Lex.Btw.TheLines...
Lex.Btw.TheLines...
Resilience in Writing & Self-Publishing with Debut Author Selena Brooks
This episode features author Selena Brooks discussing her debut novel, "Southern Sizzle," and her journey through the challenges of self-publishing and character creation. The conversation emphasizes the complexities of writing relatable characters amid drama and trauma, offering valuable insights for aspiring authors.
• Introduction of author Selena Brooks
• The long journey to publishing "Southern Sizzle"
• Insights into the vanity press experience
• Discussing family dynamics and character relationships
• The emotional themes of trauma and healing
• Preview of the upcoming sequel, "Southern Scramble"
• Tips for aspiring authors navigating self-publishing
down child. It didn't even count as that. See how much. See what I told you. It's just an. It normally gives you like a countdown of when it starts, so my editor is probably gonna see this and be like we're gonna start for real. Now this, this time I'm finna do my introduction, okay. So, oh, my goodness, hey y'all. Hey, you are watching and listening to Lakes.
Speaker 1:Between the Lines, of course, I am Lakes, your host. I'm so excited about today because I have a very important special guest for my co-host. But before we get into that, let's go through the triggers. For the most part, I try not to cross any lines and I try to stay between them, but we always know that that is not always possible, not with me. Anyway. Let's get it. That's trigger number one. Trigger number two is that I may or may not use explicit language depending on my emotions During the discussion. The more excited I am, the more the bad words seem to fly. Another thing Now the book that we will be talking about today does not have explicit sexual content. But future warning there may or may not be talk of I'm going to say smut or sexual content, because we are grown here. Without further ado, I would like to let my co-host introduce herself.
Speaker 2:Hey everybody. My name is Selena Brooks. I'm the author of Southern Sizzle and it is the first book I've published. I'm from Gulfport, mississippi, which is where I currently live. I work for the Department of Defense and I wish I was a full-time author, but I got bills to pay, so that's my story. I only have one book out and I have one more on the way, so look out for that.
Speaker 1:Ms Brooks, Ms Salinas's, this your first book yes I did not know.
Speaker 1:So wait a minute, this is your debut. Yes, I'm, I'm literally shocked right now because the book was so good. And, don't get me wrong, a lot of people do a lot of good first books sometimes, but you can tell that they're a new writer. I didn't get that. I did. I did not get that with this book. I thought you had most, so I was like I can't wait to go read more of her work, only to find out that this your first book yeah, yes, ma'am, that's my first, but there's a backstory and a reason behind that look, we all ears.
Speaker 1:That's what we're here for.
Speaker 2:Give it to us before we get into your business okay, so southern sizzle has been ah, it's been a labor of love for a long, long time. I I initially got the idea and decided I wanted to write what it turned into today, when I was 18 years old, which was about 2002. That's when you started it, yeah.
Speaker 1:So we were a long time in the making, a long time coming.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and so you know, life be lifin'. So you know, I took a break from it and then I decided to come back to it in my like mid twenties and that's when I actually finished it. Um, so that's why the book, the time period, takes place in about 20, uh, 2009, 2010-ish. So you probably kind of can tell that technology ain't what it is now and all that good stuff. But it took me so long because I just really didn't know what to do with it once I was finished. You know, kdp wasn't really a big thing. The self-publishing was outrageously expensive at that time, so I just I had to wait until well, actually a couple years ago I published it through a publisher as a series, but that relationship, uh, dwindled, so I republished it myself this year you said it dwindled.
Speaker 1:Can we talk about that for just a second? When you said the relationship did not work out? Because I kind of want to get into um, because I've been hearing that a lot talking to different authors that these publishing companies are um, well, I was going to say I was trying to say a nice way to say it, but I don't think we have to be nice on here. I think we can be honest and tell the truth. So a lot of these publishing companies are promising a lot of things and they are not delivering.
