AUTHOR INTERVIEW WITH:

BROOKE BURGESS

A BOY. A CAT. A NIGHTMARE IN TWO WORLDS!

In the sleepy town of Appleton, a young loner follows a stray cat onto the road and is struck by a car. A leg is shattered, a summer is ruined, and the troubled life of Billy Brahm goes from bad...to cursed.

When the mysterious cat appears at his bedside, Billy is haunted by strange dreams - visions of Watchers, and Shadows, and the Enemy that Awakens. Does this impossible realm hold the key to healing the boy...or is the golden-eyed cat bringing the nightmares to life? 

Too frightened to share the truth with his adoptive parents, Billy turns to the only ones who can help -- the local vet's daughter, the town's 'crazy cat lady'...and a mystical tiger, beckoning from his dreams.

http://www.amazon.com/Cats-Maw-Shadowland-Saga/dp/1500971650

BROOKE BURGESS was born in a tiny town on the eastern coast of Canada. Cats had a presence in his home from the very beginning. They became his siblings, friends, and (benevolent) masters. An old graveyard on a nearby hill was a real (and beautiful) thing. This probably influenced his love of (somewhat) scary stories. Brooke has written for videogames, animation, comic books, and film. He loves mythology, travel, really good TV, and frozen yogurt.

Many of the things in this book (dreams included) actually happened.

THE CAT’S MAW is Brooke’s first novel. 

YOUR CAT IS GORGEOUS! SO TELL US BROOKE, WHEN AND HOW DID YOU BECOME A WRITER?

I just kinda stumbled into it by following the path of least resistance. I used to get in trouble in school for daydreaming, scribbling poetry, and writing short stories. That graduated into crafting tabletop role-playing campaigns and videogame concepts. My grades in English and Creative Writing remained strong throughout university, and as a part-time actor (yes…I dabbled) I began to write scripts for self-produced Fringe Festival plays.

With a few awards under my belt and an offer to write and produce big titles for an AAA videogame company, I guess that’s when it started to feel like being a ‘writer’ was a real thing.

WOW! THOSE ARE TRULY HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THE STUFF THAT WRITERS DREAM ABOUT. WITH ALL THAT IN YOUR WHEELHOUSE, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS YOUR GREATEST WRITING ACHIEVEMENT?

I hate to choose between my ‘children’, as even some of the shortest pieces inspired some pride, and seemed to make a memorable impact. But I would have to say that the 3 YEARS spent writing and producing the world’s first ‘Motion Comic Epic’ – BROKEN SAINTS (www.brokensaints.com) -- garnered the most acclaim/awards, and reached a worldwide audience on the web that was hungry for smart, scary, and (dare I say it) spiritual storytelling.

BROKEN SAINTS LOOKS AMAZING! I JUST MAY BECOME A HUGE FAN. SO WITH ALL YOUR EXPERIENCE, WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE HARDEST THING ABOUT BEING A WRITER?

The isolation. It’s an incredibly lonely profession, and it’s often harder for writers vs other artists to connect ‘in the flesh’ with their audience. Musicians and actors and dancers do live performances. Painters and visual artists can do gallery showings. But poor writers work in a vacuum by comparison, so we have to have a lot of faith that our stories aren’t just pebbles getting tossed in the big, black Ocean…

SO SO TRUE. MOST OF MY DAYS ARE SITTING ALONE AND HAVING A RELATIONSHIP WITH MY LAPTOP. WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON AT THE MOMENT?

Right now I’m working on VOL II of the Shadowland Saga (the sequel to THE CAT’S MAW), while keeping up with the stuff that pays the bills – videogame writing!  I just finished the story for a mobile RPG that’s the first game ever from the legendary heavy metal band IRON MAIDEN (www.ironmaidenlegacy.com ), and have another AAA top-secret RPG that’s coming out this summer in 27 languages (!!!) where I’ve done the story, characters, and enough dialogue for a whole new book!

And finally, I’m putting the finishing touches on the deluxe AUDIOBOOK edition of The Cat’s Maw, featuring the award-winning voice of DAVID KAYE (Transformers: Beast Wars, Avengers Assembled, Ratchet & Clank, Last Week Tonight w/ JOHN OLIVER), and the incredible music of TOBIAS TINKER (Stillness3, Broken Saints, Hellboy 2 shorts). 

WOW! I LOVE THAT WRITING FOR VIDEOGAMES PAYS THE BILLS! WHAT GENRE(S) DO YOU WRITE OR WISH TO WRITE?

 I tend to lean towards mysteries and thrillers, with strong undercurrents of supernatural horror.  That said, I’ve always had a soft spot for lyrical/poetic fairytales, brainy scifi, epic fantasy, and children’s books with a ‘spiritual’ side. And I’ll always have a love for graphic novels and comics, as they got me hooked on the written word at a tender age!

