Ep. 4: Chloe Benjamin
May 27, 2026 · 38 min · 11 segments
Writing Forward welcomes Chloe Benjamin, author of the novels…
- Speakers
Chloe BenjaminGuestJeff OloiziaHost
May 27, 2026 · 38 min · 11 segments
Writing Forward welcomes Chloe Benjamin, author of the novels…
Chloe BenjaminGuestJeff OloiziaHostYou know, I think a lot of readers don't sort of realize, like, what a sort of dog and pony show it is.
If you're lucky enough to have, you know, a great book that, that reaches a lot of people, like, it can be pretty grueling it seems to, um, to be put on that kind of tour.
I know that you approach it with the utmost of professionalism though, and I know another thing I should say about this book is, like, again, I was blown away within 20 pages about how sort of lived in the world felt.
In my mind, the fanciest thing about you is not that you are a bestselling author.
I, I think it's like you had a research assistant for this book.
I don't know.
Mm-hmm.
I was like, "This is, this is a privilege." You know? And like thank you Immortalist for giving me the ability to hire someone.
So yeah, shout out to my research assistant, Alyssa Adams, Dr. Alyssa Adams.
The research for this book was so much fun and so absorbing, and I'm really thrilled that it felt lived in because that's exactly what I wanted.
I love books that feel w- incredibly immersive and transportive, and that is something that I wanted to offer the reader in terms of the world building.
Um, the true VIP for the Antarctic research is someone named Brian Bilaszal.
And Brian, if you ever hear this and I've mispronounced your last name, I'm so sorry, because I realize that I've only seen it in writing.
But I contacted the National Science Foundation, which runs the US research base in Antarctica called McMurdo, and I asked if they could connect me to someone who would be willing to talk with me about that experience.
And I should say that no one can visit Antarctica unless they are working on a research base.
You know, I think a lot of readers don't sort of realize, like, what a sort of dog and pony show it is.
If you're lucky enough to have, you know, a great book that, that reaches a lot of people, like, it can be pretty grueling it seems to, um, to be put on that kind of tour.
I know that you approach it with the utmost of professionalism though, and I know another thing I should say about this book is, like, again, I was blown away within 20 pages about how sort of lived in the world felt.
In my mind, the fanciest thing about you is not that you are a bestselling author.
I, I think it's like you had a research assistant for this book.
I don't know.
Mm-hmm.
I was like, "This is, this is a privilege." You know? And like thank you Immortalist for giving me the ability to hire someone.
So yeah, shout out to my research assistant, Alyssa Adams, Dr. Alyssa Adams.
The research for this book was so much fun and so absorbing, and I'm really thrilled that it felt lived in because that's exactly what I wanted.
I love books that feel w- incredibly immersive and transportive, and that is something that I wanted to offer the reader in terms of the world building.
Um, the true VIP for the Antarctic research is someone named Brian Bilaszal.
And Brian, if you ever hear this and I've mispronounced your last name, I'm so sorry, because I realize that I've only seen it in writing.
But I contacted the National Science Foundation, which runs the US research base in Antarctica called McMurdo, and I asked if they could connect me to someone who would be willing to talk with me about that experience.
And I should say that no one can visit Antarctica unless they are working on a research base.
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