AUTHOR LOWDOWN - SYDNEY SPECIAL EDITION!! Rachel Brookes

You’re being abducted by hunky aliens and they’ve never watched a DVD. What five movies do you take to watch with them?
Oh, this is a tough one!
Troy, Transformers, Forest Gump, The Wedding Singer and World War Z. I have just realised how random my favourite movies are!

Do you have a favourite author? Who is it/are they?
I have so many! Abbi Glines, Kendall Ryan, Christina Lauren, Kristen Ashley. I can’t choose just one.

How did you start your writing career?
It was late 2013 when Savannah Rae from The Breathe Series decided to pop herself into my thoughts and she refused to leave. I remember the day so fondly when I opened a fresh word document and wrote the prologue to what would be the beginning of Just Breathe. I spent hours on my laptop, typing, deleting and then typing again. It was such a new experience. I jumped onto twitter where I was able to start connecting with some amazing fellow authors and bloggers and then people started to want to know about my book. It was so surreal and, as they say, the rest is history.

Which character was the hardest to write and why?
Definitely Eden Rivers from Be My December. Her back story was so intense and a very tough subject matter to cover. It is a subject that needs patience, integrity, and respect. I was so afraid that I wouldn’t do it correctly or that I wouldn’t do it justice but I have received many emails and messages from people who have experienced something similar to Eden or know someone and they have eased my concerns. Although she was the hardest, she definitely has a very special place in my heart.

If you write under an alias/Nome de plume, how do you deal with being addressed by that name?
I was born Rachel so I don’t have to worry about forgetting my penname.I have quite a few author friends that write under a penname and I am so supportive of their decision.

How would you classify the genre you write? Why did you choose that genre?
I would class my genre as contemporary romance with adult themes. I chose that genre because it is what I love reading, but it also covers the age range that I like to focus on and covers the issues, emotions, experiences and fantasies of expression. Contemporary Romance is open to interpretation and allows me to write subjects that wouldn’t be accepted in some other sub-categories.

If you weren’t an author, what would you have ended up doing?
I worked as an executive assistant prior to becoming an author so I’d either be doing that or I’d be training and/or working in Beauty.

Do you have any rituals/habits when you write?
I always have to have music playing and for some reason I always put my hair up into a top knot (high bun), if I am writing at home I make sure one of my favourite candles is burning. I also almost always write the last paragraph of the book at the start. It’s something I’ve done from the very beginning and I continue to do it.

What would be the weirdest one?
Definitely the top knot, I can’t seem to write if my hair is down. I am officially a weirdo.

~there's little more distracting than hair in your face~ Mandy ~

What is on your current and upcoming release schedule?
I have four books currently available.

The Breathe Series: Just Breathe, Breathless and Breathe Again and I have recently released a standalone called Be My December. My upcoming release schedule includes Be My Temptation, Crave and Perfect Distraction which will be released the beginning months of 2015.

Where are your books available?
All books eBooks and paperbacks are available via amazon as well as some online stores in different territories.

Stalker Links
www.facebook.com/AuthorRachelBrookes

www.twitter.com/RachelBrookes_

www.instagram.com/All_Things_Rachel

www.pinterest.com/RachelBrookesAU
email: rachelbrookeswrites@gmail.com