Good Morning Brandi. The sun is shining for a change, so I have set up a table for us in the garden with good English tea and biscuits. Chocolate of course lol Today Brandi is giving away a signed copy of her latest release to a random person who leaves a comment.Here is a bit about Brandi.B.K. Walker is working as a Pediatric Home Care Nurse and has had a love for reading and writing since she was a child. She currently has two novels published. Death Upon Me, which is a dramatic romance and Dares And Dreams, a paranormal romance. She is currently working on a few projects and is hoping for their release in Fall of 2010 to early Spring of 2011. B.K. also runs several blogs, where she hosts author interviews and organizes virtual book tours for other authors, helping them to promote and market their work. She lives in Pennsylvania with her three children, a Pit-bull named Rancid, a Himalayan cat named Mikey, a Dacshund named Sadie and a goldfish named Albert.
To kick start the interview off, tell us how do you know you’re a writer, Brandi?I think we all have a little bit of a writer in us. As children we pretend to go places we have never been, or be people we are not, or assume magical powers that could never be. As we grow older we may go to places we have never been, act like people we are not and still wish we had those magical powers that could never be. When we put those fantasy thoughts onto paper is when our writing becomes alive. If you can imagine the unimaginable, then you are a writer. Writing isn't just what you know, (though that helps greatly), but what you believe in. It's taking people to places where they can escape the reality of real life, creating a world that lets them know they are not the only ones that wish upon a star. Have you ever had a dream that was so vivid, so beyond reality that you just wish it were true? Maybe that dream was a character screaming to get out, a scene dying to be written or your true self longing to break free. Writing is when we can all step outside of reality and create a world all our own. We can make anything happen in our writings and the best thing is that we can share it with others. So many people read just to escape the monotony of everyday life. To wish upon that star and know that there may be a place like that of our dreams, our fantasies. We as writers provide a therapeutic outlet for a lot of people.
So how do you know you're a writer? When you are always imagining the unimaginable, when you are always plotting scenes of a story, or a different ending to a situation you may have experienced or constantly dreaming. Listen to your dreams. Let the characters speak to you and use you as their voice. Let your story be heard. Write it down. After all -you are a writer.
I am a romance writer because I am a true romantic. Being a medium, I use my paranormal knowledge in a lot of my writing too, but my books are always romance based. Why did you choose romance?I chose the genre of romance because I'm a big believer that chivalry is not dead. I love to create a world where a man still puts his woman first, the drama of men fighting over a woman, the belief that there is love at first sight and I just love a happy ending. Plus Kacey and Lannie both would not let me rest until they got their stories out there :). So I guess I didn't really choose romance, they chose it for me lol. Although my books are completely different from each other, both deal with the things that people can relate to. Things that people can believe in and wish for. Whether it includes magic or not, it all comes down to one thing –Romance!
Life inspires me to write. I can get inspiration from just looking up into the sky. Who inspires you? My writing is inspired a lot from my dreams. I think my muse enjoys taunting me in my dreams. It’s relentless until I wake up and actually write it down. In all actuality though, I think inspiration can come from everywhere and anywhere. A conversation you have with a friend, a scene at the mall, a drive through the mountains or watching your kids at their best. Like you said Margaret, inspiration is all around us each and every day.
Ah, someone who thinks like me! So what are you doing now?I’ve just started a new novel, (tisk tisk) my muse was being relentless lol. I was woken up at 4 am and the muse would not let me rest until I finally got up at 7:30 and wrote it down. This book has actually had me put the rest aside for now, it’s flowing nicely. I am also working on another paranormal and the sequel to Death Upon Me.
How exciting. Two novels on the go. Can you give us a little excerpt of your latest release?I was barely paying attention when a car full of people I didn’t
know pulled into the driveway, but when I heard the car doors
slam, I looked. I stared, squinting my eyes trying to figure out
who they were. That was the first time I ever saw him. He was
about five foot six with light brown hair. So light, it almost looked
blonde in the sun. His hair was shoulder length and feathered
back on the sides. His eyes were as dark as chocolate, and he
had the most magnificent build. He was slender, but oh I loved
those muscles. I couldn’t keep my eyes off of him. “Jenny,
who is that?”
“Kacey, just stay away from him. He doesn’t have a very
good rap.”
“Well who is he?” I just had to know.
“His name is Bryan Mathews. He is twenty four.”
“Cool. He is pretty cute.” He was more than cute. Bryan Mathews was drop dead gorgeous.
“Kacey, please? I know it’s your party and your birthday, but
could you try to stay out of trouble, just this once?”
I just smiled at her and went to get another beer. I was
standing there with my cup under the keg tap filling my cup with
beer, swaying to the beat of the music when I noticed a pair of feet
standing next to me. I had been watching my cup didn’t overflow
and caught the feet in my peripheral vision, one foot tapping to the
beat of the music.
