This is a fansite for the amazing Amber Benson, actress, author, director, producer, singer and all round talented driven woman. You may know her from her work as Tara on Buffy the Vampire Slayer but if that is all you have seen you are really missing out! Amber Benson has visited the site and really likes it, she also approved of us raising awareness of multiple sclerosis. Here at ABO we have everything you need to know about this amazing woman as well as a fan section, a forum and a gallery with over 100,000 images!
Owner and staff: Beverley, Spikey on forum
Founded: 17th September 2008
Webhost:
Email: admin@amberbensononline.co.uk
This site is best viewed in Mozilla Firefox
May 2010 – I will not post videos or photos that invade Amber's privacy this does not include set photos, fan taken photos or any photographs from events. However I have long been against paparazzi pictures and videos of celebrities and will therefore no longer post them here or in the gallery.
I had designed the layout previously because Amber had just had her hair cut, however she has since grown it out and I wanted something fresh and new to go along with her updated look. What do you think? Let me know your thoughts I think it looks really pretty
We talk to Death’s Daughter author and Buffy the Vampire slayer actress Amber Benson about writing a novel series, her typical writing schedule, coming up with titles, writing for a character she played on television for three years, doing historical and mythological research, writing for kids, knowing your audience, and what it means to be a nerd.
To hear the podcast go here Scripts and scribes podcast 5
I have added screencaps from the web-episode Reverse Parthenogenesis just click the picture below to go to the gallery:
It’s a dark comedy. There is some gore but it’s nothing extreme.
Julie and Saul Winslow are a happily married couple thinking about having a baby… but when the two decide to have their genome mapped in order to know for sure that their child will be healthy, the test reveals a secret that will not only test their mutual trust and the integrity of their marriage, but also threaten the very future of humanity as they know it.
Written and directed by Javier Grillo-Marxuach (creator of the comic book “The Middleman” [with art by Les McClaine], writer and producer of the tv series based on the same title and also “Lost”).
Starring Amber Benson (better known as Tara from “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” but also an author of novels such as the Calliope Reaper-Jones series) and Adam Busch (also from Buffy).
Amber is part of this really cool webchat with Felicia Day as part of her webseries Geek & Sundry so check it out below
Amber Benson is most recognizable among Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans as portraying Tara, the loveable witch and girlfriend to Willow. Since then she has went on to star in numerous other titles, but also switched gears and got into writing and directing. She has co-written a Willow and Tara comic book series and is currently writing the fifth book in her own novel series about Calliope Reaper-Jones, a girl who finds herself taking over the family business after her father has been kidnapped. The only thing is that her father is actually Death himself. Catch up on what this multi-talented woman has to say about her newest projects and the rumors of a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot.
AFC: You co-created the Willow and Tara comic book. What’s it like writing a character that you physically portrayed on TV?
Amber: You know, it was really interesting to write the Tara and Willow comics because, first of all I was writing with Christopher Golden, who is amazing. I feel like I went to the Christopher Golden University on How to Write Comic Books and Prose, and I finally graduated. But it was interesting because I was nervous about writing Tara’s dialogue. I was much more comfortable writing Willow dialogue. So every time I took something to Chris, like “Check it! Make sure if it sounds like Tara or not.” [laughs]
AFC: Great. So, why do you feel like you were more comfortable writing Willow?
Amber: I think because I spent so much time with Tara, that, that…It’s like, if you’re trying to write your own comic book about yourself a little bit, “Well, what is Amber saying today?” It feels weird, you know? Like you’re writing something that’s so intimate, that you know so intimately, and so I was worried that I wasn’t going to be truthful to it because I couldn’t get past my own head, kind of. So Chris was there to make sure that I…You know, when I wrote it, it sounded like Tara.
AFC: With so many die hard fans out there, sometimes the fans know more about the character than you do. [Laughs]
Amber: Yes.
AFC: Where do you find inspiration for your stories? I know you talked a little about that in the panel but if you can elaborate? Reading books?
