ELISE BROOKE SHARES HER STORY OF SURVIVING TO THRIVING IN NEW ZEALAND

 

ELISE BROOKE SHARES HER STORY OF SURVIVING TO THRIVING IN NEW ZEALAND

ELISE BROOKE

BRIEF PROFILE OF THE AUTHOR:

Elise Brooke, grew up in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand.  Her parents moved to New Zealand from England and South Africa, to create their New Zealand Dream, but this quickly turned into her New Zealand nightmare.  She writes with her pen name as Sheila. Her passion is creative writing. She has been writing for 24 years in fiction, poetry and content.  She has published many articles, guest posts and conducted interviews on her website, which she has built from scratch. She is a writing coach/mentor for those persons who would like to write and share their own stories. She considers that writing is a very powerful healing tool and that sharing the story can save lives.  She has written & published two autobiographies in her book series "The New Zealand Dream.” These books give her story from surviving to thriving, to inspire and give hope to others.

“The New Zealand Dream” is a story and account of her life so far. You take a journey from birth, growing up in a beautiful country town. Moving to the suburbs, discovering New Zealand’s underground, in book one "The seeds are sown." Life has been a struggle and a uphill climb, she was born with learning difficulties that caused her challenges every day. Her mother, who single-handedly raised her brother, and she suffered from mental health problems. She dived into the drug and alcohol scene at a young age, growing up surrounded by violence and gangs. She escaped a religious occult, got married and had children. In book two "Growth and destruction," before she hits the age of thirty, she is a divorced single mother. Her support network passed away and she sank into the world of abuse. She stayed trapped in an abusive relationship for over eight years, until one night he nearly killed her and then she escaped. She leads the readers into the world that surrounded her and nearly killed her. The readers will meet characters one may relate to and characters that will shock them. In book three (which is expected) she will show as to how she changed her world, escaped the traps, leading her way here to tell her story.

Her website is https://www.mynzdreamblog.com One can follow on Instagram at mynewzealanddream, and on Facebook at fb.me/mynewzealanddream or one can join in the group “A journey of transformation.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q Are you a professional writer? How many of your books have been published so far?

Yes, I am a professional writer. My pen name is Sheila. I have a diploma in Creative writing and over 24 years’ experience in writing. I have two published books viz. my autobiography series called “The New Zealand Dream”. I have also published many articles on different blogs and websites including my own.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q What is your specific field of writing?  Are there any specific reasons for choosing this particular field?

I write in many different genres like nonfiction, fiction, creative fiction, poetry, children’s books and script. I also write content and articles. Further, I believe that everyone has a story to tell and that I want to help them heal through writing, inspire and gain hope. Therefore, I am also a writing mentor, for others to write their book/story. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q What has been the general assessment of the reviewers and readers for your books? What is your own assessment?

I write because it is my passion and I have a unique style, but I have always had excellent reviews, 5 stars on Amazon. Readers enjoy my work finding my autobiography to be “engaging,” “intimate,” “heart breaking,” “relatable,” “raw,” “riveting,” “courageous,” “healing,” “descriptive” and “lifesaving” to name a few.  Readers have found my writing to be “detailed,” “descriptive,” “a real page turner,” “keeps them wanting more,” “heart felt,” and a “birds eye view” into New Zealand’s unique culture, a reminder “they are not alone.” In my own assessment, I am a natural story teller and I write honestly & informatively, keeping the reader entertained.  

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q Which particular book of yours do you consider as the best so far, and why? 

In my opinion, “The New Zealand Dream, Growth and destruction” is my best. It provides lot of details, holds readers interest and makes them feel as if they are there with the author. The book has unforgettable & clear characters and scene descriptions, which stick with the readers. This book really draws the readers into my world,

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q Do you recommend writing of books jointly? In your opinion what are the areas of benefits & problems, in such joint ventures?

As an author, I am open to writing jointly and I have contributed to anthologies like this. The benefits in such ventures are the costs of publishing & editing etc. can be split. However, a problem in such ventures is finding the right match of authors, which complement each other.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q When & how do you get the ideas & do you record them immediately somewhere? On an average, what is the timeframe to complete one book, in all respects?

I may get ideas randomly at any moment in time, sometimes even in the middle of the night when I may wake up with idea(s).  I write these ideas down, in a note book and transfer them to a story outline put together in a word document.  On an average, my books take a year to complete.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q Could you share with us an interesting event/incident/experience faced with the other writers/publishers/readers in your writing career?

When I was looking for a publisher for my first book, being new and a little naive at that time I hired a hybrid (Xlibris) company. I paid this company for services such as editing and marketing, but the editor missed some obvious errors and the company had not done any effective marketing. For marketing of my books, the company created a website for me, to which I wanted to make small changes, such as adding a reviews page. But I was told that I would be charged excessive costs for a 2 minute job. Then I created my own website, learning everything from scratch. I recommend doing this. I use Wix and find this excellent. But in my opinion, self-publishing or traditional publishing are much better. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q Besides the quality of writing, in your opinion, what are the other factors for the financial success of a book?

In my opinion, the various factors are marketing, visibility, finding your target audience, beta readers, feedback and reviews, collaborating, networking and building relationships with other authors/bloggers.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q Do you agree with the observation that many writers are keeping writing as a secondary occupation? What is it that draws them towards the field of "Writing"?

Yes, I generally agree with this observation, but there are exceptions to the rule. A writing career is a marathon not a sprint. It takes a lot of hard work and time to build a reputation and get audience. What drew me to the field of writing was the freedom to work to my own hours anywhere as per my choice, the ability to be heard by the world and to create passive income.    

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q Which aspects motivate you to write books? Earning money/publicity/helping readers/self-satisfaction/others? In your opinion, is there adequate scope for name/fame/wealth in the field of writing?

The aspects which motivate me for writing are helping, inspiring and giving hope to the readers.  Further in my opinion, it is possible to become well known but there is limited scope for fame and wealth in the field of writing.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q Has Facebook helped you in any way, in your writing career or even otherwise? If yes, please elucidate.

Yes. Facebook has helped me to market my books, make the brand to be visible and to build relationships with readers and others in my field. I would recommend being on as many different social platforms as suited to your audience, e.g. LinkedIn, Insta, Pintrest and your own landing page/website.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q How are you able to divide the available time between your job, management of home and your writing career? 

Yes, there is a point here. Earlier I used to schedule regular time for writing, in the evenings and the weekends, after my work as a nurse. Then I quit my job to concentrate on my writing career on full time basis. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q What are the reasons for the general success of the concept of “Agents of writers” in some countries?

An agent is necessary to approach traditional publishers and he/she can be really helpful in marketing.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q Have your family members and friends helped and/or contributed in any way, in your writing career?

Yes. Some have supported me, encouraged me and believed in me, especially my fiancé. Some have read and reviewed my books and some share my work on their social media.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q What is your opinion about e-books? Due to this concept of e-books, is the survival of printed books in future, in jeopardy?

I believe that certain readers will always have a preference to hold, touch and smell a physical book and the market for paper and hard back books will stay open. However, the world is becoming faster paced and spans of attention of persons are far less than what they used to be earlier. E-books are becoming the preferred method of reading, as they can be read right away from any device and are more affordable for authors and readers.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q What is your advice to the budding authors?

The budding authors should never stop learning, never give up and always work on improving their craft. The reason of their efforts towards writing should be their love and passion for it but not necessarily to become famous and rich.

                          ---------------vijaiksharma