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Viking Author David Benioff Wins Fiction Award from the SCIBA

At the Southern California Independent Bookseller Association's annual Author's Feast and Awards last weekend, Viking author David Benioff was presented with the SCIBA award in the fiction category for City of Thieves. The SCIBA Awards celebrate the eloquent literary voices who define what it means to be a Southern Californian. City of Thieves received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, great praise from The Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and many others. The New York Times Book Review called his book "... a refreshingly traditional tale, driven by an often ingenious plot.... In contrast to the piety of so many of today's historical novels-their facts feel unimpeachable and their souls somewhere in the library-Benioff's book lets its characters inhabit the human condition in all of its sometimes comprised versatility."

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One question I think all writers are asked is: ‘Where do you get your ideas'? I usually respond by saying, "At Home Depot, next to plumbing supplies!" but what can I tell you? I'm a bit of a wiseacre. In my more lucid moments, I usually respond by saying the first step toward being a writer is to train your mind to observe the world around you. Because stories are everywhere.

My novel, The Youngest Templar: Keeper of the Grail is a case in point. As a youngster, I was fascinated by the middle ages and especially the Third Crusade. Stories like The Adventures of Robin Hood and Ivanhoe captured my imagination. As an adult, I loved reading history and biographies from the Middle Ages. When I began writing I knew I would someday write about this period for it was such a rich canvas.