I live in Vistabella with my husband. It is a beautiful town in Trinidad. Our house overlooks the ocean. Trinidad is an island and surrounded by sea. I did not grow up in Vistabella. My father was a headmaster and worked all over the island at different times in his career. As a small child I lived in headmaster’s houses in Claxton Bay, Penal, and in Sangre Grande when he gained promotion as an Inspector of Schools. My mother was a handicraft teacher. I wrote all about my childhood in my memoir, A Life as a Banker: A Life worth Living.

I did not give up my job as a Bank Manager. I reached the compulsory retirement age for female staff. At that time, females were allowed to retire at a much earlier age than males. I obtained a job in an Insurance Company as a Financial Advisor and continued working. I wrote my first book, “I am Cancer Free,” in 2013, after my near death experience with cancer. I wanted to tell the world that cancer is not a death sentence. My writing career started then. My parents were not alive when I started writing.

I was born in Trinidad. I have had many travel opportunities with my jobs in Banking and Insurance and that has helped me with the creative process as an author.

The Zika virus inspired the name ‘Zeeka.’ I built the story on the premise that a doctor discovered a cure for the disease but the hospital did not approve of its use. Zeeka Chronicles won Best Science Fiction Third Place in SIBA Awards 2017

It is easier to write a true memoir than to write fiction. With a memoir, you already know the facts. With non-fiction, you have to build a plot, create a story world, form characters, and many other factors have to be taken into consideration.

Never.

When my pet dog died, I wanted to immortalize her. The only way to do so was to write her story. She was a dog who was badly treated by her previous owner before I adopted her. She Cried for Me is a remarkable story for pet and dog lovers. Proceeds of sales of the Book will go to the Animals Alive Dog Rescue Shelter, the Sanctuary referred to in the Book.

Memoirs of Dr. Andrew Moonir Khan was about the life of my father. Of all my books, this book makes me the most emotional. My father had to overcome many obstacles in his life to become a trailblazer in Education in Trinidad. He climbed the ladder from classroom management to school principal, and superintendent of schools. Later in life, he became a Presiding Elder in his church and preached many sermons, some of which are appended to his biography. His story is both motivational and inspiring.

My favourite is Zeeka Chronicles: Revenge of Zeeka. It was hard work writing the five stories in the series and compiling them into one book. The series scored a double with Readers Favorite. I had compiled the first three books into a trilogy called Revenge of Zeeka: Horror Trilogy. In September 2016, I submitted the trilogy to Readers Favorite for a free review. The book received a five-star review and five-star seal. The following year I added two more books to the series - Zeeka’s Ghost Book 4 and Resurrection Book 5. I compiled the five books into one book called Zeeka Chronicles. I sent it to Readers Favorite and it received a five-star review and five-star seal. My greatest wish is for that book to be made into a movie.

My husband, our two children, and sisters are supportive of my writing. My daughter reads every book I write and gives me pointers.

The book covers plotting, writing dialogue and narrative, building your story world, choosing a book title, writing the blurb, what an author should do before and after publishing, choosing categories, creating an author brand, book marketing, and most of all how to get sales and reviews. It does not end there. A reviewer had this to say about the book. "If you are thinking of writing a book but don't know where to start, then this book is the one for you. It's a comprehensive guide to all aspects of the process from picking your topic, deciding on your cover to how to sell your book once it's out there in the marketplace. I found many interesting facts and tips here and jotted them down as I went along. This is a book to keep and refer to on a continual basis. Well worth buying and a must-have for all writers!" I acknowledged AllAuthor.com for its innovativeness and recommended it as one of the best website providers. The book was on pre-order on Amazon for 0.99 cents until it was published on 1 st December 2017 when the price increased to $2.99. It is also available in print. To date, it has received three five-star reviews.

I have been on several wonderful vacations and they are all detailed in my book, Travel Memoirs with Pictures. However, my very first vacation was a mega one. It was a trip to New York, Canada, London, Germany, and Holland. I described that trip in my book, My Life as a Banker. That trip stands out in my mind.

On November 21st, 2017 I published a free book containing exciting excerpts of all my works called Icebreakers. The purpose of that book is to give Readers a taste of my writing. It is available at Instafreebie and Books2Read.I am also experimenting with other topics for fiction but those will be surprises.

Brenda, a multi-genre author, lives in the beautiful tropical island of Trinidad in the Caribbean. A former Bank Manager and Insurance Professional, she turned to writing after she retired from the corporate world. Brenda loves to travel and enjoys a game of Scrabble when she is not writing, or reading books by other authors. She has written thirteen books: - five memoirs[one on her travels], one children's book, three short story collections, three kindle shortreads, and one book on spirituality.One of her short story collections is a zombie mystery trilogy. “My Life as a Banker – A Life worth Living,” is her own autobiography. “Retirement is Fun – A New Chapter,” is a sequel to My Life as a Banker and describes the author’s new travels and experiences after she left the job at the bank.

