Interview with A. L. Bentley
Published 2016-07-12.
When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?
Mostly I'm a teacher, I got hooked on seeing the lights come on in my student's eyes and have been addicted ever since. just knowing I have contributed to another's life is a thrill that can't be satiated.
Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
Yes I was still in Junior High and I wrote a story about a trip my family took across country in a Volkswagen. We were a family of 4 (my father was away with the air force) and endured many adventures moving from upper peninsula Michigan to the middle of the desert in Nevada.
What is your writing process?
I "see" a character then envision the world that they live in, constructing towns, religions, political structures, friends, landscape.... when I can "see" their world I begin to tell their story. All my characters are a part of my own persona and will navigate, react and get through life's challenges as I imagine I would given the scenario I built.
Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you?
The secrete garden
What do you read for pleasure?
Sci Fi - Fantasy. I enjoy the "other wordiness" and "live the lives of each of the characters. the concepts of can't or are not possible don't exist in these stories.
Describe your desk
Large and flat, surrounded by cubby holes and cluttered with stacks of unfinished projects. I always have a dozen or more things in the works.
Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I was a G.I. brat and we traveled a lot, this made adventuring a natural concept to me and exploring new place just seems to be part of life.
I suppose in my writing I still explore and travel seeking the treasure of each new place.
When did you first start writing?
I've always been a writer, from the earliest days that I could put word together I have "played" with them seeking to describe, explain, invoke emotion, and remember.
What's the story behind your latest book?
This is a story of a genetic laboratory which was abandoned to space. the beings on board developed their own civilization not even aware that they are adrift or that there is anything else out there. The main characters have lives of their own complete with romance, fears, ambitions and dreams. This is just a sampling of all the stories which can and do take place in the world of Trolli.
What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
Creating an emotional response in my readers. I feel that I have in some way touched them if I can get them to giggle, cry, get angry, or just relax.
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Books by This Author
TROLLI Rediscovered
by A. L. Bentley
Captain Oofloof and crew discover the world of Trolli and join in the adventures of Cyndi and Farby as they seek to learn the origins of this unique civilization.
Farby, Sol and Leah band together in the effort to survive an impending war between the races.
Manny has her own agenda trying to discover a magical cure for emotional indifference.
Come visit a world of adventure, war, love and magic.
