We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful C.d. Bennett. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with C.D. below.
Alright, C.D. thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with what makes profitability in your industry a challenge – what would you say is the biggest challenge?
I believe an author’s biggest challenge to profitability is letting people know you exist. Today, the industry is flooded with new writers and new material. Self-publishing is huge and there is so much for readers to choose from. Unless you are already famous or have a large, previously established audience from some other endeavor to tap into, getting heard in the vast crowd of voices is a real struggle.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
For anyone who has never heard of me before, I write romantic suspense novels. I enjoy writing romantic tales that immerse the reader in a world of fast-paced action, adventure, and eventually love. Each story has a unique challenge that the characters need to overcome. Usually, it’s a bad guy they come up against and have to out-wit. I strive to make the reader feel as if they are a part of the story, watching it unfold, and that the characters are friends they are rooting for. If readers want to visit the place I create and miss my characters when the book is finished, it’s a huge win. Being able to make someone forget about their surroundings, their worries, or the grind of daily life–even for a short amount of time– and escape into a story they don’t want to end, is an amazing feeling. One thing I feel like I do differently than some other writers is that I want to make secondary characters that are just as engaging as the main characters. I feel that it gives the story more depth and keeps the reader wanting more. With each of my books so far, one of the first things I hear is…is this going to be a series? When can I read –insert favorite side character’s name here’s–story? I love hearing that readers couldn’t put the book down, or that I kept them up reading well past bedtime.
I didn’t start out as a writer even though I played around with it as a hobby for my own enjoyment ever since I was young. Reading was my first love. A wide range of stories stimulated my vivid imagination. An interest in the natural world around me led to my graduating from college with a double science major. I spent my college years working as an EMT, before taking an environmental education position within the state park system. My experiences and knowledge help create interesting stories. I am a die-hard nature/animal lover who loves going on real-life adventures. That probably explains the detail of the setting descriptions and the inclusion of animals in my stories. My first novel, Drastic Means, involved an African grey parrot that played a key role in how the story played out. In No Good Deed, the main character is a loner who prefers the bond she shares with her animals more than those with people until she discovers that family isn’t always a blood tie. The backdrop of a large family ranch and the animals it holds is the focus of the story.
Like many others, the rise of the Covid era left me with too much time on my hands with nothing to do. It was the perfect time to take writing more seriously and finish the novel I had been ‘playing’ with. The reception it got from the people I shared it with left me thinking–why not try to publish? I am now an award-winning author working on book three and loving every minute of it.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
For me, the most rewarding part of being an author is the feeling I get every time a reader says how much they enjoyed reading my work. It’s the pleasure those readers get from taking some time for themselves and losing themselves within my stories. It still amazes me when someone I have never met says how connected they felt to something in my books or how easily they could picture the place or relate to a character. Being able to make someone happy, to make them feel something with what you do is a gift.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
I built my audience on social media through trial and error. It is not easy for me. I am an introvert by nature and often feel like I don’t have much to say that would interest people. It shocks me when people say that they look to me for inspiration. I still struggle with reaching new people and ‘staying relevant’. That’s not to say that I don’t enjoy interacting with readers, because I do. It’s a lot of fun to create online connections with fellow book lovers, especially when they stick around and become part of your journey as they share bits and pieces of their lives with you. Living in a rural location like I do can limit your options when it comes to meeting other people with similar interests. Social media broadens my horizons. In the future, I hope to forge new relationships with both readers and fellow authors. Everything is better with the support of others whether you are giving it or receiving it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://readcdbennett.wixsite.com/readcdbennett
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/readcdbennett/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090902103529
- Other: Amazon Author Page:
https://www.amazon.com/author/c.d.bennettGoodreads Author Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/23250604.C_D_BennettBookBub Author page:
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/c-d-bennett-318e7889-91ae-45c9-9925-cc8ae405d3f9Linktree:
https://linktr.ee/readcdbennett
