Joseph Bentz and Free Books!

When Jeremy finds himself thrust into a world where music is forbidden on pain of death, the young musician must decide between securing his own survival or risking all for a mission he was sent there to fulfill.

Today we're revisiting with novelist Joseph Bentz, author of Dreams of Caladria (Enclave Publishing, March 2015).

Joseph Bentz is published in both fiction and non-fiction, with four novels and four non-fiction books.

His most recent book is Dreams of Caladria, a fantasy novel published in March by Enclave Publishing. His next non-fiction book, Nothing is Wasted, is scheduled for publication by Beacon Hill Press later this year.

Joseph is a professor of English at Azusa Pacific University in Southern California, where he teaches courses in writing and American literature. Among the awards his books have received, his second novel, A Son Comes Home (Bethany House, 1999; republished by Randall House, 2007), won the Silver Angel Award and was chosen as one of the Top Ten Christian novels of the Year by Booklist magazine.

Bentz is a regular book reviewer for CBA Retailers + Resources magazine, which covers the Christian book industry. His blog, Life of the Mind and Soul, focuses on issues of reading, writing, the imagination, and the Christian life.

Please tell us three random things we might not know about you.

-- My parents did not give me a middle name. They gave me only an initial, M.

-- I played the tuba in my high school marching band.

-- When I was younger, I so hated anyone looking over my shoulder and reading what I wrote that I developed an entire code language that I could write in so that no one could read it. I can still write (and speak) that language.

That last item is wonderfully eccentric, Joseph. I love it.

Please tell us a bit more about the plot of Dreams of Caladria.

Through the breaking ice, in a vortex of brilliant light, energy, and sound, Jeremy plunges into a dangerous and mysterious new world. It is a place where music is absolutely prohibited – on pain of death. And Jeremy breaks that law when he arrives in Persus Am in a swirling cloud of light and music. A stranger in a strange land, he does not know why he has been sent.

But it soon becomes clear that he must risk everything to help his new friends in the weary and war–torn world. From the vast Gray Desert to the jeweled palace of Persus Am, the forbidding Rock of Calad to the fabled land of Caladria, Jeremy finds himself in the midst of horrifying evil and heroic goodness.

As he searches for an answer to why he is here, he must face the truth that is written on his own heart.

What is it about Jeremy that will make your readers care about him?

I think readers can relate to Jeremy because deep down, so many people are like him. He has a heroic nature, but it is sometimes obscured by layers of confusion, hesitancy, and fear. Once he finally sweeps those aside, he is capable of great things. He is tempted by the flashy pleasures of life, but he has an even deeper desire to find the truth and do the right thing.

If you were the casting director for the film version of your novel, who would play your lead roles?

I would have Shia Labeouf play the main character, Jeremy. He exudes that same energetic and independent spirit.




Thanks to my daughter’s suggestion, I would cast Victoria Justice as Anne, the love of his life.




I would choose Ian McKellen for the role of Tarius Arc.




What have you learned about yourself as a result of your writing career?

Writing is my way of figuring things out. It’s how I make sense of the world. For me, writing is part of my spiritual life and fills a need similar to prayer and reading Scripture. I think I would have been a mess without it. The spiritual issues that I struggle with may appear in the novels in indirect, disguised forms. A physical landscape may stand for a spiritual landscape, for instance. My characters also sometimes confront spiritual issues directly.

I also write non-fiction Christian living books, so those spring from the deep questions I have struggled with and that I think readers may be able to relate to also—such as why we have to spend so much of our lives waiting on God to act, or why he sometimes seems silent.

What is the last novel you read that you would recommend?

The novel that is most on my mind right now is one that I’m teaching: Light in August , by William Faulkner. It is a novel with unusual depth. I have read it several times before, but like many great books, it only gets better with each reading. The characters are drawn with such care and complexity that they come alive in my mind just as much as if they were real people. My students are also loving it, and our discussions have made it a rich experience.

That increasing depth is one of my favorite things about the classic novels, Joseph. I read Light in August in college, and I know if I reread it now, it would be like reading an entirely different novel.

What are you working on now?

This month I will turn in the manuscript of my next non-fiction book. The working title is Nothing is Wasted, and it will be published by Beacon Hill Press.

The idea is that God has sprinkled redemption throughout the universe in ways that are easy to overlook. Although life is filled with pain, I believe there is also a countervailing force at work in the world. In the midst of all this loss beats a relentless pulse of redeeming love and good that pushes through the chaos and pain. It does not obliterate the pain, but it does not allow it to be wasted. Good is wrenched from it, like a gold nugget pried from deep underground. I examine these redemptive hints in a wide variety of places—in tragedy, in popular entertainment, in nature, and elsewhere.

I just finished co-writing a book of short devotions, and this theme arose quite often as I asked God to show me the verses to use. You're addressing a very uplifting topic there, Joseph.

Where else can readers find you online?

Website/blog: www.josephbentz.com
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads

The book can be purchased in fine book stores and online via the following buttons:






Finally, what question would you like to ask my readers?

If you were forced (or given the chance) to leave the life you’re living now and enter into the world of a novel in order to live there, what novel would you choose, and why?

What a great question! I'm eager to hear how people answer. 

Thanks, Joseph, for visiting with us and telling us about your novel. Readers, Joseph has offered to give a signed copy of his book to the winner of our drawing on Monday, March 30. To enter, leave a comment below in answer to Joseph's question, above. "Please enter me" won't get you entered. Leave your email address, in case you win, like so: trish[at]trishperry[dot]com.

Be sure to check out my interview with Miralee Ferrell, below. Leave an appropriate comment at the bottom of the post to enter the drawing for a free copy of the book.

Also, I'd love it if you'd connect with me on Facebook. Just click on my name at the right of today's post.

Annoying legal disclaimer: drawings void where prohibited; open only to U.S. residents; the odds of winning depend upon the number of participants. See full disclaimer HERE.