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Out Now: Insurrection (Crystal 3)

Dayo Benson

Insurrection_Amazon etcHappy Saturday!

Insurrection (Crystal 3) is out now. I hope you’ll check it out. If you haven’t started Crystal’s series yet, book 1, Searchlight, is currently free at all online retailers.

You can view my Pinterest board for this series here. It’s ‘in progress’ so if you see any pictures that you think I should pin to the board let me know. I’m looking for a picture that would suit Luke’s character. He’s probably the hardest to ‘cast’.

As always, if you’re reading this series, get in touch to let me know what you think. I’d appreciate your feedback.

**Get your copy of Insurrection (Crystal 3) at Amazon UK, Amazon US, iTunes & Smashwords

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Pinterest – Check out the Crystal Series Cast

Dayo Benson

CrystalSocial Media really isn’t one of my strong points. I have Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest accounts, but post only once in a blue moon. Ya’ll probably didn’t know I was on Pinterest, did you? I’m most active on Twitter, but I post book covers on Facebook, and I have started adding more pins on Pinterest. The picture on the right is the pin i chose for Crystal. I’m finding that I quite like Pinterest. The pictures of food…mmm. They make me salivate. It’s torture.

Anyway, I have 3 boards on Pinterest. Actually I have lots of boards, but only three of them are public. One of them is for my Crystal Series. It only has nine pins on it so far, but I’m going to try and add two pins a week. Let’s hope I do that, because I know I’m no good with social media. If you’ve already read Searchlight, feel free to check it out HERE. If you haven’t read the series, don’t look. Honestly, you need to form your own mental picture for each of the characters so please don’t look 🙂

***If anyone wants to add pins, let me know (dayo.benson@ymail.com) and I’ll give you access.***

I’m planning to do boards for all my other books too. The Beauty for Ashes Series will be hard as some people are in love with Jace Washington so I probably won’t be able to get someone that makes everyone happy, lol. Oh, and just to let you know, my boards are ‘safe.’ I cropped out washboard abs and the like. Faces only, ha ha.

Writing update

I finished writing Allies (Crystal 4) on Saturday morning. I was happy, but I didn’t get the rush I’ve gotten each time I’ve finished a book in the past. I was just like ‘next’ and created the file for the next book, which I started writing this morning. I want the rush back 🙁

Publishing update

I’m going to try and get Insurrection (Crystal 3) published sometime this week. Sorry for the delay.

Dayo xx

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Out Now: Surrender (Crystal 2)

Dayo Benson

Surrender (Crystal 2)Hi everyone,

Surrender (Crystal 2) is out now: Amazon UK, Amazon US, Smashwords (it’ll be everywhere else soon). I love how the final cover turned out.

I’m feeling pretty festive, so if you post a book review for Searchlight (Crystal 1) on any of the online bookstores or review sites (Amazon, B&N, Goodreads, etc.) I’ll send you a free PDF of Surrender. Just email me and let me know that you’ve posted a review. My email address is dayo.benson@ymail.com.

(By the way the first book, Searchlight, is free in some places, like Smashwords).

People (readers) tell me I’m no good at writing book descriptions so I hope you guys have noticed that I’ve actually put in more effort with the book descriptions for this series, ha ha. I’ve read that the description should sound like a movie trailer (huh?). To be honest, I find writing these little descriptions harder than writing the actual book 🙂

Here it is:

Everyone has a limit…
…and Crystal is steadily getting closer to hers. She thought she could escape the SOT, but now they have her and there seems to be no way out. Some people think she has everything, but she knows she has nothing. Is she ever going to break free? And is the mysterious Juda a friend or foe?

Everyone is scared of something…
…and fear is the worst enemy of all. Crystal wants to hold on, but her fears enable the SOT to drag her to darker depths than she ever thought possible; depths from which she must claw her way back if she is ever going to regain her freedom.

The pressure is on, and Crystal must either fight or be broken. It all comes down to one question: Who will she surrender to?

Get your copy at Amazon UK, Amazon US & Smashwords.

Blessings,

Dayo.

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Announcing…Searchlight

Dayo Benson

SearchlightGuys,

I’ll come to what the picture to the left represents in a minute. First a quick update: I haven’t been blogging much because I’ve been doing so much writing. I’ve noticed that when I’m writing a lot, I blog less. I guess the writing fulfills my need for creativity and I have nothing left to put into a blog. I’ve hit a few 10,000 word days over the past two and a half months. My record is 11,352 words in a day 🙂 I’m so loving it.

