Interview with Lisette Brodey

I have been a fan of Lisette Brodey's books for a few years now. Lisette is a talented author who has written many novels. I've particularly enjoyed her novels Crooked Moon and Squalor, New Mexico.






("Squalor, New Mexico" is currently on sale at 99c until 1st July 2016)

Whether she is writing Young Adult fiction, Chick Lit, or general fiction, Lisette's books are always full of realistic characters, and her writing is entertaining and thought-provoking.

She recently joined us as a contributing author for the Mind's Eye series. Her short stories in Triptychs are fantastic.

I always know when I start reading a book by this author that it will keep me interested. I've read most of her books and each one has something special.

I invited her here for a chat about her writing.

INTERVIEW WITH LISETTE BRODEY



Hi Lisette, welcome to my blog! Thanks for joining me here. Please introduce yourself.

My name is Lisette Brodey. I’m the multi-genre author of six books: Crooked Moon; Squalor, New Mexico; Molly Hacker Is Too Picky!; and The Desert Series, a YA Paranormal trilogy that includes: Mystical High, Desert Star, and Drawn Apart.

Originally, from a suburb of Philadelphia, I have lived in New York City and now live, for the second time, in Los Angeles. (It’s a long story!)

Are there any characters in your books that are based on real people?

There isn’t one character in any of my books who is based on one specific person. There are many characters who have the traits of people I know or who are hybrids of real people and/or my imagination. Even if I were to start a book and write a character as a specific person, it wouldn’t be long before the character would take over and his or her unique personality would emerge.

When writing a novel or story, do you think word count is important? If so, what is the ideal length?

I’m glad you asked this, Maria. Like many areas of publishing, proper word count is one area in which there are many opinions and no definitive answer. I believe, for the most part, that a story is finished when the author is done telling it as it should be told. I’m not a fan of arbitrary word counts: If a book is in X genre, it should be X number of words. Yes, there may be suggested word counts that serve as guides, but I’ve seen so many cases where an author was told to cut 20K from a book not because it was long and rambling, but for the sole purpose of being X number of words.

I totally agree, Lisette.

Do you have a preferred writing space?

Yes, it is up on a mountain in Malibu overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It is beautiful, quiet, and there is nothing to interrupt my thoughts or tangle with my creativity. Even when the gulls pass, they just wave and keep going. Unfortunately, this is my preferred spot and it does not exist in my life.

Hahahaha! I would like that spot too!

I write at my desk in the living room. However, I often take my laptop to a quieter place where I don’t see anything but the screen. Often, this does help me to focus much better.

Tell us about your latest book.

My latest book is Drawn Apart. It’s the third book in The Desert Series. While this series is classified as YA Paranormal, I see it more as a coming-of-age series (spanning six years) with paranormal elements. The stories deal with real-life issues (bullying, parental abandonment, mental illness etc.). Each of the three novels can be read as standalone books, although they are written to be read as a series.




Drawn Apart is the most romance-oriented book in the trilogy with themes of friendship, true love, soulmates, poetry, and past lives.

Each novel is published separately, but The Desert Series is available as a boxed set on Kindle, too.

What three pieces of advice would you give to an aspiring writer?

First: Write the story you really want to tell. Don’t write for a particular market because it’s “hot” right now. Write your passion.

Second: Don’t show your WIP to everyone you know. Why? You’ll get so many different reactions that it will confuse you and very likely mess with your confidence. If you are a person who likes to share as you write (which I’m usually not), be judicious.

Third: Do not rush to publication! Take the time to make your work the best it can be. Don’t skimp on editing, proofreading, or cover design. Even on a next-to-nothing budget, there are ways to make things work. By networking with other authors, reading blogs, and being active on social media, you can get a lot of terrific advice.

Great advice, Lisette.

What type of music do you prefer to listen to?

My favorite genre of music is R&B. There’s no one I enjoy more than Marvin Gaye. I also listen to a lot of show music, pop/rock, and sometimes classical. I also love a lot of music that is outside of my usual genres. For example, I just love listening to Evanescence with Amy Lee. That said, I do not listen to music while writing. Once in a while, if I have to drown out noise around me, I can write with classical music playing.

Where are your books on sale?

All of my books are on Amazon.com. Additionally, they can all be read for free for members of Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited program.

Thank you so much for having me on your blog, Maria.

It's been a pleasure, Lisette!

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Author links:

Website: www.lisettebrodey.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/lisettebrodey
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BrodeyAuthor
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/lisette...
Molly Hacker website: www.mollyhacker.com