Amber: With anything I write, I have to be excited about what I’m working on. If I’m not excited about it, then I can’t do it. I have to find stuff that appeals, that I’m passionate about. Like with Death’s Daughter, I wanted to create a character in the urban fantasy genre, who was fallible, who made mistakes. I feel like with a lot of urban fantasies, paranormal romance, the protagonist is immediately, like, comfortable with her superpowers, you know? Or even if there’s even a slight learning curve, and then she’s great. And she never says no, and she’s never like “What am I doing? Maybe I don’t want to do this.” Like with Buffy, that was the beauty of Buffy, is that she was a real person, and she was like “Maybe I don’t want to be Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Maybe I want to be a normal person.”
And to me, that’s very appealing. I want a flawed, fallible character who learns, who makes mistakes, who sometimes does the wrong thing because they’re motivated, you know, by what’s going on inside of themselves.
AFC: And would Calliope…Okay, how did that name come about? Because it’s such an interesting name.
Amber: Calliope, Thalia, and Clio are three of the muses, and so I stole their names from Greek mythology. [laughs]
AFC: Okay, okay, I guess I’m not up on my Greek mythology! So you mentioned Buffy. There were reports that they might do a Buffy reboot. Any thoughts on that?
Amber: I think they shouldn’t.
AFC: Yeah.
Amber: Yeah. That’s my take. Leave it alone. Leave well enough alone.
AFC: Yeah. I’m on board with that.
Amber: Unless Joss is involved let it alone.
AFC: And along the line of remakes, with so many talented writers out there, like you and everybody with stories to tell, any thoughts on reboots in general? Like Hollywood has exploded with remakes and reboots.
Amber: Yeah, I just went to see 21 Jumpstreet, and I was like, “Why are they doing this?” But then I watched, and they’re very self-referential, and they’re winking at us. And it’s kind of a, like a satirical parody. And I’m okay if they do it like that. But when they try and redo something, you know, word for word, or…like when they remade Psycho. You’re just like, “What are you doing? Why are you remaking Psycho?” We all love Vince Vaughn but we don’t need to see him as Bates. Come on.
AFC: Yeah, especially because it was like exact same shot-for-shot.
Amber: Yeah it was gunned specifically for shot-for-shot. And I think they do that a lot. Because when Hollywood has something that’s already a tried and a true success, they want to repeat that. And they’re terrified of new ideas. Which was interesting about moderating the Husband’s panel, you know, you talk about how there’s this fresh new thing, and you can’t really take it to Hollywood. If you take it to Hollywood, they’re just going to co-opt it, or take all the cool, fresh stuff out, and that’s why you go to the internet now because if you want to see cool stuff like Husbands, you go to the internet.
AFC: Yeah, the internet’s not censored.
Amber: No, and the internet is about anybody and everybody having a voice. If you have a point of view and you want to, like, say your piece? You can do it now on the internet. There are consumer-grade cameras that look amazing, and you have Final Cut Pro; you can edit yourself. You know, you’ve got Garage Band, you can make your own music and put it out. Like, there doesn’t have to be that middleman anymore. You can be a niche item, and put yourself out there, and people can find you. Your fan-base will migrate.
AFC: Yeah, Now also back in the panel a couple of days ago, you mentioned that writing right now is driving you crazy.
Amber: Yeah!
AFC: Any particular reason?
Amber: It’s tough because I’m on the fifth book in a series. And I’ve spent the last four years with this character. It’s been a book-y year, and I think I’ve just burned out. So it’s like, “I just wanna be done with this book. I want it to be over. Put me out of my misery.” I love these characters, and I love writing them. But it’s just, like, it’s a lot of work. You’re writing 90-100 thousand words every time you sit down to do a book, and it’s a lot of effort. And I’m doing fifty other things, you know, co-directing a web series, I’m doing comic books thing. I’m doing a guest spot on Ringer. And like, whatever is going to pay me. I’m doing all these other things.
AFC: Is this the last book in the series?
Amber: As of right now it is.
