Some of my most creative thoughts happen when on a dog walk, as do my best conversations with my dog-walking buddy. So I thought Iβd invite some of my author friends along to join me and my girls and see if I can find out a little more about them and the book theyβve just released.
βMy girlsβ are Poppy and Ruby
Joining me today in her walking boots and all the way from her home in California is Brenda Perlin, who has come to chat to me following the release of L.A. Punk Rocker which is already selling very well and gathering strong reviews.
Brenda is the author of several novels including The Brooklyn and Bo Chronicles. From memoirs to illustrated books, Brenda evokes passionate responses in her readers by using a provocatively unique writing style. Fractured Vows captures the soul-wrenching conflicts of a personal struggle for emotional fulfillment. You can learn more about Brenda on her website and her Author Central page.
Hi Brenda, I hope youβve had a good flight and are ready for a hike across the fields of sunny Cambridgeshire?
Hi Georgia. Love Poppy and Ruby! (Thank you :-))
Canβt we at least stop for tea first? The last time I was in the UK I remember the tantalizing tables of pastries. A girl has got to eat. Right?!
Absolutely! I shall treat you to a fabulous cream tea Brenda, everyone should sample one of these when they come to the UK and it’ll set us up nicely for the walk!
Now that youβve got my undivided attention Brenda this is your chance to tell me all about L.A.Punk Rocker and how it came about, encourage everyone to buy it and then to move it up their to-be-read lists?
Other than Billy Idolβs tweet mentioning the fan fiction story author Mark Barry wrote about the King Rocker himself, I think the best thing someone has said about this book was in a review we received.
βBrenda talks about visiting places which many of us have only heard of in movies and in articles. She talks about hanging around with musicians before they became known. She leads us through her struggles as a teenager dealing with conservative parents yet trying to fit into the emerging punk scene – the only place she felt she belonged. It is a struggle many of us can relate to.β
(If you can’tΒ see the quote from Billy Idol on this photo it reads ‘Pretty wild chapter on me maybe u should’ve written my book, good luck with it..BFI’ – how cool is that!)
I guess I took it for granted since I grew up in the city of Angels and saw celebrities all over the place. Mostly Goldβs Gym but in those years I was GUY crazy and it was all about the bands. We had to go out of our way to meet the band members whether it meant finding out where they were staying or sneak backstage at the clubs. We were pretty resourceful and somehow were quite successful in our endeavors.
What I found out was these idols were real people. In my experience they were just as flawed as the rest of us. Ha!!! Well, maybe not Bono from U2. He was PERFECTION in every way. Letβs not get me gushing again. See, the teenager lives in us, always and I am proof of that. When I noticed Billy Idol responded to that tweet I posted I thought I was going to pass out. I didnβt want to seem too excited since my boyfriend was standing right next to me . Seeing me freaking out over a rock star at this point in my life would not look pretty. Funny thing was he thought something terrible was happening to me and was prepared to drive me to the emergency room.
Having also read Shattered Reality recently (the review is right here!) Iβm fascinated by the real life stuff and level of honesty that seems to be the theme in all of your writing. Did you find the process of writing your books cathartic? Have you had any problems from those featured in them following publication?
Thank you for reading Shattered Reality Georgia. Itβs still a work in progress. I canβt seem to let that book go. Maybe because itβs my first.
It has evolved since I first started writing it and to think it was going to be a sweet story about getting married and all the self-doubts that come with being engaged. Instead it didnβt start coming to life until the end of the marriage. If I didnβt have the beginnings of that βweddingβ tale to go to I might have fallen apart.
Even though many of my lies came out in Shattered Reality I wanted this trilogy to be as honest as possible. I even hated changing names but I wasnβt looking for any more trouble. I surely found more than my share of it after the adultery. Not sure if these books are an apology for what I did or absolution from my sins but I possessed a great need to get them out there. I doubt these books would have come to be had my boyfriends wife not thrown fuel into the fire. Had she just walked away or acted somewhat human there wouldnβt have been be any material to share. I am not a fiction writer and donβt like to make things up. I prefer the real deal. No disguises or cover-ups. Reality is much more interesting. Thatβs why I can appreciate reality TV. Not all of it, mind you, but the shows that feel as authentic as life and donβt seem scripted. There is nothing better than feeling like you are a fly on the wall and that is my goal for all my stories.
