━━━━━━WHO IS SHE?

Award-Winning author, Christina Benjamin, character inspiring pets, where she spends her free time working on her books and speaking to inspire fellow writers.

Christina is best known for her wildly popular Young Adult romance novels, The Boyfriend series.

The Boyfriend series proves that book boyfriends are like Chocolate... you can never have enough. Check out the Boyfriend series for fast, fun, YA romance reads. These destination novels let you fall in love in a new city with new character every time.

Christina loves to read and write across genres. YA is her favorite but she's a sucker for a good love story. Don't miss her YA Fantasy, The Geneva Sommers series under her pen name CJ Benjamin as well as the multiple anthologies she's been a part of.

Source : GoodReads

HER FAMOUS BOOKS━━━━━━

Source : Google

━━━━━━INTERVIEW

Did you always wanted to write novels?

Yes. I've always loved being a storyteller, even as a child. I went to school for English at UCF and fell in love with the idea of writing even more.

What's your favorite thing to write?

I love writing YA romance the most. It's just so fun and light and uplifting. Plus I get all nostalgic over young love and high school memories.

Are you a structure writer or do you let inspiration take you?

A little of both. I make outlines before I start but leave them loose enough to let inspiration take over here and there.

What's your biggest weakness as a writer?

Procrastinating. Writing is often a solo career so you're in charge of making yourself get the work done. It can be difficult to have the self discipline all the time.

What do you do when it's time to edit a first draft?

I read through it on my laptop and layer in more descriptions and character development.

Out of all the series you've written, which one is your most favorite or which one did you enjoy writing the most?

I think The Geneva Sommers series (formerly The Geneva Project series) will always be my favorite b/c it was my first and if I didn't start with that first book, I wouldn't be on my 55th now. I put a lot of love and tears into that series. It will always have a little piece of my soul. I feel the same way about The Goodbye Boyfriend. I felt those books in my bones.

The most fun to write were probably The Practice Boyfriend and The Almost Boyfriend. They were light and fun and different. I wrote Practice in 8 days. Almost took me to Ireland for research and that was unforgettable.

Which of your characters would you want to have a talk over the fireplace? (my personal favorite is Cody and Hannah)

Oh wow! Great question. I don't know that I could choose just one. Nova from Geneva Sommers comes to mind. And Ronnie from Goodbye. They're both such memorable characters to me. Nova for his magic abilities, Ronnie for his heart. But I'm currently working on a new series and I sort of wish my character Jake would come visit me so he could tell me all his secrets so I could write them accurately. Lol.

What inspired you to become a writer?

A lot of things. My love of reading, music, art started at an early age. I always loved having a creative outlet. Reading series like Harry Potter, Hunger Games and Twilight in my 30s made me fall in love with books again and when I couldn't find the book I wanted to read after those, I decided I should write my own. I was pregnant and thought it would be wonderful to write a book I could share with my son. That's how I wrote the first Geneva book - Geneva Sommers and the Quest for Truth.

What were the struggles you had to face?

Many. Anything kind of creative work can be difficult to share. You struggle with whether your ready, if it's good enough, how it will be interpreted and that's all before you have to navigate the publishing process.

But for me the hardest part was actually continuing to write after the death of my son. I started writing for him, without him, it felt meaningless. In the end I went back to writing because it made me feel closer to him. It was the only thing that brought me light and it continues to do so. Healing through writing also taught me not to sweat the small stuff. And it's all small stuff.

Which of your stories did you feel the most accomplishing?

I'm not sure. I try not to put a lot of pressure on my writing to be successful based on the number of books I sell, but rather how much joy they can bring to me writing it and those reading it.

Why do you think cliffhangers are necessary?

Not really. They're great in a series, but only if you're certain there's going to be another story to follow it.

Where do you find inspiration when you feel yourself going through writer's block?

I just look at the other books I've written and it helps me realize I can get through the writer's block and accomplish my goals.

How many times have u gone through your own stories

It's different with each book but usually I do 3 drafts and then it goes to editors.

Can you give some tips to motivate ourselves?

Start small. Set goals. Be present. Don't give up. Make life about love, not loss.

Are there some you ask yourself while writing or before starting a book?

I try to know my market, genre, reader, plot and outline accordingly.

Sometimes we know the plot but the continuation of the story or flow doesn't come to mind, any advice on that?

The more detailed you outline, the easier it will be to continue the story. There's a really good 40 point outline out there you can follow if you really want to break down a story chapter by chapter. You only need one sentence to keep the forward progress going.

Which work of yourself are you most proud of?

All of them for different reasons, but Geneva and Goodbye mean the most to me.

Would writing be the first career choice in your mind?

Actually yes. I'm blessed to do what I love for a living. I'm grateful for it every day.

Any advice for people who choose writing as their career? Like advice on getting published and all?

Read. Write. Repeat. Figure out what kind of books you want to write and read as many as you can. Learn your genre, what readers expect, what tropes you connect with most, what sparks your creative passion. Go to writing conferences, meet other writers and people in the industry. I learned so much that way. As far as getting published, check out KPD University. They have all the tools you need to publish on your own.

Do you ever feel pissed about your fans' reaction to some particular scene in the story?

Luckily I've been blessed to have truly amazing fans. I know not everyone will love everything I write so I'm realistic with my expectations. As with everything, I choose to focus on the positive.

The last question, Who helped you in your whole journey of becoming a great writer ?

There are probably hundreds of people I could name, from my parents to my teachers to all the other amazing writers I've met and worked with, but my husband Philip has helped me the most. Without him, there wouldn't even be one book. His belief and support is everything.

Thanks so much for your great questions.

Christina Benjamin

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NOTE: This Interview wasn't copied from anywhere. We personally asked her these questions by contacting her. Please don't copy or replicate this anywhere else. Interviewer,