Rising star faction author Brenda Perlin confesses all...around the Cauldron!

Brenda Perlin is a huge friend of the Wizard's Cauldron and is currently in a prolific phase of her authorial life.  She seems to be publishing a book a week! 

If you don't know Brenda, you are in for a treat. A native of opulent, affluent, Orange County in California, she lives an enviable existence and writes about her life, warts and all, in a genre called faction, real stories transformed into works of fiction. 

I love her stuff and Brenda and I have become big pals from seven and a half thousand miles away. 

Funny, effervescent, incredibly hard working and a massive supporter of Indies, I caught up with Brenda on the Wizphone as she picked ripened olives from the vines surrounding her boulevard Hacienda, and that. Here's what she had to say...

Brenda's previous chats with Wiz Green can be found HERE, on the Wizard's Cauldron Index 
http://wizardscauldronindex.blogspot.co.uk/


Brenda, tell us about your new novel, Fractured Vows.

Fractured Vows is the first book in the Brooklyn and Bo Chronicles told from Bo’s point of view. Getting a guys perspective paints a bit more of the picture. This book is a love story to Brooklyn but it’s also Bo’s coming-of-age story and all the obstacles he survived to get to this point. It was not an easy course as it was filled with attorneys and on going fighting with his soon to be ex-wife Ruth.

What does Bo think about the book?

“Bo” (not his real name) is very excited about this publication. He acts as if HE wrote the book. Haha. He is very invested in “his story” especially. He also doesn’t mind that his high school graduation photo is on the cover. ;-)

Can you share an extract with us?

Here you go.

“I have had a real-life indoctrination into the legal system of family law after filing for divorce from Ruth. I was on my second attorney and had spent well over one hundred thousand dollars, having to pay numerous experts to prove my case. There have been forensic accountants, prenuptial agreement experts, real estate specialists, and the list goes on. What a fraud the legal system can be! It is set up solely for lawyers by lawyers. Everything has to be followed by the letter of the law, which often gets a bit off point.”

Listen to Brenda Perlin as she discusses her work with Phil Naessens on The Writers Show

http://thewritersshow.wordpress.com/2014/02/26/shattered-reality-and-burnt-promises-by-brenda-perlin/ 

What's been the reaction to your work overall so far? Are you pleased with it?*

I am surprised how many people have related to this series and have not been ashamed to say so. I mean, it’s all out there in the open. I honestly expected people to be more judgmental of a story based on adultery because I didn’t hold back. 

People say I am brave. I don’t see it that way. I had a story to tell. It happened so why not share? Plus, what do I have to lose? Most of my people are gone though. I wish they were here to see all that I have accomplished. 

I feel very good about how my books are reading. Our friend Mary Ann Bernal took out the red pen and boy was she bold!!! Haha. Good thing I could take it. She found so many repetitive words and phrases it could give you a headache but I am glad to say those are a thing of the past and the books sparkle in my humble opinion. Did I tell you I was humble? Maybe not humble but I am honest. I want these stories to read as well as they can. I feel good about these three. Now I can go ride into the sunset with my honey. Well, not by horseback. I am not built for that but you get my point. I am pleased. :-)

*In the US, Brenda has 100 5* reviews for Ty The Bull and 68 5* for Shattered Reality, her first published novel.

Follow Brenda Perlin on Twitter - Twitter  

https://twitter.com/BrooklynandBo

I understand you were once assaulted in a supermarket by Bo's ex-wife for something you wrote. 

Actually, Mark, it was at the gym. I wrote about that assault in all three books but her insults have continued. Just the other day Bo got a scorching email because she was not pleased being the STAR (as she calls herself) of my books. 

My feeling is, she started it. Had she not gone after me in such a profound way I would have let it go. She gave me the reason to write this saga. 

"By the way, I do have a restraining order because with her you just don’t know what her frame of mind is going to be from one day to the next".

What do the characters you write about think about your work? 

Well, obviously Ruth (the STAR) is not too pleased. My best friend was insulted by something I wrote though it was written with love. My ex-husband is hiding quietly behind the scenes. Knowing him, he is waiting for the perfect time to attack. He is not one to just let things go. He will seek his revenge. In the meantime, we can sit back and enjoy the moment of calm.

What next for the Brooklyn and Bo Chronicles? Are you planning more work or is Fractured Vows the end? 

Even though I have more material accumulating as Ruth feeds into my story, I am happy to let it ride. I accomplished enough in these three books. I love having my coming-of-age story out there in the public. I think there are plenty of things girls can relate to. 