We all need help at various stages of writing and Iβd like to know more about the team you have behind you. Who helps you pull your books together until they are ready to be published? Including who designed the fabulous cover for L.A. Punk Rocker.
Thank you for mentioning the cover. Steven Novak did a great job on the design. I had a vision and he captured it right away. He is quite talented. He has done all my covers except for the childrenβs anti-bully book, Ty the Bull. I like that his covers pop and that is what I look for in a good cover.
I do have many cheerleaders and great relationships with people who I have never met. Too many to mention.
My greatest supporter is the book publishing business is Mary Ann Bernal. I donβt know if she felt sorry for me when I was going through publishing changes or what but she jumped right in to help me. And boy has she helped me! She is who I call my spartan warrior princess but I have the feeling she is not just mine. She is a giver and I am sure she has been a life saver to others, as well. Her editing impressed me when I read my finished story in Reality Bites, Mark Barryβs Anthology which included one of her stories too. She is multi-talented and has a heart of gold, but like me she is learning to use the word NO more often. At least, I hope she is. We have that in common though she has more to offer, in my opinion. She should start saying no more because she has some stories to put out and maybe another historical fiction novel. At least, I hope so.
I will always be grateful to John Emil Augustine who worked with me with Shattered Reality originally when it was called Home Wrecker. For some reason we connected right away and became a kind of a team. A team meaning two people who would always support each-other. In fact, I donβt feel right going on Marsha Casper Cookβs Blog Radio without John. He is like my side kick.
And last but not least, Mark Barry makes me feel like my work has something to offer. He calls my writing βfactionβ which makes me feel what I do is a bit more legitimate. Ha ha. I need the validation. He is a star in the making. Too brilliant for himself, maybe. You donβt meet that many people who are so sharp and writes lines in emails that should be saved for a future book.
Not only did Mark convince me to write L.A. Punk Rocker but he helped me put life into my stories. Itβs something that comes natural to him and seeing him in working mode allowed me to learn through the process.
βBrenda, I want to hear the music, smell the scents, see the scene. Take me there!β His guidance was better than school. Yes, he gave me the push to do my stories up right. Less telling and more showing!
If you could choose to be any character out of any book, who would you choose? And why?
That is so hard for me because most of the books I enjoy reading the characters are all so damaged. Not sure I would want to be any one of them. I love the agony. The human existence. Can I have more time to think about that one? Find me someone perfect and it might seem boring. The quirks are interesting.
(Take as much time as you need Brenda…we’ve got all the time in the world, Ed)
Sometime laterβ¦β¦β¦
I had to think and now it’s almost 1 am and I finally figured it out.Β Lisbeth Salande!!!! The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Great series but what I love most is the strong character lead. There is a sadness I can relate to but more than that I love her strength and independent nature.Β Empowering. Brutally honest and dark as can be. She is so powerful that she is almost a comic book character.
If I were picking a movie character to emulate it would be the lovely red headed punk Lola from Run Lola Run. There is just something special about her drive and motivation. Now that excites me Georgia!
A few quick fire ones – although your answers donβt have to be βΊ.
Cocktail or cuppa?
Not fair! It depends on the occasion though I do love a good cocktail. I am a happy drunk.
India or Iceland?
I have to say Iceland since we are looking at a vacation to that part of the world though India sounds life changing and I love Indian food!
Which superpower would you like to have? And Why?
I do love to get the inside info so I would like to be that fly on the wall that I talked about. To be able to be invisible excites me. I have always been this way. As a child I had to know every oneβs business. Nothing has changed.
What piece of advice would you like to give your 16 year old self – if you were given the opportunity to use a time machine!?
I always felt behind on everything no matter what age. I wish I could have been a little easier on myself and slowed down. Maybe I might have followed through with more of my interests.
Iβd tell my sixteen year old self that I was fine the way I was. I didnβt need to fit in with everyone else. It would all work out later on.