Anyway, I finished 4 books, and I started the fifth book, then stopped and thought, ‘I need to publish the first four’. My husband was like ‘yes, stop writing and start editing the books you’ve written and get them out there.’ So that’s what I’m doing.

I was editing Pressure (Book 4 of Pure Passion Series), but I’ve put it aside. Something is just not going well between me and that book. The last book I was like this with was Blurred Vision (Drew Ashley 2). I’m just not feeling Pressure. I think it’s a good book, and the message behind it is strong, and the character arc (the transformation the main character goes through) is heavy. And the male lead is lovely. But, I’ve set it aside for when I have the mental strength to face it.

So, I started editing ‘Searchlight’ which is book 1 of Crystal’s books. The image above is the image I think my husband is going to use for the books cover–I absolutely love it because it really represents the book. Remember Crystal? Lexi’s daughter? She was a child in the Beauty for Ashes series, but she’s grown up now. I have written the first three books of her series, and I’m 18,000 words into book 4. I’ve decided to stop and get books 1 to 3 out. I finished editing book 1 on Saturday and I’ve sent it to an editor, so it should be out in November.

Let me just warn you. Crystal’s series is dark. Searchlight (Book 1) is dark-ish. Surrender (Book 2) is extremely dark. I haven’t read Surrender yet, so I might change my opinion when I do that. But writing it was hard, and slightly painful. But I didn’t hold back because there are people out there who go through worse things that what Crystal went through. Don’t worry, it’s not domestic abuse like what Lexi went through. It’s SOT- related.

When I finished writing the Beauty for Ashes series, I got a number of emails from people wanting to know more about the SOT. Crystal’s series is all about the SOT. If you remember her as a toddler in Red Carpet and Refiner’s Fire, she liked to sing. Well, now she’s 18 and she’s in a band, and the SOT want her. Book one of the series is about the SOT forcing her to join them. Book two is about her trying to get out of the SOT. Books 3 – 7 are about her, and a bunch of ex-SOT members that leave with her, trying to bring down the SOT. The series is cross-genre: YA, NA, action/adventure, romance, suspense. It will be a gritty read.

If you’ve read Bondage (Pure Passion Series, Book 2), I kind of wrote that in preparation for writing this series. I wanted to see how people would respond to the cult and the dark themes. Crystal’s series is a bit similar to Bondage.

Anyway, I’ll stop going on about it. Here’s the synopsis for Searchlight (unedited):

A heart-rending tragedy. A passionate love. A firm resolution.

Ambition
For as long as Crystal remembers, she has wanted to be a singer.
For as long as she remembers, her parents have feared the SOT, a celebrity cult that will make you famous, but destroy you in the process.
When Luke, leader of the SOT, sets his sights on Crystal will Crystal have the courage to stand her ground, or will she give in?

Destruction
After the SOT deal a deadly blow, Crystal has no choice but to obey their orders to sign up for Searchlight. Searchlight is the biggest talent show on TV. With the SOT’s backing, Crystal could win, but is she willing to pay the price? When she unexpectedly finds love, she is afraid to pursue it for fear that darkly handsome Juda could become an SOT target, too.
At Searchlight, her dreams and nightmares collide. According to Juda, it’s the darkest places that need light the most, but the SOT is much darker than Crystal imagined.

Heartbreak
Not everything is what it seems to be, and not everyone is who they say they are. Crystal is tough, but she’s only human. There’s only so much heartache and betrayal one girl can take.
Then she is tested, and she is forced to make a choice.
It’s a choice between light and darkness.
Good and evil.
Faith and despair.
But choosing God, might mean choosing death.

The SOT is back, and this time they mean business! Lexi escaped. Will her daughter, Crystal?

***Fans of the popular Beauty for Ashes Series, by the same author, will love this new novel, which focuses on supermodel, Lexi Washington’s daughter.***

You will be shocked. You will be drawn in. You will be entertained. The only thing you won’t be is bored.

Let me know what you think guys. I get told that my book descriptions are boring, so we tried to switch things up a bit for this one. Tried to make it sound more like a movie trailer, lol. Does it work?

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Stuck!

Dayo Benson

ImageI’ve been writing the next book in my Pure Passion series, Pressure, since March, which for me is pretty miserable. I can’t believe how long it’s taking me. Ever since I wrote one of my books, Refiner’s Fire, in three weeks, I find that I get impatient with myself if a book takes me longer than six weeks to write. I also get fed up of the book and it becomes a uphill task. Not that I don’t care about the characters in Pressure, or don’t find their story absorbing. I really do. I’m just stuck. There are people who don’t believe in writer’s block, they think it’s just an excuse for laziness. On the other hand there are people who blame writer’s block for every lapse in concentration that they have while writing a novel. I’m not really sure where I stand. I wouldn’t call what I’m going through now a ‘block’ as each time I sit down to write, the words do flow pretty easily; it’s just that I’m fed up with myself for not finishing this book sooner. I have definitely been blocked before though. When I was writing Lust I had about a three-week period where I really couldn’t write and I wasn’t sure why. That was pretty scary.

