Welcome women's fiction writer, Lin Brooks...



 Hi, Lin! Nice to meet you :)

Welcome to my blog for the next couple of days - I'm happy to be part of your ongoing tour. Loving your author pic and also that you live in the South - as a Brit living in the UK, I have always been obsessed with the history of the South so would love to know if you live near any historical places of interest?

Let's get started with the questions!

1)   Did you set any goals for 2012?

My goal for 2012 was to focus more on promoting my works. It is so easy to get caught up in day to day life, write when I have the time to spare, and then forget that no one will know about the books that are out there if I don’t take the time to tell them. My publisher does a little of it, but it’s my job to let people get to know me and my works, and sometimes that slips through the cracks.

2)   What is the best part of the writing process for you?

The first ten pages! When I get a burst of inspiration, I can’t wait to sit down and get it out. That’s usually the fastest and most creative part of the process, because when you are just starting out, they sky is the limit. I tend to start out with an idea for a plot and characters in my head, but I don’t outline or do character cards or anything like that (I’m just not that organized). So that first ten pages are all about discovering the world I’m getting ready to create.

3)   The worst part?

That would be the middle 100 pages or so. By the time I get there, I have a general idea of how it’s going to end, assuming my characters don’t do something wonky. I have to fight the urge to hurry it up and get it to the end without building the crucial tension in the middle. I’m that way when I read, too. I want to see how it turns out. So I tend to put the manuscript down a lot more in the middle. I get impatient waiting for the resolution.

 4)   What is the book you wish you’d written?

I’ve always wanted to try a straight paranormal book. I actually had a good start on one a few years ago, and lost it when my computer crashed. My first draft of anything is always more inspired. When I go back and try to do it again, it just loses something. The idea is still lodged firmly in my head, but since I was about 30 pages in, I just haven’t had the heart to try to recreate it just yet.

5)   Favourite author/s & book/s?
Stephen King, especially the Gunslinger series. I also love Jeff Lindsay’s Dexter series. I always loved Judith McNaught, but she hasn’t put anything out in a while. And Lisa Scottoline. She’s a fellow lawyer. I can appreciate good lawyer stories.

6)   Tell us about your latest release?

Where the Greener Grass Grows was my testament to the relationships women have—with their daughters, with their mothers, and with their close friends. The premise is that the mother/daughter relationship changes dramatically when daughters move away from home. It’s bittersweet. A mother misses having her daughter there every day, but the daughter becomes more a friend after she leaves because the need to instruct isn’t quite so prevalent. And that’s when the relationships with good friends become so important. There is an empty home that a mother hasn’t had in many years. Friends understand, and help to fill the gap.

7)   What is your favourite attribute of the hero and heroine?

My story has two heroines, best friends Lacey and Cara. I like Cara’s carefree spirit. She is fun loving and laughs a lot. I like Lacey’s drive and determination. She can do anything she sets her mind to, and do it better than anyone else.

8)   What’s next?

I’ve got a category romance novel that Isolibris is going to release early next year. I’ve also just finished a humor book about coping from divorce from a woman’s perspective. It should be out within the next month—the publisher is considering a promotion that would require me to add some stuff to the last chapter, so they may move the release date back to October. We’ll see.

9)                  Tell me where you write?

I have to have quiet and solitude to write. So I either write on my laptop in my office or, sometimes, I make voice notes on my smart phone going down the road. I wrote the entire last chapter of my next release that way. Voice recognition software is awesome!

10)                  Where would you like your career to be in 5 years?

More books. That’s the only thing I would change. I know authors that can turn out a book a month. I wish I could write that fast! I’ll be satisfied with being able to get all of these plots out of my head and onto paper. I’d like to have 10  more books available five years from now.

11)                  Where can we find you?

Twitter: @linbrooks1



Where the Greener Grass Grows
by Lin Brooks

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:
Sending the children off to college is never easy. For Lacey Marchand and Cara Myers, an empty nest is enough to drive them a little crazy -- but sometimes, a little crazy is just what the doctor ordered.

Now that their daughters have left for college, Lacey and Cara have too much time on their hands. With nothing else to do, Cara decides to help single-mom Lacey get a life. And what better way to get a life than a few blind dates?

Lacey, however, can't think of a worse way to spend her weekends. She has her own ideas for curing their empty nest problems -- Cara needs a new career. And a career just happens to be what Lacey understands best.    

For Cara and Lacey, coping with the empty nest means reinventing their lives without losing their sanity. Where the Greener Grass Grows is the story of two mothers learning to live, to laugh and to let go.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT



Lacey stood on the street in the humid Memphis night wondering what to do next. How anti-climactic. After leaving in such style, she suddenly realized she didn’t have a way home.


Damn.

She dug in her purse for her cell phone and stepped into a neighboring store. Cara picked up on the first ring. “How’s it going?”


“You got me into this,” she whispered fiercely. “Now you can come get me.”

 “That well, huh?”           

“I’m hiding out in a shop next to the restaurant, hoping he won’t see me” she replied. “What do you think?”

“Lacey!” Cara cried indignantly. “You can’t just disappear. At least go say goodbye.”

“I’ve got that covered,” she replied. “I think he’s pretty sure I’m not coming back.”

“What happened?”

Lacey exhaled an impatient breath. “Just come get me, alright?”

“Alright, alright. I’m on my way. Stay put.”

“Stay put,” Lacey repeated dryly. “Sure. I’m not going anywhere.”

Lacey caught sight of a dark haired man walking by and ducked behind a rack, swearing under her breath. “I cannot believe I’m doing this.”

“Hang on. I’m coming.”



AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Lin Brooks is a lifelong Southern girl who lives in Mobile, Alabama with her family. Lin is a lawyer, runner, mother, home improvement enthusiast and an avid reader with a bucket list that includes visiting Australia, running a marathon and trying every kind of margarita ever made.

Author page:


Blog:


Lin will be awarding a $15.00 Amazon Gift Card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, and a $15 Amazon Gift Card to a randomly drawn host.

Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:  http://www.goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2012/09/virtual-book-tour-where-greener-grass.html

Comments?



8 comments

  1. This book sounds great! While I am not at the empty nest stage yet, it sounds like something I can really relate to. Thanks so much for the great intro to it. I enjoyed hearing about Lin's reading tates too - very similar to me own.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! The whole empty nest thing snuck up on me. My daughter was a toddler, and then suddenly I was sending her off to college. And now she's almost finished!

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  2. Thanks for having me today! I look forward to talking to everyone.

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  3. Interesting post, I'm looking forward to reading the book.

    Kit3247(at)aol(dot)com

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  4. Congratulations on the release!

    vitajex(at)aol(dot)com

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  5. That sounds like an interesting excerpt. She's skipping out on a date? Was it a blind date? Weird!
    catherinelee100 at gmail dot com

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  6. A great interview. Promoting must take up as much time as writing I imagine.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

    ReplyDelete