Hey everyone, guess who’s on the Diamond Mine? None other than Brooke Williams! We’re talking about her new release, Mamarazzi and writing and…well, read on…
She’s awesome and so is her new book. Brooke’s even decided to give away a copy of EITHER Mamarazzi or Accept this Dandelion to one lucky winner. Enter the drawing at the end of the interview!
Mamarazzi |
R: Hi, Brooke, I’m glad you’re here.
I’m so excited about your new book. I hear it’s terrific. Tell us about it…please!
B:
Mamarazzi is a light-hearted romance
that deals with one of life’s big questions…is the grass really greener on the
other side? In the novel, the female lead is a paparazzo and she’s really good
at what she does. She stumbles into a small part on a TV show and ends up on
the OTHER side of the camera lens. Add to this that no one knows what she used
to do for a living and she’s got a boatload of secrets to cover as well.
R: Whoa. That sounds like quite the
story. I can’t wait to read it. With a title like Mamarazzi, it makes one think Italian. As a writer, I have to
wonder…how do you pick your character names, especially for a book such as this?
B:
I have to admit, I loathe choosing character names. I’m just really bad at it!
For a while, I chose names I liked. Then I started grabbing random names from
people I went to school with and knew growing up. Once I reached Mamarazzi, I was out! I wanted the names
to really fit the characters so I had a name game through Facebook and my website.
I outlined what the characters would be like and let friends, followers, and
fans name them FOR me. I compiled a list of names for each character, narrowed
it down to two or three per character, and then had everyone vote. And THAT’S
how the names in Mamarazzi were
settled! I especially like Vesper, the main character’s seedy cousin, who is
really named Veronica Roy, but changed it to Vesper for Hollywood purposes.
R:
What a great idea! I may borrow that one if you don’t mind. Sometimes I’m at a
complete loss with character names. I have a book of names but it doesn’t
always help. In addition to things such as this, do you have any other advice for
a new writer?
B:
Yes, I do. Write because you love to write and for no other reason. Never force
it. You can always tell when something isn’t coming out right. And if writing
is what you want to do, never give up. It is extremely hard to find an agent,
the right publisher, or an audience. But if you stop looking, you’ll NEVER find
him/it/them, right? Believe in what you do. Not everyone will love every word
you lay out there, but if you love it, others will too. You just have to find
them! It may feel like a needle in a haystack at times, but I guarantee you’ll
never run across the needle if you stop looking. Write, write, write and love
it, and you’ve already won!
R:
You know, Brooke, I think that’s good advice for the “veteran” writer as well.
Or even those authors who are on their way and still figuring out the ropes…so
to speak. By the way, how long have you been writing and why did you start?
B: Oh, just since birth. Haha.
Okay, I’m not THAT talented! But practically! When I was a kid, I used to cut
pictures out of the newspaper (much to my dad’s chagrin when he hadn’t read it
yet) paste the pictures onto blank paper, and then write a story about the
picture. I’d then sell my “magazines” to my parents for a nickel. I should have
known then what I was meant to do. I didn’t try my hand at novel writing until
about a year after I graduated college. I was working in radio full time, but I
was so compelled by a scene that formed and stuck in my mind that I couldn’t
NOT write it. Once I had that scene out, I felt I owed it to the characters to
see what happened. So I wrote Someone Always Loved You.
Someone Always Loved You |
I searched for an agent and
publisher for months without any luck and became highly discouraged. I didn’t
write anything other than radio scripts for a full decade. And I’m sad by all
the time I lost. Eventually, I put that book out on my own for fun, and it’s
been a bestseller in its category on a number of occasions. I got back into
writing two years after my oldest daughter was born. I was still in radio,
though on a VERY part time basis. I wanted to leave radio and do something from
home and writing seemed the natural fit. I started gathering writing jobs and
clients and creating a freelance writing business at home. This only fueled my
love of writing, and I segued back into novel writing again.
R:
What an amazing story. You are a true testament to God’s provision if I’ve ever
seen one. As well as a woman of grit and determination to put out your first
book, Someone Always Loved You, on
your own. Speaking of that, you chose that title. If you do that usually, how
do your pick your titles?
Accept this Dandelion |
For
my last romantic comedy release, Accept this Dandelion, the title was also easy. Have you ever seen the TV show The Bachelor? In that show, they have
rose ceremonies and the man will say, “so and so, will you accept this rose?”
It means that he wants the woman to continue to date him and if she accepts the
rose, it signifies that she agrees to move on. The book was going to be a
similar dating show, only on a local level and in a comedic fashion. So Accept this Dandelion seemed like a natural
title! My first novel, Someone Always Loved You, was much more of a struggle. I had NO idea what to call it. My
mom helped my come up with a fitting title and I love it now. But it took a
while to get there! I much prefer having the title in mind when I start.
R:
I know you write romantic comedy and I love your books. I couldn’t put Accept this Dandelion down! It makes it
hard for me to imagine writing them could be a struggle, but alas, I know as a
writer that’s not true. We all have issues which make writing difficult either
with the process or at home. What did you struggle with the most to get Mamarazzi on the page?
B:
I was super eager to write Mamarazzi.
I don’t usually start a book until I have a basic premise and the very first
line or scene formed in my mind. The line for Mamarazzi came to me, and I was itching to write it. But the
holidays were upon me. It wasn’t good timing to just sit down and flush it out.
