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takeeachdayonebookatatime · 4 years

Text

My Q and A with as much as i could author Brandy Woods Snow.

Here other books are called

Meant To Be Broken (Carolina Clay #1)

Love on Main

About the author she was born and raised in Upstate South Carolina.

she was a journalist for 17 years her articles have been in Delta Sky, Greenville Business Magazine, Columbia Business Monthly, and Home Design & Décor magazine (Charlotte, Raleigh).

Questions:

(Laura8759)

Any books you’re working on at the moment ?

(Brandy)

Earlier this spring, I finished up the WIP that I call the “book of my heart” because it’s very emotional and deals with an issue near and dear to my heart. I’ve started querying that one now, and I have ideas and loose plot sketches for 3-4 other books so now I just need to decide which one is “speaking” to me!

(Laura8759)

Do you have a favorite part of the story ?

(Brandy)

Not to give away any spoilers, but my favorite scene to write was the first kiss scene between CJ and Jett. I don’t want to ruin the story for anyone who hasn’t read it yet but that particular scene was so full of setting and emotion! It’s the first time they truly let down their barriers and bear their soul secrets and there’s just something so special about writing a scene where untrusting people learn to find trust again. And the setting—the entire book is at my “happy place”—Edisto Beach, SC—and that scene captures my favorite time of day on the island—night time on the edge of America where the stars shine like nowhere else over the dark ocean while the tree frogs and cicadas and palm fronds create their own playlist. It’s just such a magical time in a very magical place. I wanted to capture that in that scene.

(Laura8759)

What are your other hobbies when not writing a book ?

(Brandy)

I play the piano, and my family enjoys doing a lot of outdoor activities, like hiking and kayaking. I also enjoy cruising country roads in my “naked” Jeep Wrangler, if that counts as a hobby! LOL

(Laura8759)

What genre of books do you like to read ?

(Brandy)

I am like a 90% YA contemporary and contemporary romance girl. I do, however, read some adult romance and women’s fiction, too, and I’ve been known to read a paranormal or magical realism if it “hits me” just right.

(Laura8759)

Do you celebrate after writing a book ?

(Brandy)

I generally print out the entire thing, hole punch it, and load it into a large binder. From there, I’ll usually snap a photo for Facebook or Instagram and then put it away for a couple months before I attack it with the red pen. That’s probably as hyped up as it gets! LOL Though my husband does insist on taking me out to dinner on the book release dates so there’s at least that! LOL

(Laura8759)

Does anything inspire you when writing a book ?

(Brandy)

I am so inspired by music! In fact, one of the first steps in my writing process is creating a Spotify playlist that goes along with the mood/themes/situations in my book. I’ve noticed that patterns emerge as well. For instance, in my latest WIP, I have Smashing Pumpkins songs galore on my list—just perfectly moody and emotional.

(Laura8759)

Do you outline your book before you write it ?

(Brandy)

I didn’t with MEANT TO BE BROKEN, my first novel so I ended up basically re-writing that one 2.5 times! With AS MUCH AS I EVER COULD, I had a strict plot outline and my beat sheet filled and the edits were significantly minor in comparison. I would say I tend now to be a 50/50 plotter and pantster. I like some definite guidelines but if the plot begins to meander a bit, I’m one to follow it and see where it goes. Sometimes those characters have thoughts of their own!

(Laura8759)

Do you write your story on paper first before you type it out ?

(Brandy)

Pieces of it. If I’m having a hard time with a scene, I might pull out the ol’ pad and pen to scribble some thoughts. It usually ends up in an absolute mess of scribbles that only I can understand and then that gets typed up in the Word doc.

(Laura8759)

Who is your favorite author ?

(Brandy)

I’m not going to lie—I grew up a total VC Andrews junkie. Holy Southern drama and family dynamics! That’s also why I probably have always enjoyed Pat Conroy novels as well. If we’re going to kick it more contemporary, though, I’d have to say that I devour anything from Morgan Matson and Stephanie Perkins.

