Benjamin Dempsey was born in Tasmania and grew up in the city of Tamworth, the country music capital of Australia. There his parents ran a small white goods store. After graduating high school he studied computer science at TAFE for a year before moving to Newcastle to attend University. He studied a bachelor of arts majoring in Creative Writing, while also taking classes on Psychology, Philosophy, Religion, Film Studies and Literature. When an opportunity to move to Sydney opened up, he took it with little hesitation and enrolled at the University of Sydney to continue his studies. However, financial reasons forced him to leave university before he could graduate. This did not deter him from finishing his first book, Draconian Symphony.

  

Benjamin is a ravenous consumer and creator of media, with a passion for speculative fiction. He primarily deals with themes of the occult, transhumanism, and mythology. Most days he runs on extra strength Ceylon tea, and he shares in the Australian appetite for alcohol. In his spare time, he also enjoys video games and the occasional rave.

Today Benjamin Dempsey is visiting us all the way from Sydney, Australia. He meets some interesting characters in the land from down under. Today he has brought one of them with him and would like to introduce him to us. Who do you have with you today, Benjamin? 

I brought the main character from my debut novel, Draconian Symphony.

That's great. We can't wait to meet him, but first why don't you tell us a little about your novel?

In Draconian Symphony, the Earth has been stagnating for a thousand years after the apocalypse failed to happen, and even the forces of Hell are losing their passion. Draco is a self-trained mage good for little else than starting fires and staying alive. After fending off an attack by the predatory demon Lascivus, he extracts from her a single debt, which he demands she repays by helping him track down his mother, a psychotic, abusive mage, so he can kill her. While he succeeds, it comes at a cost, and it is only thanks to the intervention of Lascivus that he avoids spending eternity trapped in a strange, featureless plane. He and the living-sword Drakkengard find themselves embroiled deeper and deeper in the Devil’s machinations. Gods, ambitious madmen, and beings from other worlds are all vying to take advantage of an unfulfilled prophecy and to end the millennia of stagnation at any cost.

That is why I have brought Draco to meet you today.

Well, we are very happy to meet you, sir.

      So let’s start with the basics. Can you tell me your name?

Draco. Someone started calling me this and I suppose it suits me fine. Maybe I did?

Where are you from?

I recall little of my earlier years, but by the time I was lucid I was living in London, so that is as good an answer as any.

 What’s the most flattering thing anyone has ever said about you?

Lascivus has called me delicious, delectable and even succulent but I’m not sure that counts as flattery when she sincerely wants to suck out my life-force.

Describe your ideal mate. OR What’s your idea of a good lover?

Love and romance I try to keep as far away as possible. I’m sure they’re a sensational experience but I wouldn’t trust myself to succeed atone. I suppose someone indestructible would be pleasant.

What is the pet name for the love of your life?

I don’t know about love of my life, but I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Drakkengard. I don’t think I’ve ever given her a pet name though. I wonder if she’d like one.

 What is your biggest fear?

To lose control and be trapped in a prison of my own impulses. Getting caged up in general is a close second.  

 Is there anything you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t done? (and Why haven’t you done it?)

I’ve always had a fondness for collecting things. Managing a library or a museum might be nice, but I wouldn’t know where to begin.

What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done to someone? Why?

The less said the better. I’ve done a lot of terrible things. I may have done them out of feral desperation, but that’s a poor excuse.

Here is the can of whip cream I promised you. What are you planning on doing with it?

It’s going straight on some hot apple Danish that Drakkengard cooked up. My appetite can be quite ravenous.

If you had complete and total control over Lascivus, what would you have her do?

Stop ordering me around, stop looking at me as if I am a banquet on legs, and actually tell me the story behind what Albania has to do with how she always wears heels.

You seem a little tense. Is something bothering you?

I’ve done yet another terrible thing, and now I am the lapdog of a hungry demoness who’s

exploiting my labor and trying to con me into selling my soul to Hell. Suffice to say, there’s lot on my plate.

Thank you for being here today, Draco. And thank you for bringing him with you,

 Benjamin. Before you go, can you answer a question for your fans?

Sure. What would you like to know?

Where can we find out more about your life? To keep up with the ongoing catastrophe I’m making of my life, peel your eyes for

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialBenjaminDempsey
https://twitter.com/dempsey_bt and

http://benjamindempsey.com/

                                         for all the latest updates.

Sam Waas, in Figaro (wearing the vest and laced shirt)

Sam Waas

Sam Waas is a Renaissance man. From science to opera, he's done it all, proving both sides of his mind function simultaneously. He has been a writer throughout his adult life. He began by editing an under-ground newsletter while in college at the University of Kansas, and has freelanced ever since. He’s written book reviews for major dailies, strung for newspapers with sports car racing coverage, and has written articles for gun magazines and local newspapers, varied pieces for slick monthlies, and short stories, screenplays and essays. He’s also written numerous book reviews for the online mystery website Over My Dead Body.

Recently, Sam’s concentrating on his Mitch King private detective novels, based in Houston and the surrounding Gulf Coast region. There are three novels thus far: Blood Spiral,Blood Storm and Blood Vengeance, and he’s now writing his fourth Mitch King novel.

Today Sam has agreed to introduce us to his main protagonist.

And here he is now:

Ok, let’s start with the basics. Can you tell me your name? (and rank if appropriate)

Mitch King, short for Mitchell. I’m a licensed private investigator for the great state of Texas.

Where are you from originally?

I was born here in Houston and except for college at the University of Texas in Austin, I’ve lived here always.

What’s the most flattering thing anyone has ever said about you?

My lady friend Alice said I’m the smartest private detective she’s ever met. Of course, she’s only met one private eye ever, me.

Describe your ideal mate. OR what’s your idea of a good lover?

Someone who can take the BS I immerse myself in and help me deal with it.

What is the pet name for the love of your life?

The Kiwi Surgeon from Hell. And no, don’t ask.

What is your biggest fear?

That people will find out that I’m not as smart or as special as I think I am.

Is there anything you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t done? (and Why haven’t you done it?)

I’d promised my father I’d go to law school like he and my grandfather did, join the firm. Now that he’s gone, my promise is not only unfulfilled but empty.

What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done to someone? Why?

Lied to my best friends Joe Duggan and David Meierhoff. Not a wise thing to do, as they’re both homicide cops. I lied to cover up my wrong-headed romantic fixation on a client and it ended badly. They’ve forgiven me but now I need to forgive myself, which is infinitely more difficult.

Here is the can of whip cream I promised you. What are you planning on doing with it?

Ha! I’ll stick it in the fridge until my wonderful lady comes over! What we then do with it is strictly a private eye’s concern.

If you had complete and total control over (me/character name), what would you have (me/character name) do?

Turn back the clock and reverse my terrible mistakes. But this cannot be done. Time’s inevitable arrow always moves forward, as physicist Stephen Hawking reminds us. And so does Thomas Wolfe, when he told us that you can’t go home again. And both are right.

You seem a little tense. Is something bothering you? (Great place to describe conflict in your book.)

I keep replaying the past and trying to forget it at the same time. This doesn’t work. But I’m duty bound to try to succeed. That I owe to those whom I’ve wronged. Maybe I can eventually set things straight.

Where can we find out more about your life? (website, social media links)

There’s a rumor going around that my personal reflections and experiences have found their way into three novels, cleverly disguised as fiction. About this tall tale (or should I say Tell-Tale?) I cannot comment further.