I like that my life is on paper even though there were far too many twists and turns that I would have preferred to have done without. It feels like a good place to end. Now I can write about my other passions like I have with Ty the Bull, a children’s short story on bullies and divorce and my latest Alex the Mutt, another short story for the love of my dog. 

The bigger picture is for the love of dogs. There are too many wonderful animals sitting at shelters who need to be rescued. People should know they don’t have to go to a breeder or buy a dog at a pet store. They can find their favorite breeds at a shelter instead and make a great difference in a dogs life.

I hear on the grapevine you are writing a book about romance in the OC? Is this true?

Haha. Now I know you are playing with me, Mark!!! Even though I watch those silly shows as they are entertaining they are what is wrong with society. What have the Kardashian’s ever done for world? Vapid!!! It’s embarrassing but as long as we watch them, they will continue to make their millions on their reality shows.

Just down the road from Brenda and "Bo". The real housewives of OC.

What music do you listen to when you write? Are you still into the eighties?

I love so many kinds of music. I used to mix my own CD’s. Everything from Stevie Wonder to Creed and then a bit of George Winston. I like most music. Not a big fan of country even though it keeps getting more popular. I am passionate about my music and a good song inspires me.

Do you still go to the gym? Or are you too busy writing.

It is getting harder and harder these days to make it to the gym. There is never enough hours in the day with social media and such but my workouts are a priority. Don’t want to get fat over these books. Now that would make me miserable! 

The consequences of too much writing

and not enough bicep curls.

And finally, what next for Brenda Perlin, the author?

Well, let’s hope nothing strikes a chord with me or it could end up in print. You just never know.

 Actually, I am pretty happy with my latest work and when something strikes me again I might have a sit down and write about it. In the meantime, I am happy with my life. I have great friends like you and Mary Ann and we have travel plans! I am ready to see what’s next. 

Super editor and noted historical
fictionist, Mary "Concordia" Ann Bernal

Mark, you are always so kind and know how to make me laugh! I hope one day to be venturing off to your side of the world. We could have a spot of tea, mate!! ;-)

Here's my favourite, in Trafalgar Square. My mate Alf makes
a stonking pot of tea, Bren. :)

Ha ha can't wait! Brenda, it is, once again, a massive pleasure to have you around the Cauldron and all the Wizardwatchers  and I wish you all the best with Fractured Vows.

Ha ha. Thank you for always being so supportive Mark - I love being around the Cauldron. 

Fractured Vows (Brooklyn and Bo Chronicles: Book Three)

Brenda Perlin is an independent adult contemporary fiction author. Brenda evokes emotional responses in her readers by using a provocatively unique writing style. Her latest book, Burnt Promises, captures the soul-wrenching conflicts of a personal struggle for emotional fulfillment.

Ever since Brenda was a child she has been fascinated with writing. She draws her biggest inspiration from Judy Blume. This sparked a passion in Brenda to pursue personal expression through writing. Once she was old enough to go to coffee shops alone, Brenda recalls losing herself in the world of writing, all while documenting her ideas on paper napkins.

"There is really no creative process, I just write," - Brenda Perlin

Links

Blossoming Press Website  http://www.blossomingpress.com

Blog  http://brooklynandbochronicles.blogspot.com

Facebook 

Brooklyn and Bo Chronicles  

https://www.facebook.com/BrooklynandBoChronicles

Blossoming Press  https://www.facebook.com/BlossomingPress

Amazon Author Page  http://www.amazon.com/Brenda-Perlin/e/B0088M542Q/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1409443919&sr=8-1

Buy Link

US  http://amzn.com/B00MYF379A

UK  http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00MYF379A

Alf's legendary fried breakfast 

to help wash down the tea, Bren

Little known James M Cain potboiler

Amazing beautiful people show, 

feelgood playground at "The OC".

Brenda Perlin chats about anti-bullying novella Ty the Bull...around the Cauldron!

I'd like to welcome back terrific faction author, Brenda Perlin, a massive friend of the Wizard's Cauldron, who is going to talk about her anti-bullying tome "Ty The Bull, written in conjunction with Rex Baughman and Kim Emerson Mutch. 

For those of you joining us for the first time, Brenda is well known for her "fictionalised" retelling of the demise of her marriage and her subsequent rebirth. Well reviewed and written in a hard, arid, almost journalistic style, her work is worth downloading.

Read Brenda Perlin's second time around the Cauldron HERE

Here's what Brenda - who really IS from Orange County! -said to me on the Wizphone as she wandered the orange groves...

So Brenda, what is Ty The Bull about?

Ty the Bull is about bullies and divorce. Kid’s can be so cruel to each other. Bullying has been going on forever but now it is better in some ways because now it is more talked about.