DO YOU EVER SUFFER FROM WRITER’S BLOCK?  IF SO, HOW DO YOU GET PAST IT? 

Get physical until you sweat. Hitting stuff works.

Find something -- your flat, desktop, or underwear -- to clean.
Take a lonnnnnng, hot bath. Preferably with lavender oil and bubbles.
If you're writing fiction, watch/read a true story. Flip it for non-fiction.
Find people and/or animals to OBSERVE. 
Sketch, paint, sing, or make some music. Build something!

I'M ABSOLUTELY GOING TO TRY FLIPPING TO NON-FICTION THE NEXT TIME, I'VE NEVER HEARD THAT ONE BEFORE! AND THE BATH, I BET THAT WOULD WORK. DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE PLACE TO WRITE?
Anywhere quiet so I can hear the Muse. Preferably somewhere fresh and unfamiliar, as that can trigger new ways of thinking. A view of the sea never hurts. If there’s a resident feline supervisor, even better J

      WHAT’S THE GREATEST COMPLIMENT YOU EVER RECEIVED FROM A READER?

      I don’t want to trivialize this, but several readers have shared that a story of mine gave them hope when they were in a very dark place, and considered ending their lives.  This is probably why I feel so compelled to write things that can inspire on some level, even in their darkest corners.

     WHAT WAS THE WORST COMMENT FROM A READER?

     Oh, we could be here all day with this one :P 

     Let’s see…"pretentious style…stupid characters…absurd situations…boring plot…"

     All of them sting, since creative works feel like your kids! You’d hate to think of one being ‘ugly’

     I LOVE THAT YOU ARE SO HONEST ABOUT THEM - I CAN'T IMAGINE A WRITER WHO HASN'T HEARD SOMETHING HURTFUL AT ONE TIME OR ANOTHER. OR PERHAPS MADE THEM CRY A WHOLE WEEKEND OVER COOKIE DOUGH....BUT I SURE WOULDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THAT ;-) OTHER THAN WRITING, WHAT ELSE DO YOU LOVE?

      Lots of things!  But if I had to pick, I’d probably say it’s a tie between travel…and cats J That’s pretty much my reason for staying in Southeast Asia the past few years…there are lots of little islands where it feels like you’ve stepped back in time (but with WIFI!), and some of them have more cats than people.

      GOTTA HAVE THE WIFI THOUGH. DID YOU HAVE YOUR BOOK(S) PROFESSIONALLY EDITED BEFORE PUBLICATION?

      Yes. I’m blessed to have a good friend whose father was an acclaimed author and children’s editor – SEAMUS CASHMAN. He’s retired now, but took the time to give me thoughtful (and thorough) ‘coverage’ on the second draft of THE CAT’S MAW.

    THE CAT'S MAW COVER IS INCREDIBLE....

     HOW DID YOUR BOOK COVER / BOOK TRAILER COME TO FRUITION?   

      The BOOK COVER was a collaboration between an illustrator pal (who I’ve worked with on the graphic novel BECOMING) and a visual artist chum who’s a whiz at photoshop, colour comps, and layout.

With the BOOK TRAILER, I got a chance to polish off the ol’ editing and voice directing skills, commission some original music, gather up my review quotes and concept art for the series, and put it all together in a shiny (and spooky!) package. I hope you like it!  

 

I LOOOOOOVE IT! SO WELL DONE! AND IT WILL BE TOUGH TO TOP THAT COVER FOR YOUR NEXT. DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN ANY OF YOUR CHARACTERS?

Any writer worth their salt will tell you that all of their characters are at least facets of themselves.

And I must admit – after a few decades of doing this writing thing, the most rewarding experiences for me are the ones where the characters mirror some hidden emotional aspect – where they help me to gain some measure of self-understanding once the story is complete.

Besides…Brooke Burgess = B.B. = Billy Brahm…which kinda makes sense, considering that THE CAT’S MAW/The Shadowland Saga is more than a little bit autobiographical ;-)

I TOTALLY CAUGHT THE BB THING BEFORE YOU SAID IT! WHICH DO YOU PREFER – SELF-PUBLISHING OR TRADITIONAL?

Self-pub’ing gives you more control over your finished project (the edit, cover art, etc), a higher percentage of potential sales, and complete ownership over your IP: Intellectual Property. 

On the other hand, the Traditional model gives you access to much more marketing muscle, mainstream distribution, and the potentially massive upside of selling/translating your book in more languages and territories.

I DON'T THINK THAT'S EVER BEEN SAID BETTER. DOES THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY FRUSTRATE YOU?

