Book Signing: Meet Aster and Susan!

A door to a wonderful opportunity has opened for me!I was invited to autograph books and speak at the Ina Thompson Moss Point Library in my hometown. It is where I had my very first book signing, so it means a lot to me. Not only will I be there with copies of my books available for purchase and autographs, but the two lead characters in the movie being made from my book Wildflowers will be in attendance as well. I'm so excited about the doors God has been opening for me. Save this date, come get a copy of the book being made into a movie right here on the Coast, and meet the two young actors bringing my two favorite characters to life.

Our Two Lead Characters

For those of you who have read and loved Wildflowers, meet the two individuals bringing Aster McGrath and Susan Blackman to life!

Photography by Ronnie Blakeney, South Shore Photography

Casting Wildflowers

I know it's been quite some time since I've been on here. I've had many things taking place in my life that have consumed my time. I'm sorry for neglecting my blog. 

One of those things taking place has been the casting of the movie Wildflowers! It has been a joy to watch my characters come to life before my very eyes. We haven't yet begun filming, but the scheduling for shoot dates is underway as I type. We just had our meet and greet with the cast this past Saturday, on March 5. There were a few cast members unable to make it to have their head shots taken, but our main characters made it out, and I cannot even begin to express my excitement!

Check out the Production company's Facebook page and see the pictures of our cast.

https://www.facebook.com/SureVisionProductions/

Dripping With My Blood

"His stout physique frightened me. He kept his head low so as not to be seen staring at me by Mrs. Natalie. His eyes pierced through me like daggers. Squinting, he narrowed his eyes as he took in my splotchy face and overflowing tears; then without warning he released a vicious smile revealing his nature. His teeth could have easily been sharpened to razor-sharp points and dripping with my blood. It was his mouth that had unleashed the death blow. His words had sharpened his teeth into fangs worse than any vampire ever thought of having." (excerpt; page 51 of Plain Jane by Schledia Benefield)

Tomorrow morning I'm going to be speaking to a group of women who are living in a Transitional Shelter. These are women who for one reason or another have ended up needing someone to help them get back on their feet. I'm far from perfect, and I don't have it all put together. I wish I did, but I get up every morning and I take more steps in the right direction. I can't stand in front of these women and say, "Hey, look at me. Be like me. I know everything, and I never battle the battles you face on a daily basis." No, I can't say anything of the sort. What I can say is this. "I was once a young woman who had been beaten down and thought very little of herself, much like many of you. I never lived in a place like this, but I've been down some rough roads, and I know all too well the pain we've all endured from the power of words!"

You see, much like my character in the book Plain Jane, most of us have dealt with someone speaking words to us that belittles us and makes us feel unworthy of respect and love, and when you feel that way, you often end up doing things and making decisions that keep those wounds open and bleeding, until you get to the point that you've bled out all there is to bleed. At that point you feel that you're nothing more than a walking corpse. Lifeless. It's all gone. The soul within you has died. 

People use their words everyday to sharpen their teeth into fangs, and then they do what every vampire does, they go for the jugular and suck the life from those around them. Words are powerful, but just like words can be used to tear you and others down, they can be used to build others up! Choose this day to speak kind words to those you come in contact with. You never know what it might do to lift their spirit. 

Blessings,

Schledia

Purpose

I decided to go back through all the posts I've made in my blog and see what gets read the most. It seems those posts dealing with depression get more attention than the rest of the stuff I write on here, and I think there's a reason for that. 
I'm a writer. It's who I am. I've known it most of my life, but I didn't realize what I knew about myself...if that makes any sense to anyone out there! As a child I lived in a fantasy world inside my head, creating stories. I even shared ideas with my cousin, and we talked about writing books when we grew up about the ideas we bounced off one another. I knew I was a storyteller; I just didn't realize that meant I was born to be a writer. 
I was also sad, even as a child. It's not that I didn't have moments of happiness. I didn't know it was depression that I felt. I just remember always feeling alone and invisible. I still struggle with feeling alone and invisible. I was the invisible girl. I truly was...at least in my own mind. 
At the age of fifteen some things happened in my life that catapulted me into a state of deep depression. I thought I was handling the circumstances okay, but I wasn't. Things didn't get better; they got worse. I began a downward spiral, sinking into a dark abyss. I was so deep within the waters, the light had been snuffed out. It could not penetrate. That was my life for many years. 
I was sharing not too long ago about how I've battled depression for most of my life, and then it hit me. That was a falsehood. I didn't battle it at all during those years. I had given in to the weight of it all and allowed it to consume me. 
NOW...I fight it! I fight it with those things I've learned give me the strength to fight it. It took Light that was strong enough to penetrate the darkness I was drowning in for me to begin swimming for the surface. I learned that it IS okay to take medication if you need it. No one would tell a diabetic in need of insulin not to take their pill or shot, now would they?! I learned that when I take care of my body through eating properly and exercising, I have strength to fight, and I feel so much better. 
It was during the time I was finally overcoming that I wrote my first published work, Plain Jane, the story of a young girl who sees herself as invisible. As her life plummets into the depths of depression, her heart is shattered, and her soul sinks into the darkness. 
I've always heard people say: "Write what you know." How true that is, and that right there is why I believe that my posts dealing with depression are read more than anything else. I created this page because of being an author...because that's what you're supposed to do as an author. I think I just realized it has a greater purpose. I'm not saying I won't post other things, but from now on my purpose with this page is to be a writer who writes about what she knows, and she knows depression.

Monday Madness...Poetry

“Holy Hush”

Those who feel they cannot speak,

Are bound by chains meant to keep them weak.

Boundaries and walls to fence them in,

A muzzle set in place to hold back the cries

So that no one around sees where the darkness hides.

The heaviness of the chains breaks them down

The seas rise around them; in the depths they will drown.

The deeper they sink, the darker their world.

Weariness sets in as the weight of the waters crush—

Shutting off all breath, leaving their only hope a Holy hush.

                                                                            Schledia Benefield

A New Adventure in Writing

Hi,

I know it's been a while since I've written anything on here. I made a schedule that I hope to implement soon. It would have me making at least three weekly posts. I just have to do some prep work before I start in on it. 

In the mean time, I have some great news! My latest fiction work to be published, Wildflowers, is in the process of being converted into a script for an Independent Film Company. I will be certain to fill everyone in on all the details as it progresses. I'm excited about this opportunity.

This endeavor will keep me busy throughout the summer, which is why I must do the prep work in order to keep a tight schedule, so off I go now to work on the script! 

Schledia