Author Spotlight...


Welcome all. Today I’m very lucky to be interviewing Brandy L. Rivers, author of Others of Edenton and 
Others of Seattle.

Brandy: Hi everyone.

Joyce: Hi Brandy, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself and your background, where you’re from?
Brandy: I’m from the Seattle area, born and raised. I live here with my husband, three kids, and a little terror dog who thinks he’s a hellhound.

Joyce: When and why did you begin writing?
Brandy: I’ve been writing forever. I started to take it more serious around 2008, but didn’t publish until 2013.

Joyce: When did you first consider yourself a writer? 
Brandy: Always. Poetry, stories, music, songs. Writing helps sort my head.

What inspired you to write your first book? 
Brandy: The characters in my head won’t go away until I write them.

Joyce: How do you come up with your titles? Do have one before you start writing or do they come to you as the story develops?
Brandy: 9 times out of 10 I don’t figure out a title until I’m well into the story. They simply have to fit the book somehow.

Joyce: What books have most influenced you the most? 
Brandy: The Stand by Stephen King. Anything by F Paul Wilson. I love how he builds his worlds and the stories interconnect, and not always in the same series.

Joyce: What book are you reading now? 
Brandy: 120 Days by M. Stratton

Joyce: Are there any new authors that have caught your interest? 
Brandy: Rebecca Brooke, Sarah M Cradit, Megan McMinimy

Joyce: For your own reading, do you prefer eBooks or traditional paper/hard back books?
Brandy: ebook. I can take a ton with me in a smaller package

Joyce: What do you like to do when you're not writing?
Brandy: Read, go on walks, play with the kids, hang with hubby, or just talk with my best friend, usually while driving around.

Joyce: If you could have been the original author of any book, what would it have been and why?
Brandy: My own. I was never a fan fiction writer, not that I have anything against it. Just never liked playing in other people’s worlds. My own take up most of my time.

Joyce: Where do your ideas come from?
Brandy: My imagination. Seriously, characters pop up and start talking and taking me on crazy adventures. I just go along for the ride.

Joyce: What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
Brandy: That it’s possible to do well without a traditional publisher backing you.

Joyce: Do you ever get writer’s block?
Brandy: Rarely.

Joyce: What do you do to get through the dreaded writer’s block?
Brandy: Go back to the beginning and reread what I’ve written. Almost always works.


Joyce: How long on average does it take you to write a book?
Brandy: A few weeks to write, a month or so to revise, edit, beta and all that.

Joyce: What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?
Brandy: Um, not sure I have one. Though my husband may say otherwise. I just sit down and write what comes to me.

Joyce: You currently have a book available for pre-order; what can you tell us about it? 
Brandy: Changing Destiny is Scotty and Jayde’s story. She was his destiny, until Saressa tore it apart and took him for herself. Once that bond was broken, he wants to find Jayde again, but can they overcome their past and the obstacles before them?

Joyce: What was the hardest part of writing Changing Destiny?
Brandy: The past. Getting through how Jayde and Scotty met, and what tore them apart.

Joyce: Give us an insight into the main character(s). What does he/she do that is so special?
Brandy: Scotty is a nymph. Until he met Jayde he was a confident ladies man. When he sees her, he knows she’s the one.
Jayde is a Paineater. She can heal by taking a person’s wounds on herself. Most of the time she heals quickly. She’s far younger than Scotty, but she was unable to resist him. Even when Saressa binds him to herself, she can’t give up. Not until he makes a choice.

Joyce: Tell us about the cover and how it came about.
Brandy: I tried a few different things. The one I came up with worked the best. My Seattle series I use Seattle in the background, then find stockphotos that come as close to the character as I can come.

Joyce: In what formats is your book available?
Brandy: Mobi, epub, paperback. Or will be once it’s live. There are a few more options at Smashwords

Joyce: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Brandy: Others of Seattle and Others of Edenton are far from over. I’m still working in both, and also branching out some with other books.

Joyce: Is there anything else you would like to add that I haven’t asked?
Brandy: Blissful Agony, the next book in Others of Edenton is coming out 11/10/2015Amazon - http://amzn.to/1WgUoyB
Googleplay - http://bit.ly/1T6TWnp

And Coming Together, the next in Others of Seattle is coming out December 22ndiBooks - http://apple.co/1MUnYGT
Googleplay - http://bit.ly/1PdMMba
(Amazon link coming soon)

Joyce: How can readers discover more about you and you work?
Book Links: (* American, UK, etc.)
Googleplay - http://bit.ly/1MGLljJ

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/brandylrivers

Thank you so much for being with us today. It was great talking with you.

6 comments:

  1. Love this series Thanks for letting me know a new book is out!

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  2. Great interview! I love this series, but am a little behind due to my large reading list. I need to make a concerted effort to read more of them soon. x

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    1. Thank you Lynn. It's only my second one. As long as the feedback is positive I'll continue. I'm already working on the next one.

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  3. <3 thank you for having me. Wanda, the book will be out a little later. August 31st

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  4. Thank you for visiting. This was a lot of fun. Maybe we can do this again for another book?

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