Hi there everyone!
​
Hope you’re all surviving the winter weather that’s returned to the UK! What a good excuse to curl up with a good book!
​
Today I’m talking to the author Brandy Woods Snow.
​
Lovely to meet you, Brandy.
​
How long have you been writing?
​
Brandy: I’ve been writing since I was six years old and received my first typewriter. From that moment on, I always said I was going to write a book one day. When it came time to go to college, though, everyone sort of scared me a bit, saying that I’d never make money as an author. Unwilling to give up on my love of writing, I majored in English and Journalism at Clemson University and began writing professionally in Marketing/PR capacities at age 20. I left the corporate world in 2007 and began freelancing and writing for various publications, including some regional business publications and a home design/lifestyle magazine. My largest article was a feature with Delta Sky that went international on each of their flights! That being said, my love of novel writing was always simmering below the surface. I penned the first words of my debut novel MEANT TO BE BROKEN back in 2005 but did not pull it out and actually begin working on it actively until 2015. An entire decade!
​
My writing has definitely evolved, mostly because I believe in the thought that you should never quit learning. I rely on constant research and my critique partners to be the litmus test on whether I’m growing or stagnating. They will for sure tell me the (hard) truth if I need a wake-up call!
​
Trish: You certainly have a wide experience of writing!
​
Brandy: I can’t imagine NOT writing. It is truly a passion, one that my husband says makes me the happiest he’s ever seen me.
​
Trish: What kind of books do you write?
​
Brandy: I write YA contemporary and YA contemporary romance. For now, that’s my main focus, though I have considered a thriller in the future or an adult romance.
​
Trish: How do you collect ideas for your novels?
​
Brandy: Everyday life! My stories usually start out with the internal conflict first and then I branch out from there. My “thing” is producing stories with deep emotions and intricate family dynamics. I love stories that can make you vacillate between laughter and tears, swooning and angst.
​
Trish: Do you identify with your main characters? Is there something of you in them?
​
Brandy: Definitely. I find that because I start out storylines with the internal conflicts as a primary focus, that they always correlate with something I seem to be going through in life or something I’m wondering about. Plus, my characters are all very Southern, which is something I hope to infuse in all of my works. I love my Deep South life and want to share with the world the beauty and quirkiness of the place I was born, raised, and call home.
​
Trish: What about settings? Are they places you are familiar with?
​
Brandy: Again, definitely what I’m familiar with! My debut novel is set in a small Southern town, in fact the same Southern town I live in now! There are also significant scenes at Edisto Island, a barrier island off the coast of South Carolina, and what I consider to be a slice of Heaven on Earth. I can’t imagine writing stories set anywhere else except here.
​
Trish: What effect do you want your novels to have on your readers?
​
Brandy: I want to get them thinking AND feeling. I feel like if I had to say I have a “speciality” that it’d be in digging deep into the emotions. For instance, in MEANT TO BE BROKEN, I explore the thin line between truth and lies as well as how societal expectations can shape our lives in healthy and unhealthy ways. My MC works throughout the novel to truly find herself and become comfortable in her own skin, learning to make decisions based on what SHE wants instead of what the world says she should want. I guess you could sum that up with a tidy cliché—follow your heart.
​
Trish: Do you have a writing routine?
​
Brandy: With a husband often gone with work and three kids, finding writing time can be tricky at times! LOL. Now that all three are in public school, I do have mornings free, and I often work at night when they go to bed. If I’m on deadline or if the words are really “clicking”, I’ll (on rare occasions) sneak away to my office and close the door. Have to answer the muses when they scream, right?! Funny enough, I wrote most of MEANT TO BE BROKEN in the school car line. I would go an hour to 90 minutes early and sequester myself in the car to write. It was actually sort of nice because of not having any outside distractions.
​
Trish: Are you a keen reader yourself?
​
Brandy: I LOVE to read and focus mostly on YA romance and YA contemporary, though I do enjoy a good adult romance or mystery. I read fantasy on a limited basis, and it generally has to be “grounded” to keep my attention.
​
I absolutely believe good writers also have to be voracious readers. It makes all the difference!
​
Trish: Thank you for sharing your ideas with us today, Brandy. How do we get in touch with you and find out more about your books?
​
Brandy: Thank you. I’d love to mention two additional things, if it’s okay!
​
For more information on me and my goings-on, please visit my website at www.BrandyWSnow.com. There’s a handy connection to all my social media platforms on there, so please visit and follow/friend me! I’d love to stay connected with the writing community!
I am a mentor for an incredible pre-agented writing community, WriteMentor. It is a positive, inclusive community that embraces writers worldwide. Mentee applications will be announced this Spring, and it’s a terrific opportunity for writers to submit their work and possibly be selected to participate in a Summer-long editing process before an agent round. I’ll be asking for all YA romance and YA contemporary stories, so if you’re interested and have a MSS in those genres, I’d love for you to submit to me when applications open! Find out more information on Twitter or on the website.
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
Meant to be Broken
Her secret is big. Mama's is bigger.
Release Date: July 2, 2018 from Filles Vertes Publishing
