Inside the Writer's Mind with Tonya Brooks

Welcome to another edition of Inside the Writer's Mind with Tonya Brooks. She is the author of several books, that just by the cover they look oh so interesting, and she's here with us to talk a little bit about her books and writing. 

Want to catch up with Tonya Brooks? You can do so via her different social sites.

• Facebook
• Website
• Twitter

You can purchase her books via Amazon. Here are links for the 3 books shown
****This post contains affiliate links to Amazon. Affiliate Disclaimer** Same DiNamics Books is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com

• Desire So Sweet
• Desire Had a Name
• My Name is Desire

Same DiNamics Books: Writing can be a daunting prospect, what made you decide to share your story with the world? 

Tonya Brooks: I had always wanted to publish, but had no idea how to go about it. The thought of finding a publisher, agent and the like was all very intimidating. Then an author that I follow mentioned self-publishing in a Facebook post and I'd had no idea such a thing was possible. After a short conversation with her I decided to go for it.

SDB: Who has influenced you as an author?

TB: Johanna Lindsey, Judith McNaught and Sabrina Jeffries are some of my all time favorites.

SDB: What is your writing method? Do you outline first or do you purge your brain on paper until your story is told? 

TB: A little of both, actually. I do a basic outline, but then my characters will deviate from it and do their own thing at random intervals. Rarely does a story ever begin and end the way I planned it. I've discovered it's easier to go with the flow and let them do what they want to rather than trying to force it back to the outline. Invariably, it's the characters story and they tell it much better than I do.

SDB: How long does it take you to write your story, from getting it down on paper to publishing? 

TB: It depends on the story. And the character. Sometimes they put up a good fight and refuse to cooperate.  I'd say an average three months from start to finish since I only write part time.

SDB: Can you tell me a little bit about your book(s) without giving away too much? Why should I read it? 

TB: The Bad Baker Boys series is about a group of four brothers, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. They were raised in a small Southern town by their tough as nails father, Jed, a former Navy SEAL. The series deals with real issues that real people face and also how they find the strength to overcome them. It has a lot of unexpected plot twists and some dark moments  interspersed with humor. Like a goat. On a leash.

SDB: How much of yourself is in your character(s)?

TB: Probably more than I should admit. My snark and slightly skewed sense of humor is very much in evidence. My female characters are all strong, independent women, who have overcome (or are in the process of overcoming) some pretty traumatic events. There's a little bit of me in every one of them.

SDB: What advice would you give to an aspiring author? 

TB: Write, write, write! Read everything in your genre, then write some more. Take classes if possible. Find a critique partner with a similar style. Hire an editor who will be painfully honest. Never, ever, give up.

SDB: Is there anything else that you'd like to share? 

TB: Because of my penchant for the unexpected, an author friend suggested I step outside of my comfort zone and delve into suspense. So I have just started a new series featuring a group of former military men and women who have formed a private security company. Since its still in the planning stage I don't have any details yet, but it's gonna be a wild ride!