Indie Author Interview with Jenna Brooks - Author of the Suspense/Drama Women's Fiction Novels October Snow and An Early Frost .
A staunch Mother's Rights advocate, Jenna Brooks is a novelist, a seminar author and instructor, a columnist, and a professionally trained and certified Coach, specializing in Divorce/Post-Divorce and Domestic Violence.
Interview with Jenna Brooks
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| Author Jenna Brooks |
Jenna Brooks: I read mostly non-fiction. Lots of reference books, sometimes philosophy. My favorites are Viktor Frankl, Lundy Bancroft, and Dan Allender - his book, Bold Love, was one of the most profound works that I ever read. And I often use Janie McQueen's Hanging On By My Fingernails in my work. It's an essential read for women who are facing a divorce.
In fiction, I almost always go with Indie authors. The experience of reading them feels much more personal, because they design every aspect of their own novels. My favorite Indies are Dianne Harman and Melodie Ramone. Ramone has Burning Down Rome coming out soon, can't wait for that. I'm currently reading Taylor Fulks' My Prison Without Bars, and it looks like I'll be adding Ms. Fulks to my list of favorites; then, I want to read Christoph Fischer. Killarney Traynor is one of my clients - her debut is coming soon. She's going to be a major player. They're all fabulously talented authors.
And my influences? Those come from the abused mothers and children I've talked with for so many years now.
When did you first know that you wanted to be a writer?
I don't recall a time when I wanted to do anything else.
Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
I was four or five years old, and I wrote a little book about puppies. Illustrated it, too. I learned early in life that I'm a much better writer than I am an artist.
"I write better when my dog is sitting beside me [...]"
Tell us about your writing process. Do you have a writing routine?
Not really, although I write better when my dog is sitting beside me so I can talk to her.
Please describe your desk/workplace.
It's been my dining room table for two years now. I clean the towers of stuff off of it for the holidays; other than that, it's a happy disaster.
What do you find easiest about writing? What's the hardest?
The easiest thing is getting to know my characters as they become real in my head, but that leads into the hardest part: They never do what I thought they would do when I started the story, and it throws me off.
"When I hear from readers who tell me that they think differently [...]"
What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
When I hear from readers who tell me that they think differently about Domestic Violence and abused women after reading my novels.
.jpg "October Snow (Jenna Brooks)") |
| Click to Read an Excerpt |
Jenna, please tell us a little about your Suspense/Women’s Fiction Novel October Snow and the sequel An Early Frost.
October Snow is the story of a woman (Jo) who was abused by her husband for twenty years, then managed her escape - but she never got her legs under her again. She was sinking further and further into despair. I wanted to illustrate the fact that this culture pays no attention to the post-Domestic Violence needs of the women who manage to survive. We don't help them rebuild their lives, and I believe that's because they're often blamed for the actions of their abuser. You know, for "pushing his buttons," and all those other cliches. So they go out into the world torn apart, and they're expected to just suck it up, build a life, and do better.
Anyway, the story is told through Jo's abiding friendship with Maxine and Sammy, because I also wanted to talk about the pain felt by those who care about an abused woman. Beyond that, October Snow addresses the overt cruelty of the Family Court industry - in essence, how it works to keep women stuck with abusers - and the damage done to women and children by the Fathers Rights movement.
Readers asked for more of the story of October Snow, and the most common questions were about what happened to Max, and whether or not the truth about Jo ever came out. There was also a good amount of shock (and outrage) at the real workings of the Family Court. So I decided to write An Early Frost, which answers readers' questions while it delves further into the realities of the court system/Fathers Rights movement.
.jpg "An Early Frost (Jenna Brooks)") |
| Click to Read an Excerpt |
What inspired you to write the books?
With October Snow, it was frustration. And anger, I guess, at how little real compassion or even concern is given to battered mothers. They're generally regarded with either a fawning condescension or utter contempt, when the truth is, they're usually over-the-top heroic.
With An Early Frost, it began as a combination of things. Initially, I wanted to encourage people to look deeper into the behaviors of women who have been abused, because they can seem inappropriately angry, or withdrawn, or just disjointed - and then they're judged harshly by those who don't bother to understand how abuse has affected them.
