AN INTERVIEW WITH BRANDI GILLILAN

Today I've invited Brandi Gillilan to join us on my blog. She's answered some interview questions so we can get to know about her and her writing. And she's going to introduce us to her newest release LET IT SNOW.

Tell us what inspired your story?

Let It Snow was inspired by the song and an anthology topic. It was ‘what would happen if a Billionaire was put in a situation that their money couldn’t get them out of’. So I chose a blizzard and being stranded in a cabin with her long time love.

Here's the Blurb for LET IT SNOW:

Trapped together, Jace and Natalia are forced to face their feelings in Let IT Snow.

Having blown her chance at love, Natalia threw herself into work...so much that she’s wrecking her health. To save her from herself, the man she loved and let go out of misguided loyalty is forced to kidnap her. But when the snowstorm of century hits, and they’ve got nowhere to run except to each other, their platonic friendship changes forever.

What were the challenges (research, literary, psychological, and logistical) in bringing it to life?

The deadline was a difficult part. I’m horrible with time management. But also trying to stay with a believable storyline that didn’t stray too far from reality.

What genres are you most drawn to to read and to write?

Just about anything romance. But I love a good paranormal or mystery. And if it combines all three? Even better. Oh, and dark! If it has a dark theme or feel overall then I’m willing to read it!

Describe your hero and tell us a little about him.

Jace is a relaxed guy. He prefers to be away from people, except for one woman. He has loved Natalia all of their lives, but lost her. When he gets a call that Natalia needs help from herself he runs to her rescue, stealing her away to his mountain cabin.

Describe your heroine and tell us a little about her.

Natalia is a headstrong woman that thought she lost her chance to be with her best friend. So she throws herself into her job, making herself sick.‘

What brings the two together and what threatens to keep them apart?

They are brought back together when Natalia needs saved from herself. A misunderstanding and a jealous woman was what drove them apart.

What about your writing style is different or similar to other writer’s styles?

I think I’m different in the fact I try to write something that would make other authors pause. For example, in one book I’m writing the heroine is scarred on her face. They are obvious and can’t be hidden. Some authors feel that isn’t a good idea and it takes away from the relatability of the character. But I feel there are scarred people out there that would appreciate a scarred heroine, make them understand they are still beautiful.

How did you come up with the title?

I use song titles. I find a song that helps inspire the story and use it for the title. not very creative, but it leads to some interesting titles!

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

I’m not sure, maybe to make sure you know the whole story before you make rash decisions that could lose you the love of your life.

If you’re writing a series, have you kept the same characters throughout?And what through line or theme have you used to tie it together?

I actually have a series started. The first book is called Buy Me A Rose and it’s part of the Wicked Fairytales: The Curvy Collection Anthology Boxed Set. It is a Fairytale about Rose Red, Snow White’s sister in the older versions of the story.
She is being married off and being targeted by an Evil Witch Queen. I am using fairytales to link my books as well as keeping my main characters active in each book.

Is what you’ve written based on your own experiences someone you know?

I have a book to work on based on dreams I’ve had, I nicknamed it the Creepy Story. Another will be inspired by some things my sister and I have experienced.

What books have most influenced your life?

I read a LOT of books. And some of them I forget about and others just stay with me. Some of those that stayed with me are the Harry Potter series, Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, TONs of Manga and of course Nora Roberts’s work. Each one has influenced how I write and gave me the encouragement to try pushing boundaries outside of my comfort zone.

What book are you reading now?

Currently I’m reading Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts. I have always loved her books.

Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?

Kiersten Fay, she writes amazing Sci-fi, Romance and she just started a new Paranormal series. Lisa Kessler who writes sexy and steamy romance and there are many others I can’t think of at the moment.

What are your current projects?

Currently I’m working on books for the six songs that won in the New Year’s Book Bash. But other than that I am working on the sequel to Buy Me A Rose. It’s called Lucky Star, Tinkerbell’s story. And I have two or three books in the editing phase.

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

I would make it longer and fill out the story some more.

If writing a series, which characters will you continue with in other books?

In my Fairytales series I will continue to use Rose and as I go through the books I will pick up other characters.

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?

I have always been a reader and I loved to write. I started with poetry and then when I was in the 7th grade one of my friends dared me to write an idea down. I used one of my favorite animes, Dragon Ball Z for inspiration and started writing. It was a LONG story. About 8 spirals long, all hand written. I never got to finish it because it got lost in a house fire. But starting that one story got me writing freely.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Often times for me it’s writing the beginning of the book. I always have trouble figuring out where to start. But I also have to edit down ideas. I can get right at the end and come up with a new idea. I have to stop and check over my book to see if it will help. If it does, I need to work it in and if not, then I need to wrap up the story before I get another idea.

Who is your cover artist?

Seraphina Donavan did the cover for Let It Snow. But I have another artist Carey Abbott from Safari Heat Book Tours and Author Services did the cover for three books I have in editing.

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

POV. I have a bad habit of jumping from the Hero’s point of view to the Heroine’s and back without any indication of the switch.

Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

Detail placement. I like to help the reader picture what’s going on in the story, but my problem was writing it all at the front so they were overloaded. My writing group helped me with that.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Keep your chin up. There will be people that trash your work but there are more that will love it. You just have to be willing to work for it. Advertise and post anywhere you can. Also, writing groups help a LOT when writing. They help you work out ideas, trouble spots and are great sounding boards.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

Authors enjoy hearing from their readers. Any thoughts or ideas about our work are greatly appreciated. But if you read something you didn’t enjoy please be constructive in your critique.

Thanks so much for joining us today Brandi. I've enjoyed learning about your new release and your writing process.

Brandi also has a story in the anthology, WICKED FAIRYTALES: THE CURVY COLLECTION . The anthology contains ten hot and exciting retellings of classic fairytales.

Here's the blurb for Brandi's story :Rose has devoted herself to being a warrior, only to be told her best service to her family, is by becoming someone’s wife. Can a man like Prince Nicolai be happy with a wife who cares more for weapons than wiles? As they battle against an evil witch trying to capture their kingdom, he’ll discover her worth in BUY ME A ROSE by Brand Gillilan.

On February 13th from 6:00 until 12:00pm EST, Brandi and I will be participating in A Valentine's Day Book Bash on Facebook. There will be 11 authors there and you will have a chance at a Kindle Fire for participating. Each author will be awarding prizes during the event. So come on out and join us, meet several award winning authors, have fun and maybe win some prizes.