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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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Help! Stuck with Book Cover.

Dayo Benson

pressure coverSo, Pressure (Book 4 of my Pure Passion Series) has been sitting withing my laptop doing nothing for weeks, because for some reason we can’t get the book cover right.

I wrote a blog post at the beginning of June about how I was struggling with finishing the book. Well, like a week later, I finished it. And that was while also writing book 1 in another series that follows on from my Beauty for Ashes series. So The book has been finished for a while. But the book doesn’t ‘work’.

I suggested to my husband that he uses an image of an orange being squeezed, but he said that was too typical of ‘pressure’ and that we should think of something else. Well, we’ve been thinking for over a month now and can’t seem to come up with something. So guys, I need your help. Any ideas on an image to use?

By the way, I did a Guest Post on author Ava Bleu’s website today. Check it out.

Many Blessings xx

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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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FREE eBOOK: Lust (Pure Passion Series) Free @ Amazon

Dayo Benson

lustbookcoverYay!!! Further to my last blog post, Lust (Pure Passion Series Book 1) is now free on Amazon UK and Amazon US. Thank you to everyone who reported to Amazon that the book was free on Kobo. That made Amazon decide to price match. If you haven’t gotten into my Pure Passion Series yet, what are you waiting for? The first book is free now so dive in! And as always, let me know what you think when you’ve read it.

Blessings.

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Upcoming Book: Purity

Dayo Benson

ImageThis book announcement is so overdue, especially since I finished writing this book in February. I was dying to tell you all about it back then (It’s called Purity, by the way), but since Bondage was the next book in line, it seemed like a good idea to just stick with talking about that.

Purity is the third book in my Pure Passion Series. It took me twenty-three days to write, a writing record for me. Hopefully I’ll be able to write future books that fast. The cover was originally meant for Bondage, but it suits Purity much better. I’m so glad I switched them around.

Purity is basically an interracial love story about a girl who has stayed pure and a guy who hasn’t and how they work out their relationship. I had so much fun writing it. It’s a lot simpler than Lust and Bondage, but it’s very close to my heart as I got to write some things that I’m very passionate about personally.

I’m a youth leader/mentor at my church (although I did take a break for a few months because I had a baby—incidentally I resume my duties today), and I try my best to encourage young people to stay pure. Not just because it’s one of those things we have to believe in as Christians, but because I personally believe in it. It’s God’s best for us. Sex is a gift. It binds you to another person. Which is a good thing if you’re married and not so good if you’re not, as when you eventually do get married, you’ll need God to unbind you from previous lovers so that you can bind to your husband/wife (and that’s just one of the reasons!). But the emphasis of the book is more on heart purity than whether you have an intact hymen or not.

Anyway, before I start preaching (lol), here’s the unofficial synopsis:

Harper has always believed that love is worth waiting for. Can Caleb show her that it is also worth fighting for?

Harper’s reputation is cleaner than a whistle, and she always wondered why people couldn’t just say no to temptation until she met big, brooding Caleb.

Caleb paints all women with the same brush he paints his cheating mother who had an affair and left, devastating his father and meaning Caleb had to grow up too quickly. Surely Harper is the same.

After a disastrous first date, Harper is angry—mainly at herself for breaking her no dating rule, especially for a guy like Caleb. She’d like to just avoid him for the rest of her life, but they are signed up for the same summer mission which means six weeks of fake smiles.

Regardless of the awful date, something keeps drawing them together, and neither of them have the strength to fight it.

But, four years ago, Harper had an experience that changed her perspective on life and rocked the foundation of her faith—something she is keeping from Caleb. And then a shocking revelation about Caleb shows that their pasts are entwined in the most devastating manner, and Harper isn’t sure she can overlook it.

As they were both raised by single fathers, compatibility is something they have strong opinions about. It’s what ensures a great marriage, right? Same faith, same world-view. Same race?

As they battle these tough questions, Harper decides that maybe they’re better off apart.

And Caleb decides that she’s wrong.

Purity is a story of love and acceptance that will go straight to your heart.