AFC: Okay. I just got done writing a little book myself, and did you ever like – because I went through this – curl up into a ball, and just freeze up and be like, “I don’t want to write anymore.” [laughs]
Amber: Yes, yes. You are not alone. That means you’re a real writer.
AFC: Okay, that makes me feel better. So how do you deal with writer’s block?
Amber: I go away. Like literally, I’ll go to like a hotel, and just, you know, get away for a couple of days. Put myself in a new situation. Maybe jump out of a plane…I don’t do that. But you could do that. [laughs] Jump out of a plane. Anything that is a new experience that throws you around, you know? Messes up your life and makes you go, “Ahh what am I doing?”
AFC: Last question: What are you working on now, other than the fifth book?
Amber: I just finished co-directing a new series called Girl-on-Girl. Very much in the Curb Your Enthusiasm, Absolutely Fabulous vein. Two girls in Hollywood trying to meet men and failing miserably at it.
AFC: Nice. I think everybody can relate to that.
Amber: I think so too.
AFC: Well thank you!
Amber: Thank you guys so much!
Source: geek-news.mtv.com – Amber Benson talks writing, herself and more
Amber Benson and Glen David Gold at Writers With Drinks
Saturday, Apr 14 7:30p
at Make-Out Room, San Francisco, CA
Amber Benson co-wrote the Ghosts of Albion series. Her first solo novel, Death’s Daughter, was published by Penguin in 2009. She also wrote a children’s book called Among The Ghosts. Benson spent three seasons playing Tara Maclay on the cult show Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Glen David Gold is the author of Carter Beats the Devil
Rachel Kramer Bussel has 40 anthologies, including Best Sex Writing 2012.
For more information see: events.sfgate.com
Amber is in the episode of the webseries Futurestates called Laura Keller:
“With global population at an extreme high, federal fertility lotteries now determine who can and can’t reproduce. When one woman learns that she will be permanently sterilized, her faith in the system is shaken.”
You can see this powerful and thought provoking episode Here at the official site.
I have added photos to the gallery click the picture to see them.
Amber Benson is best known for Joss Whedon’s “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and her role as Tara Maclay, the shy witch who made up half of a lesbian couple considered pioneering in its portrayal. But now, the actress, director and comics writer is making a name for herself in the world of young adult fiction. Benson’s latest novel, “How to Be Death,” is the fourth installment in her Calliope Reaper-Jones series, which follows a young woman forced to take over the family business: Death, Inc. Hero Complex caught up with Benson, who talked about her writing career and project on the horizon. She was also pleased, as you’ll see below, to hear that the reporter was named Noelene Clark.
HC: How did you make the transition from acting to writing? Have you always wanted to write novels?
AB: I got into prose writing via comics. I actually was approached by Christopher Golden to write some Willow and Tara comics for “Buffy.” They did really well. Terry Moore actually did the art for some of them, and they’re just beautiful. They’re real women, too, which was nice. They have real bodies. They’re not, like, skinny, anorexic-looking characters, which drive me nuts. Willow and Tara, the comics look beautiful and real. And then the BBC approached us about creating a show for them, so Chris and I wrote this thing called “Ghosts of Albion,” which was an animated show with Emma Samms and Anthony Daniels, who was C-3PO in the “Star Wars” movies, and then we novelized that universe for Random House. I was terrified, because I had never written full-blown prose before. I’d only written really weird little short stories and bad poetry. Really bad poetry about flowers dying and blood flowing. But Chris was like, “You have to write prose now.” It was sort of like going to Chris Golden University. I learned how to be a prose writer from him. Then I wanted to write something on my own, and I came up with this Calliope Reaper-Jones series. And then we have to talk about the fact that you have “Noelene” as your name! That is the name of the character from my middle-grade series “Among the Ghosts.” Noleen-Anne. It’s really awesome. It’s a ghost story that takes place at a boarding school, about a girl who can see the ghosts of all the kids that have died while attending the school, and she has to solve a mystery, and she’s really cool and smart. They call her “Noh” for short.
