I’m happy to welcome author D.W. Brooks. Today, she is sharing interesting facts about her creative journey and new release, Homecoming Chaos.
What was your inspiration for this book?
I was part of the inspiration for the main character. I came up with her based on some experiences I had in my life. I am a physician by training. Once I finished my residency in ophthalmology, I went to business school because I realized that I didn’t want to practice medicine for the rest of my life. My family was not very excited about me quitting medicine. I wanted to write a story about that situation. However, I didn’t want to write it right then, and when I got back to it years later, I didn’t want THAT to be the actual story anymore.
I kept the backstory and shifted the story to the fallout after a return home. There was going to be some significant family drama after her return, based on how she left town. I added a murder mystery and a romantic entanglement into the mix. These are the main three elements of Homecoming Chaos.
What is the best part of being an author? The worst?
I enjoy the creative aspects of writing. I enjoy forming a character from scratch or generating a story about the characters I created. It’s fun to figure out plot points and whether what you want to do in the story makes sense or would it strain credulity. I find the process to be very exciting.
The worst part so far has to be the marketing process. It can be difficult to put yourself and your product out for people to make a judgement on. And knowing that judgement is part of the process doesn’t always make it any easier! However you publish your book, at the end of the day, the marketing and promotion responsibility falls on the author. There are so many ways that you can try to get the word out about your book or get your book in the hands of your readers and what works one time may not work the next time. My husband says that you can always spend more money, if you are not careful, on marketing your books. I have to juggle between paid marketing sources and unpaid public relations. It is a lot of work and tends to move slowly.
If you had a superpower, what would it be?
I would want to be able to manipulate time. I would be able to make more time, so I could get more things done. You can also reverse time or move time forward. But, being able to manipulate time also causes you to not be affected by time. I could pick my favorite age (age 33) and remain that age forever. I was the healthiest that I ever was, my kidneys were still functioning normally, and I had muscles. Come to think of it, I would like to freeze fashion at that time too. I really like the clothes that were popular in 2000.
Besides writing and reading, what are some of your hobbies?
Other hobbies that I enjoy are cooking, traveling, and sports.
I have so many cookbooks and cooking magazines. If you saw them, you might expect that I was a stellar cook. But don’t let the shelves of Cooking Light and Bon Appetit magazines fool you. Before we had children, I would spend the weekend cooking for the week, trying out different recipes I found in my magazines; my husband was a willing taste tester. Once I got pregnant, cooking became a necessity and not the enjoyable task it once was. Now I find recipes on special occasions, and I now have three semi-willing taste testers.
I enjoy traveling, but with kids and my health issues, I didn’t get to travel as much as I wanted to in the past. Now that our youngest in 18, we are making a few more plans – like potentially going back to Kenya next summer so our kids can meet some of their family.
And finally, I am a big sports fan: pro and college football, basketball, tennis, the Olympics, and more. This year has already been a sports bonanza for me because my college team was in the college football playoffs, my pro football team overachieved this year, and the Olympics are coming up! With all the sports options plus the WIPs that I want to finish, I have my year mapped out for me!
Any advice for aspiring authors?
Continue to practice your craft because you are still a writer, even if you don’t have anything published. And if you decide to publish, there are many different ways to get that done. Don’t let anyone put you down for picking the path that works for you, but if you decide your chosen path isn’t for you, it is never too late to change. Try to build a community of other authors—many are interested in offering advice or their experience to help you on your journey.
What are you working on next?
For 2024, I am working on two novellas—one that will be a holiday novella—and Book 2 in the Model MD/Chaos series. I have other ideas dancing around in my head, but I am not sure how much I can get written in one year!
Blurb
A dead body in the parking lot of her family’s business, a killer on the loose, and a handsome detective asking a lot of questions…
Jamie Scott’s life fell apart four years ago when she broke off her engagement, turned down a dream job, and went overseas to run away from her life. Now she’s back, but the reunion is not without problems. She arrives home just in time to attend the soiree her mother planned, but she’s not prepared for what she finds—a dead employee in the parking lot.
Detective Nick Marshall is assigned to the murder case at the forensics lab owned by Jamie’s family. He meets the headstrong Jamie, but he has a job to do. And his attraction to her… well, he’s a professional.
Jamie knows the stakes are high. She has to face the past and save her parents’ business while dealing with her family drama and an uncertain future. She also has to deal with Nick, who wants her out of the way of his investigation. But fate keeps throwing them in one another’s paths… and into chaos that they both want to avoid, but neither can seem to escape.
Excerpt
Jamie entered the simply appointed room decorated in blue, white, and seafoam green. The attached bathroom incorporated blue and white colors. Jamie sat on the edge of the bed and looked around the room. Since she never lived here, the room didn’t hold many personal touches, as did Jon’s and Jillian’s rooms. There were plenty of pillows, a complete set of cherry wood bedroom furniture, and a mid- sized flat-screen TV above the chest of drawers. It represented a fitting guest room since she was now a guest—a nervous guest at that. What if her mother verbally eviscerated her again? Could she deal? Jamie realized she was delaying her meeting with her mom for as long as possible. What else could she do to kill time?
She peeked in the closet to see if she had left any clothes behind from four years ago. Unfortunately, she found nothing that would be appropriate for what would be a formal event on Sunday night.
She went into the bathroom and removed her baseball cap to inspect the state of her hair in the mirror. It was fine for a quiet home visit, but not for a dressy affair. Jamie had let her relaxer grow out while she was out of the country. She typically flat-twisted her natural hair to emphasize the wave pattern. Before this trip, she had only washed, conditioned, and air-dried her hair, thinking that she would have some time after her arrival to moisturize and comb it. Now, it was just squashed down by her hat. Ugh. Since she wouldn’t be able to prep before talking to her mother, she would have to atone by looking her best for the party. For such a formal affair, she would have to visit a salon for a trim and style.
There was a knock on the bedroom door. “Come in!” Jamie yelled as she tucked her cap back onto her head and came out of the bathroom. Jon placed her bags inside her door. “Mother is waiting for you downstairs. I’m going to my room to avoid the tearful reunion.” He didn’t live there anymore but still called his childhood room “his room”.
Jamie sighed. Time to woman up. “OK. Let me wash my face, and I’ll be down. Where is she, exactly?” she inquired.
“Still in the study. Good luck.”
Buy Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple | Google | Kobo | Autographed Copy
Author Bio and Links
The author is a doctor and editor who lives in Texas with her husband and children. She enjoys trying to stay in shape, sporadically cooking, reading (still), writing, and working on her blog. She is eternally grateful to the woman who donated a kidney to her over 5 years ago and continues to advocate for organ donation as much as she can.
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Giveaway
D.W. Brooks will award a randomly drawn winner a $15 Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift card. Find out more here.
Follow the author on the rest of her Goddess Fish tour here.
What is the best part of being an author? The worst? 
In June of 1995, I sat with eyes glued to the big screen as Meryl Streep assumed the role of Francesca Johnson, an Italian war bride, in the romantic drama The Bridges of Madison County. Based on the best-selling novel by Robert James Waller, the film focuses on a four-day love affair between two middle-aged lovers, Francesca and Robert Kincaid, a National Geographic photojournalist brilliantly played by Clint Eastwood.
Joanne Guidoccio 