Bever-leigh Banfield, M.F.A. is a writer, actress,
voice over artist, host and speaker. She has penned numerous celebrity
interviews, one of which, published in Essence magazine, won the
American Diabetes Association National Media Award for journalism. As an
actress, Bever-leigh has performed in television shows, movies,
Broadway and off-Broadway theater and national commercials.
Her voice has been heard in TV and radio ads, as an ABC network
announcer, in animated films and cartoons, and as narrator of planetarium space
shows at landmark Griffith Observatory in Hollywood. Ms. Banfield holds an M.F.A. from the Yale
University School of Drama and a B.A. from Stanford
University. She has lived in Europe
and the Caribbean, and traveled in Africa, South America,
and across the United
States.
She has been gifted with psychic perception since childhood, and as an
intuitive, has experienced a vision of world peace. Creating is her joy.
Her debut non-fiction book You
Can Change The World is
about helping you be who you are meant to be, and do what you are meant to
do - live your dreams, and change the world for the better!
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1.
Are you a morning writer
or a night writer?
I’m a morning
writer. Definitely. I love the feeling of getting up early – even while it’s
still dark – and streaming my thoughts through my computer into other people’s
hearts and minds before they know I’m coming – LOL! When I write fiction – I
have a debut suspense-thriller coming out in early 2018 – there’s the joy and
excitement of having the characters talk to you when the day is fresh and new.
There’s the wonder of what’s going to happen next. And then, as I wrote You Can
Change The World, there was the promise of doing just that, changing the world.
Having other people’s lives uplifted by my first, unfettered thoughts of the
day. The morning vibe is almost meditative. That’s when it’s most peaceful,
when I have the feel of nature all around me, when I really can hear the
whisper of the universe with all its quiet wisdom. Before
anything stirs.
2.
Do you outline or are you a
pantster?
Total pantster. It’s almost Shakespearean. To be or not to
be. I think it’s kind of like the whole PC v. Mac standoff. Now, there’s a
ridiculous battle for you. I’m a PC girl, but if a Mac does it for you, I think
that’s super. Everyone’s different. It’s not better or worse, it’s what works for
you. You definitely have your my-way-or-the-highway folks where outlining is
concerned, but I’m not one of them. In fact, I conducted an interview once with
a fairly well-known mystery author, and he got very offended when I asked him
the same question you asked me. He told me he wrote 120-page outlines, and I
guess something in my face (I’m a professional actress, after all) made him ask
if I outlined. When I said no, he blew a gasket and launched a diatribe. Just
when I was enjoying how differently his creative process came to him. As he
ranted, though, all I could do was sit there and listen, thinking how he
could’ve been halfway to a book by then. Or a third, at least. LOL! There’s joy
in our differences if we let it be. Some people like everything blocked out,
and that’s a good way for them to go because it can produce great art. But for
me, by the time there’s a big outline, all the suspense drains out. It’s like a
balloon deflating just when the party’s getting started. I want to be open to
new thoughts and revelations as I go. I have a general idea of what I want to
say, but I love the discovery. If you leave yourself open to the magic along
the way, that’s the joy, at least for me. I like to read the story as I write
it, the way the reader does, whether that’s a truth about life and how best to
live it or if the heroine is going to survive. All of life is a story, and I
love to see it unfold. I tried to write You Can Change The World based on a
PowerPoint I had for speaking, but after it started off slowly a few chapters
in, I had to go with instinct, the way I always do.
3.
Which comes first – plot
or character?
For me, character.
My stories can sometimes seem plot-driven, but the characters make choices, and
that’s what drives the plot. Just like in real life. We have
thoughts that give us feelings and beliefs, and we act on our beliefs. That’s
what makes stuff happen. That’s what brings other people and events into our
lives, what draws circumstances and situations to us. We see what we believe,
not the other way around.
4.
Noise or quiet when
working on your manuscript?
Quiet. Shutting down
the chatter lets insight speak. Sometimes a little music might work, but
silence is golden.
5.
Favorite TV show?
I love “Queen Sugar”, created by the fabulous Ava Duvernay.
It’s on OWN, Oprah’s network. It’s based on author Natalie Bazile’s amazing
novel of the same name. Outstanding performances, sumptuous cinematography,
sensitive direction, insightful writing. And it will frequently have an
all-woman crew, which is pretty much unheard of. It’s a family drama. Really
groundbreaking.
6.
Favorite type of music?
That’s a toughie. I
LOOOVE music. I can tell you that the Sirius XM in my car is most frequently
tuned to the Heart & Soul station that plays mostly R&B and pop love
songs. At home, I’m more of a Zen meditative music person. Very chilled.
7.
Favorite craft besides
writing?
How much time have
you got? LOL! I paint, design jewelry, create accessory items like pillows and
purses, dabble in graphic art. Creating something that was only in my head at
one point into something people can enjoy is my PASSION!
8.
Do you play a musical
instrument?
Yes. Flute. And a
little guitar. I’m going to start taking piano lessons when I get two seconds
to rub together.
9.
Single or married?
I was married for most of my life to my soulmate. He passed
away in 2013.
10. Children or no?
No kids,
but I get tons of joy from my 9 nieces and nephews.
11. Pets?
No pets.
12. Favorite place to write?
My home office.
13. Favorite restaurant?
No fave
restaurant in particular, but my top restaurant foods are Chinese, Indian and
Italian. I’m a veggie.
14. Do you work outside the home?
I am a
professional actress and voice over artist, so I work – and always have worked
– outside the home, but never in a 9 to 5-type job. I also have a unique and
interesting part-time gig as live narrator of planetarium space shows at
Griffith Observatory in Hollywood.
15. What was the name of the last movie you saw?
I just
watched “London Has Fallen” a couple of nights ago on Netflix, with the jaw-dropping
actor Morgan Freeman whom I respect and adore.
16. Favorite outdoor activity?
Long, long
walks at the beach or hiking in the hills. Sounds like an online dating
profile, but that’s my sweet spot.
17. Pet peeve?
I try not
to have any, but I must say, the cruelty, callousness, combativeness and
unchecked greed in our societal discourse and behavior these days is not an up.
18. Your goal in life?
To do God’s will and, you guessed it . . . to
change the world for the better.
19. Your most exciting moment?
Oh, I’ve had so many. Have so many. Countless.
Every new moment. I live in the now. And I believe the most exciting moment is
yet to come . . .
20. The love of your life?
My deceased
husband, and my Mom and Dad, whom I love with all my hearty
and cherish beyond
measure.
About the Book:
Title:
YOU CAN CHANGE THE WORLD: BE A CHANGE WIZARD AND GET IT LIKE YOU LIKE IT
Author: Bever-leigh Banfield
Publisher: Twinkle Entertainment
Pages: 366
Genre: Nonfiction
Author: Bever-leigh Banfield
Publisher: Twinkle Entertainment
Pages: 366
Genre: Nonfiction
BOOK
BLURB:
You have
an ultimate magic within you, capable of transforming yourself, your life
and everything that exists. You needn’t fear change, leave it to others, or get
stuck with whatever happens next. You can pull heaven right out of your hat
with the alchemy of your heart and mind. You just have to know how to use
your abracadabra presto change-o. You can make things disappear or pop up
because you are the change you crave. Your dream is a reality
somewhere, ready for you to experience it by making change your BFF.
Tap into who you're meant to be, and the special thing you're meant to do
– with this book about your mission in life, and how you can have it
materialize to be happier, healthier, wealthier, wiser, and make the world a
better place.
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