HC: Can you tell us a little about Calliope? What sets her story apart from others in the genre?
AB: I wanted to create a character who was flawed. Because I feel like especially with urban fantasy and paranormal romance, there’s a lot of characters, a lot of protagonists who are given these supernatural powers, and they immediately accept the call to duty, and there’s never a question. And that was what was so great about Buffy is that she was sort of like, “I don’t know if I want to do this. I think maybe I just want to be a normal girl.” And so I wanted to bring that into my character. I wanted a character who was like, “I don’t think I want to, like, be death. I don’t think I want to run a giant supernatural corporate entity. I want to be like a normal girl. I’m interested in fashion and shopping and boys and food. And I don’t want to be immortal and see everybody I love that’s mortal die around me as I stay alive for the rest of eternity.”
HC: A corporation is an interesting take on death.
AB: There’s this sort of fear of death that we all have as human beings, the loss of self. I wanted to address that in this book, also. Because there are all these different religions, and all these different ways of living, and maybe they all can exist together, and that’s what the books are kind of about. All these sort of realities and these mythological characters and religions coexist, and they’re all right and they’re all wrong at the same time.
HC: Is there a common thread between the characters you play and the characters you write? A common characteristic that you feel drawn to?
AB: People who don’t fit in. That’s what I want to write about. Because I’ve always felt like I don’t fit in. I’ve always felt like that odd man out. I feel like the missing piece, looking for the whole. I think that’s what’s engaging for me when I write. I want a character that’s searching for something. ‘Cause I think we’re all looking. And I feel like we all don’t quite fit. Even though there are people out there who say that they fit, I don’t know if they actually do, or if inside, they really feel that they do. So I wanted to talk about that with my characters. My characters are always on the lookout for their crew.
HC: And that’s very much Calliope.
AB: That’s very much Calliope, and that’s Tara from “Buffy,” too. She was looking, and she was open to finding her family and finding friends that treated her with respect and liked her for who she was, and they weren’t looking for anything other than what she was. That was what was appealing about that character and playing that character, and writing those kind of characters. Because I think we can all identify for that search for finding other people like us.
HC: What else do you have coming up?
AB: I’m working on a Web series right now with ["Buffy" actor] Adam Busch. He and I co-directed it. It’s called “Girl on Girl,” which I know sounds like pornography, but it is not. It’s about a couple of girls who live in Los Angeles, and they’re trying to meet men. It’s very much in the vein of “Absolutely Fabulous.” They sort of are a mess and their own worst enemies. They undercut themselves and they never quite get to hook it up with the dudes they want to hook it up with. It’s really cute.
– Noelene Clark
Source: herocomplex.latimes.com – Buffy star Amber Benson tuns a page with How to be death
The Nerdist Writers Panel presents The Javi Games 4/23/2012
Date: Monday – April 23, 2012 – 09:30 PM
Location: Nerdist Education Theater – Los Angeles – General Admin
Doors Open 09:15 PM
Spend an evening in the garrulous company of writer/director Javier Grillo-Marxuach as he discusses his new comic book series, Ramiel: Wrath of God. But that’s not all! Javi also wrote and directed a short film called Reverse Parthinogenesis. We’ll screen that film and talk with its stars Amber Benson and Adam Busch. Need more? Javi also created the beloved ABC Family series The Middleman, and who knows? Maybe some of the stars of that show might make an appearance!
Hear: musings, ramblings, stories from the trenches of Lost, Charlie’s Angels, Buffy, the Middleman, and other shows on which Javi, Amber, and the others have been involved.
See: your favorite writers and actors together!
Touch: get Javi’s comics, Amber’s books, Adam’s CDs, and more SIGNED in the store before the event!
Give: as with every Nerdist Writers Panel, the thing benefits 826LA, the non-profit tutoring program.
Hosted by Javi and Ben Blacker, the producer/moderator of NWP.
For more information and to book tickets: nerdmeltla.com