About Paulette Benjamin:
I’ve loved writing since I was eight years old. I knew that I wanted to write when my forth grade teacher instructed us to write a sentence using the word “Fireplace”. I ended up writing over a half of a page.
I believe that it was my love of writing that brought my first sister into being, (I think.) I had an older brother already, but by the time I was around seven, I started wishing, and then writing about having a sister and about all of the fun things we would do. I don’t remember how many short stories I had written about her, but when I was nine years old, my mom finally gave birth to my first sister. Then, a little over one year later, she gave me another brother, (even though I hadn’t written any stories about him.) Four years after that, I got another baby sister and two years later, another sister. I never knew how powerful my writing actually was. The moral of my story: be careful what you WRITE for.
Writing is so much fun because it allows the author to enter into other worlds and live as other people, or vampires, or werewolves. I always hear people say that they could never write a book or that they cannot write stories because it’s too difficult. My response to that is, everyone can write. If you can talk, trust me, you can write. It may not be your passion, but you can do it.
My first published title is called “Lucy Green Eyes.” It has received 4.5 stars on Amazon and is one of two nonfiction titles among my current manuscripts, the other being “The Farina Non-diet Diet…But Not Really.” The next book to be published is called “Perfect Misfits”, a YA fiction relaying a teenaged girl’s reaction after learning that her father’s been harboring cloned children for half of her life. My main genre is YA and YA horror/fantasy which includes lots of vampires and werewolves.
I look forward to fan feedback.
Paulette B.
What inspires you to write?
I have been inspired by a song, a conversation between people on the subway, or just a random thought in my head. I’m inspired by history as well. One of my books still in the works was inspired by a series of real events which I plan to use in a fictional setting. Without giving away too much, I’m confident that it will be a best seller.
My poems, on the other hand, have ALWAYS been inspired by sad or negative feelings and thoughts. Always. Every poem that I’ve written was the result of my needing to relieve myself of tears from my soul. Here is one of my favorite.
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In my quest to reach that state of peace where I no longer run into my problems,
I seek to go someplace where I am not present.
That has yet to happen,
because everywhere I go, there I am.
How then shall I find peace if it only exists where I am not?
Tell us about your writing process.
Sometimes I’ll write on pieces of paper because I’m not always at my laptop and I need to get these thoughts out of my head. Other times, I will jot down ideas as an outline, then I’ll go back and fill in details later. Sometimes, I’ll just get to my laptop and begin typing. I think the best way for me, so far, has been to get a regular spiral notebook, a few good pens from Staples and just write away.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I listen to my characters because they are the ones dictating the action. They don’t listen to me. Ever!!
What advice would you give other writers?
Like singing, dancing, or painting masterpieces, writing is a gift from God. Don’t let it go to waste.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I write in my diary for me; I write books to share with others. I self-published my first book after wasting so much time trying to shop around for a publisher. One day I was on Amazon and I read about how lucrative the self-publishing business could be. I realized at that time, hey, thousands of folks can read my works of art whenever I choose. I do not have to depend on someone else to judge my work and tell me that it’s not good enough to be published. At the same time, I look forward to the day when a publisher discovers my work and wants to pay me millions of dollars to work with them. But until that time, I will continue to self-publish and NOT LET ANYONE smother my talent.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think that more writers are becoming independent of book publishers and taking things into their own hands through self-publishing. Although publishing companies will always be around because they have the big bucks, they are no longer the only avenue of exposure for us writers.
What genres do you write?: YA Fiction, YA Horror and nonfiction
What formats are your books in?: eBook, Print, Both eBook and Print
Your Social Media Links
Facebook
All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit, to allow you, the reader, to hear the author in their own voice.