Anyway, I don’t have a cover for Pressure yet. Maybe that’s why it’s taking so long for me to write. Maybe I need something visual that represents the book and will inspire me to be passionate about it again. I don’t have a book description yet, either. But here’s a summary:

Pressure is the story of a young woman called Brooke who is controlled by her parents and is being made to marry some guy that she doesn’t want to marry. She runs away to Bridgefield the day before the wedding and her parents are furious, especially because the guys she’s jilted is the son of some big shot preacher. They want her to come back and marry the guy, but Brooke meets someone else in Bridgefield. His name is James Cassidy. And he’s been jilted before. A few years ago, his fiancé didn’t show up for their wedding and she ran off with his friend. So he likes Brooke, but will he still like her when he finds out that she jilted some guy, or will he think she’s just like his ex-fiancé, not to be trusted?

Pressure is all about a young woman getting to know God for herself, rather than just accepting what her parents have told her about God. There’s a lot of conflict around whether she has to obey her parents and break up with James, or disobey them and stay with him. Then, there’s also an element of faith vs. fear as Brooke has a lot of fears in her life that she has to deal with. Also, James is famous, but Brooke has no idea who he is until someone says words to the effect of ‘that’s James Cassidy. You don’t know who James Cassidy is?’ Oh, and the guy that Brooke jilted, his name is Darren by the way, tries to get revenge.

This is not really a good summary at all. There’s quite a lot that happens in the book. I think my problem is that I’m getting distracted by the next series I’m going to write (which is about Lexi’s daughter, Crystal, and is pretty exciting). I’ll share the cover for Pressure when it’s ready. I’m at 92,000 words. I guess all I need to write is another 10-15,000 words and I’ll be done. Pray for me 🙂

Blessings.

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Is Poetry a Dying Art?

Dayo Benson

Poetry is like…almost non-existent these days. Most poetry that gets any publicity was written hundreds of years ago. New poetry gets little publicity. And it’s pretty sad. I like poetry. I enjoy nicely rhyming verses and have even contributed poems to a Mother’s day anthology (I don’t know what became of the anthology so don’t ask). Yet, I wouldn’t personally buy a poetry book unless it was a gift for someone else or a friend wrote it and I wanted to support them. For me, poetry is more effective alongside something else like music, or a novel e.g. I included poems at the end of each beauty for ashes novel that summarised Lexi’s journey/growth in that novel, and I think it was pretty effective. It gave those books some added uniqueness.

However, poetry doesn’t come all that natural to me. It’s usually pretty painful for me to write them because each word needs squeezing out, whereas with writing fiction they just flow freely.

Anyway, I said no more tidbits about my next book, Bondage, but maybe I’ll give one more tidbit. Bondage is about a poet and a songwriter, so naturally I had to write poems and songs to accompany the book. I could have just been lazy and said ‘he wrote a poem’ and ‘she wrote a song’ but I wanted to push myself so I actually wrote the stuff and inserted them into the book. And I’m gonna treat you to a sneak preview of one of the poems. In the book, Savannah is training for a freestyle poetry competition and here is her shot at freestyle poetry (which is just standing up and saying whatever comes to mind and hoping it rhymes):

poem2

Not very uplifting, I know, but it summarises Savannah’s outlook. And I think more people should write poetry so that it doesn’t die out. Seriously, I actually sit and ponder things like ‘what if poetry dies out.’ And the thought sucks. So I plan to write more poetry, and put them in my books.

God bless x

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Author Spotlight: Denise Hunter

Dayo Benson

ImageThe best book I have read this year is Barefoot Summer by Denise Hunter. I loved it. Not many people know just how much I like Denise Hunter. I think she’s amazing. I have read most of her books and love most of them to pieces. So when I contacted Denise about interviewing her, I didn’t really expect her to agree to it, or even to respond to be honest. But she did. So here’s the interview.

Me: Thank you so much, Denise, for agreeing to this interview. First of all I’d like to ask a personal question, what are your hobbies?

