Spotlight on Ben Leman
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
By Mickey Mikkelson
Your newest release in April is Between the Tines, a Scottish historical that follows two families that are in conflict in the 17 th century. Can you tell readers more about this book?
Scotland, 1642. Raised for battle, Arran Lamont believes himself ready to defend his clan—until war teaches him how fragile honor, loyalty, and life itself can be.
As Clan Campbell’s power rises, Clan Lamont faces brutal conflict, broken alliances, and the slow unraveling of everything Arran holds dear. From the misty covered Highlands to the blood–stained hills of Ireland, Arran must protect his family, his people, and the woman who captures his heart.
When devastation sweeps across Lamont lands, Arran must choose between dying for his clan’s legacy—or leading his people toward an uncertain future beyond the sea.
Between the Tines is a sweeping Scottish historical novel of war, love, and survival at the dawn of a new world.
2. What are you working on next that you can tell us about?
Between the Tines is my debut novel, which gets released on April 28, 2026. It is book one of the trilogy, Forged in Blood. I have started working on book two, and am currently conducting my research as I work on the basic skeleton story line of the entire second novel.
3. What is the most difficult part of your writing process? What’s the easiest?
The most difficult part of the writing process for me is getting the personalities of the characters and the dialogue between them to match the serious underlying tone of the novel in a way that entertains the reader while keeping them fully engaged.
I rewrote Between the Tines multiple times after my first draft, drastically changing the personalities and dialogue of the characters until I was completely satisfied that I got it right.
The result is a product that pulls the reader deep into the historical novel as they explore the evolution of thought each character goes through on their journey filled with triumphs and tragedies, love and war, along with hope and hopelessness.
Striking the right balance allows the reader to travel back in time in a visceral sort of way while keeping them completely entertained at the same time.
The easiest part of the writing process for me was coming up with the content.
In some ways as I wrote the novel, I felt it was easier to connect with the ways of the old world in the 1640’s than it is to connect with our new modern world of today.
I attribute that to my adventurous lifestyle that takes me from the mountain wilderness of Wyoming and Idaho to the remote waters and wild lands of Southeast Alaska, where you are your own best chance for survival.
Q: How long did it take you to write Between The Tines? What lessons and reminder do you hope readers remember and learn as well as being entertained by a good story?
A: The novel took a full year to write from beginning to end, but the research began years before I started writing.
One of the underlying considerations of the novel I hope readers consider is the answer to the following question: What struggle was going on in the early colonists lives (regardless of what country they were from), that they were willing to pick up and leave everything and everybody they knew and start all over again in an unsettled land?
What were they hoping to gain by moving to the colonies or later the United States?
If the colonial men and women that stood up and fought in the American Revolution were the seeds of freedom, it is my hope the readers see the people like the characters in my novel as the fertile soil, without which the seeds would have never sprouted.
Another important concept I am trying to get across to the reader is to understand the evolution of thought the early colonists went through regarding their way of life in their homeland as their hopes and dreams for a better future caught wind and sailed them across the Atlantic Ocean.
Q: Does Hollywood have the rights to Between The Tines? Whether they do or not, who would be your dream cast to portray the characters you created?
A: No, Hollywood does not have the rights. I own all rights to my novel.
Given the serious depth and tone of the novel, I would want to see a cast that can match that tone.
Regarding the main character, Arran Lamont, I think it would need to be a truly artistic breakthrough performance for an actor that is convincing as a Highlander.
Although Jason Momoa does not appear to have any significant Scottish ancestry, someone similar in their acting ability would be ideal, but with a Scottish appearance and a bit younger.
Although many of his acting roles are not what I consider to be dramatic or serious in nature, the serious supporting role he played in the movie Dune convinces me he has the depth of acting ability to be thoroughly convincing to an audience in the role of Arran Lamont in Between the Tines.
It is the perfect role for an actor similar to Jason Momoa with the looks of Scottish ancestry to have a serious breakthrough performance as the main character in this movie.
A good actor to play the role of Lain Faulkner would be Tom Hardy.
A slightly younger Josh Brolin would also be a perfect fit to play Lain Faulkner, who is a slightly older, more experienced warrior (although still formidable on the battlefield) that plays the mentor to the younger warrior, Arran Lamont, in Between the Tines.
Ben Leman is a businessman, rancher, and fourth generation Texan.
His craving for adventure has taken him on extended trips to remote parts of Alaska, elk hunting in mountain wildernesses, flying as a licensed pilot, and on travels all over the world.
Of Scottish decent, Ben has spent years studying the clashes between Highland clans, and particularly, the content of this story.
His quest to understand their complexities has taken him to many of the locations in Scotland mentioned in his debut novel, Between the Tines.
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