E.A. Brady | Author
Despite spending her first few years in New York, E.A. considers herself a New Englander, through and through. Her stories are set in fictionalized versions of several of her favorite New England locations and her characters are “real” people who are trying their hardest to make it through to their very own happily ever after…
1. What inspired you to start writing/creating art, and how has that inspiration evolved over time?
I’ve been a creative person for as long as I can remember. I used to love to draw when I was young. I also used to make every craft known to man when I spent time with my grandparents during the summer. As far as writing goes, I was inspired by my daughter, who loves to write.
I was out for a walk, listening to music and a song called “Alright for Now” by Tom Petty came on. It’s such a pretty song and I listened to it a few times in a row. I started wondering about the song and how it came to be. Basically, I wondered what the story was. Then I started imagining my own version of the story. When I got home, I started writing.
2. Can you share the story behind your latest work? What was your creative process like?
My latest work is a Christmas novella called Keep Me Warm. Honestly, this story wasn’t supposed to be one of my 2024 releases. It was something I thought I’d put away and work on sometime later.
One day I was sort of daydreaming and all of a sudden, I had a picture in my mind of a man tending the fire in a small house/cabin. His dog was barking by the door. When they went outside, the dog ran to a woman who had collapsed during a blizzard.
That was it. That was all I got. So, for the next few months, I would write with a pen in my notebook while the rest of the family watched television.
It took me a little bit of playing around, but eventually I figured out who these people were and why the woman was there. And, although the final story bears very little resemblance to the original idea, it’s still a story about a woman who is saved from near hypothermia by a guy and his dog when she gets caught in a blizzard.
Believe it or not, it’s a lighthearted (mildly spicy) story. Not overly angsty or heavy at all.
3. What themes or messages do you aim to convey through your work, and why are they important to you?
I normally try to show women with agency in my works. I want them to make their own decisions and choices – even when they’re not the right ones.
I write open-door romance and showing respectful and consensual sex between partners is essential to what I write.
4. What advice would you give to aspiring authors/artists who are just starting their journey?
It sounds super cliché, but my best advice would be to just keep putting words on paper/screen. Write because you love it. When you love what you write, it shows.
5. What role has self-publishing or independent production played in your career, and what have you learned from the process?
Where do I even start? I am 100% self-taught in this regard. However, there are specific Facebook groups I belong to where other authors will share advice and insight. Those have proven helpful more than once.
The biggest thing I’ve learned is that what works for one person does not necessarily work for everyone. I’ve also learned that I need to approach my business in a more relaxed manner than when I started. I used to want to do All. The. Things. I can’t do all the things without burning out. I love writing too much to give it up simply because I dislike the marketing side of the business!
6. How do you connect with your audience, and what has been your favorite moment of reader or viewer feedback?
I publish a bi-monthly newsletter to keep me connected to my audience, but I probably get the most response and engagement through Instagram. It’s my social media platform of choice.
My favorite bit of feedback was when a reviewer asked if we could get my book, Christmas at Whispering Hills, made into a Hallmark movie. That comment still makes me smile – although Hallmark wouldn’t touch my book because it’s open-door and they kiss long before the end. Ha!
7. How do you handle challenges like writer's block or creative burnout, and what motivates you to keep going?
I like to have at least two projects in the works at one time. That way, if I’m not feeling one, I can jump over to the other. If I’m just not in the mood to write, I spend time doing other creative things, or sometimes I do nothing at all and I let myself really relax.
The stories that continually play inside my head are the reason I keep going. The only way to turn them off is to write them down. And once I start writing, I keep going until I’m done.
8. What’s next for you? Can you share any upcoming projects or future creative goals you’re excited about?
I am waiting for feedback on the second book in my Built to Last Series. Once I get that feedback and make those changes, I’ll be looking to publish that book, called Barstools and Beginnings, – hopefully early in 2025. Then I’ll move on to book 3. I absolutely love this series and I can’t wait to get the rest of it done!
As far as future projects, I had so much fun writing my Christmas novella, Keep Me Warm, that I’ve decided to put out a Halloween book next year – also a novella.
9. Who are some of your biggest creative influences, and how have they shaped your work or style?
I love mystery books, and I love magical realism. I love being immersed in a world that I don’t want to leave. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is probably my biggest influence, even though I don’t write anything like her. I love the way she writes her characters, like they could step off the page and into your living room. I aspire to write like that!
10. How has your personal life or experiences influenced your writing/art, and are there any particular moments that stand out?
The biggest influence from my personal life would have to be all the different people I’ve known. There are little bits of lots of people in my stories. I’ve never just cut and pasted someone I know into a book, but I have used the question, “What would he/she do or say in this situation?” and used the answer to give a little more realism to my characters.
