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.
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
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/lin.brooks.33
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?
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.
ReplyDeleteThanks! 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!
DeleteThanks for having me today! I look forward to talking to everyone.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post, I'm looking forward to reading the book.
ReplyDeleteKit3247(at)aol(dot)com
Congratulations on the release!
ReplyDeletevitajex(at)aol(dot)com
Thanks you!
DeleteThat sounds like an interesting excerpt. She's skipping out on a date? Was it a blind date? Weird!
ReplyDeletecatherinelee100 at gmail dot com
A great interview. Promoting must take up as much time as writing I imagine.
ReplyDeletemarypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com