An Author In Progress: Christmas Countdown Blitz Day 6

Bennett lives a most unglamorous life in the beautiful state of Utah. She is the author of several YA books in many subgenres. She’s the mom of two daughters, two sons, two daughters-in-law, a son-in-law, four grandbabies, and a dog. She loves gooey cookies, dark chocolate, and cheesy popcorn. She hates housework and cooking, and has no plans to become a domestic goddess. Her favorite pastime—other than writing—is riding her Harley.

Connect with the Author here:

~ Facebook ~ Website ~

"Banished from the South Pole, Kara tries to carve out a new life among the elves of the North. It’s not easy with a secret to protect—a secret she's cursed with by the unusual circumstances of her heritage: half-elf, half-fairy. In the North, she’s assigned to work with Seb on a special project. He's the most gorgeous elf she’s ever seen—and the orneriest.

As if being banished wasn’t punishment enough.

Seb introduces her to Trystin, a fairy from the nearby fairy forest. Trystin discerns her secret right away and promises to teach her how to use the powers given to her by the very thing she’s fighting to keep hidden."

~ Amazon ~ Barnes and Noble ~

Q&A With The Author:

1. Describe yourself in 50 words or less.

Writer, Mom, Grandma, lover. Everything else in life is secondary, some of it pleasurable, some of it hard. But I wouldn’t change anything about my life right now. Mistakes made have formed who I am, so I can’t regret them—too much. Motto: Love your life, and create your own happiness.

2. What do you love most in the world?

The people in my life, that’s what I love most.

3. What inspired you to become an Author?

I always wanted to write, but it was my 9^th grade English teacher who made me realize that not only did I have the talent and ability, I had the passion. To actually become a published author was inspired by my daughters who read what I wrote and encouraged me to put my books out into the world.

4. What is your largest unfulfilled dream, and what are you doing to reach it?

A college degree. At this point in my life, it won’t do anything other than give me the ability to say, yes, I have a degree. But education is important to me (all four of my children have college degrees) and I love to learn. I have been taking college classes. It may take the rest of my life to achieve it, but I really hope to one day have a degree behind my name.

5. What is your trick for getting past writer's block? And what advice do you have for other authors who are struggling to tell their story?

That’s a tough one since I can’t always get past writer’s block. It mostly happens with persistence—keep writing even if you don’t feel like it. So, I guess that would be my advice: write even if you don’t feel particularly inspired. You never know what gem you may uncover by doing so.

6. Now that we've gotten to know each other, tell me a story. It can be long or short. From your childhood or last week. Funny, sad, or somewhere in between. Just make sure it's yours. What's your story?

On the subject of telling stories, and add to that, “out of the mouths of babes”: I can’t recall how old I was, but I was young enough to not understand the nuances of truth and a story. My dad, who passed away three years ago, and who I miss keenly, was a funny man. Even as a young kid, I recognized that he was perceived by all who knew him as a comedian. He had a sharp sense of humor, which I like to think I inherited to a certain degree.

He once told us kids a story about my mother. Keep in mind, I was too young to recognize the difference between truth and a story. I only remember that the story got a big laugh. A few months later, I’m at a church function with my mother. They went around the circle and asked for each mother and daughter to tell a story about the other.

Immediately I thought of my father’s story and the laugh it got. Of course, I decided that was the story to tell because I could get the laugh myself. I didn’t know just how inappropriate the story was to tell at a church function, nor the fact that it was just a funny, made up story that had no truth in it, which the first crowd that heard the story understood, knowing my dad. To my mother’s utter horror, this is the story I told:

“My dad told me that at a party recently, my mom got really drunk, and was dancing on the table.”

I couldn’t understand my mother’s upset (who didn’t drink alcohol, ever), but it was strong enough that to this day I remember the incident, and only later as I matured could I understand just how embarrassing and horrible it must have been for her. I have apologized to her, though by the time I did it was but a distant memory to her. Still, to this day, all these years later, I feel bad for it.