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Author: Don Paul Benjamin

Donald Paul Benjamin is an American mystery novelist. He was born in Greeley, on Colorado’s eastern plains. As a teen he worked on his high school newspaper. Upon graduation in 1963, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving three years as a military journalist, including a tour in Korea. Honorably discharged, he completed a teaching degree at the University of Northern Colorado (UNC). In 1982, he earned a master’s degree in college administration at Oregon State University. From 1982-2014, he worked in Arizona higher education. In 2014, he retired to the wild Western Slope of Colorado, where he lives in the small town of Cedaredge, fishing and hiking in the surrounding wilderness. He recently married Donna Marie, his publishing collaborator, who's a graphic designer and production artist. The two now operate "Elevation Press," a company which helps self-publishing authors format their Microsoft Word documents into print-ready PDFs which can be submitted to a traditional printer or print-on-demand service such as Kindle Direct Publishing.

Packing to Perfection in Pompeii

Posted on May 26, 2023February 1, 2024 by Don Paul Benjamin

Around lunchtime, in the year 79 of the Christian Era, on the coast of what is now modern-day Italy, a once-dormant volcano rumbled. Ash rained down on the first day as residents of the nearby city of Pompeii gathered their belongings and debated whether to leave or stay. A day later, Mount Vesuvius erupted in…

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Breakfast of Champions

Posted on April 28, 2023February 1, 2024 by Don Paul Benjamin

The English language is resplendent with homophones—words which are spelled differently but pronounced alike. By some estimates, there are more than four hundred such conundrums. Examples are the words ail and ale, bate and bait, cheap and cheep, and so on. My favorite pair is cereal and serial. A misuse of this duo gives a…

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Book Ends

Posted on March 23, 2023February 1, 2024 by Don Paul Benjamin

When writing, I begin each new novel by composing the last chapter first. Thus, I have a target toward which to steer my narrative. I often challenge myself by placing my characters as far as possible–emotionally and geographically–from the feeling and setting of my finale. Just to be clear, I’m not kidding when I declare…

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How real is your fiction?

Posted on February 24, 2023February 1, 2024 by Don Paul Benjamin

I’ve now published three novels in my Four Corners Mystery Series. Book One is The Road to Lavender and Book Two is A Lavender Wedding. Both novels take place in the mythical village of Lavender on the wild Western Slope of Colorado. And both works chronicle the adventures of my handsome detective/lavender farmer, Trinidad Sands,…

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Show your grasshopper the sky

Posted on January 27, 2023February 1, 2024 by Don Paul Benjamin

Inventing a character seems pretty basic. You give him (or her, or it) a name, you visualize a face, maybe even conjure up a voice. Not just a literary voice, but a real one, one you can actually hear. You develop mannerisms, manufacture a backstory, and–then what? Throw your character into a situation, of course….

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