Author Interview: A Little Death Among Friends by Ben Schenkman
Thank you so much for joining us for this Q&A! We’ll start off with one of our standard podcast opening questions–tell us something great that’s happened recently.
Thanks for having me! Unrelated to the bookish side of my life, I started a new job a few months ago and I recently got a promotion! So that’s great news for me, personally, and my day job also funds my ability to pursue my passion as an author.
On the bookish side, the audiobook for a co-authored project of mine, Underleveled: The Legend of Rolph, a standalone light progression fantasy I wrote with AJ Alexanders, recently went live!
What are you currently reading or what’s up next on your TBR? What made you pick up this book?
Right now I’ve just started The Godsblood Tragedy by Bill Adams. Bill is a great author, and I backed his project for Death Show Colossus. He was kind enough to give me an audiobook code. I’m an avid audiobook listener, and I’m enjoying it so far!
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what inspired you to start writing?
Happy to! I’m a jack of all trades, and have been writing on and off all my life. It was short stories in elementary and middle school, angsty poetry in high school, and then some playwriting during my first stint in college. My first novel, My Boss is the Devil, came while I was working what felt like a dead-end job and I was inspired by a “what if” daydream. “What if the devil offered me a job? And what if it wasn’t like the stories I knew?”
I started writing it somewhere around 2006, then finished the first draft of it in 2014 during the writing-contest-that-must-not-be-named. I had it professionally edited, shopped it around a little, but ultimately shelved it and life happened for almost ten years.
After dusting off the manuscript I got bit by the writing bug again and the rest, as they say, is history. I’ve been writing pretty much daily for the last three years, publishing as I go.
Who are your favorite current writers and who are your greatest influences?
On the trad side I’ve been reading Ben Aaranovitch’s Rivers of London, Matt Dinniman’s Dungeon Crawler Carl. On the indie side, my most recent is Bill Adams as I mentioned above, but I’m adding more indie authors to my TBR every day.
Some of my greatest influences are the urban fantasy greats like Jim Butcher and Charles de Lint, but I used to read literally everything from sci-fi to literary fiction, so I’ve got a lot of stuff stored upstairs to draw on for inspiration.
A Little Death Among Friends is the fourth (and final) book in the series. Are there any challenges specific to continuing a series vs starting it?
Starting is always a different animal than continuing, for me anyway. Starting a series often comes from a spark of inspiration, but continuing means continuity, multiple story arcs, characters growing over more than one book, and not forgetting that you killed someone off in a previous volume (not me, but I know an author that this happened to).
A Little Death Among Friends also has a lot of final knot-tying, referencing back to My Boss is the Devil, trying to bring the whole series full-circle in some ways. So it was definitely a challenge to make sure I stitched it all together in a satisfying way that made sense, building that final block in the stack.
When you started the series, did you have a clear idea in mind for how you wanted to end it? How, if at all, has that changed while writing this book?
I did not. In fact, when I started the series I never thought I’d write another book. Not because I was out of ideas, but at that time being an indie author was harder than it is now. I didn’t really consider self-publishing at the time, ten years ago, so assumed my book would never even hit the shelves (virtually or otherwise).
When I wrote the second book in 2023, some of the characters didn’t even behave in the way I had intended, causing the entire series to move in a direction I hadn’t intended. It’s been wonderful, watching it grow, but if you told me I’d end here when I began many years ago, I wouldn’t have believed you.
How do you manage character growth vs consistency over a multi-book arc?
I don’t know that it’s a vs, because we need both. Characters have to be consistent, at least the core of them, but without growth they’re not three-dimensional enough. So each of my characters has a core personality, some a bit more mutable than others, but then growth is layered experience by experience just like in the real world.
They have to learn something from their mistakes, and grow as individuals. That’s all built on the kernel of their existence, which is usually fairly archetypal. Nick, the main character in book one and ringleader throughout the series, at his core is a good person that wants to make a difference. That carries through the series, even though he messes up plenty and has to learn from those mistakes.
Which do you find harder, starting a series or continuing a series?
