Interview with W.L. Brooks
Who is your favorite character to write, and why is that person your favorite?
Jasper Hart is my favorite character. I love writing him- he cracks me up (is that weird?)
Describe your writing process. Do you outline, plot and plan, or is your writing more organic?
I usually know how I want it to begin and end, but it’s the middle that I just make up as I go.
Have you been able to incorporate your previous experience in [jobs/education] in your writing?
I don’t know about experiences, but I’ve certainly been able to incorporate my love of coffee into my writing.
Do you identify with your main character or did you create a character that is your opposite?
Charlie and I share a love of movies. Annie was one of my favorites growing up, and I made it Charlie’s too.
Share some advice for aspiring authors. What advice would you give to your younger self?
Don’t give up, and don’t stop writing.
To date, what is your favorite (or most difficult) chapter you have ever written?
This book was the most difficult for me so far. I rewrote the beginning of this story multiple times, but the work paid off—as it usually does.
What is your take on book boyfriends? Do they actually exist? Or do they set the bar for “real life men” impossibly high?
Oh, that’s a hard one! Who doesn’t love a book boyfriend? I know I do. Could men like this really exist? Probably not, but a girl can dream.
Have you ever experienced writer’s block? How did you deal with it?
Yes! I put the story away, focus on something else, or try to find inspiration from something else; nature, art, music, ect.
What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
Reading and streaming. I can’t resist good characters or a good story.
UNEARTHING THE PAST: THE MCKAY SERIES BOOK 3
By W.L. Brooks
Romantic Suspense
A single mother and owner of the town diner, Charlie McKay couldn’t
be happier with her life in Blue Creek. Taking care of everyone around
her is a labor of love, but the secret she’s keeping about her
daughter’s parentage lurks beneath the surface. With the scars of the
past still not healed, Charlie isn’t interested in adding a man to her
life, even if that man is the oh-so-tempting Craig Sutton.
Determined to own his own bar, as his father had, Craig Sutton is a
man on a mission. But wanting to enjoy small town life is only one of
the reasons he moved to the mountains of North Carolina. Whether
meaning to or not, Craig can’t keep from getting involved with the McKay
family, and the closer he gets to Charlie and her daughter the more
entangled he becomes.
In Blue Creek secrets have always run deep, and someone is now trying
to expose Charlie’s in a disturbing way. She isn’t the only one with
something to hide, however, and deception threatens a possible
relationship between her and Craig. As hidden truths are revealed and
danger increases, Charlie must find a way to face the past or lose
everything.
had just put out the forks when she remembered the box. Maybe one of her
sisters had sent them something. Out on the porch, Charlie took a few minutes
trying to figure out how to get the thing inside—it weighed a ton. Finally, she
decided to open the package right where it was. From the smell, something had
gone bad. There was no way she was bringing it inside her house, much less her
kitchen. Maybe if she hadn’t forgotten about the darn thing, it wouldn’t have
had a chance to spoil. “It’s freezing out here, so it isn’t my fault,” she told
the box. Shaking her head, Charlie used a paring knife to cut the tape. She
opened the flaps, wincing at the stench, and looked inside. Charlie rushed to
the porch railing and emptied her stomach. She closed the box, her hands
shaking. It couldn’t be! Oh, God.
come into her mind, she has to give them a life- a chance to tell their
stories. With a coffee cup in her hand and a cat by her side, she spends
her days letting the ideas flow onto paper. A voracious reader, she
draws her inspiration from mystery, romance, suspense and a dash of the
paranormal.A native of Virginia Beach, she is currently living in Western North
Carolina. Pick up her latest novel, The Secrets That Shape Us- available
now!