Speaker 1:Mm-hmm promising a lot of things and they are not delivering. And even with giving the authors their books, they're having a hard time even giving the authors their books and even promoting. Like you say, you're going to promote and push my book and stuff, but I'm not getting any momentum. I'm not getting any momentum, I'm not getting any traction. So is that an issue that you ran into or can you tell us more about that?
Speaker 2:Well, I will say that it wasn't a traditional publisher. You know where you get hired, the agent, you go through the whole process I went through. I want to say it's called a vanity press um, I guess it's like the technical term for it, but it just really it's your, you're self-publishing but you're going through them.
Speaker 1:They're like a middleman so what exactly do they do if you are still self-publishing?
Speaker 2:well, they set your book up, they get, uh, the cover design, they do the editing, they do the formatting, um, they do, they're supposed to promote it, but you know that don't really happen. Um, it's kind of like your book come out they say hey look, this book is out, and then that's pretty much it. So uh, and they print the books as well no, you still have to like get your own through whatever service it is that they're using. So, um, yeah, that that was a lesson learned for me.
Speaker 1:And what you're sounding like it is. It's basically sounding like it's just an editing, like they just edited the book and proofread it.
Speaker 2:I mean, basically, it's like they took care of the thing at the time that I didn't really know how to handle for myself, really know how to handle for myself, but I think that was more of me being uh self-conscious than it was me not being really able to do it for myself gotcha, and that's crazy because the book is phenomenal like I ate it up within like a day.
Speaker 2:I was surprised. I was because I remember when I went in your live and I told you about it and most of the time you know we're readers we got long tbr so I was like she'll get to it eventually. One thing about me.
Speaker 1:If an author comes and says, hey, you need to read my book, or if an author like because, first of all, y'all be really busy, as it is so for you guys to come and engage with your audience and stuff, I take that like, like what they talking to me, like they could be doing, because you know, you know how some of these authors are when they get big or sometimes they feel themselves and they forget about their readers and stuff, or they interact with certain ones, and so anytime I feel like an author is, hops on my live or even sends it to my inbox, I immediately bump that book up. If I'm not already in like an arc or anything and I'm just reading, I immediately bump that book up because I'm like you took the time to either message me or you took the time to watch my live, or you took the time to come and communicate with me and you told me about your work. I'm gonna automatically bump that up. And I was reading a book at the time.
Speaker 1:Um, oh, my goodness, it was. Uh, it was a book that was in the wrong category and it was. It was slow and far. Yeah, it's actually a paranormal and people are probably gonna know what I'm talking about. It was a paranormal thriller and it was not listed as paranormal.
Speaker 2:Oh okay, yeah but it was good it was.
Speaker 1:It was slow in the beginning and it was good, but once I I just wasn't connecting with it at first and maybe because I was on vacation and stuff, and so when I started reading your book and all the drama and stuff started unfolding, I just was like, okay, well, I actually started. I actually started reading Pick that One Up Again after yours when the vacation was just about over. But your book and I was drinking too, I'm ready to dive in Because I know you said it's been a long time in the making. I was going to say now, did this start out? Because the mess was like, the mess was real, relatable, miss Selena, like with the, with the cousin drama. And I was like sometimes, when I be reading books like this, I'd be like, is this like uh, clips from your life? Did this stuff happen? And you just kind of swung it a different way because your cousin messing with your past man.
Speaker 2:No, nothing like that, probably as far as it goes, because I've always been very close with my cousins on my mother's side of my family, almost like sisters, because I didn't have, I didn't have a sister. I have an older brother, so they were like my sisters instead of cousins and it was like that bond that I wanted to try to kind of capture. But all the drama that just that just came from up here.
Speaker 1:OK, so it wasn't like no life drama that we put that.
Speaker 2:we put it inserted into the book a cousin of mine who we grew up basically almost like twins because I'm a year older than she is, so we grew up very, very close and that kind of inspired the book. But it was more like we never did that whole thing where we even knew the same guys. So I mean, she was, she was in one town, I was in another town, so it was, it was real separate they was real separate and started living together in the book too.
