Until Hollywood calls, Charlotte lives in NJ with her husband, three children, two needy cats and sometimes a deranged squirrel. The Evolution Revolution trilogy: Simple Machines, Simple Plans, and Simple Lessons are her first solo novels. She is co-author of Blonde Ops (St. Martin’s/Dunne) and the Sirenz series: Sirenz, Sirenz Back In Fashion, (Flux), and one of 13 authors in the anthology, Beware the Little White Rabbit (Leap).

To put books in the hands of kids, she contributed to the fundraising ebook anthology of horror, Scare Me To Sleep. She’s written for magazines and newspapers, and has given presentations and workshops at NJ SCBWI conferences, schools, libraries, and other venues. Currently she’s working on sci fi, historical, fantasy, and time travel novels for middle grade, young and new adult readers. Connect with her on Twitter (charbennardo), Author Charlotte Bennardo on FB, on Pinterest and Instagram as Charlotte Bennardo, and through her blog, http://charlotteebennardo.blogspot.com/

 

SIX MINUTES WITH CHARLOTTE BENNARDO:

Joining LitPick for Six Minutes with an Author is eclectic author Charlotte Bennardo. Evolution Revolution: Simple Machines has received the LitPick Top Choice Book Review Award – with three five-star reviews.

https://litpick.com/books/evolution-revolution-simple-machines

Be sure to pick up your copy of this fun story (https://amzn.to/2NEsBMU).

-----

***How did you get started writing?

I started off writing truly awful poetry. Not even my mother liked it. But you have to start somewhere. 

***Who influenced you?

I learned how to write dialogue by reading romance novelist Julie Garwood's books. Go ahead and laugh, but she sells millions of books. I learned something from every book I've read, even the awful ones. They taught me what not to do or showed me where my interests were.  

***Do you have a favorite book/subject/character/setting?

I adore The Lord of the Rings trilogy - it has humor, a tiny bit of romance, good vs. evil, epic battles, wizards, poetry, magic, villains you love to hate, and flawed characters who are just like us and places both exotic and like home. 

***What advice do you have for someone who wants to be an author?

Don't wait for someday to write - when you 'get the time.' MAKE the time, even if it's only 15 minutes a day. It took me several years to write my first novel because I was working full time, going to school at night, and had a house & husband. I wrote in my car on my lunch half-hour. The day to write is TODAY (even if you're in middle or high school).  

***Where is your favorite place to write? 

I LOVE writing on my patio, next to my pool. I'm a summer gal. But if I have to write anywhere else, like a waiting room, my kitchen table while dinner's cooking, etc., I dig in and forget the place.

***What else would you like to tell us?

Everyone's a critic. Especially now with social media, it's easy for people to take you down and keep their identity secret. Keep writing - no one is an expert on your writing, you are. Listen to constructive advice, ignore the hateful. 

-----

Charlotte, thank you for spending time with us and sharing your heart with our readers. We love your advice about not waiting for the right time to write but making the time to write. May our aspiring authors (and authors alike) remember the valuable reminder to listen to constructive advice from others but not be brought down by the hateful comments made on social media.