I think continuing is harder. Starting is the “easy” part, just ask any author how many stories they’ve started. Continuing is the action that takes more discipline, effort, and time. Continuity aside, which some authors struggle with, just the act of having to continue writing whenever something new and shiny appears is an act of will. I have a TBW (To Be Written) a mile long of ideas that I may never get to because I’m committed to writing my existing series. Until I finished this one, I had three active series going, and I think that’s my maximum. With The Devil You Know finished (though I’ve got some ideas for a follow on series), I have a few short stories that could use a bigger treatment that might join the fray.
Has your favorite character to write changed from book to book?
That’s not a fair question. We’re not supposed to have favorites, are we? (I kid) I think I often enjoy the little thrills of writing side characters during the books. For example, there’s a new character introduced for A Little Death Among Friends, that was an absolute joy to write. Is he my new favorite? Maybe, for this one.
Would you say that this book went through more or less extensive editing than your previous books? If yes, why do you think that is?
No, I have a pretty standard process at this point. I draft, and have a very dedicated pre-alpha reader (thank you Tanya) who reads my chapters as I write. Then I have a few additional alpha readers that get the unedited manuscript to check for continuity, flow, pacing, plot holes, and general enjoyment. Then I take an editing pass myself, both for fixing any issues found in alpha as well as line/copy-level edits to tighten everything up. Next it goes to beta readers, if I’m not satisfied the alpha feedback was enough. Then to my editor (kudos to Katherine McIntyre) for line and copy editing, which further tightens things. Finally my proofreader (thank you Laurie Neilsen) tries to crush any last mistakes.
This book went through the same relatively rigorous process, and I’ve been happy with the results. Many of my readers have commented on how few errors they find, even compared to traditionally published books.
If you had to swap the roles of two of your characters, which would be more disastrous to the story?
I think if I swapped Nick for any other character with ill intentions, it would grind the entire story to a halt. Nick has a heart of gold, and was the inspiration for the name of my small press (he doesn’t have golden retriever energy, he has Caffeinated Terrier [Press] energy).
Nick swaps? Disaster.
How different is the final version of this book from the first draft?
Not as different as some people might think, but I start with the end in mind and write pretty linearly. I draft very cleanly, and with early feedback the first draft is definitely the overall shape of the final book. The rest is small/medium fixes, editing, tightening, and polishing.
No shade to authors who write drafty/messy drafts, everyone’s got their own process. This is also the fourth book in a series so a lot of it is well worn territory.
What would you like readers to take away from this book?
This whole series explores heavy topics under the guide of dark comedy, and this book is no different. I was able to explore a lot of my own fears around the concept of death, and I hope readers can see some of themselves in the characters, the (debatable) choices they make, and the struggles they wrestle with.
I hope they finish with a smile, even if it’s bittersweet like mine.
Is there anything you can tell us about any current projects you’re working on?
I’ve got the draft finished for the second book in The Chronicles of Corbin Pierce, my indigenous themed, nature-based magic series: Every God has its Day, which I expect to publish early-to-mid next year. I’m also writing the draft of the second book in The Cycle of Ash, my Jewish urban fantasy with noir vibes: My Brother’s Shadow.
I’m also finishing the production of the third audiobook in The Devil You Know (which I am a narrator for as well), which I hope will be out before the end of the year.
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer a few questions for us! Do you have any parting thoughts or comments you’d like to leave for our readers?
I hope you give this series a chance, and if you do, please consider continuing with my other work. I have a small, dedicated reader base that I’d love to add you to.
And finally, where can you be found on the internet if our readers want to hear more from you?
I also want to hear from them! They can find me, and all the links to my social media accounts, at my website: https://benschenkman.com
A Little Death Among Friends links:
Series link:
About the book:
Everyone deserves a vacation. But for Death, going on holiday has dire consequences.
After Nick’s brush with the afterlife, the agency is operating in full swing and things are finally calming down. Their short peace is interrupted by a rumor from “upstairs” that Death has gone missing. Unable to say no to a friend in need, Nick is on the case. When he sits in Death’s chair it leaves him with an unwanted promotion, threatening to separate him from his humanity.
Rob has his own problems, with his dad suffering from a terminal diagnosis and fights against old impulses when Nick’s misfortune presents an irresistible opportunity to save his father’s life. To help Nick solve his problem, Amy risks tangling with an old friend of Mel’s that may cost her more than she bargained for.
This might be the end of the road for the intrepid trio if they can’t find a solution to Nick’s unintended death wish.
