Ben Sharpton
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The Latest Exciting News!

  • June 17, 2016 2nd Sight: Capturing Insight is published!
  • May 11, 2016 Camp Fear: 13 Days of Fear is released!
  • February 17, 2016: Limitless Publishing will release my paranormal thriller, 2nd Sight - Acquiring Insight.
  • February 8, 2016: Just signed with Solstice Publishing to release Camp Fear, my young adult/new adult thriller!
  • August, 2015: Reviewer of my new novel, 2nd Sight (which should be released in a few months) said, "Interesting and intriguing, 2nd Sight felt like a billion dollar Hollywood movie. The words and the characters are so crisp that you can almost taste them."
  • June, 2015: Kiara Done reviewed an early draft of my new young adult novel, Camp Fear, and said, "I personally enjoyed Camp Fear because I found it insightful and inspiring. Ben A. Sharpton’s characters were likeable and believable.If you enjoy a good adventure story with a little meaning packed into it, give Camp Fear a read!."
  • March 1, 2014: Book signing at Barnes and Noble bookstore in Brandon Florida.
  • November 23, 2013: I will be signing books at "The Last Word" used bookstore in NE Charlotte from 11 - 2.
  • July 20, 2013: The 3rd Option is released by Brandylane Publishers, At last!
  • September 2012: 7 Sanctuaries is featured on the Novel Voices Press web site.
  • June 2012: Just signed an agreement to publish 7 Sanctuaries with Novel Voices Press of Canada.
  • December 2011: Just signed an agreement to publish The 3rd Option with Brandylane Publishers in Virginia.
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Awards!

  • ​September, 2014: The 3rd Option won Gold (first place) in the Action category of the Readers' Favorite book contest. Readers' Favorite
  • June 7, 2014: I am blogging (occasionally) for "Day 1" (formerly "The Protestant Hour"). You can read my first post at  Day 1.
  • May 27, 2014: Something In The Air, one of my unpublished short stories, won 2nd Honorable Mention in the Writers/Editors Network writing contest. The story follows one of my characters from 7 Sanctuaries in more scenes from 1969.  Writers-Editors Network
  • May 6, 2014: The 3rd Option is a Finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards contest in the Suspense/Thriller category and the Second Novel category.
  • March 25, 2014: The 3rd Option won the Urban/Edgy category in the Chanticleer Reviews Paranormal Book contest. Chanticleer
  • March 18, 2014: The 3rd Option won the Reviewer's Choice Award for the South East Region in the Reader's View Annual Literary Contest!  Reader's View
  • March 13, 2014: The 3rd Option is a finalist in the ForeWord Book Of The Year contest in the Action & Adventure category!  ForeWord Reviews
  • August 7, 2013: Two Works-In-Progress received awards from The Write Helper 1st Chapter contest. 2nd Sight won fifth place and Camp Fear received a Notable Entry designation.
  • March 18, 2013: 7 Sanctuaries is a finalist (Top 3) in the Historical Fiction category of the Readers Views Literary Awards! Readers' View
  • August 2012: I just received news that my newest novel, 2nd Sight, has placed in the top ten in the Critique My Novel contest. One of the judges commented, "Exciting read ... Each plot twist flows seamlessly to the next. I was actually amazed at how well thought out the plot and characters seemed to be." Critique My Novel
  • June 2012: Won 1st Place for my Young Adult short story, "He Was A Quirky Kid" in the center for Writing Excellence contest. It will be published in an upcoming anthology and you can read the story here: Center for Writing Excellence
  • May 2011: The first chapter of The 3rd Option won fifth honorable mention in the Writers/Editors Network writing contest.  Writers-Editors Network
  • February 2011: My short story, "The Day After the End of the World" won first place in the Writer's Type fiction contest. See more here:  Writers Type

Sharpton's Novels

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7 Sanctuaries
(Novel Voices Press)

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The 3rd Option
​(Brandylane Publishing)

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Camp Fear
(Solstice Publishing)

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2nd Sight 
​
(Limitless Publishing)

From The Newsroom!


Author Interview with Norm Goldman of Bookpleasures.com

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Today, Norm Goldman Publisher & Editor of Bookpleasures.com is pleased to have as our guest Ben A. Sharpton author of 7 Sanctuaries. He has published more than 100 articles and chapters in more than 30 magazines and books. 7 Sanctuaries is his first novel and his second, The 3rd Option should be released in early 2013. Ben has won several awards in contests with Writers/Editors Network, the Center for Writing Excellence and Writer's Type.

Norm: How did you get started in writing? What keeps you going?

