Slyce: Brothers and Sistah’s, please welcome our sister Irish J. Benton to “The Interrogation Room” !! Welcome my sister :-). Are you ready?…
IB: Thank you so much for the warm welcome! It’s a pleasure to meet your audience tonight.
Slyce: What inspired you to become an author?
IB: I owe many thanks to my best friend Margaret Starr and Steveharveytv.com for the inspiration. I spent a great deal of time speaking to my best friend daily about the ongoing struggles of these very toxic relationships. At the end of most traumatic conversations, she would say “Girl, you could write a book about this mess you’re in”. We’d laugh but I never really considered. I was still very emotional and tied to the 2nd abuser.
I listen to the ‘Steve Harvey Morning Show’ almost every morning and have been for several years. One morning while sitting at my work desk, Steve was promoting the book ‘Act Like A. Success’ and one of the things he began to talk about was “Man, y’all just Ask God about your Passions and Gift, I promise you, he’ll give you, your answer”. I took a post it note and wrote that statement down and that’s exactly what I did.
“God what did you gift me with, what is it that I’m here to do?”. A few months later I began my online talk showed called “Let’s talk with Divanation”. The answer was “Your gift of talking to people, and connecting with them..I rarely meet a stranger.. The intentions of the show was to expose ‘Woman Power’. I built a platform for women in business, artist, authors, entrepreneurs…but then a lightbulb went off and I decided to have the platform for anyone in business in my community to come on and let people know what they are about.
After hosting the show for a while, a deep down passion came for me to finally tell my story. It took me 9 long months to write but the passion became so great I would NOT give up. I finished and now, I’m a published Author!
Slyce: What is the name of your publishing company?
IB: I am currently self-published and I use my business logo “DivaNation Entertainment”. Of course DivaNation represents all my Divas across this land. @DivaNation is a patent trademark & copy written.
Slyce: In what genre do you write?
IB: Currently I write in the genre of Domestic Abuse/ Violence Family/ Relationship Dysfunction categories.
Slyce: Have you ever penned under another name?
IB: No. This is my first ever piece of literary work.
Slyce: You wrote a book title “Breaking His Silence”. What was this book about?
IB: “Breaking His Silence” is a TRUE EVENT novel that tells a story of a young woman who gets exposed to one of the ugliest epidemics this country is faced with everyday, and that is Domestic Abuse and Violence.. Not by just one man, but 2.
Slyce: How important are interviews?
IB: Reviews are VERY important to me whether they be positive or constructive criticism. The reviews let me know:
- They really read the book 😁
- It allows me to interact with my readers
- It will enhance me to become a more skillful writer based on the feedback given
- No reviews would be detrimental.
Slyce: What does the term “Building a Brand” mean?
IB: Building A Brand to me means, presenting who I am, what I believe, what I stand for and how I deliver it, will people trust my product, my knowledge and will I be true to what I put out there. Absolutely, if its not intriguing for me, than I dare not give it to the customer. I promise to deliver every time I’m behind that pen. One of my branding ideas was to ‘Go Purple’. I wear purple hair everyday because it reminds me why I do what I do! It also keeps me in a spiritual connection with everyone who has been or is in the battle of Abuse.
Slyce: What does the phrase, “Learn the Craft” mean?
IB: As a new indie author my guess would be learning the Art or skills needed for the craft. When I see the word ‘Craft’ its something in the making. There has to be a plan, a blue print maybe tools involved. So as a new artist, my options of learning to be a good Author are always top Priority.
Slyce: What goals do you wish to achieve as an author?
IB: My goals as an author are very simple, to reach an audience that are ready to know the truths about abuse. I want to reach every woman who feels she’s stuck and there is no way out. I want to encourage them by reading my trials that turned to TRIUMPH.
Slyce: Do you feel a new author should have a “Team”?
IB: Well, I have to be brutally honest. When you are new to the industry, one may think they should have a ‘Team’ because quite naturally you know NOTHING about NOTHING. I currently work alone because of a bad experience, so that would cleary be up to the individual.
Slyce: What advice can you offer to those aspiring to become an author?
IB: The first thing I would advise any aspiring author is this, If you have a story burning in your soul WRITE..do not get so consumed with thinking your story is NOT good enough. If it wasn’t good enough, it wouldn’t be stirring in your soul. It’s your gift tugging at your heart. SAVE MONEY…you will need a BUDGET depending on what you plan to do with your book. I choose to use people in my community for my cover and book trailer. I had to hire a photographer and videographer. I paid a Publisher which I regret now but it depends on what you want. Lastly, time, time, time and commitment will be needed to finish what you start.
Slyce: What was one of the biggest mistakes you made as a “New Author”?
IB: One of the biggest mistakes I made was NOT thoroughly getting referral info for the publishing company I originally started with. It was a nightmare. Research your publishing companies, read testimonies or even check with your local BBB to see of there are complaints or lawsuits.
Slyce: Do you write for the passion or the profit?
IB: Clearly a passion. DON’T THINK THIS IS A GET RICH QUICK GAME..ITS NOT! In fact you mostly likely will end up spending more money to promote and get your name off the map with your first title.
Slyce: How did you come up with this title?
IB: I had started the book. but had no title. One day while at work, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I say divine intervention tapped me on the forehead. The title does not just represent one man, it represents the multitude of HIMS that abuse women.
Slyce: In what city does this story take place?
IB: This true event novel takes place in my hometown of Concord, NC and Charlotte, NC.
Slyce: What excites you about your genre?
IB: That women will get it. They will read my story, and get it. The get is.. REAL LOVE should NEVER hurt or harm you. They will get that we make to many sacrifices and excuses for men who have this behavior. They will get, we always cover up and hide from the true pain, how we accept it and deal with it. They will get, that God brought us here with a purpose in mind and it was NOT to be beat on but to replenish his earth and fill it with beauty.
Slyce: How can our viewers contact you?
IB: Viewers can contact me by email:
jeanbenton70@gmail.com
Or inbox me..
I usually respond within 24hrs.
My readers are important to me..so I will reach you back
Slyce: I’d like to thank guest Irish J. Benton for joining us in “The Interrogation Room”!! Thank you my Sistah 🙂 You were wonderful!!
Everyone please go purchase “Breaking His Silence” by Irish J. Benton. Also, remember to check out her page on Facebook at: 
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BOOK:
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