Denise: Reading, playing drums, and traveling

Me: As a writer I am interested in your writing process. All of it. Do you outline your book before writing it, or make it up as you go? What time of the day do you write? Where do you write? Do you write in order from chapter 1 to end or do you write whatever scenes you feel like? How do you deal with writers‚ block? How many rewrites do you go through before you get to the final draft? Is there anything you find particularly challenging about writing? 

Denise: Before I start a story, I have some idea of what it’s about and where it’s going, though it’s by no means a detailed synopsis. I write in the mornings during the first draft stage until I reach 6 quality pages, usually until noon or so. During the rewriting and editing stages I work a full day. I do write scenes in order–I don’t have the brain to write out of sequence! I don’t get writer’s block. The closest thing to it is not knowing what comes next in the story, and I often get stuck with that, but I work through it until I figure it out. That’s the most challenging thing about writing for me. I do 6 drafts of each novel.

Me: I loved the scene in Barefoot Summer where Beckett thought that Madison was being attacked. What part of Barefoot Summer was the most fun to write?

Denise: I love writing dialogue, and it comes easily to me, so any banter between characters is the most fun to write. With Barefoot Summer I enjoyed writing the banter between Madison and Cassidy and also, of course, between Madison and Beckett.

Me: If you were stuck in a dark cave with a character from your book (male or female) which would you want it to be?

Denise: Probably Beckett because he could figure out how to get us out of there!

Me: What can we expect from you in the future?

Denise: I’m currently working on the rest of the Chapel Springs novels.

Me: I would like to end with a few quick-fire questions:
Silver or gold? Silver
Casual or formal? Casual
Summer or Winter? Summer
Chocolates or flowers? Depends if I’m on a diet. 🙂
Books or movies? Books!
Reading or writing? Oh, reading is more fun for sure. Writing is more rewarding. Plus it pays. 🙂
Pen or Pencil? Pen
Tea or Coffee? Tea
Early bird or Night Owl? Neither.
Ice-cream or yoghurt? Ice cream

ImageAbout Denise Hunter:

Denise Hunter is the best-selling author of many novels, including The Convenient Groom and Driftwood Lane. In 1996 Denise began her first book, a Christian romance novel, writing while her children napped. Two years later it was published, and she s been writing ever since. Her books contain a strong romantic element, and her husband Kevin says he provides all her romantic material, but Denise insists a good imagination helps too! She lives in Indiana with her husband Kevin and their three sons.

Check her out on Amazon!!

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Author Spotlight: Alison Stanley

Dayo Benson

ImageA few months ago I was looking around on Amazon and I found a book by a Christian author called Trust Me Twice. I liked the title and the cover so I read the description and decided that I liked that too. For some reason, I didn’t get around to reading it until earlier this month. It was such a cute story that I decided I wanted to interview the author. She’s Australian, so I dare you to read her answers out loud in an Australian accent. I just tried and didn’t do too good (I’m terrible at accents).

Me: Alison, thank you for agreeing to this interview. First of all, tell us about your family.

Alison: I have been married to Josh for 8 years (time flies!) and we have two delightful little girls who are 6 and 4 years old. We live in Sydney, Australia.

Me: Aww, I have two little girls too! How did you get started in writing?

Alison: My passion for writing has developed out of a love for reading. About two years ago, I’d run out of good books to read, so I thought “Hey, why don’t I try and write my own book; the kind of book I’d like to read.” This is where Second Chances started. It was just an experiment, but as I spent the next 12 weeks getting lost in the lives of my characters, I realised it was something I loved. Once I published my book, I then began to see my writing as a way I could reach out to others and encourage them to trust their lives to God.

ImageMe: What inspired you to write Trust Me Twice?

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Alison: After writing my first book, Second Chances, I wanted to base another story in the town of Oakley. Alana was a minor character in my first book (Hannah’s older sister) and I was curious to find out her story. She seemed kind of mysterious to me, and as I wrote, I got to see her story unfold. It was fun.

Me: What message do you want readers to grasp from Trust Me Twice?

Alison: As a Christian, I know that God has a plan for my life, but when things gets tough, it is easy to feel lost or like God doesn’t care. I have seen God at work through difficult circumstances in my own life, and I wanted to share that hope with others through my book.

Me: In Trust me Twice, I loved the part where Alana and Zac were passing each other notes under the door. As a writer I sometimes find it easier to express strong emotions in writing so I could relate with Alana being able to face Zac in writing rather than in verbal words. Would you describe yourself as the typical introverted writer or are you an exception to the stereotype?