(Laura8759)

What inspired you to become a writer ?

(Brandy)

I’ve been a writer as long as I can remember. It just seemed to be an innate calling. I began writing stories at age 6 with my old typewriter (yes, I’m old!) and I still have some of these even to this day. One morning when I was 8 I woke up with a poem in my head and I wrote it down immediately in my diary. I still have that one too. It’s surprisingly dark and emotional for the mind of an 8 year old so I can only chalk it up to the thought that this was definitely to be my lot in life. And I’m okay with that! 😊

(Laura8759)

What was your favorite bòok or series as a child ?

(Brandy)

I loved all the “classics” and many of them are now on my own kids’ shelves! Island of the Blue Dolphins, The Sign of the Beaver, Hatchet, Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High, Babysitters’ Club, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Where the Red Fern Grows, The Indian in the Cupboard. I could go on and on!

(Laura8759)

Do you have a favorite book ?

(Brandy)

I’m going to keep this one contemporary focused since I have a ton of books I’d call favorites! Morgan Matson’s Second Chance Summer is one of me read-and-read-again books because it has some swoony love interest at the lake during summer vibes, some friendship angles, and tons of family dynamics. It’s a great book to get swept up in!

(Laura8759)

How do you feel about a sequel to one of your books ?

(Brandy)

I hadn’t planned on one for AS MUCH AS I EVER COULD though several people have already asked for it! I mean, I’m not opposed so we’ll see where that goes! LOL I do have a “sequel” (more a companion book) for my first release, MEANT TO BE BROKEN. It’s about 30k words in and being written slowly as I go but I do love the story so maybe sooner than later that one will come to fruition!

(Laura8759)

How did you come up with the idea for your book ?

(Brandy)

I generally come up with the theme first—the emotional hook, which is so important to me. My books and writing are all about the deep, emotional feels so if there’s an idea/emotion I want to explore, I’ll start there and think about the conflict, then the characters, and then the plot after that. I’m totally a character-driven writer!

(Laura8759)

Is there any changes you would make to your book or story ?

(Brandy)

Nope! Not only am I a perfectionist in life, but I’m also an empath so I spend a great deal of time looking at my characters and their actions from lots of different angles. When I complete the MSS edits for publication, it is 100% where I want it to be.

(Laura8759)

How do you feel about ghost writers ?

(Brandy)

Coming from the world of marketing and public relations, I’ve actually ghost written some articles for company CEOs and department heads, so in that part of the writing world, it’s actually very common. When it comes to ghostwriting books, I don’t know that I truly have a huge earth-shattering opinion here. I’ve certainly read books that were ghost-written—I mentioned The Babysitter’s Club as being one of my childhood faves and it was ghostwritten by Peter Lerangis after like Book 35 or 36 I think. I think it’s also probably pretty common in some non-fiction or celebrity stories as well. I will say that I enjoy the transparency in knowing at least that a book is ghostwritten. I guess for some people it’s a good option and for others not so much. For me, I can say I’d never consider it. My books are my ideas and my writing only. I’m too much of a control freak to let someone else take over my stories, which I often call my “children.” 😊

(Laura8759)

(Finale question)

Current book you’re reading ?

(Brandy)

I have just downloaded Abigail Johnson’s EVERY OTHER WEEKEND on my Kindle to take with me on vacation in just a few weeks. I hate to say it but because of my current workload requirements, it’ll probably be next month before I am actually reading “for pleasure!” (FYI – I work as an acquisitions editor and marketing manager for Filles Vertes Publishing and I’m a mentor for the summer program Writementor so I have lots of professional reading to be done!)

Any social media pages our very few readers can find you at and were they can buy your books

www.brandywsnow.com

FB: @BWSnowWrites

IG: @snowbrandy

TW: @brandy_snow

#read #books #reader #reading #bookreviewer #review #asmuchasicould #romance #yasmin khan #brandywoodssnow

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