Then in August of 2013, Joshua Savyon was murdered by his father. A few days later, Jennifer Martel was stabbed to death by the father of her child, and it certainly wasn't like no one could see those events coming. It happens all too often; but for some reason, I couldn't shake the sadness and the outrage that I felt. In my opinion, both victims were betrayed by the Family Court system, and by the very culture that the system reflects, and I kept picturing the anguish of their loved ones. I still do, and I think about how Joshua and Jennifer had lives that they looked forward to. So I wrote An Early Frost thinking about them, and about those who love them.
Who do you see as your target audience?
Anyone who has any exposure to violence against women and children, whether directly or tangentially, or who wants to better understand the dynamics.
What makes these books special?
I'm told that I don't pull any punches on the issues I write about, and some readers have found the books difficult to read. But the stories are based in reality, on real-life situations that are ugly. To soften the truth would be a vast disservice, both to the exploration of the issues and to the reader.
How would you describe the success of your books so far?
Well beyond my hopes. Overall, readers have been wonderfully open to the messages I wanted to convey, and I'm so grateful for that.
How long did it take to write the books?
Each one took around four months.
"In twenty years, will I be proud that I wrote this?"
Can you give some advice for other authors regarding the writing process?
I teach a seminar on publishing books, and I always tell my students to look at their finished manuscript and ask themselves one question: "In twenty years, will I be proud that I wrote this?"
Are you working on another book project? Can you tell us a little about it?
I'm working on another novel, about the Maternal Alienation that takes place in violent homes. It's amazing, how so many kids grow up in a house where their mother is battered, and then wind up turning on her when they become adults. There are reasons for that, and ways for alienated mothers to survive it, and that's the story of Ventriloquist. The (very) tentative publication date is May 15, 2015.
Where do you see the book market in 5 or 10 years? Will there be only eBooks and will book stores disappear like record stores disappeared?
I don't think so. I hope not, but I do wonder if the time will come when physical copies of books increase in value, just because they've become less common.
"[...] I prefer holding a book in my hands."
What is your e-reading device of choice?
I have a Kindle, but I prefer holding a book in my hands.
Do you write full-time or do you have a day job? When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?
I'm pretty much a full-time author. In my spare time, I'm an editor. I teach a few seminars, and I'll occasionally take on a client for coaching, but I'm all about the books these days.
How can readers connect with you?
My website isjennabrooks.weebly.com. All of my online information is at about.me/jenna.brooks
Thank you very much for the Interview, Jenna.
About the Book An Early Frost
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| Click to Read an Excerpt |
Sure it does. Love hurts like Hell.
Will Remmond is finding that out.
A high-powered Family Law attorney, he’s the one that battered mothers and abused kids turn to for help. Will’s the best at what he does, and he wins.
He’s also fed up, burned out, and ready to walk away from fighting the insanity of the Family Court system.
But there are two abused children left to rescue. One of them is five-year-old Alexa Reynolds. She and her mother are being stalked by a criminal sociopath.
Her mom calls the guy “demonic.”
Alexa calls him “Daddy.”
And Alexa’s daddy calls Will a walking dead man.
The other abused child lives inside of Maxine Allen, the woman who Will waited decades to find. Max is becoming more and more withdrawn. Increasingly hostile. She’s turning abusive, striking out at him - and he knows only that it has something to do with her father. Unable to learn the secrets from her childhood, he’s watching as the woman he loves descends into her own private hell.
But Will waited half his life to find her, and he’s not about to abandon her there. He intends to get to the truth of what happened to her. Between saving Alexa from her murderous father, and Maxine from her demons, he’s walking into the fight of his life. One that he intends to win.
Or die trying.
Will Remmond is about to learn that the most terrifying battles don’t take place in the courtroom. They are waged within the darkest places of the human mind: in the abyss where the force of love confronts the power of evil. Head-on.
"An Early Frost is a compassionate and fearless look at the long term damage caused by domestic violence and a terrific read. Picking up a year after October Snow left off, Maxine tries to recover from the shocking death of her friend, and from her own childhood. Can her inner demons be put to rest before it costs her the love of her life? Deftly blending romance, drama, and danger, An Early Frost's fast-pace and energetic style make this story a must-read." - Reader Review
Links to the Book
Link to the Paperback An Early Frost with Excerpt on Amazon
Link to the eBook An Early Frost with Excerpt on Amazon
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