Meet the Neighbors talks to Gerri Brousseau

Gerri dreamMeet the Neighbors is excited to have a Soul Mate sister on the blog today. Gerri had a lot to talk about including her new release, To Kill A Monarch – I’ll let her tell you.  Welcome Gerri! 


Gerri: Thank you so much for inviting me. I’m excited to share with your readers.


Tell me your call story.


Gerri: It was a call email, actually. I got an email from Debby at Soul Mate Publishing. It was 10:30 p.m. and I remember jumping up and down in my living room when I read it. Of course, the first thing I wanted to do was call everyone and tell them the news, but at that hour I couldn’t. I had to wait until the next day. Needless to say, I hardly slept that night.


Tell us about your release.


Gerri: To Kill a Monarch is my third release. Here is what it’s about:


Whispers in dark allies say Napoleon’s best assassin, The Falcon, has been sent to London to kill the Monarch. The problem – The Falcon’s identity is known only to the French Emperor. Sir Walter Tinsdale’s new partner, Philip Hamilton, arrives to discover their mission is to find the elusive bird of prey before he strikes. But their nemesis is like a phantom and always one step ahead of them. Enter the lovely Miss Charlotte Winston, the object of Sir Tinsdale’s affections, as well as those of Philip Hamilton. Unlikely alliances, deception, murder, and suicide will keep you turning the pages until the identity of The Falcon is finally revealed. With all the seduction and action of a James Bond movie, To Kill a Monarch is like 007 in 1811.


What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve received?


Gerri: The best piece of writing advice is to keep writing and never give up.


Amen sister! What’s your writing schedule?  Are you a full time writer?


Gerri: I wish I could be full time. I work at the DDJ (Dreaded Day Job) and then come home and write in the evenings and on weekends. My schedule depends on where in the process I am. If I’m working on a new work in progress, I write for about 3-4 hours after dinner every night. If I’m in the editing process, the work in progress goes on the back burner and the editing takes full attention. That’s on a deadline. Right now, I’m writing blog articles and working on three new works in process.


I’m amazed.  I’m doing good if I can squeeze out an hour or two on work days. Desert Island time – 3 must have books.


Gerri: Pride and Prejudice, Gone With the Wind, and The Harry Potter Series


I love Harry. What’s your writing must have snack?  Or drink?


Gerri: Right now I’m sitting here with a cup of coffee, but it is morning as I type this. What I drink depends on largely on the time of day and time of year. During the summer I like iced tea or lemonade, in winter I enjoy hot tea. I generally have a bottle of water on hand as well.  I have been known to sit down to write at 6:00 pm thinking I’ll grab something to eat later only to look up at the clock and find it is after midnight and I still haven’t eaten.


Coffee’s my early morning drug too. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?


Gerri: I have been writing as far back as I can remember, but I never gave serious thought to trying to write a novel until 2009.


How long does it take you to write a book?


Gerri: A good writer friend of mine, Peter Andrews, teaches a workshop about writing fast fiction. I was fortunate enough to take one of his workshops. Using his method, I sit to write, turn my “inner editor” off and just write. I write as fast as possible and do not look back until I have finished the book. Only then do I go back to edit. I have used this method with 2 of the 3 books I have published. I get the book written in 4 weeks, but then have to go back to edit. It’s a great system and works wonderfully for me.


What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?


Gerri: I don’t know if it’s a quirk, but I sit in the recliner with my lap top and the pugs. My pugs think they are my muses, and I just don’t have the heart to tell them otherwise.


My boys (Poms) think the same thing.  Silly dogs. Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?


Gerri: My ideas come from many places, music, commercials, watching people, but mostly dreams. Once I have an idea, I research the time period before I ever begin. I use the internet and my local library to find a lot of information.


What do you like to do when you’re not writing?


Gerri: When not writing, I read – A LOT. I also watch movies on TV. I rarely go to the theatre to see a film. I like to cook and have some original recipes, but what I live for is to spend time with my 1-year old Grand-Daughter.


What does your family think of your writing?


