconsin hometown and abusive father. When his dreams of joining a Major League Baseball team fall short, he channels his enthusiasm toward piloting for the Air Force. His youthful optimism is quickly burnt away when his plane is shot down on his first mission, causing him to be captured and sent to a German stalag. As the Nazis’ war efforts start to fail, though, they pull only Jewish soldiers from the Allied ranks and transport them to a secret labor death camp. Despite his Christian background, Buckley is taken, and there he experiences horrors beyond imagination. Navigating trauma, faith, love, and loyalty, The Sooner You Forget is the story of one man’s search to find true liberation decades after imprisonment.
Author Interview - Christopher Bensinger
Author I draw inspiration from:
Richard Russo- You have to read Straight Man and of course Empire Falls. I marvel at his ability to sweep you up in seemingly uncomplicated everyday life. He is super generous with his settings and character work without losing momentum with the plot. A giant as far as I'm concerned in the art of the novel; never pushing the reader into cliche, on the contrary he surprises you, allowing our human insecurities to come forward in both subtle and bold ways using both simple and at times absurd connective tissue to weave together his plot. He is gracious with his storytelling and his main character, Hank Devereaux in Straight Man, complains about mid life and the smallness of campus politics, never seems so distraught that it swallows him. You can hang out in his novels like a long movie. His bent or style is similar to Phillip Roth , yet perhaps more earthly, less biting or mean. Earnest Hemingway is a great admirer of mine for this reason: simple, clean, lean language that evokes complexities of human emotion. I love how in a few words he can describe what other authors attempt to accomplish in an entire page. That's how I wish to write. Nail it in as few descriptives as possible. To be a judicious author is to be aware of the reader. I learned this from one of my writing class guests, Charles Johnson, who was zooming in to talk about his astounding novel, Middle Passage: "My goal is to entertain. And that means always being aware of the reader first, and to offer only the elements I need to entertain them." That was inspiring.
Author Interview - Christopher Bensinger | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
Where the sun is shining through the front windows in the living room. I have an old Herndon couch I mold myself into. I also like to read when I travel; experiencing new environments to let envelop me as I am transported into the author's world is invigorating. But my favorite place to read might be at my desk. Sitting upright focuses me in a way that lounging doesn't.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
Hank Devereaux. Straight Man, Richard Russo. Hank walks in the elevator and fails to make a selection as to what floor he would like. I ask him and he says, I wish I knew. You don't know which way is up, do you? I ask. I thought I did, he answers. I push number 7. The doors close. We ride a few floors until the elevator slows down and stops. My knees vibrate as I'm catching my breath. Hank laughs and says this has happened to him three times in the last month, that it feels like we are going backwards. He makes no move to help the situation; no pounding on the doors, no trying to hike up to the ceiling to push his boot through one of the panels. He ask if I care for a smoke. He points to a red cylinder in the ceiling that reads: detector out of order. I shake my head. I think I know you, I say. I'm sure not fella, he responds.. The air is turns yellow, the lights dim. You taught one of my civics classes freshman year in high school— on the holocaust; I remember how you would perspire when discussing how nearly impossible it was for Jews to assimilate after the war— that although they seemed to be leaders in science, art, literature, and business, once the war ended, antisemitism and white supremacy ruled. You taught that Jews built their own communities by starting their own clubs, running their own businesses— for Jews only. That course almost got me fired, he said .The elevator jolted and we continued upward. I arrived at my floor. As I head out, he says, not much has changed. Still don't know which way is up.
