Ben Bequer

Author

Professional

I’m a writer who writes sometimes. The main purpose of this Patreon is to support all things Blackjack, an ongoing novel series about a villain with a heart of coal. It will be updated twice a month. I also write other stories in the same style and with similar inspiration. We plan to bring these stories to you on an ongoing basis. In addition to all the fun rewards, we also intend to run a lecture series show called How to write Unreliably, which will have its online video debut very soon. 

Personal

Married, with a kid and a dog (the fish all died). I spent half my life on a different career path and never expected any of Blackjack’s success. I now spend my days thinking of new ways to torture and maim him. 2018 marks a new step in my writing career, as I move the Blackjack series from a hobby to a full-time, professional endeavor.

My wife is an attorney and the inspiration for Apogee – I can show you the scars. My kiddo is an amazing 13 year-old that’s already better at this than I am. At least I’m leaving the world a better place.

The dog is a Maltese, and before you start criticizing the co-creator of a badass villain like Blackjack for having a “wimpy” dog, I’ll tell you that this little white ball of fur is mean like nobody’s business. His name is Dexter, after the main character in the TV series – and it couldn’t be more apropos. Don’t mess with Dexter.

Joshua Hoade

Co-Author/Editor

Professional

I’m a writer with a day job. I work in a hospital as a respiratory therapist to earn money. I give people aerosol treatments. I also manage endotracheal tubes, for those times when a machine has to do the breathing for the patient, as well as tracheostomies, where an incision is made along your trachea, and a tube is inserted that replaces your mouth and nose as the breathing apparatus. I suction lots and lots of boogers out of different orifices in the upper airway. What it boils down to is that I help people breathe, and as rewarding as that job can be, my real passion is writing. I’ve worked a lot of jobs at a lot of places, I’ve been a classroom teacher (8th grade Language Arts) and seen enough of the retail wars to be scarred in places you can’t see. Writing stories, creating cool characters that you love, that’s where it’s at for me. My goal is to make enough money to support my family, while producing awesome content for you.  

Personal

I have a girlfriend and two daughters. And a mom. And a sister. I am the only male human in my immediate familial orbit. My turtle is a dude, but he is salty as all hell. The daughters are both teenagers. Every day is an adventure. I love gaming. Tabletop, minis, cards, console, PC, it doesn’t matter. Unreliable Narrators will eventually be a platform where I explore the things I am passionate about. Family, writing, gaming are the tops on my list. I’ve been told I use more foul language than the next three people I know. Entire podcast projects have been abandoned on the strength of my ability to weave curse words into otherwise perfectly respectable sentences.