Gerri: My immediate family has always been supportive. They believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself, and they have always been encouraging. My extended family, however, was quite another story. When I first mentioned at a family gathering that I had written a book, they all looked at me with that sympathetic look on their faces as if to say I was crazy. Now that I am a multi-published author, their tune has changed.


How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?


Gerri: I have written four books, three of which are published. I’m working on polishing up the fourth. My favorite is To Kill a Monarch. I think it is my best work to date.


Tell us about your latest book, including its genre. Does it cross over to other genres? If so, what are they?


Gerri: To Kill a Monarch is historical, but it is also an intrigue romance.


What is the most important thing you do for your career?


Gerri: Write daily. In addition to that i talk to everyone I meet. When someone asks me what I do, I answer without hesitation, “I’m an author.”


What do you enjoy most about life?


Gerri: Spending time with my family.


Would you consider self-publishing?


Gerri: It’s funny you ask this because I’m considering doing this with the next book.


I’m considering the SP path for a romance, I just finished.  I think the publishing world is changing.  If you could give the younger version of yourself advice what would it be?


Gerri: I would tell my younger self to start my writing career at a much younger age.


How do you balance a life outside of writing with deadlines and writing muses?


Gerri: Balance, What’s that? When I have a deadline, nothing but a life emergency matters. The DDJ (Dreaded Day Job) does get in the way, because let’s face it . . . work is a 4-letter word.


What is the craziest thing you did as a kid, and would it ever end up in a book?


Gerri: The craziest thing I ever did, and it was not as a kid, was skydiving. I am a retired skydiver with 56 jumps to my credit, and I do have an idea for a book where I will use that experience.


Monarch CoverTo Kill A Monarch excerpt:


The unmarked coach ambled down the alternate route to Brighton. Tinsdale’s gaze scanned the road ahead of them. If a leaf moved in a tree, he saw it; if a rabbit hopped across their path, it was not missed.


The Regent sat inside the coach wringing his pudgy hands. The silence grew deafening.


Hamilton, too, surveyed the area. The air was still. Nothing moved. Not a bird chirped, not a breeze rustled a single leaf.


He strained to hear any sound over the steady clopping of the horses’ hooves against the hard-packed road and the creaking of the coach. The hair on the back of his neck rose when he sensed the presence of the assassin. His senses now on high alert, he drew his pistol. Then he heard the sound of a twig snap, followed by the whiz of a bow as it released the silver-tipped arrow. The hum of the arrow rang in his ears as it sped through the air and slammed into the side of the unmarked coach.


~~~


A bit of information about Gerri Brousseau


Gerri was born and raised in Waterbury, Connecticut. She attended Central Connecticut State One night after a strange dream about a dream catcher, she was inspired to write According To Legend. Most of the novel was written while she commuted on the train. Since that time, Gerri has also written A Pirate’s Ransom and To Kill a Monarch. She has signed with Soul Mate Publishing.


 A Pirates Ransom -released in e-book by Soul Mate Publishing in August 22, 2012. Released in paperback 6/19/13.


According To Legend released March 6, 2013 – will be available in print in early 2014.


To Kill a Monarch e-book release date- August 21, 2013 by Soul Mate Publishing. It will be available on Amazon for your Kindle and Barnes and Noble. To Kill a Monarch will be available in print in spring of 2014.


In 2012 Gerri served as the Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Connecticut Chapter of Romance Writers of America and is also a member of Romance Writers of America as well as Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association.


  Here’s how you can contact Gerri


All my contact information is on my website www.gerribrousseau.com


or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/gerri.brousseau.5


  Thanks again, Gerri, for joining me here today.


Thank you for inviting me. It was so much fun sharing with your readers.


Buy links


  http://www.amazon.com/To-Kill-A-Monarch-ebook/dp/B00EOC3CGY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377457063&sr=8-1&keywords=to+kill+a+monarch


http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/to-kill-a-monarch-gerri-brousseau/1116560093?ean=2940148743316



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Published on September 04, 2013 04:12
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