I wrote my first book, ‘Memoirs of Dr. Andrew Moonir Khan” while I was still employed at the Bank. I did that book out of love for my deceased father who was a Great Educator. I thought that his life was worthy of recording. However, I did not publish the book. I revised itin November 2014 and published it in both kindle and paperback. I started writing seriously in the year 2013. My first book was a children’s story, “Adventures of Squeaky Doo.” It was about the adventures of a teddy bear with a wonderful family. I was inspired to write this book in the hope that if I had grandchildren they would read it and remember me.This is what one reviewer said, "It makes exciting reading for children and teaches the value of love even for inanimate things.” Another said, “It should definitely be on the reading list for children.This book will enchant both adults and children."

I think about the role I have planned for my characters before I name them. For instance, in my latest book, Revenge of Zeeka – A Trilogy, I introduced a female robot, and named her Miranda. One reviewer could not help but refer to her in his review.“The highlight is Miranda (oh, Miranda!), whose presence gives a lot of weight and realism to the futuristic theme and setting of 2036.”

I wrote four collections of short stories. “Heart- Warming Tales,” “Stories People Love,” “Revenge of Zeeka – A Trilogy,” and "Zeeka Chronicles." At first, I wrote several stories as kindle short reads, but later on, I put all the stories into the above books.

The first collection, “Heart-Warming Tales,” are four stories based on real life events. They are all connected by the common theme of ‘hope.’ The second collection, “Stories People Love” contains four short stories of crime, adventure, and love. These stories are defined by one theme. ‘Never give up. The third collection, “Revenge of Zeeka – A Trilogy,” was released on 4th, May 2016. The story, which is set in the year 2036, is in three parts, which are also available as Kindle short reads. I was going to end the series at that point, but Zeeka got into my head and I wrote two more books making the number of books in the series five. That is why I published Zeeka Chronicles, the fourth collection of short stories. The series is all about Zeeka, and his intent on revenge for something that occurred twenty years before.

I write for young adults but my books are suitable for all audiences.

I depend on purchasers of my books to do reviews, but that does not always happen. I had several Free promotions on Amazon Kindle Publishing and had thousands of downloads, but I received no reviews from these promotions. I received Five Star reviews for most of my books from verified purchasers, and it is hard to say which is the best review I ever got. However, I do like this review for Zeeka Chronicles as I found it quite perky. "5.0 out of 5.0 stars Teens and up will adore this book By Amazon Reviewer March 9, 2017 Format: Paperback I was thrilled to receive my advance copy of this book because it contains all five Zeeka stories, which are among my favorite spooky reads. This series is about the havoc the sinister Zeeka and his Zombies unleashed on a little island in the Caribbean and the impact on people who live there. The darker side of humanity is explored with unforeseeable plot twists taking the reader down a sometimes grisly path. Thankfully, there is light at the end of the tunnel and I eventually emerged with feelings of redemption and satisfaction. Future tech is highlighted throughout the series making me desire one of the book's robot helpers who does dishes and kicks butt too."

A story is an account of real or fictitious events. The plot and characters must be appealing to readers. When I write, I bear this in mind.

I have started a new story, “Zeeka’s Ghost.” I have already written four chapters and hope to complete it within a month or two.

I write between the hours of 8.00 pm to 11.00pm. It is a quiet time for writing,after all the day’s chores are completed.

I advertise my books on MyFacebook Author Page, Twitter,My websites, Blogs, and on other platforms such as Readers Gazette, Quotesrain, Goodreads, and Ask David. I also promote them on several Author and Reader Groups. I recently became a pro-member of Quotesrain and I am very impressed with their promotion of my books. I have a fantastic website, which displays all of my books, and I can create impressive book teasers to promote on Twitter.I can also schedule tweets to be displayed on Twitter. I definitely would like to refer this platform to my author friends. I recommend it to all of them. I am constantly donating books to the National Library in Trinidad, and to my church, when they need to raise funds for charitable purposes. I also sell some of my paperback books printed by Create Space, privately in Trinidad. My paperback books are available on both Amazon and Create Space.

I want to encourage my readers and fans to continue to read my books and do reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. Your reviews will help me to be a better writer. Please follow me on Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and visit my website at Quotesrain for continuous updates. Without readers, there is no point in my writing. I need every one of you. I do not only promote my books. I promote those of other authors as well. You will read reviews and post of books by other popular authors when you visit my pages.