#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Allison Brook
/
I’d like to welcome the fabulous Allison Brook (Marilyn Levinson) to the blog to talk about her latest book.
Favorite thing that you always make time for: email, talking to my grandkids, reading
The thing you’ll always do just about anything to avoid: writing. Well, only for a brief time, until I get into my writing groove.
Things you need when you’re in your writing cave: reading glasses and wrist brace
Things that distract you from writing: email, phone calls
The thing you like most about being a writer: readers telling me how much they like my books; finishing a book.
The thing you like least about being a writer: sitting down each day to write. Once I get started I'm all right. All the promotion I have to do for each book.
Things you will run to the store for in the middle of the night: Nothing. I have enough discipline to wait till morning.:)
Things you never put on your shopping list: cake, soda.
The thing that you will most remember about your writing life: the camaraderie and generosity of my fellow writers; comments from readers who love my characters and my books
Something in your writing life that you wish you could do over: I wish it hadn't taken so long for me to get established as an author, though I don't know what I could have done differently.
Something you’re really good at: finding outlets on social media to promote my books
Something you never learned how to do: truly understand and buy stocks and bonds on my own.
Something you wanted to be when you were a kid: a ballerina
Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do: keep on writing at my age.
Your best recipe: I've several: simple blueberry cake; apricot chicken; broccoli and cheese casserole; honey-soy sauce salmon
Something that didn’t turn out like you planned when you made it: I made a goose, and it was sooo very fatty.
Things you always put in your books: three-dimensional characters; characters relationships; a romantic interest; usually a dog or a cat; murder.
Things you never put in your books: torture; physical cruelty; death of my protagonist.
Favorite things to do: reading, crossword puzzles, yoga, sudoku, chatting on FaceTime with my grandkids.
Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: something new that I've never done before
About Allison:
"I was a bookworm from the moment I learned how to read. I devoured Nancy Drews, Judy Boltons, and Trixie Beldons – sometimes two books in one day. Was it any wonder I ended up writing mysteries?
Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, I dreamed of becoming a ballerina or a writer. I practiced my pirouettes and penned short stories. My family moved to Long Island, where I continued to write stories until I was discouraged by a high school English teacher.
Turned off to writing, I continued to read voraciously in college and concentrated on my major, Spanish. I studied in Mexico and Spain, intent on becoming fluent in the language. I taught high school Spanish, married my dentist husband, and we started a family. When our two sons were small, I found myself drawn back to writing fiction.
A writer is a writer forever. We may have more than our share of disappointments, but the rewards are many – knowing you bring joy to readers; sharing the camaraderie and support of your fellow scribes. Writing is a way of life, one I wouldn’t relinquish for anything.
Let’s Be Social:
