Welcome to my blog!

Hello, dear visitor! And welcome to my blog. 

My name is Ben.

Benjamin W. Bass if we're going to get all official about it. Which, I guess, is the point of buying a domain of my name... Mildly narcissistic... maybe?

I don't rightly know.

But, you're here! I'm here! Let's do some stuff!


About me:
I'm a native Hoosier, and a ten-year veteran of the Indiana National Guard. My time in the Guard gave me the basis for my novel, Alone In The Light. Drawing from my personal experience, I attempted to craft a very real depiction of post-deployment life. At least through MY eyes.

I graduated from Indiana University, where I met the love of my life, AJ. We've been married going on ten years now, and live in Indiana with our two adorable children, a lovable dog, and two very questionable cats.

What do I do when I'm not writing? I spend a lot of time playing on the living room floor with my kids - this usually involves copious amounts of Lego. I hunt on my family’s farm. But I'm most happy when I am relaxing on the patio with my wife and a glass of scotch.

Now it's your turn! Drop a comment below and say hello!

About my book:

6,000 miles away from the explosion in Iraq that took his leg,

Josh Carpenter struggles to reclaim his former life as a college student.

Mary Fischer, a civilian for the first time in years, strikes out on her own to create a new,

independent life away from the army, and her controlling mother.

On the campus of Indiana University, Josh and Mary’s paths move ever closer to a reunion that could help ease the nightmares and heal old wounds… or make them worse.

You can read the prologue, for free, on my blog HERE

'Twas the day before Christmas and I'm not super happy

'Twas the day before Christmas and I'm not supper happy
I'd like to write a poem, but it's coming out crappy.
The kids are with grandma and Angie's at work
For the sole reason that her boss is a jerk.

It's just not the same, this Christmas Eve day
But we're all adults with lots of bills to pay
And Angie's at her desk, and I am at mine
I try to convince myself "This is all fine."

All out in the world everything is just noise
I miss being young and just playing with toys.
The kids have it right, they now what is best
Give me something fun! And fuck all the rest.

We strive and we worry to find the right gift
Something that will give our spirits a lift
There's anxiety and worry and self doubt to spare
When all we want is our loved ones to be there.

With little children so silly and fun
Life is hard when all you do is run
I try to be happy and so do we all
But sometimes we stumble and sometimes we fall

Hunting: Life in Rural America

Recently I got the chance to write a piece about hunting for another blog. I thought I would go ahead and share that entry here on my own blog... 

Hunting: Life in Rural America

I'm fairly certain that hunting is looked at in vastly different ways by the rural communities vs urban communities. Out here in rural Nowhere - it's a way of life.

In the urban community it's probably seen as an unnecessary thing by many, possibly barbaric by some, and just not an option for most. But I am not talking about trophy hunting or going on safari (fuck you Eric Trump!). I'm talking about walking out into the woods before the sun comes up and freezing my ass off for several hours in the hopes I will come home late that day with a large deer that will fill my family's freezer for months to come.

People here hunt, and for good reason. If the deer in our area were left to their own devices - they would breed themselves to death. I know that sounds silly, but it's true. They'll strip an entire area of its food (for the deer) in a season or two if their numbers get too big. Then they'll start getting hungry and move into the towns and roads and become a hazard. The hunting community keeps these numbers in a manageable level. And the people here are passionate about it.

"Deep Dish" Chocolate Chip, Bourbon, Bacon Pecan Pie (Bacon optional)

So - this is my "Deep Dish" Chocolate Chip, Bourbon, Bacon Pecan Pie (Bacon optional).

I use a 2" deep Fluted Tart Pan with removable bottom... which gives you this:

You can use a standard pie pan and make this with the exact same results... I was just going to for something new for presentation's sake (photo at bottom of page)

Some History:

My wife and I have started a new Tradition of "Friendsgiving" the weekend or so before Thanksgiving. We have our friends over and we eat, drink, and be merry without having that awkward family stuff to deal with and it's a great time.

We try to make new dishes based on traditional Thanksgiving meals... last year we had:

Stuffed Turkey Meatloaf with twice baked mashed potatoes - Seen here (IT WAS AMAZING!!!)

Lobster Mac and Cheese

Pumpkin Pasties (not traditional for any of us here)

Cranberry Vodka Coctails

Chocolate Chip, Bacon, and Bourbon Pecan Pie

But let's face it - you're here for PIE!!! So here you go -

The happiest time of my life.

THE ENGAGEMENT STORY!

