Cheris Hodges and Kianna Alexander (Courtesy photo).
BENNETTSVILLE — Saturday Bennettsville and Co. held one of the first of many exciting new events to highlight the city’s up and coming entrepreneurs, a book signing featuring two female authors with an impressive catalog of novels already under their belts: Cheris Hodges and Kianna Alexander.
“I am happy and grateful to have such a talented local author as Cheris Hodges,” said Jaharra Graves of Main Street Bennettsville. She continued, “This is a wonderful event for the community to highlight and embrace her skills. Having her here is a huge honor.”
Cheris Hodges is a Bennettsville native with 35 published novels, her first professionally published in 2003, and says she has been writing for years.
“I started writing romance novels when I was working in Georgia covering crime. I needed to get it out of my head at night and so I just started writing,” explains Hodges, who teases the project she is currently working on is a mystery thriller. During the event, Hodges signed copies of her newest novel, “It Happened One Homecoming,” as well as copies of all her previously published works.
“You can self-publish or publish online. You have more independence and creative freedom publishing that way. It really depends on how much control you want to be able to retain over your art,” says Hodges, sharing her advice for unpublished authors.
Some books Hodges grew up enjoying as a budding author herself are “The Color Purple” by Alice Walker and Zora Neale Hurston’s “Their Eyes Were Watching God.”
As a vendor of Bennettsville and Co, Hodge’s books can be purchased from the store as well as those of local authors Josh Rivers and Kevin Dunson.
When it comes to favorite authors, however, both Hodges and Kianna Alexander shared their love for Beverly Jenkins masterful pen.
“I was always a big reader, but I got ahold of one of Beverly Jenkins books, Night Song, when I was 16 and I couldn’t put it down. It was the first book that made me really feel some type of way,” said Alexander. She added, “It made me feel seen in a way that I hadn’t before.”
Alexander says she was bitten by the reader’s bug early in life.
“I started reading when I was about four or five. I read everything I could get my hands on,” says Alexander, who has 53 completed novels, 52 of them published.
She advises young authors to get to know themselves as writers.
“The writing process is getting to know yourself, what you can do, and finding your voice as a writer. Let your belief be your guide and never let anybody tell you you can’t do something. Don’t let someone else’s doubt discourage you from pursuing your dream,” advises Alexander, adding, “And AI sucks!”