Is grass green and the sky blue? J

I think there’s still this feeling among professional writers that the industry isn’t evolving with readers and the host of digital tools and platforms available. Instead, it seems to be focusing as a whole on doing whatever it can to maximize profits in the short term…which tends to equate to watered-down stories for the lowest common denominator audience.

It’s becoming more and more like Hollywood:

•      desperately search for something that sells
•      once you find it, do the same thing a thousand more times with different creators in order to establish a ‘trend’
•      milk the proverbial cow of that trend until it falls over dead and drained
•      repeat step 1

      UM YUP. DID YOU EVER THINK OF QUITTING?

Absolutely. Still do. Often.

But I’m getting up there in years and, sadly, I’m not very good at much else…

Do you happen to know how much Cat Wranglers get paid? ;)

I'M NOT SURE BUT PERHAPS TRAINING TIGERS MIGHT BE HIGHER ON THE PAY SCALE?? ;-) HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE ‘SUCCESS’ AS A WRITER?

Telling the story YOU need to tell.  The one that’s been burning inside. The one that feels like your ‘life’s work’.  Putting it to (digital) paper with sweat on your brow and blood on your fingertips.

And then, after giving a painful birth to your ‘baby’ (along with random shards of glass and the literary equivalent of a ‘bundle of joy’ wrapped in razor-wire), having the stones to put it out there…to bravely/madly/foolishly share it with the world in the hopes of reaching just one person who might get it…and be changed forever by it.

Still…a multiple film or Netflix series deal wouldn’t suck either.

 YES, YES, AND YES. DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS FOR NEW WRITERS?

·       READ something new every day. Fiction or non-fiction. News or opinion. Books, poetry, graphic novels, interactive stories…hell, the back of cereal boxes.

·       OBSERVE your surroundings. Sit for hours and watch people. LISTENING is even better. The more completely you pay attention to the details and motivations of those around you, the richer your characters will be on the page.

·       Say your DIALOGUE out loud! This helps immeasurably to find the ‘voice’ of a character – if it sounds dumb or ‘off’ when you speak it? Then it’ll flounder with your audience when they read it.

·       Don’t beat yourself up during the first draft – it all comes together in the EDIT.

·       You’re not going to get rich with this gig. Write the stories that YOU want to see come alive. If you do it for anyone else – a target audience, a publisher’s demand, a critic with influential reviews – you’ll be disappointed in the end. 

DIALOGUE WAS MY WORST ENEMY IN YEARS PAST. I THINK IT'S TRULY THE HARDEST THING TO GET RIGHT. BUT THAT'S GREAT ADVICE TO SAY IT OUT LOUD. OR EVEN GET A BUDDY TO DO A TABLE READING WITH YOU. THANKS FOR THE POINTERS! ANYTHING YOU’D LIKE TO ADD?

Well, it looks like I gotta end this with some blatant self-promotion…since that’s half of a writer’s job these days!  But at least I can promise that these won’t be boring :D

www.brookeburgess.com -- my author site with a regular blog, lots of goodies from past projects, and special contests and events!

www.facebook.com/brookematthewburgess -- the official FB page, where I post heaps of links about the craft of storytelling, as well as news on some of the projects I’m personally excited for – film, TV, games, books, comics – from other immensely talented creators.

www.twitter.com/brokensaint -- I try to tweet a few times a week, especially now that I’m starting to experiment with live broadcasts on Periscope.

www.instagram.com/brokensaint -- candid daily pics from my little island hideaway – this is for book, cat, and travel lovers!

www.youtube.com/brokensaint -- project trailers, video blogs, rants, animations…even some NSFW slam poetry!

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6082927.Brooke_Burgess -- my page on the only social network for writers that matter: GOODREADS!

AIN'T NO SHAME IN THAT GAME!

OK DRUM-ROLL PLEASE.........

BROOKE's “BLONDE” BASICS:
That has a nice ring to it, doesn't it??

FAVORITE FOOD?  Anything ‘Mediterranean’.  Fresh goat cheese, falafel, and wine please!

FAVORITE MOVIE? As a kid? TIME BANDITS. As a teen? BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA. As an adult? TWIN PEAKS: Fire Walk With Me

FAVORITE BOOK? The Alchemist / The Prophet / The Magus / SANDMAN Anthology

FAVORITE SUPERHERO?  SUPERMAN…’cause I’m an adopted kid who just wants to help.

FAVORITE AUTHOR?   NEIL GAIMAN.  Sandman for LIFE, son J

:) BROOKE, YOU ARE AWESOME! SO MUCH FUN TO HANG OUT WITH! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING THE BLONDE BOOKIE BLOG TODAY!

AND YOUR ISLAND HIDEAWAY HOME IS A DREAM PARADISE! WISH I COULD JOIN YOU!