Fight Club. In one interpretation, a commentary

on masculinity, bullying and handling divorce

This ten year old Ty has to deal with kids at school who turn on him as the wind blows. If things are not bad enough his parents have split up and he feels alone. Ty feels lonely. He doesn’t feel understood and doesn’t get the attention he needs. 

What gave you the idea?

It was ten year old Rex that inspired me to write this story. He is my boyfriend’s grandson who has been having a hard time since the divorce and school change.

Rex Baughman - the inspiration for Ty The Bull

Is it a true story? Or have you inculcated Rex into your mysterious world of “faction”?

Kim Mutch Emerson

Haha. Funny you should ask. All the faction, I wrote. Kim Mutch Emerson came in and added her fiction. She prettified the story and gave Ty’s story instant inspiration, something that was surely missing. 






Is Peacock a real character?

Peacock belongs to Kim and I believe he will make an appearance in some of her other projects. He is a great character. We all need a Peacock of our own. Some never meet anyone who is so understanding and supportive. It sure would make a difference.

Book Trailer Ty The Bull

Co-writing is a nightmare, as far as I can see. How did you and Rex work together? 

It was the three of us. I did a lot of “interviews” with Rex. I wanted to use his wordage. After the story was laid out Kim came in and did her magic. It has been a great collaboration because her heart is in it as much as mine.

Top five wrist-slasher and classic case of co-writing egoquake

cooly avoided by Brenda, Rex and Kim. 

Would Rex like to be a scribbler? 

You mean an artist? I had to think about that Mark. Haha. I think he would love to be a paid artist. Comes pretty easy to him. After doing Ty the Bull and selling some of his rubber loom bracelets he likes the idea of starting his own business. He says he wants to be a business owner. He is pretty darn cute. He sees dollar signs.

Were you bullied at school? Is this partly some form of subconscious redemption?

Maybe there is some redemption in this story. All my books have to do with outcasts and people who are misunderstood because I can relate to that feeling. Ever since I was young I never felt like I fit in and even when I was accepted I still couldn’t relate to my peers.

Bullying Story from Ultra Violence - Harrowing Read

What have you been up to since Burnt Promises? A little bird tells me you are writing a work of fiction, rather than faction. Is this true, or have I been cheekily misinformed?

Fiction? Are you serious? Not me. I have so little imagination. Oh gosh NO! I am working on the third book in the Brooklyn and Bo Chronicles called Fractured Vows (upbeat, right?) which is based on my boyfriend's life. 
Call it fiction by changing names, places and dates. It is as close to faction as you can get. I like to tell it as it is and that is what I do.



Is Kindle Unlimited the end for the Indie author on Amazon?

It’s not looking good for us but I think this has been happening before Kindle Unlimited ever came about. 

The Guardian's Take on Kindle Unlimited


The market is flooded and we are okay with giving our work away for free. There is something so wrong about that. Also, there are some pretty bad books out there that are un-edited and rough giving us all a bad name.








Personally, Brenda, I think its all over for us tiny Indies. If readers pay 9.99 each month for a netflix style service supplying ANY book you want, they are going to purchase books from the big names. Brand books. Customer buying decisions will be subject to the misapprehension of brand value. Minnows will all get lost in the stream. And how many books will readers actually complete? I hope I am wrong, Bren. I have often suspected that the democracy and literary freedom represented by Amazon Kindle was always going to prove an illusion. Hey ho! Bit of politics there...so, Brenda, what was the most recent book you consumed?

The Night Porter comes to mind. You wrote a very entertaining book Mark. Such a fun escape.

That's very nice of you Brenda! What about Rex? What has he been watching, reading and listening to? Is everything going better for him at school?



Rex is doing better. For some reason he is now interested in pleasing his teachers and is getting good grades. 

It’s hard to get kids to read these days. I think he only reads what he has to. Like many kids, he spends far too much time on the computer playing silly games and watching Youtube videos. It’s hard for parents to pull it in. They see EVERYTHING!



I often wonder whether I would read like I did had I been faced with FIFA 14 or Rage when I was a kid. Finally, what do the legion of Brenda Perlin’s fans have to look forward to in the coming year


Legion? I believe you are kissing up to me? Not that I have a problem with that. ;-)

Ha ha. Would I do something like that, Bren?

I believe you would! So, other than working on Fractured Vows, I am also writing another short story just to make myself happy. I am going with my passion here.

It will be called Alex the Mutt. This is pure faction. Even the names are untouched. I really want to spread the word regarding how wrong it is to go to a breeder or pet store. There are so many dogs in shelters that need homes. 