“Happy birthday Kacey.”
I looked up and straight into dark chocolate brown eyes. I
couldn’t speak, so I just smiled. I couldn’t believe he knew my
name. The most gorgeous guy at the whole party, heck in the
whole town, and he knew my name. I could feel the heat rising in
my cheeks. After I was done pouring my beer, I handed Bryan the
tap and walked casually back over to Jenny. I wanted to run though,
so I had to concentrate on keeping my pace slow and steady.
“Jenny, he knew my name! I can’t believe it!”
Jenny just smiled at me shaking her head.
“I can’t believe he knew my name. He’s so gorgeous.” I was
trying not to scream in my excitement. I thought I was going to
explode. The hottest man I have ever seen knew my name. Me!
Plain old Kacey. The more I thought about it the more excited I got.
The more excited I got the faster I drank my beer. I was really
starting to feel it. This had to be the best birthday ever. I gave
Jenny a kiss on the cheek, “Thank you for the party.”
She put her hand to her cheek, smiled and said, “You’re
welcome Kacey.” She was just a little taken back by my gesture, as
I rarely show affection, especially in public. I think this made her
day, as much as she has made mine.
As I stood there listening to Jenny talk to Jacob, a kid from
school, I could feel myself sway at times from the effects of the
alcohol. Every now and again I would try to casually look for Bryan,
pretending to just be looking around. I would let my eyes search
the crowd, trying to make it seem like I wasn’t looking for him at all.
When I found him, even though I
knew exactly where he was at, he was already looking back at me.
At first I quickly looked away, pretending I didn’t notice he was
looking at me, but when I looked back he was still staring at me.
Was I drunk? Was he really looking at me? I could feel the heat
flush my cheeks, my heart sped up so fast I thought it might jump
out of my chest. Then I noticed he started walking towards me as a
slow song filled the air. I froze. I couldn’t look away from those
chocolate brown eyes. I felt mesmerized.
“Would you like to dance Kacey?”
I stood there like an idiot, just staring into his beautiful brown
eyes.
“Kacey?” He said my name again, this time holding out a
hand.
“Um...okay.” I recovered from sheer stupidity, and stepped
back into reality. He grabbed my hand and led me to where
everyone else was dancing. He spun me around once then pulled
me into his chest. My body felt like jell-o, and I could feel my hands
start to tremble.
Bryan chuckled quietly and brought my arms up around his
shoulders and neck. He must know what he does to women. I was
speechless. We danced slowly as we stared into each others eyes.
I didn’t notice if anyone was looking at us or not, I was so caught up
in him, in the moment.
His body was nothing but pure muscle, hard and strong. I could trace the outline of each muscle with my fingers, as I slowly
ran them up and down his back. I was a horrible dancer, and I
even stepped on his toes a couple of times. I think with his strength
though, he could lead even the worst of dancers, including myself.
I apologized each time I stepped on his toes, each time he
chuckled telling me it was fine. How embarrassing. The song was
coming to an end, and he brought his hand up and caressed my
cheek. I could feel myself blush as I tried to smile. I still couldn’t
believe this was happening to me. His thumb moved gently across
my lips. I closed my eyes never wanting this moment to end. My
lips parted at his touch, and before I was ready the song ended and
he lowered his hand from my face. I opened my eyes. That’s
when I could feel something on the inside of my
lips. Bryan leaned into my ear and whispered, “A little something
for the birthday girl. Thanks for the dance.”
Although I have reviewed your book I loved this excerpt you chose to show us. Pick your favorite character from they book and tell us about them.Kacey Rogers is probably my favorite. She is a lot like me in attitude, but she is also strong and inspirational. She has overcome a lot in her life and that is to be greatly respected.
So would you say you based Kacey’s whole character around you and your life?
I would have to say yes. When I first started writing this book, it wasn’t meant to be a book. It was me writing down everything that bothered me in my life. I was sitting in Nursing Lecture when Kacey decided she wanted a life of her own and the story just unraveled.
Before you go, where can your followers find you?I am everywhere lol.
Facebook-Bk Walker
Twitter @bk36,
MyspaceI run several blogs,
BK Walker Books Walker Muse Immortyl Café My book site is
hereMy review site is here http://bkwalkerbooks.weebly.com
Or you can email me at bkwalkerbooks(at)comcast(dot)net
I also run the Virtual
Book Tour CaféIf you could be anyone you like, who would you be.hmmmm. Well I would have to say my grandmother. She is a very nurturing and caring woman, strong yet compassionate. She loves life and radiates inspiration.
Thanks for dropping by Brandi. Good luck with all your books.Thanks for having me Margaret.