Author Interview - Christopher Bensinger | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
There wasn't really a "moment" when I said I wanted to become an author. I had a sense of story telling from my experience in the theater world, both as an actor and much later, as a producer. I conceived a musical and sat in on many other musicals and plays that were in development. One day I was describing what I was seeing and the person I was talking with said I should write a novel. It hit me. I became an author, not by pursuit, but by sitting down and writing. I was willing to listen, to take classes, to edit, and then edit and then edit.some more until I hit send to the publisher after making the final edits. When the book was physically in hand and I sold my first copy, that's when I considered myself an author.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
Like: Paperback, soft, and light. Hardback- substantial and bold, ebook- no trees used, audiobook- how language is interpreted by the reader. Dislike: Paperback- needs a book mark. Hardback- sleeve gets in the way. ebook- loses that wonderful tactile quality to reading, audiobook- you need technology (ear buds, tablet, computer.. to communicate the story, rather than just the hands and eyes.
The last book I read:
Goddess of Warsaw by Lisa Barr. A strong character driven novel that lacked emotional meat. Having an actress embedded inside a resistant group dedicated to fighting the Nazis right from the doorstep of the ghetto (Warsaw), only to seek her final revenge decades later made for what I hoped would be a compelling read. This is not to say that Barr can't flesh out a scene using all the senses, and that she doesn't possess writing chops. She does. But what she put forward skillfully lacked an emotional heartbeat. I found the protagonist unreliable, which is not a bad thing, in fact I love unreliable characters. But not when you find yourself not rooting for them, as I found with Bina. I found her sadly unlikable. Ultimately, I didn't care for her; not that what Bina was doing wasn't heroic. It most certainly was. I just found her struggling over inner conflict of what she had to do to do to save herself and those she loved void of heart. I didn't feel it. Part of the problem might have been the many plot threads and characters that were used to unmask the central narrative; the protagonist's revenge. The writing, although adroit, lacked heart, needed more focus, needed to be more targeted, lean, and most importantly needed a clearer more distinct voice. The unrequited love story also lacked grip, perhaps minimized by all the threads of the novel the author was trying to honor.
Author Interview - Christopher Bensinger | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
Well, with The Sooner You Forget being a historical fiction, I spent a great deal of time researching and making notes on a yellow legal pad before and during the writing. Once I felt I had enough biographical and historic pieces, as well as a grasp on the chronology, I weaved together my story on my laptop four hours in the morning and two to three hours after dinner. I workshopped two drafts of my novel through the writing program at UCLA. I also relied on a couple of editors to help along the way. Reading also helped. It's similar to when I watch a lot of tennis before I play in big matches. I see what high level performance looks like and I take that to the court. Same with reading great fiction. It informs and inspires my writing.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
Hank Devereaux Straight man. I'd love to be friends with someone as authentic so self reflective, who doesn't unravel in the face of trauma and disillusionment. Someone who can admit that being promoted can mean "winning a shit eating contest." I think we'd be friends because of our mutual awareness of how absurd life can be, how comical human beings, how hypocritical we can be, and when illusions shatter our hearts and minds can break.. Even though we do our best to try and play it straight- with our best intentions, things can and often do blow up.
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
Tennis player, sports announcer/reporter
Favorite decade in fashion history:
40's. The cuts are sleek, narrow, angled, colors earth toned. There is an elegance, a flair that is pure, unfettered. And a sense of tasteful drama and romance.
Place I’d most like to travel:
China. I want to see how 1.43 billion people live, see and feel ancient traditions juxtaposed against modern life..
My signature drink:
Old Fashion with tequila with a side of ginger ale.
Favorite artist:
Melissa Weinman - painter. The American West
Number one on my bucket list:
The release of my novel Feb 4. Top 10 in the nation in tennis 65 and older.
Find more from the author:
@cbensinger
@bensingerc
About Christopher Bensinger:
Author Interview - Christopher Bensinger
Christopher Bensinger is a James Kirkwood
Fiction Award nominee. He earned a UCLA
Certificate in Fiction with distinction and has a BA
in psychology from Bowdoin College. The Sooner
You Forget is his debut novel. Chris
retired from his real estate executive position and
became a Tony Award–winning theatrical producer
of The Book of Mormon, American Idiot, La Cage
aux Folles, and others. He is an avid sportsman,
husband, and proud father of two wonderful children.
