BIO:
International bestselling author Vanessa lives in the heart of Sussex, England.
When not being an author, Vanessa is out and about with her husband, exploring Britain's many castles and stately homes, stopping for scones & tea at every opportunity!
I used to write stories for myself and my friends in school which I based around books I had already read using the characters from books such as, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. I gave Aslan a sister called Asilion, and she and Aslan had many adventures with us and not, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy.
Did you have any influencing writers growing up?
All the classic children’s authors. As a teen I read an adult book that featured a spanking and I began to write short spanking tales in secret. Then I discovered Kathleen Woodiwiss, (my favourite book of hers is The Wolf and the Dove) and Rosemary Rogers. It was her book, Sweet Savage Love, which sparked my desire to write something adult with spanking and sex included.
Are any of your characters based on people in real life?
I have depicted a few mothers which have my adopted mother’s rather nasty character!
Where do you draw your book inspirations from?
I often think, what if…and I go from there.
Do you use have a basic outline when starting a new story or do you let the characters lead the way?
I prefer to let my characters come alive. I know when they do because they nag at me and I begin to dream about the next part of the plot.
When you are picturing the characters in your book, do you have a cheater photo for inspiration?
Not really, when I write I am seeing the story as a film in my head and I am racing typing to keep up with what is happening.
Many people read as a form of escape and relaxation. What is your favorite way to sit back and relax?
I love reading, and walking in the countryside.
Who are your favorite current authors to read?
I read very widely. I like Lisa Regan’s detective Quinn series.
I love historical romance, Carol Mortimer, Natasha Blackthorne, Ashe Barker – I will read anything of hers! I love BJ Wane and Jane Henry and I adore Sassa Daniels Shifter books. I also love Maggie Ryan’s writing and I do love, Laylah Robert’s Daddy books. Skylar West – Ruby Caine - Alyssa Bailey - Tessa Carr – Stevie MacFarlane -- So many authors - I could go on and on ...
What are your favorite books by others?
I read and re-read, Jane Austen for pleasure. Sense and Sensibility is my favourite book because I adore Colonel Brandon. Alan Rickman played him perfectly in the film! I previously mentioned, Wolf and The Dove. Ashe Barker’s, Black Combe Doms series.
Do the locations in the stories have any meaning to you?
My Masterful Husbands series is set mainly in Sussex where I live. The houses the characters live in are based on real stately homes that I’ve visited. The Smuggler’s Bride, book 4, is set in Cornwall in an area I used to go to for many a childhood holiday, as is the area in Scotland I used for the last book in the series, The Larid’s Bride.
Do you write in single or multiple POV?
I have written in both.
What do you find to be your best research tool?
I use the computer nowadays, but for my first book, The Adventures of Linnet Wainwright, re-released in 2014 as Her Match Her Mate Her Master, I almost lived at the library while doing research on the Abenaki Indian customs and language which I incorporated into the book.
Do you write under a pen name? Also, do you write under more than one name?
Only as - Vanessa Brooks – I don’t have any social media under my real name and I don’t share my real name, however Vanessa is actually my middle name.
What genre do you write and why is this your preference?
I write romance with power exchange which means my books have spanking included in them. Why did I choose to write in that genre? Because spanking has always fascinated me and I enjoy writing it!
If you are a duo writing team, how do you share the writing process?
I have written a number of anthologies with other authors and one book with another author.
I love writing in a box set – I enjoy the team work and company of the other authors.
Sadly, my experience of writing with author Beth Bennett was not so great. We had very different writing styles and it was difficult to get the book to feel smooth. We remain friends, but I haven’t attempted to co author again.
What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?
Be very aware that you will spend more time doing promo work than you will writing until you can afford a P.A to take the burden from you. Read and know your genre then write to fit in with what the reader seems to want.
Check out all my interviews/reviews for Vanessa Brooks!
https://readingbydeb.blogspot.com/2022/10/author-at-glance-vanessa-brooks.html
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