Speaker 1:Look, you can tell us. Look, this is a no judgment zone. Okay, you can tell us.
Speaker 2:I'm from a small town where people be dating cousins so I don't want to start no war, wait.
Speaker 1:Because you can say that shit, like that, and be like, and you say it with a straight face what, what, the hell, I will preface that I have not dated my cousin. I just told you that I'm starting off light this morning and just drinking tea, but I really feel like I should have put some Hennessy or some D'Ussé in my tea.
Speaker 2:Well, you know, I'm from Mississippi, mississippi and Alabama. We have a stigma, and I'm just saying I'm from a place where it is highly possible that if you do not venture out of that city, you will be dating your cousin.
Speaker 1:Shit, that threw me from my first question that I was going to ask.
Speaker 2:I guess I probably shouldn't say the name of the city now. Then I done brought a dishonor to them.
Speaker 1:Don't put them on blast like that, cause I can see, oh, I can see people coming for us and my mouth be real slick when I got time. So, okay, that's going to bring me to this question. Then, how do you disconnect from characters that you've written, especially when you write scenes like that with the cousin coming behind each other, or and then even when she got ready to get engaged, and how do you disconnect from your characters once you've written them?
Speaker 2:I'll actually be honest, I really don't like I my head is they're always in there. They're my first, you know from my first book, so I kind of feel like they're a part of me. So it's kind of hard to let go. You know, and I'm I'm working on a new book and it's a continuation, because I couldn't let them go.
Speaker 1:I was just about to say, that's mean we're gonna get more of them, because I wouldn't mind that.
Speaker 2:I. I don't know how far I intend to take it before I move on to something else, but I felt like a second book was needed, because the first book focuses more on one cousin over the other. So I felt like maybe the other cousin needed a story too other.
Speaker 1:So I felt like maybe the other cousin needed a story too. Now. Is he gonna give us a timeline of when her issue started with her dad? Are we gonna be able to see her relationship with her mom and her dad?
Speaker 2:you do see that in the second book. Um, just a little bit it. It doesn't quite delve into the mental aspects of it, but just like their dynamic, how they deal with each other on a day-to-day basis.
Speaker 1:I can't remember if her and her dad actually had like a like, was he present?
Speaker 1:he, he was in and out so, and then, once her parents, you know, divorced, he was more out than in because I was just wondering because, like I'm like, is she seeing this like firsthand from her, like staying over, like her, her mom and her mom and dad sharing custody, and is she like seeing him with these different women and is he trying to get back with them? Oh, that's another question I wanted to ask. Is there a chance for him and the mom to get back together to get?
Speaker 2:back together. I don't know if I can answer that right now. I'm probably answering you with my facial expression right now.
Speaker 1:Perhaps Is there going to be pettiness between this young girl Look, I'm going to be pettiness. Between this young girl. Look, I'm supposed to be focusing on the characters and this is the side. Yeah, I'll be writing some strong side characters and then I don't know what y'all be expecting, but sometimes I let y'all into the side characters and I'll be wanting to know all of they tea and they business it's natural.
Speaker 2:I mean because you know I don't like to introduce a character more than just, I guess, superficially, unless I do intend to revisit them you mean the young girl that the dad was dating.
Speaker 1:Oh wait, I caught that. You said was dating. No, no, no, no. You said that the dad was dating. Oh my God, you said that. You just said that the dad was waiting.
Speaker 2:Well, I will say that was a slip. That was a slip. Yeah, I use past tense when I should have used present tense. Do you have?
Speaker 1:any trigger warnings in your book.
Speaker 2:I didn't, because I didn't know what that was. I'm honest, I didn't know I was even supposed to do that. I'm honest, I didn't know I was even supposed to do that. So I was like, oh, my second book. It's not as triggering as the first, I will say that. So I'm trying to figure out what I need to to put into the book to let readers know what what it entails.