This story is a love story to my first dog Alex. I always said she was the love of my life and I still feel that to this day. I hope this story will be informative and will make people think twice before ordering a pup

Brenda, once again it's been a pleasure to see you around the Cauldron. I wish you the best of luck with Ty the Bull and - I'm looking forward to this! - Fractured Vows.

Thank you so much for playing with me today. You are such a gracious host. Always fun to hang around the wizard. xx







84 5* reviews. US customers can buy Ty The Bull HERE!

19 5* reviews UK customers can buy Ty The Bull here!

About me: http://about.me/brenda.perlin

Follow Brenda Perlin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrooklynandBo

Orange County Musings with Brenda Perlin

A year ago, I met Brenda Perlin, writer of Homewrecker and we've become decent cyberpals, regularly corresponding on the Internet. After an interesting account of a reviewing situation (those thorny issues), which is recounted here, I asked her to come on the show for a second time. She agreed and has an awful lot to say about life -and those infamous reviews. Her initial interview is here:

http://greenwizard62.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/an-interview-with-brenda-perlin.html

What's been happening to the wonderful Brenda Perlin in the OC since we last met?

Oh gosh, so much has been happening! First of all I got out of my contract to a very bad publisher. I haven’t been shy about sharing this story. They were pretty much a vanity press and basically almost ruined me before I really got a chance to to get my story out there to the public. Fortunately I have a loud bark and was able to persuade them to let me out of my nasty seven year contract. That is not to say it was an easy battle!!!

"Thankfully Master Koda Select Publishing was bold enough to take on a book that had previously been published. That is pretty much unheard of. This company has heart and I think they saw it in my story. Whatever it was, it has been an entirely different experience. Now I am treated as a human being and my opinion is respected and boy do I have opinions!!!!". 

Master Koda Website and Submissions

Tell us all about your latest work?

Home Wrecker I has been re-published and re-edited. I think the book offers many positive messages even though it comes in an untidy package. HomeWrecker is a coming of Age story in which the main character Brooklyn does not know where she fits in this world. She is an outcast and can’t relate to most people in her age group. I think this story is about self-acceptance, self-love, and self-preservation. I hope from reading this book people learn not to judge a book by it’s cover.

How has Homewrecker been reviewed?

On the most part I have had some outstanding reviews. Maybe not as many as I would like but that is a different story. I don’t think people realize how nice a positive review makes a writer feel. It really is the cherry on top of the sundae.

Most of my reviews are so smack on and perfect that I couldn’t have written them myself if I tried. I have been blown away by such a positive response especially for a book that has “criticize me” written all over it.

All has been positive until I received a two star review a couple weeks back in which the reviewer described the book as boring. Just last night a new review came in from a person I agreed to do a trade with. Yuck! What can you really say to dispute that? I just had to suck it up. Not without a few ruffled feathers.She would review mine and I would review hers. She is also a first time author and I thought it would be a great opportunity to give each other a boost. Well, it didn’t quite turn out that way. I did a review for her right away since she had a brand new release and really needed the buzz. 

Even though I thought her book could use some improvement I gave her my support. I believe if you can’t say anything nice (in this case) then don’t say anything at all. 

I could have decided NOT to leave her a review but as I said I was helping her out so I just brought up all the positive aspects to her story. 

Unfortunately, she didn’t look at the reviewing process the same way I did. Weeks and weeks passed before I finally decided to remind her about my book...big mistake. 

I should have just let it go but that is not in my make-up as you will find out if you read Home Wrecker in which Brooklyn the main character is pretty much me in a nut shell! She apologized and said she would get right on it...

Last night she wrote me to say her review was up. She explained that she wasn’t very good at these things. I understood exactly what she meant after I read her review.  It was not constructive. She left me 4 stars which is respectable but she talked about her short attention span and how she was bored through part of it because of that. Well, bored was now a touchy subject for me. Instead of thanking her gracefully, I did what I do best and requested that she remove her review since as a reviewer you have the option to delete a review or even edit one.

I am sure she felt bad and didn’t think her review was all that problematic. I tried to explain to her about the other review I just received but I don’t think she got it as she seemed pretty aloof.

She agreed to remove the review and with my tail between my legs as they say, I thanked her.

I am not saying I was right to have asked her to remove the review but it was an opportunity that most of us do not have. I was pushing it but I felt she didn’t understand the book, the reviewing process, or anything for that matter...but let’s not get nasty. I am sure she is a sweet girl! She just wasn’t so sweet to me!!!

Do you think the Amazon review system is outdated, bearing in mind the amount of novels there are out there?

