Brooke Gilbert Interview Published on: 01, Jun 2023

Born and raised in Knoxville, TN. I am proud to be from the South. We love our stories and have a flare for the colorful and dramatic. My southern roots have really shaped me into who I am today. I grew up with loving parents that indulged my love of movies, travel, and my wild imagination. I spent many summer days on the lake with friends and family, and many nights playing cards or board games. Summers in the South truly are the best.

Most of my doctors are located in Nashville so I do visit there quite frequently. Vanderbilt Medical Center is a wonderful place! My main female character will actually be from Nashville in my next novel, The Irish Fall. The shopping is really amazing in Nashville. I love the creativity of the talented local artisans and the Green Hills Mall is always much fun to visit. I always look forward to going shopping with my mom after my doctors’ appointments. We turn it into a fun mother-daughter day trip. It eases my white coat syndrome and sometimes the bad news of the day.

I am a science nerd and anything that was medically related in the program was of interest to me. I loved to apply science to people. I enjoyed anatomy classes, although not the cadaver bit! The most useful course was my Food Micro class. I can honestly say I haven’t had food poisoning since taking that class. I definitely know what to stay away from at outdoor events!

My two favorite Austen novels are Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion. And I'll admit, I think it’s because I identify the most with the main characters. Like Elizabeth, if my Mr. Darcy came along, I wouldn’t know it. I would be completely blind. And even if he told me how much he “ardently admires me,” I’d still stubbornly disagree with him about that. There’s no way I’d believe him. Trust me, I’ve been a fool about that very thing before. It’s one reason that my male protagonist in The Paris Soulmate has all these “lines.” A critique I sometimes hear about this character is that people really don’t talk this way. And maybe it’s just here in the South, but there is a lot of inspiration for his “lines.” I think we’ve just gotten too jaded and cynical in our modern world, but sometimes a man is just being really brave and sweet. He’s being a Mr. Darcy. And when you meet that rare unicorn of a guy who says nice things to you–being a Mr. Darcy–I want women to have the self confidence and self-love to believe in him. I hope more than anything that my writing builds up women’s self-esteem because the other character I greatly identify with is Charlotte Lucas. And no woman should ever have to settle, particularly because of her chronic illnesses or mental health. And if these books help even one woman see that they are beautiful and worthy of love, even with their chronic health conditions, then my writing will all be worth it.

That's a wonderful question! I start by hand drawing the designs that will be used in the molds for my metal centerpieces. Next I like to lay out all the different materials on a beading tray and try out different combinations of colors and materials. I am very visual so this helps the process immensely!

Wow, that’s a really great question. This is really difficult because we all have our own ideas that we form in our heads as we read books. That’s why audio narration is SO extremely personal. The author and the narrator have to connect. They have to be kindred spirits. That way the author will get a narrator who will paint the characters the same way they see them and that’s why the audition is so important. It’s funny because there was a historical romance that I was voicing and I based one of the older characters off of the BBC show Call the Midwife. The author was shocked and said that’s exactly how she heard this character voiced in her head! She never gave me any notes about character voicing before I started recording, but we had connected over our love of history, Christian romances, and sweet romances. And it just clicked. That’s the key I believe!

Communication is also key. For example, it’s really difficult when authors put notes in their audition that are very specific to a certain actor. If an author says I want this person to sound like Ryan Gosling from Crazy Stupid Love, but when he was younger. There’s no way that’s going to happen. But when people give directions like I want the character to be aloof, cool, and sexy with a slightly higher male voice, then I get excited. And when they give directions for an audition like this scene isn’t high in emotion so save that for later, then I can definitely work with that! It saves us from wasting a lot of time and the author gets such higher quality auditions! I’ve never gotten an audition from the former, but definitely the latter!

First and foremost, I want the reader to feel “you are enough.” That you are beautiful and worthy of love, especially if you have any chronic health conditions! Also that even though your illnesses are a part of you, they don’t define you. And that you should never settle for less than you deserve. You should never let anyone else–or your conditions–tell you that you can’t follow your dreams or that you should accept poor treatment. I used to work as a high school Education Specialist and there were so many things I wanted to say to my students, but there was a line about what I could share in my position. I don’t have that line anymore and it feels so good to be able to speak out. It was important to make this book a clean romance so that all ages could read it. Not only to spread awareness, but also because I wanted Colin to be a good representation of a respectful guy. There’s gotten to be so much male toxicity in romance. I want to read a novel about an average guy who is the hero because he’s a gentleman and respectful. I think we often overlook these guys in society today. They’re out there and they deserve to be encouraged and applauded. It’s time to end the toxic male fantasy and help women believe they are beautiful by being their authentic selves.

