Author Interview with Brandi Broughton

I was excited to have the opportunity to interview Brandi Broughton, the creative force behind Lycan Packs 1: Lycan Instinct.

I hope that you enjoy getting to know her as much as I did and be on the lookout for more books in this exciting series!

Can you tell our readers a little about yourself?

Lately, I seem to have a nomadic spirit inside a hermit's body. I grew up in a large, close-knit family, and every summer we'd travel all over the United States and even down into Mexico a time or two. As a young adult, my career enabled me to travel to some wonderful countries, like Norway , Spain , Canada , and Venezuela . Speaking Spanish really came in handy on the road.

Also, I married a sailor in the U.S. Navy, so between the two of us, I think we've been around the world and back. While he was off floating in the ocean, I spent much of my time as a television reporter covering the crime beat...going on drug busts with cops and covering the murders, arrests, and convictions of serial killers, among other things.

But now, I have a 9-to-5 job that allows me to be at home to tuck in my son at night, which is something I wouldn't miss for the world. So, my journeys these days are more in the mind, and that's why I love writing. One never knows where the imagination may lead.

What made you decide to become a writer?

With my journalism background, I've been writing in one way or another for as long as I can remember. I started young, see? My first internship was at an ABC station at the tender age of 12...while I still had braces. *shudder*

But I think that after spending so much time covering news, which usually meant reporting the terrible tragedies that occur in life, I found myself drawn to stories with happy ever after endings. Life is much more than you see on the late night news broadcast or what you read in the morning paper.

Being from a big family where grandparents get to celebrate their 75 th wedding anniversary, and parents remain married for more than 40 years (and counting), I had little choice but to be a romantic at heart.

I'm a firm believer that where there's love, there's hope of a happy ending. So that's why I write romance.

What does a typical writing day look like for you?

First, I pop open a can of Coca Cola, as I work my way past Post-It covered white boards, overflowing bookshelves, and stacks of paper to find my desk and its precious computer. If my family is up and active, I'll don a pair of headphones; whether there's any music coming from them depends on my mood.

I do a lot of research and plotting for my books, so Internet access is crucial. (I'm a prime candidate for death by Internet addiction.) I spend a great deal of time online chatting with fellow writers, editors, and critique partners. I get some of my best ideas while brainstorming with friends in online chats.

But I have been known to tune out everything and everyone when the muse descends and a scene takes shape, so my husband—bless his supportive heart—has learned not to wait up for me. All-nighters are common in my house.

Lycan Instinct is the first book in the Lycan Series . Can you tell us a little about Lycan Instinct and the vision you have the series?

The first book is all about instincts. Mackenzie Lyons is a homicide detective who must decide whether she can trust her own instincts when a brutal series of murders leads her to the door of the prime suspect, Rafael Stone—a man who instantly captures her attention...not only as a cop, but also as a woman. Rafe must decide whether to follow his instincts about her as well, because he'll be risking his own life and the safety of his pack if he does what his heart is telling him to do, and that's claim a human cop as his mate.

My goal with Lycan Instinct was two fold; to provide a strong murder mystery that kept the reader guessing as long as possible while enjoying the sensual tension building between the protagonists. And second, to present the ‘werewolf' elements in as realistic a way as possible that the reader comes away wondering whether they could exist. *grin* I love to read werewolf stories, but I didn't want to rehash the same old myths—silver bullets, raw meat cravings, forced bone-cracking changes at full moon, half-man half-beast monsters, etc. So, I took the Hollywood horror-film version of the werewolf and transformed it into a sexier, more powerful Lycan race with its own unique talents, problems, and laws.

Some of those problems include mysterious Lycan disappearances—whether it's a genetic issue or something else remains to be seen—and rogues (Lycan criminals) who pose a danger to human and Lycan alike. Those are issues that will come to light more and more as series progresses. My next book, which I'm writing now, is Gabe's story, but Lucian's is already plotted, so his story won't be far behind. Originally, I'd envisioned Lycan Packs as a trilogy, but there's at least one secondary character, namely Cooper, Mackenzie's playboy partner on the force, who's tugging at the back of my mind... and my critique partners have all expressed an interest in me continuing beyond the original three. So, we'll see.

Is there a character from one of your books that resonates deeply with you?

Wow, that's a tough question. While writing Lycan Instinct, I really enjoyed getting to know all of the characters and each one affected me in a unique way. The Stone brothers really packed a punch; Rafe's brother Lucian is a sharp-tongued rebel that won my heart the moment he made his first appearance. I can really relate to Gabriel as the middle child and mediator of squabbles, because I grew up in the midst of an even larger number of kids. And Rafe has a strong, authoritative nature, but shows a softer side that intrigued me from the start. He was also the inspiration for the whole trilogy.

But, I guess, if I had to pick just one character, it would have to be Mackenzie Lyons. I could relate to her having lost a loved one to an unsolved crime. (My brother was killed in a hit and run that's never been solved.) As a homicide detective, Mackenzie can relate to the victim, so she takes her duties seriously. She has a responsibility to do her utmost to catch killers before they strike again...and she must trust her instincts to point her in the right direction, because a mistake could land the wrong person in jail. Rafe describes her as a rose...a soft beauty protected by thorns. That's very much the case as she struggles with her own vulnerabilities while hiding behind a tough-as-nails façade in a male-dominated career.

Is there something special you do to celebrate when one of your books is released?

Lycan Instinct is my first book to be released and, on that day, I was on vacation with visiting family, so I think the only ‘special' thing I did was drive my family crazy by taking them to the Cobblestone-Press.com Web site to show them the book. I've promised to come up with some other way to celebrate next time around. *wink*

Is there any anything else that you'd like to tell our readers or advice you'd like to give to aspiring authors?

To readers, I'd like to say that I'd love to hear your opinion of Lycan Instinct and invite you to enter the world of the Lycan Packs through my interactive Web site, www.LycanPacks.com . The site expands on the original story with hidden portals into the hero's secret operations at Lykos Institute, and visitors can even break in to the police department's homicide files to read more on the crimes featured in the book.

To aspiring authors, I'd like to wish them the best with their writing endeavors and encourage them to join critique groups. Finding strong writers as critique partners can really help strengthen your own writing abilities; it helped me.

Thank you Brandi, for spending some time with us at Euro-Reviews.

If you'd like to learn more about Brandi Broughton and the Lycan Pack series, she invites you to visit her websites www.brandibroughton.com and www.LycanPacks.com

If you have any questions or would like to communicate with Ms. Broughton, please visit her message board .

- interviewed by Kerin