Interview with Alison Brodie
Published 2016-11-11.
What are you working on next?
My next novel is entitlted ZENKA. Zenka is a pole-dancer. Jack Murray is a London gangland boss. When Jack saves Zenka's life, she determines to become his guardian angel.
Who are your favorite authors?
Tawni O'Dell. William Boyd. Evie Wyld.
What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
Raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm-woollen mittens.
When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?
Walking my dog, ocean-swimming, reading.and destroying hunters' lairs to stop them shooting migrating birds.
How do you discover the ebooks you read?
Book blogs and personal recommendations from my friends on social media.
Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
Yes. Face to Face about a fashion model on a disastrous modelling assignment in the Highlands of Scotland
What is your writing process?
I wait for the story and characters to come into my head then I write the story down - fast - without stopping, without looking back. I then put the story away for a few months and when I take it out I see it with fresh eyes which helps me to revise, revise and revise!
Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you?
The Little Mermaid. I was gripped by the story: What would happen? Would she marry her prince? The ending had me in tears.
How do you approach cover design?
I imagine a vibrant image from my story. Then I trawl Getty Images and Shutterstock to get a picture which I then pass on to a professional designer.
What are your five favorite books, and why?
Back Roads by Tawni O'Dell. This is a traumatic book yet the author wrote it with sensitivity, compassion and even humour.
Love Story by Erich Segal. An excellent romance that had be sobbing into Kleenex tissues.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I lived that book. The characters were so real. The story so engrossing.
The Bay of Noon by Shirley Hazzard. A haunting, almost melancholic, story of a young gauche English woman who meets a beautiful Italian woman in Naples after the war.
Nine Stories by J. D. Salinger. These stories have been written from the heart: with tenderness and humour.
What do you read for pleasure?
Novels that draw me into the story. I love conflict between characters, humour, and a what-the-hell-is-going-to-hapen next?
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Books by This Author
Brake Failure
by Alison Brodie
Ruby, an English debutante, transforms from Miss Perfectly-Correct to criminally insane as she breaks the bonds of her rigid upbringing. Sheriff Hank Gephart tries to reel her in, but she’s out of control and she's not hitting the brakes.
