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 author, screenwriter, and producer. She has written several popular novels. Some of her well-known books include Scenes from a Sistah and Child of God. Her sixth novel, ... .lies.... .fame, was chosen to be made into a film. Lolita Files helped write the movie script for it.

She also co-wrote a book called Once Upon A Time In Compton. This book was about the experiences of former police detectives in Compton, California. It covered topics like the rise of a certain type of music and the history of the Compton Police Department. This book was published on April 25, 2017.

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, FL. Her parents were Lillie and Arthur James Files, Sr. Her mother named her after the movie Lolita. Lolita has one older brother, Arthur James Files, Jr.

A Young Reader's Journey

From a young age, Lolita loved to read. She enjoyed stories about Greek mythology, Roman mythology, and Norse mythology. She also liked tales of Arthurian legend. Important books like Dante's Divine Comedy and the works of J. R. R. Tolkien were among her favorites.

Her love for writers like Shakespeare, Toni Morrison, and Zora Neale Hurston greatly influenced her own writing. She also enjoyed classic authors such as Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Gustav Flaubert.

High School and College Years

Lolita Files graduated from Dillard High School. She earned seven scholarships for 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 student Senator. She represented the College of Journalism and Communications.

Career Path

After earning her Bachelor of Science degree in Broadcast Journalism, Lolita Files returned to Fort Lauderdale. She worked as a marketing manager for a pharmaceutical company. She also worked as a property coordinator for a real estate company. This company managed properties along the Eastern Seaboard and parts of the Midwest.

Her experiences in property management later inspired her first two novels. These books were Scenes from a Sistah (published in 1997) and Getting To The Good Part (published in 1999).

From 1992 to 1996, Files worked for KinderCare Learning Centers. This company is a large provider of child care and early childhood education. She was the National Communications Manager for their Facilities Management division.

Becoming a Writer

In the fall of 1994, Lolita Files sent some of her writings to a literary agency. This agency also represented the famous author John Grisham. She sent two funny short stories and part of a dramatic novel called Child of God. She had been working on Child of God for five years.

An agent from the company, Nancy Coffey, called her the very next morning. She wanted to see the rest of Lolita's writing. A week later, Lolita Files signed with the agency. Coffey told the Miami Herald that Lolita's writing "was fresh, uplifting and funny."

Scenes From A Sistah and Child of God

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

Caryn Karmatz Rudy, Lolita's editor, called it a "Cinderella story." She explained that it's rare for a writer to get a book published so quickly. Lolita left her corporate job in April 1996 to become a full-time writer.

Scenes from a Sistah was released in April 1997. It became very popular right away. It quickly sold out of its first printing. The book also appeared on several bestseller lists. Child of God was published in September 2001. This was after her other books, Getting to the Good Part (1999) and Blind Ambitions (2000), were released.

HodgePodge

The short stories that helped Lolita Files get signed by the literary agency 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. So far, Lolita Files has not chosen to publish HodgePodge.

Other Creative Works

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

Comparing Hamlet and Child of God

SUNY Empire State College offers a special eight-week course. It is called "Exploring The Disciplines: Literature." This course focuses on comparing Shakespeare's play Hamlet with Lolita Files' novel, Child of God.

The course description explains that both stories have similar themes. They both include a mystery, a complicated family relationship, and a difficult ending. By studying these two works, students learn about common themes in literature. They also explore questions and insights that literature can offer.

Television Production Work

Lolita Files worked as a producer and investigator for a TV series. This series was called Who Solved the Mystery of Tupac?. It aired on A&E. In the series, civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump investigated the unsolved case of hip-hop artist Tupac Shakur.

Personal Life

In December 2012, Lolita Files took a genealogical DNA test. This test helps people learn about their family history. The results showed a direct link to the Brame and Balanta people of Guinea-Bissau in West Africa. This means her family roots can be traced back to that region.

Filmography

Producer

• Uncovered: Solved by Investigation (TV Series, 2019) - Producer
• Who Solved the Mystery of 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