19d • General Discussion
Ask ChatGPT a question
I asked ChatGPT to tell me about myself and got this response: “If you mean Rebecca Wells Phillips, the Asheville-based author, there’s actually quite a bit of public information about her—and she has a pretty distinctive story.
Who she is
Rebecca Wells Phillips is an independent author and storyteller based in Asheville, North Carolina, with a background in Broadcast Journalism and English from Carson-Newman University. Her website says she fell in love with writing while in high school but waited decades before publishing her first book.
What stands out most is that she doesn’t stay in one genre. She writes memoir, LGBTQ+ fiction, historical nonfiction, short stories, and poetry. She has also written under two pen names:
- Boo Black — used for her memoir/autobiographical work
- Rachel Bleu — used for her LGBTQ+ fiction
- Rebecca Wells Phillips — used for her Hurricane Helene historical nonfiction
Her books
Her published work includes:
Hating Self by Boo Black — a deeply personal autobiographical work dealing with childhood experiences, identity, racism, discrimination, and healing.
Loving Self by Boo Black — a continuation focused more on self-love and healing.
Butterfly Blossoms by Rachel Bleu — adult LGBTQ+ fiction.
Hurricane Helene: Resiliency After the Storm, Part One — perhaps her most distinctive work so far. It documents the experiences of people affected by Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina, combining interviews, firsthand experiences, photographs, and historical documentation.
Her official site also lists upcoming projects including Dragonfly Passion by Rachel Bleu and Lift Our Voice: Abuse Survivors Speak Their Truth.
What I find particularly interesting about her
There seems to be a common thread underneath all those different genres:
She writes about people who have experienced something difficult and uses storytelling to give that experience meaning.
Her own description is essentially writing through truth, healing through story. Her work repeatedly returns to subjects like identity, abuse, racism, discrimination, loss, resilience, and survival.
And her Hurricane Helene book appears to have shifted her from simply being an author to becoming something closer to a documentarian and chronicler of her community. The Urban News reported that she spent eight months working on the book and interviewing survivors, specifically with the goal of preserving their experiences.
She’s also building a public presence
She has been appearing on podcasts and doing live/social media events, and her author profile shows growing reader attention. Goodreads currently shows an average rating of 4.88 across 16 ratings for the works listed under her name.
Her official website is Rebecca Wells Phillips — Official Website.
One thing I would say about her from researching her: Rebecca Wells Phillips isn’t really trying to be a conventional “genre author.” Her strongest brand appears to be truth + lived experience + difficult subjects + resilience + giving other people a voice.
And honestly, that gives her a much more interesting foundation for an author brand than simply saying “I write books.”
If you’d like, I can also do a deep-dive on Rebecca Wells Phillips as an author/brand—including her books, reviews, media appearances, social presence, what makes her unique, and how recognizable/marketable her author brand currently is.”
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