Monday, April 18, 2011

Author Jeff Bennington Interviews "Reunion" Lead Character, Tanner and Mentions a Kindle Giveaway!

Today, Jeff Bennington is here chatting with his Reunion lead character, Tanner. Thank you so much for being here, Jeff!

Thanks for having me Corrine. Before I interview Tanner Khan, one of my lead characters from REUNION, I’d like to remind everyone that I’m giving away a free Kindle to one lucky follower of my blog tour. Go to my website, jeffbennington.com for the schedule and rules.

And now I’d like share a bit about Tanner before he comes in here.

Tanner’s a character that I know better than any of the cast members from REUNION. You see, Tanner’s a lot like me. He’s not a carbon copy, but the two of us have so much in common that I had to use him. He’s a seeker, a thinker, a goof and a late bloomer. When I wrote him in the story I kept seeing flashes of myself and often felt like my gut had knotted up inside when he spoke. His thoughts triggered my own fears and weaknesses. It was hard to include him because I felt so vulnerable, exposed.

Anyway…I thought you should know that.

Okay, Corrine! You can take the earplugs out of Tanner’s ears and send him in.

Sounds great, Jeff! Tanner is on his way in now! 

Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to introduce you to Tanner Khan, one of the stars of REUNION! Please give him a warm welcome!

Jeff: Hi Tanner. How are you doing?

Tanner: I’m doing well. Thanks.

J: Glad you could make it. Long drive?

T: Yeah…made it straight through.

J: From Arizona?

T: Yeah. No need to rest until I get where I’m going.

J: And where is that?

T: Hell I don’t know! (laughs) If I’m not in Tennessee, Colorado, Utah, or Arizona, I’m on the road scoping out my next adventure.

J: You sound busy? Could you tell Corrine’s readers what you do.

T: Sure. I co-own All-American Adventures with my friend Mike. It’s a blast! He takes care of the business end and I take care of the fun side, seeking out new locations and new thrills. There’s always one more high, one more rush better than the last. I find those.

J: Sounds exciting. What led you into that kind of work?

T: Oh, that was definitely Mike! He’s a hoot. A little boring at times, but we make a good team. He introduced me to outdoor sports in college. I guess he had pity on me, or something.

J: What do mean by that? He had pity on you?

T: Well, he was the sporty, adventure type guy and I was a late blooming, freshman at Idaho State. We were paired together in a dorm room and he just sort of took me under his wing. I’m sure it had something to do with the shooting. He knew about me. Heard my story. But I didn’t care why he liked me. I thought he was cool…no, actually I had a man crush on him.

J: A man crush?

T: Yeah! The dude was way cool. I wanted to be him at first, as impressionable as I was. But then as the years went on, we sort of grew into each other. He learned from me and I learned from him…like brothers.

J: Okay. I get that. I have two brothers myself. Do you have any siblings?

T: No. I’m an only child.

J: Ever go back home? To Crescent Falls?

T: Uh, no. Why in hell would I do that? I mean, I’ve thought about it, but I don’t know… not sure I’m ready for that.

J: Will you ever be ready?

T: Maybe.

J: What’ll it take to get you there?

T: I don’t know, but it’ll pretty epic if it ever happens.

J: How ‘bout a class Reunion?

T: (Laughs) Oh yeah! That’s a good one. Like that’ll ever happen! I know for a fact that most of my classmates kissed Crescent Falls goodbye a long time ago. Me included!

J: How long’s it been since you’ve been there?

T: Not sure actually, probably around twenty years. Why?

J: Just curious. A lot can change over twenty years. You don’t suppose a few of your classmates might want to revisit the school? You know, for closure?

T: Closure? What’s that? Geesh! Your getting personal now, aren’t you?

J: Well, on the outside you seem fearless, but there’s still something in you, a fear of the past maybe? Would you agree with that?

T: Maybe. (Turns away)

J: What are you afraid of? Tanner? Tanner? You okay?

T: Yeah. Yeah. I’m fine…fine.

J: Okay. Well, any final words for Corrine’s followers?

T: Um, yeah, sure. I guess if you get a chance, come on out to All-American Adventures. If there’s a mountain, we’re there.

J: Thanks for stopping, Tanner. Hope the next rush does it for you, and good luck!

T: Thank you.


That concludes my interview with Tanner Khan from Reunion, a supernatural thriller by yours truly, Jeff Bennington. Be sure to follow Corrine’s awesome book blog, Lost for Words and then get your copy of REUNION at Amazon.com.


Also available in print, Nook, Apple iBook, and Smashwords.

Seriously. Doesn't this interview make you want to pick up the book and read it right this minute? Thank you for being here, Jeff and Tanner! Feel free to drop by anytime! 
For those of you just dropping in, check out Jeff's website for all of the details in regards to his Kindle giveaway!

5 comments:

AO said...

hi Corrine! hi Jeff! stopping by to show my support for the tour and for my buddy bloggers involved in it.

i love these character interviews. Tanner's choice of work i guess is a defense mechanism. perhaps he takes care of the fun side to hide the dark past and whatever baggage it is that he still carries deep inside.

great job Jeff! thank you! c",)

Jeff Bennington said...

Hi AO, I think you're right. At least it seems that way. But that's why I cast him for the part. There's definitely something about Tanner that I really like.

Reader Unfolded said...

You had me laughing at 'man crush'...ha ha! Anyways, it was nice to learn more about Tanner and how special that character is to you.

Jeff Bennington said...

Hi Erika,
So glad you get a kick outta that. Thanks for stopping by. As always, I appreciate the support!

Anonymous said...

Got my two copies today! So excited!! I have 3 other books I have to read for book club first - the wait is going to kill me!! LOL Love your interview again. Tanner is intriguing and love that he's a late bloomer. So many of us are!

Kimber