This week we have the very talented Addison Brae with us.
BIO:
Addison
Brae lives in Dallas, Texas on the edge of downtown. As a child, she was
constantly in trouble for hiding under the bed to read when she was supposed to
be napping. She has been writing since childhood starting with diaries, letters
and short stories. She continues today with articles, video scripts and other
content as an independent marketing consultant.
When
she’s not writing, Addison spends her time traveling the world, collecting
interesting cocktail recipes and hosting parties. She’s still addicted to
reading and enjoys jogging in her neighborhood park, sipping red wine,
binge-watching TV series, vintage clothing and hanging out with her artistic
other half and their neurotic cat Lucy.
Thanks for being here, Addison. Let's open the door to the readers, shall we?
I ask our guest five questions. Then I give the a list to choose three from. Here were my five for Addison:
I’m always asked ‘where do you get your ideas’. So, where
do you get yours?
Story
ideas come from life experiences, dreams, people I’ve met, and what’s going on
in the world. I’ve been working a lot
professionally with artificial intelligence that’s got a fascinating romantic
suspense brewing in my head. A conversation with an author
inspired Becker Circle. I mentioned being in a hurry to make it to my friend’s
bachelorette party. She asked me why someone our age would go to a bachelorette
party. The answer was simple. “My friend’s getting married.” I was at the
beginning of a fresh start, and our conversation made me realize how stuck in
social norms and expectations we are. The next day, I started a blog that led
to this book.
Which comes first, the story, the characters, or the
setting?
The characters came first in
Becker Circle. During my fresh start, I met many interesting characters while
traveling and at home. If you read the Becker Circle reviews, you’ll see how
people are intrigued by the neighborhood bar characters. Although everyone is
purely fiction, some are mashups of people I know. Some are based on stories
I’ve heard. Some are inspired by real people – like Whistle Bitch – a real
bartender we met at an all-night bar/diner in Seattle near the Space Needle.
She whistled while she worked and earned the nickname from her coworkers.
Which of your heroines most represent you, or the ‘you’
you’d like to be? Why?
Hmmm…the main character
Gillian and her best friend Lauren both inspire me. Lauren is the perfect
friend who tells it like it is. With Gillian, I learned I can control the
destiny of any situation or character, and that’s very empowering! I just wish
life was as easy.
What is the single most important part of writing for
you?
I write for a living for
clients but rarely get to write about topics I choose, and I always have to get
approval. Writing fiction allows me a creative outlet—to be free.
What’s the most romantic thing a guy can do (or has done)
for you?
Don’t try to change me. Let
me be me and accept me that way I am.
Addison's 3:
How long
have you been writing - have you always wanted to be a writer?
I first started writing
diaries, letters and short stories when I was little, then wrote professionally
in college for commercial audiences. Today
I pay the bills writing articles, video scripts and other content as an
independent marketing consultant. Writing fiction is another
story. I started my first manuscript in 2009 but didn’t tell a soul until I had
30,000 words written. That’s way more words than I had ever gotten down on the
page. When I reached that point, I knew I could finish a novel.
What is your writing routine once you start a
book?
Diving into the story’s
world is the best way for me to build a realistic world in a book. I wrote a
good bit of Becker Circle sitting at bars around the United States. Talking to
bartenders and patrons was truly inspiring since much of the story takes place
around the bar scene.
City Girl or Country Girl
City girl definitely. I live in a town home on
the edge of downtown with a breath-taking view of the Dallas skyline from our
rooftop deck. I love being in the heart of a city. We’re near Deep Ellum,
downtown, Cedars, Lower Greenville and many of Dallas’ best entertainment. I do
adore a vacation exploring nature as long as there’s a real bathroom, a shower
and preferably a mini bar.
Great tidbits! Now, let's talk about your book:
BLURB:
My first and only boyfriend believed I was
too gutless to leave. He was dead wrong. My name’s Gillian, and I graduated
Harvard early and left his hot temper and everyone else behind for Dallas.
Determined to make it on my own, I land a second job bartending at the
neighborhood pub smack in drama central where most every jerk in the
neighborhood hits on me—at a huge price. A week into the job, the
neighborhood’s very popular drug dealer falls to his death a few feet from the
table I’m serving. The cops say suicide, but the hot guitar player in the house
band and I suspect foul play, and I intend to prove it. We dig deeper, grow
closer, and make a shocking discovery. We know the murderer. Watch the trailer.
NOTE:
BECKER'S CIRCLE is available on the Smashwords in July for 50% off.
Simply use SSW50 at checkout!
EXCERPT:
Mixers, whisky brands, and vodka
flavors run through my head down the six flights of stairs and on the short
walk to the first shift of my new night job. My jacket shields me from the cold
as I step through the circles of light shining on the dark red brick sidewalk.
A couple jogs by totally into one another, and three guys who were probably
high school stars toss a football near the fountain yelling back for not throwing
right.
What am I doing? Am I invisible? Everyone’s with someone like I
was. Taking the CPA job in Dallas seemed like such a great idea. It’s where no
one knows me. Away from Connor. Before he had a chance to break me.
Rule one of my new life—forget
about what already happened. Period.
Just as I turn the corner toward the tree-lined park,
someone rams into me from behind. I gulp a breath as he twists me to the
ground, dragging me along by the arm. The strap to my purse connects me to a
guy who looks barely old enough to drive until he yanks it away. The purse
holding the cash I have to live on until I get paid, my ID, one credit card,
and proof I took an exam today.
The purse Mom gave me for my eleventh birthday.
“Stop!” I struggle to untwist my legs and sprint
toward the strap dragging behind him. “No!” The distance between us widens.
One lucky commentor today will receive this GORGEOUS Stainless Steel Martini Glass!
Just tell us what you'd put in this collective glass
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