Speaker 1:I know one thing you probably should put I don't know why this earth. Well, it ain't for me to know why, because you know everybody have their um ticks and things. But some readers do not like cheating tropes or cheating, or they want that as a trigger. And I'm just like I kind of it's crazy because I always say I'm paying trope that I can like read, even though that spider trope almost got me the spider trigger, almost got me a little stranger. But other than that I like a good cheating trope. So I mean that I like a good cheating trope.
Speaker 2:So that probably would be the only I will say. It confused me too that people are so gung-ho against it, because I'm like like we watch movies with people cheating all the time. We watch shows with people cheating all the time. People cheat all the time they may with people cheating all the time.
Speaker 1:people cheat all the time they may probably she don't know right now but that's probably why it's triggering, though, and I think I get.
Speaker 2:If it's a trigger, then you know. Just don't read it. But do you have to have so much disdain for?
Speaker 1:it and do you have to go on rants about why you don't like the tree, the trigger, or do you? And then how do you feel about the people who read the triggers and then they still, like this, said that what it was going to be and you still read it, and then that's your complaints. How do we feel about those? I know how I feel about those people. How do you feel about those people?
Speaker 2:I feel like I guess in the case that you were warned and you disregarded it, I don't understand why you have a problem now in in my case, me being very brand new to what I'm supposed to do with a book and not do with a book, I was like I don't know about no trigger warnings. I told them in the synopsis what the story was about. I mean, that should be enough it really was.
Speaker 1:But people like me, I don't. I go into books like I had no idea what your book was about. I go into books blind. Now, okay, lord, I don't be doing what, because it's an art that I'm reading right now and I'm on two packs of cigarettes and I don't even smoke. I'm not really, but in my mind I'm on two packs of cigarettes and I don't even think it's smoke. But had I read the synopsis on what the fuck this book was about? Child, I'm gonna, uh, we're gonna take just a break, right quick and go to commercial. Okay, but stay tuned because we will be right back with more of miss selena brooks, um, so we just gotta mean it. Just gonna wait a second. Okay, I'm gonna go through these, um, before we jump back in. So do you have like a timeline of when your second book comes out?
Speaker 2:So do you have like a timeline of when your second book comes out? I don't, I want to. I have a deadline and that's by November 1st, by November 1st.
Speaker 1:So do we want to tell them that?
Speaker 2:deadline I mean you can because or expected date. I mean you can because most likely if it does come out on a different date, it'll be before that, it won't be after.
Speaker 1:It won't be after, okay, and they'll be able to find it on. Well, I'll just let you know. I'll just let you introduce yours first, but we'll tell them about Southern Sizzle and then when to expect the second book, okay, and then, um, let's see, do you have anything like, do you have a bookish store where?
Speaker 2:people. I don use TikTok shop for my signed copies and I send you know little item stickers. I have a bookmark and I have a little insert that's kind of like a little postcard for the setting of the book.
Speaker 1:Do you sell those?
Speaker 1:Oh, oh no, I just send them with the book when I sign it okay, okay, I'm about to let them know that we are back from commercial break. Um, the next question that I'm gonna ask is um, what's the process for creating trauma, trauma in your stories, and um, how do you determine, like, what kind? So that'll be the next question. Okay, roll into it. Okay, all right, you guys, we are back with more. Um, miss selena brooks from southern sizzle, and I have a question that I asked all of my authors um, so let's get into it what's the process of creating trauma in your stories and how do you determine, like, what kind of trauma is going to be?
Speaker 2:how do you know what kind of trauma? To come from a place where it was pulling the main character and her cousin apart, her cousin apart. So you know, when you're in a relationship and it becomes toxic, a lot of the times you lose yourself in it and you also lose the connections that you have outside of the relationship. So that's, uh, that was what I wanted to convey was that they had this bond to start with and it started crumbling. Uh, you know, with the, with the trauma that I introduced. I don't know if you want me to say what type of trauma.
Speaker 1:No, we'll let them discover it for their own self. I just wanted to know, like, the reasoning behind it. And well, I will say this one the abuse that she went through silently.
