*hey there, it's christa*: Q&A With Brandy Bruce, Author of "Looks Like Love"

A book editor by day and renegrade author, wife and mommy to an adorable daughter by night, I was absolutely thrilled when Brandy Bruce asked if I'd take a look at her first novel, Looks Like Love.

In fact, I ended up liking it so much, I endorsed it. And finished reading in about two days flat.

If that wasn't enough to persuade you to pick up a copy of Looks Like Love, well, lemme tell you this...it'll make you want to hop a plane to London pronto, too. As I've mentioned in previous blog posts, I've always had a soft spot for London, and Brandy does a wonderful job of making you feel like you're there. So if you've gotta live vicariously in the ol' travel department at the moment, this is the perfect read.

Now with no further adieu, get to know Brandy a little better in our Q&A.

When did you first know that you wanted to write and edit books, and who was the author that first won your heart? I’ve been scribbling stories since elementary school. But it was in middle school that I read the Christy Miller series by Robin Jones Gunn and just fell in love with the power of story. Those books made such a difference in my 14-year-old life. When I went to college, I knew I wanted to have a career with books, but I also knew it wasn’t easy to get published and make a living off writing. So my very first day at Liberty University I told my advisor I wanted to be an editor. I figured that would be another great way to work with books. After graduating, I was lucky enough to get a job as an editor for Focus on the Family books.

That's very cool. I was also a huge fan of the Christy Miller series and loved that she was from my home state of Wisconsin—not many protagonists are. Who are some of your biggest writing influences and who would I find on your personal bookshelf? Robin Jones Gunn is probably the person I would credit with influencing me to write. You’ll definitely find a worn-out copy of A Summer Promise somewhere on my bookshelf. I’ve also been inspired by Jennifer Weiner, Liz Curtis Higgs, Jodi Picoult, and Ann Rinaldi—just to name a handful out of an otherwise huge list. I’m an eclectic reader; I like all sorts of genres. On my bookshelf right now I’ve got Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Misguided Angel by Melissa de la Cruz, Here Burns My Candle by Liz Curtis Higgs, and LOL with God: Messages of Hope and Humor for Women by Pam Farrel and Dawn Wilson.

How did your day job in the book biz help you with your first novel? And for those who don't know already, describe a bit of what you do at Focus on the Family. My work as an editor definitely helped, especially with the nitty-gritty stuff like working on sentence structure, character development, vocabulary, and pacing. I’ve been a book editor for Focus for more than six years so lots of my time is spent editing, writing or rewriting, working with authors, going to cover design meetings, and reviewing book proposals.

Had the idea for Looks Like Love been in your head for a while? How did you come up with your plucky protagonist? I went to Europe several years ago, right before I graduated from college actually. Traveling through places like Scotland, Ireland, and England left a lasting impression on me, and I knew I wanted to write a story about a girl who travels overseas. In fact, my first thought for a title was Over the Ocean.

In an interview we did for Family Fiction, you said your novel was also inspired a bit by one of my favorite movies, The Holiday. What is the significance of traveling to England in your story? Going to Europe was such an amazing experience for me personally. I realized what a big world this is and how much more to it there is than what I was used to seeing. I wanted to broaden my heroine’s perspective. One way to do that was to make her travel and see other parts of the world. It provided my heroine with a fresh start. She needed to be reminded that there was still adventure to be had, that there were places of mystery and romance, and sometimes you have to step outside your comfort zone to experience that.

Now that you've written your first novel, have you officially been bitten by the author bug? Do you have other story ideas in the works? Well, to be honest, I’m juggling two major book projects as an editor at the moment. It’s hard to think past working on what’s in front of me. But my sister has been working on a YA fantasy series and I’m helping co-author that. It’s been a lot of fun and a great way for me to keep my creative writing outlet while I’m editing other projects.

Many people in the publishing industry have seemed to indicate that chick lit is "out" but yet it still seems to be selling relatively well. Why do you think the industry is so quick to want to bury this genre? I’m not sure. Since I’ve been in publishing, I’ve noticed that there are trends, like in everything else. Over the last several years historical fiction and Amish fiction have really taken off in Christian publishing. That seems to be what most publishers are looking for. But I think there’s room at the table for more than just Amish and historical fiction. And I think that women will always enjoy a good love story. I think there was a flood of “chick lit” for a while, and then maybe interest waned a bit. But humor and romance are two things that are never going out of style, in my opinion. Jane Austen has taught us that.

Since your novel is basically a romantic comedy in book form, what are some of your all-time favorite movie rom coms? The Holiday, Sabrina, Sweet Home Alabama, and The Prince and Me

When you're not taking care of your daughter, hanging with the hubby or working, what's your favorite way to kick back? I love just ordering pizza and renting lots of movies and staying in with my husband.

Rumor has it, you're a big Harry Potter and Twilight fan. Are you sad that the last movies in these franchises are coming so soon? Definitely. Even though I’ll admit I was one of those people who wasn’t a huge fan of Breaking Dawn. But still, it’s so fun to get into the excitement of going to those kinds of movies with other fans. I’m going to be looking for my next series obsession to get into. I’ve heard that the "Hunger Games" trilogy will be turned into films. I’d totally on board for that.

Lastly, where can people connect with you online? I’m very active on my blog: www.brandyreneebruce.wordpress.com or you can look me up on Facebook or Twitter.