Check out this author spotlight for KB Benson!
You can find all her links furthest down the page, and don’t forget to check out her books!
1. Hi! Welcome to my humble blog of all things bookish! I would like for us to start by getting to know you. Give us a short bio, please!
Hi! I’m Kim. Author. Reader. Story Addict. Social Media Guru (sort of). Cookie Eating Champ (self-proclaimed). Wife of the best hubs ever. Mommy of two littles and a giant Golden Retriever.
I am the author of the Call of the Sirens trilogy, which relaunched in July 2021 and includes three novels PLUS a fun side story novella that you can get by signing up for my newsletter. Ever since elementary school, I’ve had a love for story and make-believe, and writing stories has been a part of my life since I was young. I love writing about fierce women who rise from the ashes to conquer the impossible, and hope readers find strength in my stories.
2. To get to know you just a little bit better, I’d like to ask you some this or that questions. Answer 5 (or more!) of these and explain why you chose this or that, or maybe an entirely different alternative!
Winter, spring, summer or autumn? Autumn
Cat or dog? Dog
Tea or coffee? Lemonade
Morning or evening? Morning. I just wish my kid would sleep in past 5:30A so I could capitalize on my morning energy
Library or museums? Library!
Hunter or gatherer? Gatherer
Witches or wizards? Both, so long as I get magic
Ninjas or pirates? Pirates for sure
Mountains or beaches? Mountains
Plotter or pantser? Pantser turned plotter, who is now considering plantsing *shrug, I don’t know ha*
Pen and paper or computer/phone? Computer/phone. My fingers can’t keep up with my brain if I handwrite
Standalone or series? Both in different seasons of life
Book or ebook? Both
Hero or anti-hero? Anti-hero
3. When you look for books to read, what trope or type of story will always catch your attention?
Enemies-to-lovers and fantasy. Really, I’ll look at anything so long as it has a romantic subplot. I gotta have me that swoon worthy, slow-burn romance
4. What do you write? Tell us about your current projects and the latest happenings!
I love to write YA Fantasy and dabble in all its sub-genres.
I’m currently working on an Upper YA Epic Fantasy, Sword & Sorcery series. It starts two years after a girl is sacrificed to the troll realm to fight as the Troll King’s mercenary. Now she has a chance to end her misery: Unleash the monster she’s buried deep inside and kill them all. But when a man from her past faces her in the arena, the young girl learns that there’s more to life than survival and that true strength comes from unlikely places.
I have been so engrossed in this story for over a year now. It definitely has my heart, and the romance subplot makes me smile and get all giddy… and I wrote the thing haha. Book one is with critique partners and I’m furiously working on drafting book 2. *high five*
5. What is your most recent release? Give us a short presentation, cover, and a link for where to buy it!
My most recent release—the Call of the Sirens trilogy—is a Contemporary/Urban fantasy trilogy about a siren who is charged to live on land and lure human prey into the ocean for her clan to feast on. But she falls in love with her prey and must decide where her true loyalties lie. To the human boy she loves or to her siren clan.
https://www.amazon.com/Harvest-Mermaid-Fantasy-Call-Sirens-ebook/dp/B0999LK5VL
6. What real-life inspiration do you draw from, and what are your primary fictional sources of inspiration (books, authors, films, music, etc.)? Name a few!
My primary source of inspiration comes from daydreaming to music that speaks to my soul and looking at fantasy photos on Pinterest… and long, hot showers. I kid you not, every time I get stuck drafting or editing or brainstorming, I jump in the shower with my playlist and come out having solved the problem.
7. What is your writing routine? If you have one, give us the run-down!
I try so hard to have a routine, but it’s hit or miss depending on how the day is going with my kiddos. I only sit down to write if I think I can have at least thirty minutes to myself. It tends to take me 20-30 minutes to get in the “zone” so I prefer at least an hour but will take what I can get ha.
I usually start on Instagram and clear out any comments/DMs so that I can put my phone away and not be tempted to pick it up while I draft. Then, I flip on my playlist and dive in for as long as my kids are happy entertaining themselves.
8. If you could go back and give yourself one piece of advice as you started out on the path to becoming an author, what would it be?
Join Bookstagram and connect! Writing is a very lonely path to take. You meet all sorts of characters in your head and are basically living a double life… yet you do it completely alone. Finding a writing community who gets it is so incredibly important for mental health, in my opinion.
9. Last but not least: where can we find you? Drop those links!
My newsletter and Instagram are where I hang out the most. Come connect with me and let’s be friends!
*Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/69c42e2a410f/theharbor
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/kb-benson
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/KB-Benson/e/B07MYV2YL3
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18818664.K_B_Benson
*Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kb_benson_books/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorkbbenson/
