Non-Stop Reads: Author Interview – Frederick Lee Brooke

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Author Interview – Frederick Lee Brooke

What’s your favorite season/weather? Autumn – crisp mornings and blue sky over Lake Michigan, leaves changing color and piling up in the yard, begging to be raked.

Who or what inspired you to become an author? The authors who have influenced me the most are the ones who have created characters I fell in love with, used language that charmed and hypnotized me, or created a plot so unusual and unpredictable that it burned an image on my mind. They are too many to name, but for example the character of Birdie Kaminski in “Treasure Me,” by Christine Nolfi – you can only fall in love with her, there is no other option. Or the language in Orhan Pamuk’s “My Name is Red,” and this my friends is translated from Turkish into English.

How did you celebrate the sale of your first book? Privately. I attempted high-fives with the cat.

What is your guilty pleasure? When I am in the U.S. I like to go out for breakfast. Clean plate club, and all that.

What TV show/movie/book do you watch/read that you’d be embarrassed to admit? I don’t get embarrassed. What do you mean? What are you implying?

Finish the sentence- One book I wish I had written is…. The one you always wanted to read.

Which authors have influenced you most, and how? The authors who have influenced me the most are the ones who have created characters I fell in love with, used language that charmed and hypnotized me, or created a plot so unusual and unpredictable that it burned an image on my mind. They are too many to name, but for example the character of Birdie Kaminski in “Treasure Me,” by Christine Nolfi – you can only fall in love with her, there is no other option. Or the language in Orhan Pamuk’s “My Name is Red,” and this my friends is translated from Turkish into English.

Favorite places to travel? Turkey … Japan … USA … Italy

Favorite music? I like John Hartford, Bob Dylan and Neil Young, but I also listen to classical music a lot, and blues. Hooray for iTunes.

In your wildest dreams, which author would you love to co-author a book with? I cannot imagine co-authoring a book with anyone. I am patient and capable of compromise in many things, but writing is not one of them. Co-authoring wouldn’t be for me.