We recently connected with Sheena Binkley and have shared our conversation below.

Sheena , appreciate you joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

When I started writing almost ten years ago, I didn’t know where to start. Writing was a hobby of mine, so the other thing I wanted to do was write, but I didn’t know about the different elements associated with being a writer. From editing to promoting, there are a lot of factors to being an author. Just because you can write a story doesn’t mean anything if you don’t showcase it to your audience; it’s essential to know what to expect when entering the writing industry. A person must understand that it takes more than just a story to be an author. It also takes hard work, dedication, and determination. You have to perfect your craft any chance you can get (workshops, mentoring, etc). It also means you must have a voice and sell your work to others. Without those elements, no one will know your talents as an author.

Sheena , 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?

I am a romance author, and I have written over 50 books in almost ten years. I have written books in various genres, including contemporary, African-American, interracial, and even urban. But regardless of the genre, all of my stories are from the heart. I try to write stories that readers can relate to in real-life situations. I’m a hopeless romantic, so I want readers to feel inspired and possibly hopeful about finding true love. Relationships take hard work, and with the characters in each of my stories, I want readers to go on a journey with them and see the good and the bad in finding true love.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Not only am I an author, but I also have a full-time job, so I know the importance of creating a work/life balance with both. Since I have a demanding job, it does take a lot out of me, which leads me to lose focus on writing. I have taken some time off throughout my career to focus on my day job, but I love writing so much that I would make the time to write.

I also make the time to focus on my family as well. Sometimes, I’ll be holed up in my room, writing away to beat deadlines, but I will also make sure to do things with my family. Life is too short, and I would not want any opportunity to be taken for granted; that’s why I try to separate my time from everything.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A lesson I had to unlearn was not letting everything get to me. When I released my first story in 2013, there was a lot of backlash regarding the storyline and the characters. So readers didn’t even like the ending of the story. I took that to heart, mainly because I can be overly sensitive. Because of the comments, It made me question myself as a writer. But what I had to understand is that not everyone is going to like my work. Everyone has an opinion, and that’s okay. I’m proud of what I have accomplished as an author, so all I can do is keep striving in my career and hope that the people who read my books love them and are inspired by the characters’ journeys.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sheenabinkley.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/chevon30?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/sheenabinkleyauthor