Speaker 2:I got that one, though, even though it never happened to me personally, but I can see why you put it in there and then how you dealt with it, like because a lot of people don't walk away from it yeah, and and it was important for me I get a lot of I get some flack from people that read it like uh-uh, that couldn't have been me or uh, you know, I don't understand why she, you know, did what she did toward the end, when she was starting to come into her own. But I feel like forgiveness is important. It's an important part of healing yourself.
Speaker 1:So but Slynn, I ain't gonna lie, you must know I'm about to say something foolish. Okay, so I'm gonna say this and this. Gonna sound so bad, but this is not in real life though, this is just in the books. When he had that incident happen with him, I kind of was like this oh, I get that all the time.
Speaker 2:Yes, you right on the money.
Speaker 1:I didn't feel bad and this sounds so, that sounds so bad, but I did not feel bad. I kind of wanted her to take some black roses and spread them. I don't know.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean, you know it's not bad. It's not bad that you didn't feel bad. It's not bad. It's not bad that you didn't feel bad. That scene was a means to bring things back around to positive.
Speaker 1:And it showed her growth and her heal. It showed her heal because if she wasn't healed then she would have did what I just said. So pity I'm not grown up yet, because your family would have been mad at me well, I mean, I even get comments of you know why she?
Speaker 2:why she in that kitchen cooking.
Speaker 1:I wouldn't have been nowhere around it was just so many instances where I was just like girl, go and board the grits, go board a grits. I was like just go board the grits and put on his, especially when he came home and you were smelling like perfume and you had lipstick all over and you told me where you was about to go and I think I think you know I wasn't really thinking that deep, but when I went back and reread it I was like this is what?
Speaker 2:this? What predators do? They know who to prey on and they know who not to prey on.
Speaker 1:They show what the hell do. Yeah, Just thinking about it now, I cannot believe this is. Have you taken any writing classes? I, I do have a um, I have a bachelor's in communication and a minor in english, so yeah, okay, because I'm trying to put two and two together to get four and I'm just like how the hell did she write this? This is her first book Reading that you would not be able to show. This was your first work Like this is the first work that you put out.
Speaker 2:Oh, thank you. That's a compliment, because sometimes I don't be knowing.
Speaker 1:It was good oh. I cannot wait for book two. Speaking of book two, can you give us a little insight on book two and let us know where we can find it and the drop date?
Speaker 2:OK, so book two is titled Southern Scramble. It does. It does not take place in my hometown, it actually takes place in Dallas. In my hometown it actually takes place in Dallas. It follows the secondary character from my first book, Reese, and her husband Terrence, who's a football player.
Speaker 1:She know her boyfriend Wade. I just wanted to go there.
Speaker 2:Okay, I'm sorry.
Speaker 1:Mr'm sorry, let me say one more thing okay who she tried to pass this baby who ain't look nothing like the baby, okay it was a definite Mari paternity court situation you were the hell. And for the mama, for the mama to come in and go and tell the guy Okay Well.
Speaker 2:I'm going to tell you, the relationship with Reese and her mom is like nothing, like the relationship I have with my mom. So I really had a hard time writing them, but I wanted them because Reese embodies everything of her father. It just hurts the hell out of her mama and so, you know, she just take, you know, take her frustrations out because I don't think I would ever do that to my child like I'm gonna be.
Speaker 1:I'm like you wrong, but I'm riding with you till the wheels fall off. I'm going to tell you you wrong, but I ain't, finna, go do no dirty. I wanted to step through that book and slap her fucking face. Cause girl, how dare you, how dare you reach out what you my mama?
Speaker 2:okay, tell us about this okay, um, so the book is gonna be about their marriage and like the trials and tribulations of being young and being married, having a baby, and then, on top of that, he's a professional athlete. So it's just a lot of pressure on top of pressure.
