Ben English visits Medina library

Texas author Ben H. English spoke to enthusiastic readers at the Medina Community LIbrary about his experiences as an eighth-generation Texan and resident of the Big Bend area. He also signed books for patrons.

He regaled the group with his experiences as a Marine and a Texas Department of Safety highway patrol officer. These factors greatly influenced his writings.

All of his books deal with authentic aspects of life in the Big Bend area and of the people who live there.

His books have a clear dichotomy between good and bad. He tells the stories of the unsung heroes he has met.

All of English’s books are fastidiously researched, even down to the exact geographic locations mentioned in his books.

“My sagas are factual and as well researched as you can find,” he stated. His aim is to “tell stories factually and without apology because this is our way of life,” he continued.

English also states that “in the world we live in there are far too many unsung heroes…These unsung heroes’ stories are not being told.”

“We are in a battle between philosophy and way of life, we see it happening in our country. These are stories of people that I know. We need them. Our young people need heroes more than we know,” he stated.

English talked about what ideas compelled him to begin writing and his search for authenticity. His first book, “Yonderings: Trails and Memories of the Big Bend,” is a collection of short stories about the Big Bend area.

English’s second book was a work of historical fiction called Destiny’s Way. It is an adventure story with an old-fashioned romance as well as a tale of the supernatural. He based the book on actual experiences from his family’s old ranch house. This book led to a long-term multi-book contract for a series of historical fiction novels about the Templar clan.

English describes his third book, “Out There: Essays on the Lower Big Bend,” is a super charged collection of essays on the lower Big Bend area similar to his first book, Yonderings. This book contains over 160 color photographs and 16 area maps. Each of the eighteen chapters is about a remote locale or something special in the Big Bend.

“The Uvalde Raider,” English’s latest book, is a work of fiction even though most every element of the story has a basis in fact. It tells the story of a Boeing B17 Flying Fortress in the beginning of the Gulf War.

At the conclusion of his talk, English spoke about the books he has in the works. English writes about Texas from the perspective of Texans.

The author says that the stories he writes are about his life or about the life of someone he has known. He says that the most important factor in becoming a writer is to experience life first.

English references his experiences in the Marine Corps and the Highway Patrol as the source of the many blessings in his life.

For more information go to benhenglish.com.

Mr. English’s books are available in several formats from Amazon and Barnes and Noble.