I’m not sure whether I’m going to release Purity over the next couple of weeks, or whether I’ll hold back and release it alongside the next book in the series which is tentatively titled ‘Pressure’. I’ve almost finished writing Pressure so I think it’d be good to release them together. What do you think?

Have a fab Sunday xx

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The Wait is Over!!!

Dayo Benson

bondage cover 1First of all, I need to apologise because Bondage was supposed to be out in March. But everything took longer than usual. I was back and forth with my editor, then I realised that the book cover didn’t suit the book and had to get my husband to design a new one. It was so funny because I loved the original cover, but the more I looked at it, the more I realised that it wasn’t the right cover for Bondage. Rather, it belonged to Purity (Book 3 in the Pure Passion Series, which I will do a blog post about soon). So anyway, that’s fixed now and I’m so pleased with the new cover.

So guys, check Bondage out. It’s on Amazon. It’ll get on Smashwords and Kobo over the next week. I’m willing to give out free copies in exchange for reviews so if you’re interested in that, email me (dayo.benson@ymail.com).

Bondage is quite different to my previous books, so as you read give it a chance. It takes some time to warm up, but I think you’ll enjoy it. Also, I’ve added something at the back of the book where you can submit your email address and sign up to get updates about my forthcoming books the day they get released, so make sure to sign-up.

Blessings xx

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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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Book Update – Bondage: How far does witchcraft affect Christians?

Dayo Benson

I just received theImage first round of edits from my editor. The first stage is a developmental edit where she points out all the things that don’t make sense, all the plot holes, all the inconsistencies, and what I should do to make the story tighter and more enjoyable. This is only the second time I’m working with this editor and she’s really good. If you are a writer and you’re looking for someone who’ll tear your work apart prior to publication you need this woman. Seriously, she’s ruthless, which I think is great.

Anyway, so I’m in the middle of making tough decisions about the book. One of which is the issue of witchcraft and how far we as Christians believe in it. In Bondage, Savannah has a spell cast over Rhys who is a Christian, and when she tells him about it years later he doesn’t believe it ever worked on him. There are Christians who believe that witchcraft does work on Christians and that we need to daily pray against it. There are Christians who don’t believe that any power of the enemy can work on them at all. Then there a lots of people in the middle who ask questions like ‘why then do some Christians need deliverance after getting saved.’

Personally I don’t believe that any power of the enemy works on us as Christians. The Bible says no weapon formed against us shall prosper and I wholeheartedly believe that. But I also believe that if a Christian is not living right they give the enemy a loophole to exploit. The Bible talks about Joshua the high priest who stood before God and the devil was at his right hand to resist him. Just in case we wonder why, the next verse tells us that Joshua was wearing filthy garments. So I guess the devil felt like he had the right. But the good thing is God rebuked the devil on Joshua’s behalf. This can all be found in Zechariah 3:1-10.

There’s also the story of the devil instigating David to number Israel (1 Chronicles 21:1, 2), which shows that a Christian can be under satanic influence; and the story of Job, whereby God removed the hedge around Job and the devil was able to afflict him.

The Bible tells us how we can overcome the power of the enemy. Submit to God and then you can resist the devil (James 4:7) & put on the whole armour of God so that you can withstand all the wiles of the devil (Ephesians 6:11). I guess there is no straightforward answer to this question. People from places like Africa and Asia are more likely to believe in the reality of the devil’s power because they see it more. In the UK, we’re kind of oblivious to it’s existence most of the time–unless you go to a church that likes to talk about deliverance.

In summary, the devil uses fear, so if you’re not afraid of him and you put your trust in God and live right there’s nothing he can do to you. Purity is power. In Bondage, Rhys doesn’t believe he is under the spell because he is a Christian, but Savannah has experienced a lot of Satanism through her involvement in a music industry cult so even when she becomes a Christian she is afraid that the spell is still in operation, because she knows just how real the power of the devil is. She doesn’t want Rhys to love her because of a spell she cast when she was younger. My dilemma now is whether to cause her not to believe in the spell anymore and not care about it (would that be too drastic of a change for her?) or let her be afraid and seek for a way to reverse the spell.

Anyway, I have revealed enough. No more tidbits.