Speaker 1:And women are throwing themselves at him themselves. At him let me say this he did a lot of effed up stuff to get to her and to break her, even though her and the guy didn't have no business together anyway. But he did a lot of stuff to get back with her. And that scene in the room where the boyfriend walked in and you was on your knees in our room, you was in our house. So now that you said it, I'm just like I wonder is she about to get this karma back? I know you ain't gonna tell us. I know you ain't gonna tell us.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean, if you think about who they both are, you'll know, you'll know who gonna do what.
Speaker 1:I'm just like I don't know. And then you like maybe I will say maybe it won't be him, because he lied about the girl the first time and I said that. I said that too. I said he ain't got no fucking idea, his damn house waiting on him, nobody waiting on his ass. And then when he said that he was just lying, I was like I knew he was lying, like I, because your feelings was too hurt. It was too hurt I wanted.
Speaker 2:I wanted him to be hard, but not so hard that he didn't. He was like this perfect macho. Don't nothing faze me, man, you know, even though that's what he tried to give off.
Speaker 1:He definitely tried Like. You knew you were the side dude, you knew this going in. You knew you were the side dude and you were jealous. Knew you were the side dude and you were jealous because you was a side dude, you know it.
Speaker 2:It ain't often that. I guess that's what inspired me. It's not often that you see the woman with the commitment issues.
Speaker 1:Right, it's usually the man and like the women you know they try to like. I was reading another book and it was the opposite, where it was the guy and she was besides, she was chasing and stuff. But when you flip the role and this one I kind of I don't know. I kind of was eating it up. But then I flip the roll and this one I kind of I ain't gonna lie, I kind of was eating it up, but then I was like girl, you wrong.
Speaker 1:But I was like yeah, I was like city girls up a thousand yes, you're a ball player.
Speaker 1:There are so many women throwing themselves at you and you really upset over somebody who with somebody, and you knew you were the side dude. Make it make sense. It don't. It's just not making sense. But when I say I ate that up, I can't wait for this next book because how you write the myths, I love a good messy book and you gave a every. It was never a door. It was never a door moment, even when our girl threw a what you call it Clothes over the balcony.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know, I get questions about that one too, like why she sitting over there lusting after this man and he over here throwing woman's and then he turn around and go to the neighbor house and try and hit on the neighbor. I mean, it's the book. I didn't realize at the time that I was writing a lot of ancient characters.
Speaker 1:You summed it up the women weren't shit. Well, one of them.
Speaker 2:People say she wasn't shit for going after her cousin's ex.
Speaker 1:Okay, okay, I can't say no, I was going to try and justify I can't. I was going to try to justify it for her but I couldn't go. And then not once, but twice, okay, the first one. Did the cousin not tell her that they used to have dealings?
Speaker 2:she didn't, I'll tell you, like in Reese's mind she does not. At that point in the story she did not connect with men on any other level other than what she was going to get from them. So it wasn't like, oh, she dating my ex. It's like, oh, here go this dude.
Speaker 1:He cute, you should holler but the guy was like he was heartbroken. So I'm like you were really into her cousin, even though she wasn't into you, but she was really into her. And so now you're gonna go with the other cousin. I don't think I would be able to to double deal period, um, like behind my cousins, or anything. That's just nasty and I.
Speaker 2:I wouldn't say that I would do anything that these people did in this book, but I have seen people do those things, especially in their younger years.
Speaker 1:Uh, you know, late teens, early 20s, you do a lot of foul stuff and how do you tell your kids, like when they be like, how did you meet? Oh, they used to that you know what I was gonna say. Oh, I wonder if any of my family gonna catch this, because I wanna kind of spill some tea. I'm thinking real hard on it, cause sometimes my mom be fighting my shit and I be like trying to block her off stuff. But then I'm like is they gonna listen to the whole fucking thing? Like is they gonna try and just listen to a little bit or just download it to help me out with my views, or are they gonna really take the time and listen because I want to spill this tea so bad?
Speaker 2:I'm here for it, I'm going to tell you.