I don't think about dialogue ahead of time. It’s not part of my outline. I let the characters guide me as the story unfolds. The dialogue is the easiest part for me. I don’t plan at all. I let each character react to the other as if it was happening in real time and then I see where it goes! I think that's what makes it fun :)

The chronic illness and mental health representation and perhaps the twists. At least that’s what I hear! Lol. I don’t think readers are used to seeing these types of issues explored in romance and especially not sweet romance. Chronic illness and mental health can be heavy and it breaks with the traditional “fantasy” or “escape” of romance. So my books are kind of a “ love it or hate it” type thing. But at least I get a strong reaction! I get messages from readers thanking me for writing so honestly and writing with my heart. It helps me continue to do so. Without those messages I wouldn’t still be publishing. My first book would have been pulled long ago because the reviews are painful when it’s this personal. Some people don’t want that reality in their romance and I’m coming to grips with that. Some people are always going to see the main female character as whiny or a complainer because she’s in pain. Some people are never going to believe that a man could fall for a woman with that many disabilities. And I have to be okay with that. As for the twists, it’s really nice to hear that readers say they have never read a book like it before! It’s the nicest compliment :) I’m blessed with such incredible readers and I wouldn’t trade them for the world.

Absolutely, but I have two! I love Billy Wilder and Charlie Chaplin. I just connect so much to their films. I get so emotionally invested in the characters. I don’t really care if the plot is a little far-fetched. I can suspend belief. I just want to feel. That is what’s important to me. Make me cry, but make me laugh more. That’s how I know I connect.

A lot of trial and error, actually! This was one part of jewelry design that I never thought about. It’s definitely one of those parts of the job that you don’t consider until you start doing it. Lol. I make prototypes for each new style and my mom is my Guinea pig. And she’s more than happy to be the tester! I also have a lot of friends and family that help me wear the pieces and give me feedback concerning comfort, durability, and other aspects of the pieces. I think this is one of the most important steps of the jewelry process!

Don’t ever fool yourself into thinking you’re going to be the boss. Lol. They are going to train you and outsmart you, too! Herding is just so innate in them and so is their abilities to learn commands. They’re the smartest dogs! Maybe too smart for their own good sometimes. Lol. They get bored so easily, you have to be constantly watching what they get into. And I would suggest training them how to walk on a leash, or off leash, as soon as possible!!! They really do like to be the boss! It’s the herder in them :)

My perfect romantic date is actually written in my upcoming novel, The Roman Agenda. Lol. It's an outdoor movie on a summer's evening, set up in a backyard with a projector screen. A classic film, of course! It's funny that you asked my favorite director because the leading male character chooses one of my answers for the date. I think there's something so romantic about snuggling up under blankets and the nighttime summer sky with just you, your date, and the projector screen. Also, so many of us have small moveable fire pits in the South. Some s'mores around a fire pit with jazz music, or listening to sounds of nature while you talk, would be super romantic too.

The other option that I think is so romantic is outdoor dancing. We have local bands that play in the evening at our area marinas in the South and it’s so much fun to enjoy dancing around the water. Sharing an ice cream cone and dancing would be absolutely perfect. I’ve had that evening and I can honestly say it was one of the best nights I’ve ever had with a guy. Any one that’s willing to surprise you with an ice cream cone and dance the entire night with you is definitely a keeper. That’s where Colin from The Paris Soulmate got his dance moves. Lol.

My second standalone novel, The Irish Fall, is releasing July 13th. It is set in Ireland and features a main character with Crohn's and Endometriosis. I really wanted to dive into some women's issues that have been very difficult in my life and I hope will be very relevant to our society today. There are some heavier issues, but the humor–especially the quirky Irish humor surrounding the main male character (MMC) and his Irish grandfather figure–I hope will make this a really fun read! I definitely believe humor is the best way to discuss and dive into these issues. To me, I think it creates a safe place to do so. The MMC battles a different type of invisible disorder than the main female character (MFC). I'm really excited to explore this juxtaposition and see how the characters support and complete each other.

I am currently starting edits on my third novel, The Roman Agenda. It's a rom-com set in Rome. The two main characters are teachers and they feel very relatable to me. The novel actually starts out in Sevierville, TN. I'm so excited to bring some of the wonders of home to this book. The MFC battles a Rare Mast Cell Disorder, as well as Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and I'm really excited to shine some light on the rare Mast Cell condition. And the chemistry was so much fun to write. The unrequited love in the novel has created so much tension and steam! I love to try to bring that while still keeping it clean :)

And I'm currently writing the sequel to The Paris Soulmate, The Paris Promise, as well as a novella, Dear Doris, which features the grandmother from the first novel. She was everyone's favorite character. Dear Doris is set in the 60s and will be the story of how she and her husband met. It will feature diabetes and mental health representation.

It’s been absolutely incredible! The authors on the platform are all so supportive and friendly! I am still shocked by how supportive this community is toward one another! It’s such a culture shock for me! The medical sciences are such a stark contrast in comparison to the writers’ community. I am so glad my path diverged and led me here. I couldn’t ask to belong to a nicer group of people than the author and book community. I am so glad this is my home! :)