God bless x

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Cover for my Upcoming Book

Dayo Benson

ImageHappy New Year Guys,

I can’t believe this is my first post of 2014. I’ve been so busy with our new baby who is not so new anymore as she’s now five months old (it’s going too quickly!). My mother in law came to stay with us for a while and she was such a dream, helping out with the kids. We only have two but I sometimes feel like we have ten. They’re that energetic.

Anyway, I’ve been working on the next book in the pure passion series, which is called ‘Bondage’. I’m all done with writing, but now the real work starts: Editing (which I hate!). My husband has done his thing and just now designed a cover for the book. Isn’t it just fab?

The unedited synopsis is:

Orphaned at a young age, Savannah McPherson is just the kind of person that Delta Music Group is looking for: talented and vulnerable. Savannah, a thirteen year old with stars in her eyes signs her contract and the nightmare begins. Her only ray of light is the Christian guy at school, Rhys, who for some reason seems to care about this forgotten child. When their friendship is threatened, a fellow musician at DMG offers to cast a love spell, and when it kicks in a little too strong Savannah decides she has no option but to leave their school.

Fast forward ten years and Savannah is a modern day slave to DMG. Escaping is out of the question until a gruesome incident forces Savannah to find a way out.

Rhys Cannon loved Savannah when they were young, but she disappeared into thin air. Now, ten years later she has moved to the small town where he lives. Her new look and the fear that seems to emanate from her are all the evidence he needs to work out that she’s hiding, but from whom? And for what reason? His suspicion that something is wrong is heightened when Savannah enters the town’s poetry contest to try and make some money and her performances border on chilling.

Savannah does her best to deflect Rhys’ questions. She can’t let him get too close. How can she ever trust a guy after all that she suffered at the hands of the DMG executives? How can she tell him why she’s hiding when DMG employees are sworn to secrecy? Most of all, how can she tell him that the only reason he loves her is because of a spell?

As danger closes in, fear drives Savannah to faith, but she faces the ultimate test when she is required to testify against DMG. Will she speak out or let fear silence her?

This synopsis will change. I just know that my editor will make me change it. But it’s just to give you some idea of what the book is about (and the name of the music group will probably change too). The main message is that God’s power is above every other power.

I don’t have a release date yet but it should be out around March. In the meantime, why don’t you read book 1 of the pure passion series if you haven’t already. It’s called Lust and can be purchased here.

Blessings xx

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Christmas Book – Out Now!!!

Dayo Benson

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My new book is a Christmas-themed novella. It’s an achievement for me because it’s something I have wanted to do for a few years. Last year I managed to draft a plot, but something was missing and I didn’t know what. I didn’t know how to begin the novel. I wasn’t used to writing from two points of view, I couldn’t get anything about it to ‘work’. I tried again this year and kept getting stuck – nearly gave up – but all of a sudden something just clicked and in like two weeks it was written. So never give up guys. Keep trying until you succeed 🙂 It’s a short story (about 100 pages). I tend to overwrite so I’m amazed that I managed not to do that this time. Here’s the synopsis:

‘Tis the season of love and understanding…

Last Christmas, Robyn Kellett was distraught because her fiancé broke up with her. This Christmas promises to be even worse as Chad Ryder, the man she loved as a naïve eighteen-year old, resurfaces with an invitation to come to a university reunion in Blackpool. Robyn’s only hope of having a merry Christmas is the mysterious man she talks to every night online. They have a date for Christmas Eve, and Robyn hopes he’s as perfect in real life as he seems on the Internet.

Chad Ryder needs Robyn to come to Blackpool. It’s the only chance he has to win her heart before she finds out that the man she’s been falling in love with online for the past six months is none other than him.

At Blackpool, Robyn is infuriated by all of Chad’s efforts to win her heart, and Chad is frustrated with her constant resistance. As Christmas Eve draws near, Chad hopes for forgiveness for his deception, and Robyn hopes for the man of her dreams. Will either of them get what they want?

Available at Amazon, Smashwords, and Kobo!

Hope you’re all ready for Christmas. My daughter, Rhema, actually knows what Christmas is this year (she’s two) so I’m thinking of ways to make it special for her and also let her know the true meaning. Fifteen days to go…