We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Christina Benjamin a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Christina, thanks for joining us today. Is your team able to work remotely? If so, how have you made it work? What, if any, have been the pitfalls? What have been the non-obvious benefits?
For me, as an author, remote work is not only a perk, but essential. I can take my work anywhere which in itself is directly reflected in my writing. I love being influenced by the world around me. Creativity can be sparked anywhere and change the direction of my writing, or unblock the dreaded writer’s block. In my 10 year writing career I’ve learned that I do my best writing when I’m inspired and I’m never more inspired than when traveling and seeing the world. I love that working remotely allows me to make the world my office and spend more time with my husband, family and friends. It’s even inspired me to write a travel book and start a travel channel on YouTube. Like anything there can be pitfalls of working from home. For me sometimes the daily distractions of household tasks can make procrastinating a bit too easy. But the trade off is absolutely worth it for me. I like making the short commute from my bedroom to my office in my slippers. Working remotely has also brought an abundance of health benefits to my life. It means being able to take a break and do yoga daily and make healthy meals and take my dog for a walk to soak up the Florida sunshine. I feel immensely grateful that I get to do what I love with those I love every day. Working remotely has made that possible to the point where it doesn’t even feel like work, but rather a blessing.
Christina, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
An avid reader and lover of tall tales, I pursued an English major at UCF. I wrote my first novel in 2012 on my lunch break at work and madly fell in love with the process. Three years later I left my day job to pursue writing full time. Now, I’m an author of over 70 novels. I have 4 pen names and write in multiple genres, including Young Adult, Romance, Middle Grade Fantasy, Paranormal & Thrillers. I’ve been self-published, started my own indie label and been published by other small presses. I’ve learned so much about the publishing industry and the incredibly talented people in it. I’ve learned it takes a village to achieve publishing success. I’ve learned success in publishing means many different things to many different people. For me it’s publishing work I’m proud of, doing what I love for a living, and leaving a legacy of joy for others to read and enjoy. The majority of my books are available on Amazon worldwide, in ebook and paperback, with audio and hardcovers available for some titles. Christina Benjamin Books – https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/C91C8421-907B-44BC-9EA3-828BCAB4FDBF
CJ Cross Books – https://www.amazon.com/stores/C.J.-Cross/author/B098MS8F2D
Bella Night Books – https://www.amazon.com/stores/Bella-Night/author/B07K1RWHXW
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I started writing my first novel when I found out I was pregnant. I wrote a middle grade fantasy book that I planned to share with my son. Reading books like Harry Potter with my family had been a part of my childhood I cherished and wanted to share with my own children. My son was diagnosed with a terminal illness and passed away shortly after his first birthday. Writing was the only thing that kept me going. It was an outlet for the things I couldn’t say, the grief I couldn’t convey, so I bled it out onto the pages. I wrote my way to the light and slowly found joy again. I’m most proud of that book that brought me back to life. I wish I could say it didn’t take loss to make me realize life is short, but I’m proud it gave me the courage to chase after dreams and hold tight to what matters most in life. It also ignited a desire to put joy in everything I write. It’s my way to add light to the world. I’ve found so much love and strength in books. My hope is that maybe others can find that in mine as well.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
I wish I knew about Book Conferences earlier. The first one I went to was life changing for my writing career. It felt like stumbling into a secret society or being given the keys to the kingdom. I met so many incredible authors. It felt like finding my tribe. Having a community to connect with and ask questions to is invaluable. I also was able to take a lot of workshops that helped me expand my publishing industry knowledge. After that my growth exploded. I learned how to publish my own audiobooks, getting into libraries and schools, bookstores, book signings, grow my brand on social media, etc. I highly encourage anyone interest in indie publishing to seek out book conferences happening in their state and beyond. I traveled all over the US and Europe to go to the best conferences I could attend to hone my craft and it has truly made all the difference.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/C91C8421-907B-44BC-9EA3-828BCAB4FDBF
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorcbenjamin/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm1VWdRaCIXUelCg2wyoJZQ
Image Credits
Christina seeking inspiration in Venice, Italy. Christina seeking inspiration in Santorini, Greece. Christina celebrating release day.