Ben: Soon after graduating with my first masters degree in the late '70s, I began writing articles in magazines for people who worked with adolescents. I branched out into other fields, published a few short stories and then published some curriculum books. Going to the mailbox back then was actually exciting, as I anticipated the next acceptance letter from a publisher or royalty check for something I'd written. In the '80s, I began to write in the corporate environment; newsletters, speeches, training manuals and video scripts for companies like Tupperware and Universal Florida. At that time, I let my fiction writing go. About four or five years ago, I picked it back up again, focusing on novel writing, this time.

Norm: I believe 7 Sanctuaries is your first novel. Did you enjoy the process? How was it different from your typical format?

Ben: I truly believe writing in the corporate environment set my fiction writing back a bit. In business writing, I had to write concisely, and with little embellishment. I focused on facts and processes, with little description or color or flavor. When I returned to writing fiction, I literally had to teach myself to write again – to show and not tell and to paint pictures with words. 

Norm: How did you decide you were ready to write 7 Sanctuaries? Did you write the book from your own experiences?

Ben: I had attempted a novel or two over the years, but had not completed any of them. At one point I woke up every morning at 5:30 to spend a couple of hours on a book before heading into the office. Then, I decided to participate in NANOWRIMO – the National Novel Writing Month event in which tens of thousands of writers participate every year. Basically, in the month of November each person cranks out a fifty-thousand word novel. I believe it works out to be about seventeen hundred words every day. So that November four years ago I wrote 7 Sanctuaries. I think the focus of NANOWRIMO, the goal I set and the camaraderie of other writers working toward the same goal helped me complete this one. I've gone on to write novels in three more NANOWRIMOs since then.

You could say 7 Sanctuaries is semi-autobiographical. I grew up in a small town in central Florida with white and black drinking fountains, schools and theaters. I saw the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show and the first moon walk on a fuzzy black and white television set. I lived through Hurricane Donna, voluntary and involuntary school integration and the assassination of wonderful civil rights champions. I attended a tent revival and heard about KKK rallies. Saw my first hippie on a vacation to San Francisco. That decade was so unique, so impactful that I thought we should be reminded again of the strides, painful as they may have been, that our nation made.

Norm: Did you learn anything from writing your first novel and what was it?

Ben: I learned so very much. One thing was that writing is much more about re-writing and editing. Over the last four years, in addition to writing three other novels, I have edited and rewritten 7 Sanctuaries many times. I learned that marketing is critical to being a successful novelist and that some subjects might be more difficult to market than others. I learned lots of tools, techniques and tips for writing effectively. And I learned that the people around you – friends and family – want you to succeed and will support you as much as you are willing to let them.

Norm: What do you want your work to do? Amuse people? Provoke thinking?

Ben: I believe stories carry a powerful potential to move people. Some make us think. Some make us feel. Others entertain us. The good ones do more than one of those things. 

Norm: What's the most difficult thing for you about being a writer?

Ben: Probably the solitude. Having worked for non-profits and in the corporate environment, I enjoyed gathering around the water cooler and building friendships with lots of people. But as a writer, I guess I don't get out much. That only reinforces the need for writer groups and other social activities.

Norm: In fiction as well as in non-fiction, writers very often take liberties with their material to tell a good story or make a point. But how much is too much?

Ben: I try to stay true to the things we know – the geography, history, science, psychology, physics and, I guess, existing myths. Anything else is limited by the author's creativity.

Norm: What do you think makes a good story?

Ben: There are a lot of writers who insist it's all about the character. That may be true for many readers, but I like a good plot. I enjoy a story line that captures my attention and twists and turns from time to time. Character and setting are important, but in my high-concept world, plot makes it all a lot of fun.

Norm: Do you feel that writers, regardless of genre owe something to readers, if not, why not, if so, why and what would that be?

Ben: Definitely. In the business world I was a strong proponent of customer service. As a writer, my customers are my readers. I need to serve them to the best of my ability. I try to provide a good, entertaining and thought-provoking story with believable characters. 

Norm: Is there anything else you wish to add that we have not covered? 

Ben: 7 Sanctuaries is my attempt to recall those critical events that shaped our nation – the Vietnam war, racial tension, radical cultural change, rapid technological growth and so much more, all fueled by the idealism of the baby boom generation. As we boomers head into retirement, I believe we need to pause and recall some of that idealism, some of that hope and lots of those good times.

Norm: Thanks again and good luck with all of your endeavors



Ben's books

The Stepford Wives
The Boys from Brazil
Timeline
Jurassic Park
The Lost World


Ben Sharpton's favorite books »
Writing With a Bit of Meaning
  • Welcome
  • 2nd Sight
  • Camp Fear
  • The 3rd Option
  • Consider This...
  • Updates
  • Temporary