About the Author & Book

Benjamin Kirk

Benjamin Kirk has been exploring other worlds for almost as long as he can remember. His father read The Hobbit to him night after night until Ben began reading it himself. Books became constant companions, sometimes earning him trouble in class for reading when he wasn’t supposed to—or chatting when he wasn’t reading.

His first homemade books were illustrated stories about his family, created through an elementary school library program. Later came stories dictated to his mother, years in theatre, and Wheel of Time fan fiction. He earned a BFA in Directing and Acting, with directing becoming his main creative focus. Although he eventually stepped away from theatre, his love of shaping worlds and telling stories remained.

Today, Ben is a Product Director at Charles Schwab, following more than two decades with the organization through TD Ameritrade and its acquisition. His interest in understanding and improving systems carries into his fiction, especially its magic. But the people come first: what motivates them, how they grow, and how they find their place in the world.

The Fenwick Touch began with conversations about retirement and Mare—a character imagining a quieter life while still helping others. With time, space, and AI collaboration to help with drafting and development, those conversations grew into a wider world and the stories unfolding within it.

Ben develops these stories with CT, his AI writing collaborator, contributing the creative direction, worldbuilding, character development, and ongoing revisions. His partner, Derek, offers encouragement, ideas about magic and personalities, and the occasional edit that makes a joke land just right.

Away from work and worldbuilding, Ben enjoys audiobooks, video games, television, and YouTube—usually finding another world to explore.

Ash & Moonlight

Ash & Moonlight follows Rowan, an experienced warden whose work brings him to Glenndan. Among its people, ordinary magic and unfamiliar responsibilities, he begins to consider where he wants his life to gather.

A working draft

Ash & Moonlight is shared here while it continues through review. Chapters, wording, and illustrations may change as the book develops.