Matthew John Benecke is a writer of speculative fiction with supernatural and horror leanings and a craft beer blogger. He holds a Bachelor’s of Business Administration in Finance from Baruch College where he graduated as a member of the inaugural class of Macaulay Honors Scholars. He also holds a Master’s in Adolescent English Education from Brooklyn College. While working at Baruch College, he was selected to develop, implement, and instruct a summer-long creative writing seminar for high school students in the College Now program where he served as an adjunct lecturer.
Since 2011, he has written and maintained The Beer Whisperers craft beer blog. The Beer Whisperers is followed by more than 50 breweries from around the world including nearly a dozen of the Top 50 Breweries as listed by the Brewers Association. He has visited more than 100 breweries, many of which have been reviewed on the blog. He has also sampled nearly 4,000 different beers.
Aside from writing, Matthew is an avid photographer and musician. He enjoys landscape photography primarily but is also interested in black and white photography. He is a self-taught guitarist and pianist who enjoys an eclectic array of musical styles and artists ranging from modern metal acts to classic rock and classical compositions.
His literary influences extend well beyond the borders of popular fiction and include 19th century Gothic writers like Mary Shelley, Edgar Allan Poe, Oscar Wilde, the Brontë sisters, and Henry James as well as early 20th century modernists like James Joyce, Thomas Mann and many of the great Irish poets. He draws creative motivation from the musical realm including the works of Loreena McKennitt, Nobuo Uematsu, Trent Reznor, David Draiman as well as visual media. Television shows like The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, LOST, Fringe, Jericho, and The Walking Dead have all provided moments of inspiration, as have video games like Final Fantasy, the Legend of Zelda, and the Dragon Quest series.
For more information about Matthew John Benecke and his works, you can follow him on Twitter, like his page on Facebook, and interact with him on Goodreads. Paperback and digital copies are available at Barnes & Noble as well as Amazon.com.