To stall, I held the character naming contests and let the ideas stew. That was
in November. I spend December preparing clients and flushing out blocks of time
so I could write it in January. So waiting to write it was the first and
biggest struggle. Second, I wrote a scene in the book that definitely looked
like it meant one particular thing. I didn’t know what it actually meant, but I
didn't want it to be what was assumed. I had to sit on that a while, and I remember
when we were taking our Christmas tree down late in January (finally, I know!)
the resolution just came to me. It’s a big tree and my husband was at the top
of the stairs trying to take it apart and I’m at the bottom going, oh my gosh,
I have it! I know what to do! HE’s like what, what?! Then he realized I meant
the book, not the big heavy tree… For
the most part, when I’m writing I just write. I don't think too much about it.
I let the characters have free reign!
R:
I can see it. Especially his face. Did you have a camera? Those are the moments
you really need to keep in a book. LOL Or he does!
Sorry,
back to the interview…Okay, where was I? If you weren’t a writer, what do you
think you’d be?
B:
Being a writer is my dream job. I had NO idea doing this was even a slight
possibility or I would have given it a shot a LOOOONG time ago. But if I
couldn’t write, I’d love to be an audio book reader. You know, the voice that
reads the book to you? Actually, once my daughters are in school and I have
more time to work, I’d like to go into that as well. Or I’d like to be in Radio
Theater. There are a few radio shows (especially those for kids) that still
exist. They’re like TV shows, only it’s audio and not visual. I would love to
use my radio skills and either voice characters or produce. I loved the
creative aspects of producing when I was in the biz.
R:
If you have the voice for it, do it! I sound like a bullfrog. Actually I
have no clue what I sound like on the radio. I’ve never been on it before except
maybe as a child when we lived in West Monroe, LA. I don’t remember those days
though. It’d be cool to try it though!
I
picture you working with a radio blaring next to you. Is that how it is? What’s
your writing spot look like?
B:
Oh, it’s all glamour and spice. Okay, so it’s a tiny desk in the middle of the
kitchen. There are piles of random scrap paper on one side of the desk, which
is weird because I write really small and can use one scrap of paper for like a
year, no joke. Behind the computer screen is the Netflix DVD for the week and
any outgoing mail there might be. Above the desk are cubbies jammed with
important papers we never get out, stamps, and other odds and ends. Banking
stuff, bills, and various whatnot. There’s just enough room on the desk for the
keyboard and sometimes I stuff a drink nearby.
R:
I think all writers cram as much as they can into the smallest space possible.
I have an office and choose to work out of my chair. Most of my junk stays on
my little table next to me. Why? I haven’t figured that out yet…
Thanks
for the interview, Brooke. You’re the best!
ENTER GIVEAWAY NOW!
YOUR CHOICE OF MAMARAZZI OR ACCEPT THIS DANDELION...
a Rafflecopter giveaway
One e-book of Mamarazzi (upon release) or Accept this Dandelion will be awarded to one winner via random draw (via Rafflecopter widget).
Featured Book (Giveaway), “Mamarazzi”:
Release Date: September 11, 2015
Danica Bennett isn't sure what she hates more...her job
or the fact that she's good at it. As one of the many Hollywood
paparazzi, she lives her life incognito and sneaks around trying to get the
best shot of the latest star. When she is mistaken for an extra on a new,
up and coming TV show, her own star rises and she becomes the one in the
photographs. Add that to the fact that she's falling for her co-star,
Eliot Lane, and Danica is in a whole heap of trouble.
Renee Lockhart has her eye on a lofty goal…to fill the open
position of morning radio show host at the station where she works. When her
co-workers sign her up for a local TV version of The Bachelor, Renee goes along
with it in order to raise her profile.
Upon seeing her bumbling audition, Ben McConnell, one of the most eligible bachelors in town, insists that Renee be placed on the show. But Ben gets much more than he expected in Renee… he gets a girl who can’t seem to do anything right…and a girl he can’t seem to resist.
Upon seeing her bumbling audition, Ben McConnell, one of the most eligible bachelors in town, insists that Renee be placed on the show. But Ben gets much more than he expected in Renee… he gets a girl who can’t seem to do anything right…and a girl he can’t seem to resist.
About the Author, Brooke Williams:
Brooke Williams is a sleep-deprived mother of two young
girls who finds the best way to laugh is to create fictional characters and put
them in strange situations. Brooke has a background in radio, but now spends
her one free hour a day writing on a freelance basis for clients all over the
world. Her previous novels include “Someone Always Loved You,” a family drama
as well as the romantic comedies “Wrong Place, Right Time,” and “Accept this Dandelion.” Brooke and her husband Sean married in 2002 and have two daughters,
Kaelyn and Sadie.
Website
Link: http://www.authorbrookewilliams.com/
Blog
Link: http://www.authorbrookewilliams.com/blog
Facebook
Link: https://www.facebook.com/authorbrookewilliams
5 comments:
Welcome, Brooke! So glad to have you on the mine!
I love your writing story, Brooke--lots of parallels with mine, but at least you figured out you're a writer earlier in life than I did! Keep it up, girl.
Great interview, Brooke. Love your sense of humor! :-)
It was a ton of fun! :) Thanks for stopping by y'all! :)
The winner of the giveaway is DK Stevens!
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