Interview: Cheryl Brooks

I am excited to welcome author Cheryl Brooks, who is celebrating the release of her 10th CatStar Chronicles novel, Rebel.

He’s Had a Galaxy of Women
A refugee of the annihilated planet Zetith, Onca has no family and no surname–only the fortune accrued by selling his prime services in a high-class brothel. When he comes to the rescue of a homeless Zetithian woman, passion flares, but he dares not touch someone who seems so young and innocent…

But None Has Touched His Heart
Kimcasha has lived by her wits on the streets since the age of ten. When her friends start to go missing, Kim uses herself as bait to find them, but her plan goes awry when Onca intervenes. As they are led into a dangerous underworld, Onca offers to join her crusade to liberate her friends, and Kim cannot refuse him…

Make sure you stick around to the end. We’ll be giving away a copy of Rebel.
_____________________________________________

Since creating your world in Slave, has there been anything you’ve regretted starting or wish you had started sooner? Was there something that worked out great in Slave, but now you wish you had done differently?

I wish I’d come up with a shorter name for my aliens than Zetithians! Fortunately, my spellchecker knows how to spell it now, so that’s one word that will usually autocorrect. There are a few other things I’ve had to stick to, mainly Zetithian characteristics. While I wouldn’t change them, I’ve had to make sure I include them in every story in some manner. For example, Zetithian men don’t grow beards. Somewhere in the story, I have to mention that. What makes it even harder to stick with is that most cover models these days are sporting a bit of beard stubble, so my covers don’t truly represent Zetithian males. Also, none of my covers have the kind of waist-length spiral curls that all of my heroes, with the exception of Lynx (Outcast), have. I guess it’s too hard to make it look right when the hair has to be added to the photograph. The only model who actually had long hair was the guy they used for the cover of Wildcat, and even his wasn’t long enough!

Can you introduce us to a few of the side characters that we’ll be meeting or who will play an important role to/for Rebel?  Was there any character that didn’t make as big of an impact on the story that you thought they would?  Was there a character who stayed on the page longer than you thought they would?

Rashe is a friend of Onca’s who also works in the brothel district on Rhylos. If you’ve read Virgin, you may remember him as the “bronze sex god” who spoke to Ava on the street. He has a sword tattooed on his chest that reaches all the way to the tip of his impressive tool. But what you didn’t learn about him in Virgin is that he is of Native American descent, specifically, Comanche. His fun personality adds a touch of humor as he helps out in the search for Kim’s missing friends.

Roncas is a Zuteran woman whom you also met briefly in Virgin. She plays an important role throughout the book, and though she acts as if she doesn’t like Onca very much, she’s actually quite fond of him.

Val (short for Valkyrie) is a character I introduced with an eye toward writing a spinoff series. He’s a genetically manipulated human clone with avian characteristics. He has incredible hearing and eyesight, and he has some truly awesome wings in addition to being remarkably handsome, although a bit on the stoic side.

Some characters from previous books make an appearance, and though Jack (the heroine of Slave) is opposed to Kim and Onca’s relationship in the beginning, hoping that Kim will mate with one of her elder sons, she comes around when she finally sees them together. Jack, of all people, knows how hard it is for a woman to resist a Zetithian hunk!

I don’t think any of the characters stayed on the page any longer or shorter than I thought they would. There are very few who don’t play an active role in advancing the plot, and while Onca and Kim are most definitely the hero and heroine, the book has a slight ensemble cast vibe to it.

Why Onca and Kimcasha? What was it about Onca and Kimcasha that drew you to them and want to tell their story?

Onca was first introduced in Virgin and made another appearance near the end of Wildcat. His cynical attitude toward love and finding a mate made him the kind of man you wanted to be able to say “I told you so!” to when it finally happened. Because of his somewhat jaded views, he needed someone with enough innocence to slip through the cracks in the walls he’s built around his heart. Hence Kim, who is just a little too young for him (she’s 22 to his 36) but is strong and determined enough to fight for what she wants. Orphaned at the age of ten, Kim has lived on the street ever since, and though she is streetwise and savvy, she is also a stranger to love. Their story is powerful, sexy, and sweet, and I hope my readers enjoy their journey toward lasting happiness.
______________________

Meet Cheryl Brooks!

Cheryl Brooks is a former critical care nurse turned romance writer. Her newest series is Unlikely Lovers, including Unbridled, Uninhibited, Undeniable, and Unrivaled. Other self pubs include Midnight in Reno and Sex, Love, and a Purple Bikini and If You Could Read My Mind (writing as Samantha R. Michaels).

She also has several erotic novellas published with Siren/Bookstrand
She is a member of the RWA and lives with her husband, two sons, two horses, four cats, and one dog in rural Indiana.

Contact Info: Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads | Amazon | Pinterest

Want to purchase Cheryl’s novels?
Cat Star Chronicles

1. Slave
2. Warrior
3. Rogue
4. Outcast
5. Fugitive
6. Hero
7. Virgin
8. Stud
9. Wildcat
10. Rebel

Cat Star Chronicles Bundle: Slave, Warrior, and Rogue
_____________________________________________

Contest Time!

Thank you Cheryl for taking the time to stop by Literary Escapism!

Cheryl is giving away a copy of Rebel. To enter, use the rafflecopter widget below AND answer this one question by leaving a comment below: Do you read Science Fiction Romance? If so, what’s your favorite novel/author of the moment? If you don’t, why not? Remember, you must answer the question in order to be entered.

a Rafflecopter giveaway