Benjamin Ellefson
Award-winning Author
Writing middle grade, fantasy adventures for children of all ages.
My name is Benjamin and I love writing whimsical adventures for children of all ages.
Childhood was a magical time for me. I grew up in a neighborhood full of kids. Every day was filled with imagination, adventures, fantasy, and wonderful stories. In school I loved any project that let me explore my creativity.
When I was older, I traveled across the country to study story telling at the University of Southern California in their school of Cinema/Television. While in school, I had the amazing opportunity to work on several film productions and saw stories coming to life first hand.
Over several years after school, I had four beautiful daughters. When they were little, I spent all of my creative energy giving them the magical childhood that I had when I was small. There was nothing as exciting as watching their imaginations flourish as they explored the world.
Now that they are older, I want to give that magic to all of the children of the world. I focus my writing on modern fairy tales that are fun for kids and thought provoking for adults. Each adventure celebrates important values of self-reliance, preparedness, and diversity. I am hoping with each book to spark imagination in each reader.
Frequently Asked Questions for Benjamin Ellefson
Where did you grow up?
I was born in Colorado. But I moved to Edina, Minnesota when I was 2 years old. I lived there all the way through High School.
Where do you live now?
A few years ago, I moved to Costa Rica. I now live on the beach by the Pacific Ocean.
What do you like best about Costa Rica?
Costa Rica is a very beautiful country, with tropical forests filled with tucans, macaws, and monkies. I especially love having dinner on the beach and watching the sunset into the ocean.
What inspires your writing?
Dreams. I always remember my dreams and use them in my writing. I also love to day dream. I find they allow my mind to wander, but I can control them more than my sleeping dreams.
I also get inspired by reading a lot of history books.
What is your favorite part of writing?
I love sitting down with my outline for a chapter and writing it out. It is so exciting to see my outline ideas come to life as the text is typed on the screen. That is where the characters are born and the events happen.
Many times it feels like the stories have existed in the universe forever and they are just channeling through me onto the screen.
What type of books do you like to read?
I love to read adventures where a regular kid is transported to an amazing, fantasy world.
Stories filled with magic and monsters always get my imagination flowing. I also love books where the hero uses their brain to defeat the villain, instead of just sheer brute force.
You can probably see this influence in my writing as I write the same type of books that I love to read.