Speaker 1:So, my uncle, you said people be going through this stuff all the time and we didn't find out until like later. And then you know how you be listening in on grown folks' conversation and shit. Mm-hmm, I would never say nothing, but I be listening in on grown folks' conversation and shit. So one of my uncle, his wife, that he had married and they had kids and stuff which, even though they were younger, you still dated and was with the other brother first and when the other brother broke up with you, then you got and married yeah, I see where you're going and that ain't Mississippi, that ain't Mississippi but I mean, it happens and I tell you I look back on my 20s and I don't know how I'm alive what the hell you was doing, selena.
Speaker 2:Partying too damn much. It wasn't nothing what they was doing, I'll tell you that, but it could have went left.
Speaker 1:I had a party instead. I think we all had like a. And let me tell you this I was I wasn't going to say Well, I was naive when I came off to college and moved away and stuff, but I was like a homebody. And so when I got a little taste of the real world and stuff, I was partying my ass off in school, like because I had never did it before and stuff.
Speaker 1:So I kind of feel you on that I think we all had them, nights like that yeah yeah, so november is when we should expect the second book yes, uh, it should be released no later than November 1st. Okay, can you tell us where we can follow you, where we can keep up with you, where we can get our updates?
Speaker 2:I am on Facebook as Selena Brooks. I am on TikTok as Selena B, the author, and also the same tag on Instagram and threads.
Speaker 1:Okay, and then is it going to be on Kindle Unlimited, or should we come to like a store to get it, or where can we actually find the book?
Speaker 2:I don't have my own store. It's something that I'm working on, but until then it will be on Kindle, unlimited for the e-book, and I also sell my paperback signed on my TikTok shop.
Speaker 1:Okay, I'm definitely going to have to get me a paperback because I need to go in and highlight some stuff.
Speaker 2:Well, I will tell you I am uh I'm finished with book two and I am waiting for art copies to uh come in next week. So I'm very, very close.
Speaker 1:Okay, are you doing like e-arcs um through like book funnel, or are you doing sending out like paper or like actual book arcs?
Speaker 2:Well, you know, they let you and I'm talking about KDP they let you order five copies. So, you know, I just I was going to see. You know, I just I was going to see. I have some friends that have been interested in doing the arc read because they already read the first book, and so I was just going to see who's interested and then send them out.
Speaker 1:Oh, you know, I'm interested If you have, if you have room.
Speaker 2:I ain't too proud to be and I did want to answer your question about Cassie, the girl that's dating Reese's father. Yes, in book two she is very important in book two she's very important. Now I wouldn't say you're, you're not gonna find out a lot about her background, but she plays a very important role in book two you know what I'm gonna.
Speaker 1:We're gonna pause this thought because there is going to be a part two. I can already see it. There is definitely going to be a part two to this, so I'm gonna, and then let me tell you part two it. I have to get back in touch with you like really soon, because I didn't even get we didn't even deal into the meal. I wanted to talk about meal but I didn't ran out of time. So I know part two. I'm bringing you back. Miss alina, this is me asking will you please join me back for a part two, of course, so this is gonna, I'm just gonna I'm gonna I'm, as soon as we finish with this, I'm going to go ahead and reach out so we can set up part two.
Speaker 2:Okay, and then, if you wanted to do it when I launch my next book, I'll be down for that too definitely listen. I get excited about those like I'll tell you because you, you know, you, you had said something about how a lot of authors get really big and they, they forget to show love to their readers.
Speaker 1:And I'm small, I'm smaller than small you are not you are not, I want you are not, and see you just brought. You just brought up my next discussion okay, I'll do.
Speaker 2:We'll do a pregnant pause.
Speaker 1:I don't want to hear you say smile.
Speaker 2:I just want to say thank you, because I'm small and I look at you like, oh, she want to do something with me. Don't make me blush, but yeah, we could take a pause. 'll be, I'm ready to come back you're ready to come back.
Speaker 1:so we are going to go ahead and end it here and we will be back with a part two. So you guys, make sure that you stay tuned, make sure that you subscribe, make sure that you follow miss selena brooks and also make sure you follow me, because we got more to come Until next time.