Listen to this article here. Audio Provided by Radio Talking Book Service.
Picture a lost island; a mysterious box; a trio of brothers battling pirate walruses and wild creatures to find their way home. Ben Lueders didn’t plan on writing a children’s adventure book—he was just trying to keep up with his own kids’ imaginations.
One moment, his sons were coming up with bizarre creatures and funny ideas; the next, he was sketching them out, piecing together a story that kept growing bigger. A family brainstorming session in 2017 became Escape from Terikiak, Lueders’ first novel and the first book in The Ficus Family Adventures series.
“We were just messing around,” Lueders laughed. “I never thought it would turn into anything, but I had the forethought to record my sons talking for an hour. When I listened back later, I started sketching. The more we talked about it, the more it started taking shape.”
As an illustrator, designer, and branding expert, Lueders spent years bringing other people’s ideas to life through his Omaha-based creative branding agency, Fruitful, but this project was personal. It started in his own living room, built from the imaginations of the people closest to him. The process brought him back to the kind of storytelling that first ignited his passion.
Growing up in Hawaii, Lueders’ mother encouraged him to keep a journal even before he could write, letting him dictate his thoughts while he filled the pages with sketches. “When I finally discovered graphic design, I realized I could take this drawing skill and do something bigger with it,” he said.
That realization led to success in branding and illustration. As the founder of Fruitful, Lueders built a career helping companies tell their stories visually. Escape from Terikiak rekindled his passion of creating just for fun—this time, with his children along for the ride.
“My kids are super creative and love coming up with ideas,” Lueders said. The book’s main characters—Arthur, Alexander, and Augustine—are directly based on Lueders' children, mirroring their personalities and sibling dynamics. Some of the novel’s most memorable figures, like Winifred the pirate captain walrus, emerged from spontaneous family moments.
“My second-born son had this idea that, while one of the kids is captured by pirates, there should be a walrus drinking coffee somewhere,” Lueders recalled. “He was laughing his head off. I even drew a picture in my sketchbook. I thought it was a funny throwaway thing, but now the character is one of readers’ favorite parts of the book.”
That unfiltered imagination drove each of the book’s 47 chapters. Lueders was accustomed to refining his design work, but 24 full-page illustrations that kept evolving were a unique challenge. It took many hours to ensure the final images captured the whimsy of the story.
As Lueders worked on expanding the world of Escape from Terikiak, his creative pursuits also flourished through Fruitful, which he founded in 2010. Fruitful allows him to remain completely hands-on with design alongside his business partner, Raj Lulla.
“What makes Ben such a rarity as a collaborator is that his immense talent is combined with humility,” Lulla said. “When you collaborate with Ben, you almost feel like you designed the final result yourself, even though you never could have without his decades of experience.”
Lulla plays a key role at Fruitful as a strategist, and together, they tackle projects for both local and national clients. An author himself, Lulla understands the care storytelling requires. The cover of his own novel, The Caring House, is graced with Lueders’ thoughtful design work.
“Ben brings a reverence to the craft. (His) writing combines his first-class visual imagination with an almost spiritual respect for storytelling," Lulla said. "His rigorous discipline and dedication result in a work that seems almost effortless."
Fruitful’s flexibility allows Lueders to stay connected to his roots, which continues to inspire projects like Escape from Terikiak. With the book reaching a wider audience, he has been amazed at its universal appeal.
“As a mother, I appreciate that this story uplifts family, loyalty, friendship, curiosity, and bravery,” Jenn Newman, a local “bookstagrammer,” said. “I look forward to the continuation of the series, and I’ll give them to my children to read with confidence, knowing the subject matter and themes are characteristics we value.”
Newman continued, “I think older readers will find a home in its pages and feel nostalgic for the first time they read the classic adventure stories of their youth. For younger readers, this will be an instant classic.”
With the second book underway and two more children in the picture, Lueders plans to weave their personalities into the series next. Continuing to balance his family, passions, and business is a challenge Lueders is committed to navigate. “It’s easy to get swept up in numbers and stats,” he said, “but it’s their support that keeps me going.”
Lueders said he’s excited to see where the next adventure leads him and his family, believing that ideas don’t need to be perfect right away. They just need to be shared, nurtured, and allowed to evolve.
“The process isn’t about making everything perfect,” he said. “It’s about trying something new and letting creativity take over. If we’re lucky, we get to share that journey with others.”
For more information, visit benlueders.com/book.
This article originally appeared in the May 2025 issue of Omaha Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