If I come back in another life I hope to be a professional dancer with long legs and speak fluent French. Maybe even be a singer on the side. You just never know. Maybe I will just come back as a punk rocker and if that were the case Iβd be alright with that. Those were fun times and L.A. was a great place to be.
Thanks for joining me Brenda itβs been terrific to have the chance to chat to you and I wish you every success for the sales of L.A. Punk Rocker I have already devoured this and my review can be read right here!
You are just too kind Georgia. Thank you for having me here again and reading my work. So enjoyed chatting but isnβt time for some more tea or should we have a cocktail to celebrate L.A. Punk Rocker? Any excuse will do.
Absolutely B! Itβs a book that definitely deserves a glass, or two, raising to it!! π
Cheers to you and all of the contributors and supporters of L.A. Punk Rocker.
Before I forget I want to give a special thanks to Cindy Jimenez Mora, Deborah Hernandez-Runions, Steven E. MetzΒ and of course, Mark Barry who shared their stories in the book.
The all important purchase links for L.A. Punk Rocker
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Great interview and review.
I can totally see you as Lola, Brenda π
Thanks Christoph, it’s lovely to see you here π
Ha ha. It’s been a long time since I have even thought of Lola but she was one of my hero’s. A genuine girl super hero. Come to think of it, you have some awesome super-powers too Christoph. Would love to see you running on the big screen. Until then I can just imagine it in my mind. You are a warrior. One I admire!
Is that LA Punk Rocker still going? I hear that Billy Idol likes it too π
Seriously, two of my very favourite people talking is always going to get me started on the right foot this Sunday. Big fan of your “faction”, Bren. In a world of goblins and ghoulies and talking cats and quests and people saying “forsooth, have at you, varlet” a lot, reading the real life nitty gritty of Brooklyn and Bo’s world was something to look forward to. Wish you all the best with LA Punk Rocker – it deserves to be a big seller. Terrific interview, Georgia. Scruffle the dogs for me!
The dogs are indeed being scruffled Mark π Thanks for stopping by, it’s great to see you here!
It’s nice to have you by my side. A pretty good trade off for me. I do think. I love how you mess around the words and the magical way you put them together to bring Billy Idol to life. One day I hope you will take your stories from L.A. Punk Rocker and make a big book. A real big book. I am certain even Billy Idol would read that one. Your writing is other worldly and so is your support.
Thank you for appreciating what I do Mark. Making up this “faction” genre and spreading the word about the silly thing that I do in book form.
Thank you for visiting and taking the time out of your busy day to read about me and L. A. Punk Rocker. It might not be life changing but I hope whoever decides to pick up a copy will enjoy the trip back in time and discover that we are all not that different. Growing up is never easy, wherever you are from. Some of my secrets are in there as well.
Great interview Georgia! Appreciate the tea, crumpets and the pups. You were all perfect hosts. I just hope I will be invited back. You are lovely and I am so thrilled to have been making some friends from the UK. As a teen we admired you. Tried to emulate you with your fashion and for sure, your accents. Even your music was our favorite.
Next time we will have to go clubbing. Even though I am a bit old now there is nothing better than live music. I promise I won’t go pogo dancing or get into a mosh pit. Well, maybe not. We will see. Until next time, kisses to you Poppy and Ruby. You know how to welcome a girl in style!
Thanks Brenda, and you are welcome here any time! I’m totally up for the clubbing btw and very happy to join you pogoing or diving in the mosh pit, there’s no such thing as too old! π
What a fantastic interview and I can so see Brenda as both Lola and Lisbeth. Reading this interview made me want to join the pair of you for cream teas and then when all the scones had been devoured we could maybe go to the pub for cocktails π
Now that sounds like a plan! Glad you enjoyed the interview and I’m always happy to join anyone interested in a cream tea…or cocktails π
Thank you for the visit. Wouldn’t ever want you to feel left out. There is enough room for us all. How fun would that be? Good wishes on Blood Money, your new baby.
Enjoyed reading your interview.
Thank you Michelle, I appreciate the comment π