It’s great to welcome Month of the Novel crew-member Benjamin Dawson to this month’s interview. Let’s learn a little bit more about him.

Month of the Novel: What’s your role in Month of the Novel?

Benjamin Dawson: I am the composer.

MotN: From what you’ve seen of the scripts, what do you like about Season 2?

BD: I haven’t read the scripts yet – but I’m looking forward to having 10 episodes to score!

MotN: Do you have a favorite episode from Season 1?

BD: I’d have to say my favorite episode from Season 1 would be Episode 4. Or maybe Episode 1. Or maybe it’s a tie…

MotN: How about a favorite character from Season 1?

BD: The Jester.

MotN: Now, of course, Month of the Novel isn’t the only thing you do. What else are you up to?

BD: In addition to focusing on composition and film scoring, I am a Suzuki violin teacher, giving violin lessons to kids ages 4-18. I am also the manager for a regional Youth Orchestra.

MotN: Season 2 is going to be sci-fi themed. What do you like about the science fiction genre? Do you have a favorite sci-fi book or movie?

BD: Sci-fi opens so many possibilities, musically, for Month of the Novel Season 2. It introduces an other-world element, which breaks the Medieval-time box, and practically allows you to do anything with the soundtrack. There are lots of great Sci-fi soundtracks: Star Trek, Dr. Who, Treasure Planet, and of course the wonderful Star Wars music, just to name a few. The possibility of carrying over elements of all of these scores (which are associated with the Science Fiction genre) into the pre-existing feel of Month of the Novel, is really exciting.

MotN: Have you ever done NaNoWriMo yourself? What was your experience with it?

BD: Sadly, I never have. It does seem that much of my film scoring seems to involve coming up with 50,000 notes in one month, though!

MotN: Just for fun, do you have a favorite food? Why is it your favorite?

BD: Spaghetti. I love noodles, and a little sauce gives them great texture and flavor. It’s also a food I can cook, which doesn’t hurt.

MotN: Is there something positively unique about you that you could tell us?

BD: I could identify all the States and U.S. presidents at age 3. It seems I have to read a map to remind myself now.

You can learn more about Benjamin at his website, listen to samples of his scoring work on his SoundCloud, and follow him on Twitter.