The magnificent Scarlett Thomas, whose Amazon page

is littered with bemusing 1* and 2* reviews.

Yes, The Amazon review system is definitely flawed. As an author you have no control what goes out. Some people think they are being funny or give a bad review because their IPad wasn’t working right. I mean, we are open for a lot of unwarranted criticism.

Actually there is a comment on my Amazon author page from the story’s nemesis calling me a narcissist, which I think is besides the point. I am stuck with it because Amazon doesn’t see anything wrong with it.

Evil narcissist reviewer, Cruella De Ville

On the other side of the coin, people are receiving 5 star reviews by friends and family members even though their book doesn’t really deserve a 5.

And that is the biggest flaw of the lot, Bren. 

It is! You asked me if I thought I deserved a five star for Home Wrecker and I answered probably not. If my book is going against Pat Conroy’s and Jeffrey Eugenides’s then I am not even in their league. Comparing myself to the greats, makes me realize how flawed the rating system really is. Like art, books are subjective and people like what they like. I do think I tell a good story and I hope people find the entertainment value if not anything else.

5* Pat Conroy - proper novelist (but a bit, er, dull)

The raffish Jeffery Eugenides (5* novelist and not quite so dull as Pat Conroy) auditioning for the part of Zorro with the Orange County Players

For all your British fans, how accurate is the show Real Wives of Orange County?

Well, I see some of the women on the show at my gym. In person most of them are rather quiet. Not at all like their television personas. That leads me to believe they do a lot of their shenanigans for the camera. 

As far as your average Orange County housewife, I was never one. I have known some that are pretty over the top with their fancy houses and extravagant lifestyles, but really when you get close to them they are like most everyone else just trying to get by except they drive better cars and wear more makeup to the gym! Haha! Love the show! No one works harder at marketing than you, Bren. Any tips for the new writer?

I hope you have the time because be prepared to be glued to the computer. There is NEVER enough hours in the day.

Which is your favorite marketing medium?

Thus far, Facebook has surprisingly been a real outlet for me. I never saw the need for Facebook but now I couldn’t image my life without it!!!! Just the comradeship and the friendships I have made have been worth their weight in gold.

You are well known for your love of the gym  Give your readers an hour's workout that will lose fifteen pounds in a month?

    

Hahahahahah!!! Now that is comedy. Have you ever considered stand up?

Actually...hahah...nah, go on!

I really miss my days of bossing people around at the gym. I really felt I was doing a good thing. I was working on people’s outsides so their insides would flourish! It was a real blessing.

I do think you have to pay attention to what you eat. It is too easy to eat without thinking and that is when the weight comes on. I used to be the cardio queen...aerobics and no weights. Now I think weight lifting is just as important to the other stuff.Consistency is everything. 

Brenda definitely doesnt' recommend this for her 15lb

weight loss programme: A Baby Cow Burger.

Some people are really good for a month and then stop...My feeling is to never stop...unless you are forced to. Also, you don’t have to kill yourself to get a good workout. Just go out there and do it!

Yay!! I will do! What CD is in your CD player at the moment? 

The Who! I'm still living in the past...

What do the many fans of Brenda Perlin have to look forward to in the coming year?

 The second book in the series is called Home Wrecker II: The Brooklyn Chronicles. This book takes off where the first one left off. This story is currently being edited and should be released shortly. :-)

 Brenda, it's been tremendous having you on the show, a pleasure as usual.

I am so happy to be back on the show, Wiz. I loved it the last time.....you always say the right things..just not in a way I could ever repeat! You are awesome!! 

Hope to see you back next year with Homewrecker Two, Bren! 

I'll be here.

Contact:

  

LINKS:

AMAZON.COM http://amzn.com/B00CKBWWIU

AMAZON.UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00CKBWWIU

GOODREADS http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15825106-home-wrecker

WEBSITE http://www.homewreckerthebook.com

FACEBOOK: HOME WRECKER https://www.facebook.com/HomeWreckertheBook

FACEBOOK: HOME WRECKER: THE BROOKLYN AND BO CHRONICLES

https://www.facebook.com/HomeWreckerTheBrooklynandBoChronicles

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

http://www.amazon.com/Brenda-Perlin/e/B0088M542Q/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1359823060&sr=8-1

TWITTER

https://twitter.com/HomeWreckerbook

LinkedIn

http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=228478303&trk=tab_pro

AUTHORSDB

http://www.authorsdb.com/authors-directory/79-brenda-perlin

PINTEREST:

http://pinterest.com/brendaperlin/

Home Wrecker Book Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cAU9NM7lTs

Brenda and "Bo"

Orange County Tractor on the school run

  

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