As a joke-ish type thing 10 years ago - A.J. and I changed our Facebook status to "engaged" one night while chatting online while I was in Biloxi on a work trip. It was mostly a joke... but not really a joke really since both of us just knew that A: we want to get married and B: it was going to happen sooner or later.

Well... it was sooner.

See, I had in my mind for some time how it would all go down... when we did the facebook thing, A.J.'s sister was all like "OH! If he asked you on Halloween that would be awesome!" -- all I could think of was "GET OUT OF MY HEAD WOMAN!!!" ;-)

So, we picked out a ring a week earlier... And I lied and told her it would be almost 8 weeks before I could get the ring, financially. And, you've got to love the salespeople at the Jewelry store who played along with me on this. I thought about inviting them to the wedding as a result of their excellent acting skills.

Book Recommendation - Junkers by Benjamin Wallace

A new feature I'm adding to this blog - any time I finish a book, I will promptly do a short write-up on it and either recommend it for reading - or for ignoring.

A few weeks back I finished Junkers by Benjamin Wallace - and it goes on the "Recommend List"

My rating system is as follows - and anything between 3 and 5 stars should be considered worthy of buying....
1 star – I didn’t like it - won't talk about it.
2 stars – It was OK - I probably won't re-read this book without a compelling argument.
3 stars – I liked it - The book was enjoyable and I might revisit in the future.
4 stars – I really liked it - Have probably read it twice already or will soon.

5 stars – It was amazing - Will probably re-read this title every year or so.

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The Robot Uprising is Here - And It's Hilarious
For such a short book, Junkers is a lot of fun. 

I read the "Robopocalypse" by Daniel H. Wilson and was so disappointed that I almost gave up on the genre as a whole. But along comes Benjamin Wallace with his team of Junkers - Jake, Kat, Mason, Savant and Glitch - and I'm back in the game!

Life is supposed to be easier when robots do all the work, right? Then why are they murdering people? The story starts out with a murder, is followed up by a murder, and ends with another murder or two... and, yet, I found myself laughing and eagerly consuming page after page of this story. 

It's fun, lighthearted, and full of characters that I couldn't help but like - and want more of in the future. Junkers is the Robot Uprising we should all be reading... and we should also be calling our movie representatives and asking for this to be optioned. Seriously, folks, Benjamin Wallace's wit and sense of humor make him a national treasure.


Disclaimer - I am in no way paid for my reviews - which you can probably guess by how poorly they are written... and all opinions are my own.

Book Recommendation - Trackers by Nicholas Sansbury Smith

A new feature I'm adding to this blog - any time I finish a book, I will promptly do a short write-up on it and either recommend it for reading - or for ignoring.

Earlier this week I finished "Trackers" by Nicholas Sansbury Smith - and it goes on the "Recommend List"

My rating system is as follows - and anything between 3 and 5 stars should be considered worthy of buying....
1 star – I didn’t like it - won't talk about it. 

2 stars – It was OK - I probably won't re-read this book without a compelling argument. 

3 stars – I liked it - The book was enjoyable and I might revisit in the future.
4 stars – I really liked it - Have probably read it twice already or will soon.5 stars – It was amazing - Will probably re-read this title every year or so.


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The Nightmare Scenario Done Right 

I am an apocalypse junkie. I've read almost everything I can get my hands on about stories involving life at the end of things... And the scariest of all scenarios, to me, is an EMP (Electro Magnetic Pulse). Other books have touched on them and done a fair enough job making that scenario into a work of fiction - but they usually seem like a really over the top "how to" guide for Preppers - not saying it's a bad thing, just that it does make for good fiction. Nicholas Sansbury Smith, however, has made this into good fiction while still addressing the "how-to" aspect of being prepared. 

WWIII begins in the skies over the U.S. with the detonation of three nuclear devices resulting in an EMPs. If that wasn't bad enough, the attack is followed up by a secondary device that take out Washington DC. Dealing with the EMP is least of the problems for former Marine Sam "Raven" Spears and the man he's usually at odds with - Police Chief Marcus Colton... they are in the midsts of a manhunt for a potential serial killer who has come to the quiet, tourist town of Estes Park, CO.

It's good story showing the immediate fallout of life after an EMP mixed with a gripping murder-mystery. I look forward to the rest of the series to see where Smith takes us in the new, dark world. This one story is clearly the doorway into something larger and more encompassing just like Smith has done with The Extinction Cycle and Hell Divers. 

Disclaimer - I am in no way paid for my reviews - which you can probably guess by how poorly they are written... and all opinions are my own.