Tell us about yourself.

I've lived in Austin, Texas, all my life. Graduated from the University of Texas with an English degree. Started working at an ad agency as a copywriter before I graduated, and stayed on there for six years. Worked at a couple other agencies, too, then turned to freelancing, which I've been doing for eleven years. That means I get to work out of my home, unshaven, unshowered, with morning breath. Unless I have a client meeting. Then I usually bathe.

Iıve been married for ten years to a wonderful gal named Becky. She's a graphic artist who is also now freelancing. That means we get to spend 24 hours a day together. Does that mean we occasionally want to strangle each other? Iıll let you figure that out. We have no children, but we act like children ourselves, which makes up for it.

Iım an avid deer hunter, which, as you will see, had an impact on my writing. We own a small "ranchette" about an hour west of town. It's amazingly peaceful out there, with plenty of animals to watch. Deer. Feral pigs. Rabbits. Wombats. Okay, no wombats.

I come from a family of five, with members now spread out across central Texas, and a brother who made it as far as Hawaii.

Tel us about Buck Fever.

I'm going to be incredibly lazy and let my review from Publishers Weekly do the work here. (Also, to be honest, I'm thrilled with the review.) So, here it is...

"Game warden John Marlin has been best friends with Phil Colby since grade school. Marlin essentially grew up on the vast spread of the Colby ranch, and he was nearly as crushed as Colby when the ranch was lost. The new owner, Roy Swank, is as greedy and unscrupulous a man as Texas can produce-and everyone knows Texas does things in a big way. Swank can be petty, too: he insisted Colby leave his tame deer, aptly named Buck, pointing out that native whitetails belong to the state. Swank has set up a profitable deer farm, and hunting season is right around the corner. He's got a big opening day planned, complete with rich and famous guests. Marlin, meanwhile, comes across some white powder that spilled from a poached deer-one that belongs to Swank. There's also a wildlife biologist dressed up as a doe, a doe dressed in stiletto heels and a garter belt, as well as some frequently drunk good ol' boys named Red and Billy Don."(Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Are you coming to mystery writing from another job?

I'm still working in the ad business, though if I can turn novel-writing into a full-time job, Iıll be in heaven.

What led you to write mysteries?

I've always been a big reader, and since I'm also a professional writer, it made sense to attempt a novel. But it took the right inspiration. I had always read some fairly mainstream bestsellers, such as John Grisham and Stephen King. But it wasn't until I discovered Carl Hiaasen (then Elmore Leonard, Laurence Shames, Pete Hautman, Tim Dorsey, James W. Hall, and some others), that I decided to give it a try. Their work literally compelled me to write.

Tell us about your road to publication.

After the novel was complete, it took about a year and a half to find an agent. I have a pretty big stack of rejection slips, mostly from agents who never saw a single page of the manuscript. But truthfully, I can understand that. They can't realistically okay a submission from every writer who sends them a query. And in my opinion, with agents being as selective as they are, it makes for a better author/agent match when the match finally comes about.

Submissionwise (a new word I just created), I chiefly queried members of the Association of Authors Representatives. It worked for me. Once I found an agent who was passionate about my work (and who also turned out to be a wonderful lady), she found a publisher in about eight weeks. Of course, then, I had to accept the reality that it would be about a year and a half before the book would hit the market.

Before I submitted to agents, I had several people read the manuscript and provide feedback. One happened to be my mother (who has written several novels herself), and another was my former boss (a great ad writer). Their input was fantastic. I was lucky to have them on my side.

What kind of research was involved for your first book?

Fortunately, I have a friend who is a wildlife biologist with the state. He hooked me up with a game warden, who allowed me to bombard him with questions during an eight-hour "ridealong" in his cruiser. A former neighbor, who is a lieutenant with the sheriff's department, helped with other law-enforcement questions. My sister-in-law (a nurse), gave me guidance in healthcare-related matters. Once again, I was lucky to have those connections.

Who are your influences as a writer?

As I said, it was Hiaasen, Leonard, Shames, Hautman, Dorsey, and Hall who inspired me to write. Other writers whose work I greatly admire include Ken Kesey, Joseph Heller, Cormac McCarthy, J.D. Salinger, Jan Reid...and too many others to list.

What does your family think of having a mystery author in their midst?

My mother especially enjoys it. The other three members of my family aren't big readers, so it doesn't have as much of an impact on them. But they're supportive and seem to think it's pretty cool.

Tell us about plans for future books.

It's a two-book deal, and I just finished the second one. It's in my editor's hands. Tentatively, it will come out in the fall of 2003.

How can readers get in touch with you?

They can contact me through my website, which is www.benrehder.com. I love to hear from readers.

Ben, thanks for joining us, and best of luck with Buck Fever!

October 31, 2002