Alison: I’m not a complete recluse, but I have to admit to being an introvert (I’m yet to find a writer who isn’t, although I’m sure they are out there). I loved the note-passing scene too. When I was writing it I could barely breathe, I was so caught up in the moment.

Me: Who is your intended audience and why should they read your books?

Alison: My book is aimed at teens and young adults, but a lot of my readers are in their thirties, forties and fifties. I think my book will appeal to anyone who is young at heart and enjoys a sweet, romantic love story with spiritual applications.

Me: What books have most influenced your life most? 

Alison: The Bible would be the book with the biggest influence on my life. I try and read it a few times a week, as it helps me keep life in perspective. When I’m not reading it, I notice that I get anxious or feel depressed because there are things in this world that get you down – just watch the evening news! It is such an encouragement to know that there is more to life, and that I can have hope in God’s promises for the future.

Me: I have to say I concur with that. What is your writing process? Do you outline your book before writing it, or make it up as you go?

Alison: I tend to have a rough skeleton of where the story is headed, but I like the freedom of sitting in front of my laptop and seeing where things go. The negative side of this is that I have whole chapters I have deleted from my story because I followed a particular idea and then reached a dead-end. They key thing in writing a book is having an idea that you are passionate enough about to see through to completion. I find it helpful to write a synopsis (book jacket blurb) to help me flesh out who the story is about, the major conflict, and the spiritual themes I want to bring out.

Me: What are your hobbies?

Alison: I work four days a week, so I enjoy hobbies that don’t require too much energy or brainpower in the evenings. After my daughters are in bed, I might curl up on the couch next to my hubby and watch The Mentalist or Castle, or read a book. I also enjoy playing piano and singing.

Me: Any interesting facts about yourself?

Alison: I have a few weird talents that are occasionally useful for freaking people out, like saying the alphabet backwards in less than 3 seconds and bending my thumbs backwards. It’s been a while since I did that though…

Me: That’s funny! What book are you currently working on? 

Alison: I’ve decided to take a break from the Oakley series and write a book that has been on my heart for a while. I got the idea from an experience I shared with my grandmother when she showed me some old letters she wrote to a young man who was overseas in WWII. There wasn’t any romance between them as my grandmother was a child at the time, but it got me thinking, what if she had been older…

Here is my synopsis:

When Ellie is forced to spend four weeks at her grandmother’s house over the mid-semester break, she thinks it will be torture. However, when she comes across a hidden box of old letters, she finds out things she never knew about her grandmother – and the mystery man who wrote those letters. As her grandmother shares her story, Ellie notices the parallels with her own love-life. When her faith is put to the test, will she listen to the wisdom of her grandmother and risk losing the guy she loves?

The difference with this book is that it is written from a first-person point of view, which is new for me, but I think it suits the book well and will appeal to my target audience.

Me: That sounds pretty intriguing. How can readers find out more about your books and upcoming projects?

Alison: If readers want to find out more about my writing, please stop by my website (http://alisonstanleychristianfiction.wordpress.com).

Me: Thanks very much for doing this interview, Alison.

Alison: Thanks so much for inviting me on your blog. It has been a pleasure.

My Review of Trust Me Twice

Alana and Zac were childhood friends but as they grew up Zac got all goodlooking and Alana was all awkward and slightly dorky. They grow apart, but meet again years later when they both go home to Oakley for Christmas, and by now Zac is a famous actor but Alana doesn’t know. I was so hoping they’d get together, but I guess you’ll just have to read the book to see what happens. I love cute love stories, and this one was just so cute. It only took a few hours to read. It’s set in Australia which is nice because I don’t think I’ve ever read a book set there. Thanks Alison Stanley for this heartwarming read.

You can find Alison’s books at Amazon.

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New Book!!! Blurred Vision

Dayo Benson

bv3I am pleased to announce that the second, and last, installment of Drew Ashley’s story is now available. It’s called Blurred Vision. Let me know what you think when you’ve read it.

I’m so excited to have completed another project. Writing about Drew has been so different from other main characters I have written about. I feel that Drew has been the most ‘normal’ of the bunch although she’s not really all that normal with her ability to see visions. Dana was very rebellious and Lexi was very resistant to God. I guess Drew’s defining traits are her female empowerment views and her ambitious personality.

Drew grows a lot in this book. You get to find out what happens with Kale (does she forgive him after the Gordon incident???), Harvey (does she like him or not???), and Drew’s friendship with Jazz (do they make up or hate each other forever???). You also get to find out who killed Travis. If you work out ‘whodunit’ before it’s revealed I want to know, lol.

Hope you enjoy reading Drew’s story xx

Read Blurred Vision Now