Lolita Files facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lolita Files
Born	Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
Nationality	American
Education	University of Florida (BS)
Occupation	Author Screenwriter Producer
Years active	1997–present

Lolita Files is an American writer, screenwriter, and producer. She is known for her popular novels, including Scenes from a Sistah and Child of God. Her books are often chosen by book clubs.

One of her novels was even picked to be made into a movie. Lolita Files helped write the screenplay for it. She also co-wrote a book called Once Upon A Time In Compton. This book is about the history of the Compton Police Department.

Lolita Files studied Broadcast Journalism at the University of Florida. She is also a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. Today, she lives in Los Angeles. There, she continues to write books and create projects for TV and movies.

Early Life and Education

Lolita Files was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Her parents were Lillie and Arthur James Files, Sr. Her mother named her after the movie Lolita. She has an older brother named Arthur James Files, Jr.

From a young age, Lolita loved to read. She enjoyed stories about Greek mythology, Roman mythology, and Norse mythology. She also loved tales of King Arthur. Important writers like Dante, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Shakespeare influenced her. She also admired authors like Toni Morrison and Zora Neale Hurston.

Lolita graduated from Dillard High School. She earned seven scholarships to help her go to college. She then attended the University of Florida in Gainesville. While in college, she worked briefly for the student newspaper, The Independent Florida Alligator. She was also part of the University of Florida Gospel Choir.

She joined the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. In her final year, she was a Senator for her college. She represented the College of Journalism and Communications in the student government.

Career Journey

After earning her degree in Broadcast Journalism, Lolita Files returned to Fort Lauderdale. She worked as a marketing manager for a company that made medicines. She also worked for a real estate company. Her experiences in property management later inspired her first two novels. These were Scenes from a Sistah (1997) and Getting To The Good Part (1999).

From 1992 to 1996, she worked for KinderCare Learning Centers. This company provides child care and early education. She was the National Communications Manager for their Facilities Management division.

Becoming a Writer

In 1994, Lolita Files sent some of her stories to a literary agency. This agency also represented the famous author John Grisham. She sent two funny short stories and part of a serious novel called Child of God.

The very next morning, an agent named Nancy Coffey called her. She wanted to see the rest of Lolita's writing. A week later, Lolita signed a contract with the agency. Nancy Coffey told the Miami Herald that Lolita's writing "just leapt off the page." She said it was "fresh, uplifting and funny."

Scenes From A Sistah and Child of God

After signing with the agency, Lolita started writing another novel. It was called Scenes from a Sistah. She finished the first version in just seven days. In 1996, Warner Books bought Scenes for $50,000.

Caryn Karmatz Rudy, Lolita's editor, called it a "Cinderella story." She explained that most writers face many rejections. But Lolita's book was quickly accepted and published.

In April 1996, Lolita Files left her corporate job. She decided to become a full-time writer. Scenes from a Sistah came out in April 1997. It became popular right away. It sold out its first printing quickly and appeared on several bestseller lists.

Her novel "Child of God" was published in 2001. This was after her other books, Getting to the Good Part (1999) and Blind Ambitions (2000), were released.

HodgePodge and Other Works

The short stories that helped Lolita Files get her first agent were later expanded. They became a novel called HodgePodge. This book includes characters from her Scenes trilogy. The trilogy includes Scenes from a Sistah, Getting to the Good Part, and Tastes Like Chicken. Lolita has not yet chosen to publish HodgePodge.

In 1998, Lolita Files also acted in a play. It was called "Sisters Who Get Everything Without Giving Up Anything." She played the main character, Rea Montgomery.

Literature Studies

SUNY Empire State College offers a special course. It is called "Exploring The Disciplines: Literature." This course focuses on comparing two important works. Students study Shakespeare's play Hamlet and Lolita Files' novel, Child of God.

Television Production

Lolita Files worked as a producer for a TV series called Who Killed Tupac?. This series aired on A&E. In the show, she also appeared as an investigator. The series looked into the unsolved case of hip-hop artist Tupac Shakur.

Personal Life

In 2012, Lolita Files took a genealogical DNA test. This test helps people learn about their family history. Her results showed a direct link to the Brame and Balanta people. These groups live in Guinea-Bissau in West Africa.

Film and TV Projects

Producer Roles

Lolita Files has worked as a producer on several television and film projects:

• Uncovered: Killed by Hate (TV Series, 2019) - Producer
• Who Killed Tupac? (TV Mini-Series, 2017) - Producer
• HBO First Look: All Eyez on Me (TV Series, 2017) - Producer
• Baggage Claim (Film, 2013) - Associate Producer
• Love in the Nick of Tyme (Video, 2007) - Associate Producer