An Interview with Brenda Mohammed

Yvonne Daniels interviewed Author Brenda Mohammed

1.How did you decide what genre to write?

I am a multi-genre writer and have written eighteen books to date.
The first book I wrote was I am Cancer Free – A Memoir in 2013.
I wrote that book to tell people suffering from that disease, cancer does not have to be a death sentence.
That book won first place in non-fiction in McGrath’s House Indie Book Awards in 2016.
It also received a five-star review and five-star seal from Readers Favorite.

After that, I wrote six memoirs My Life as a Banker, Retirement is Fun, Travel Memoirs with Pictures, Memoirs of Dr. Andrew M. Khan, [my father’s memoirs, which received four five-star reviews from Readers Favorite] a spiritual memoir, Your Time is Now, and a Dog’s Tale She Cried For Me.

I tried fiction because of something that my brother said to me prior to his death. He wrote in reference to my book, ‘My Life as a Banker: A Life Worth Living,”
“Your book makes very pleasant reading, and your literary expression is superb and easy to follow. You have an excellent talent, and I think you should follow up on a leisurely basis with perhaps publishing a book of short stories. With fiction, you will have greater opportunity to use your imagination and your undoubted descriptive ability. You used the word “fantasize” to create a situation. This is an outstanding quality, which you should continue to use because it is imagination, which disposes of everything, coming from within you. It creates beauty, justice, and happiness, which are everything in this world.”

I took my brother’s advice and in the year 2014 wrote, ‘Heart-Warming Tales,’ ‘Stories People Love, and Adventures of Squeaky Doo.’ The three books are short story collections.

An idea for a science fiction series came to me and in February 2016, I published Zeeka and the Zombies: Revenge of Zeeka Book 1.
Within a few months, I released Zeeka’s Child Book 2, and Zeeka Returns Book 3.
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: Revenge of Zeeka.
I sent it to Readers Favorite for a free review and it received a five-star review and five-star seal.
A fan nominated the book for the Metamorph Publishing Summer Indies Book Awards.
It won Best Science Fiction third place in September 2017.


2.When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I did not plan to be a writer.
I loved my former careers.
I was a former Bank Manager and upon retirement I ventured into Insurance Underwriting.
I was successful in both careers but a diagnosis of cancer changed my life.
I am now happy to be a writer.

3.How do you research for your plot and characters?

I must admit that I had no fixed method for writing my books.
My Memoirs and that of my father’s are life experiences and required no research.
With the fictional short stories some of them are based on true events in the lives of people I know.
For the Zeeka series the upsurge in the zika virus led me to compile the series. I was rather immersed in that series and felt as if the characters told me what to write.
I used certain medical terms which I researched on the internet.

4.What's your latest book you published?

The latest book I published was How to Write For Success in December 2017.
I wanted to share my knowledge and experience with new and aspiring writers.
The book received a five=star review and five-star seal from Readers Favorite on 31st December 2017.

5.You have travelled a lot. Do you use your travels as setting for your books?

No. I have travelled a lot and details of my travels are in one book, Travel Memoirs with Pictures: Exploring the World which is an illustrated picture book filled with reflections of my travels around the world.
In this pictorial travel book of my priceless memories, I describe places visited and the wonderful times my family and I had in our tourist trips.
The book is great to read while on a vacation or for some travel inspiration.
I have referred to some of my travels in my other memoirs.
However, most of my stories, besides the Zeeka series which is set on a fictitious island in the future, are set in my home country, Trinidad in the Caribbean.

6.What type of heroine do you like to create - a strong one that's not afraid of tears, or a meek one who overcomes her fears?

Depending on the story I use both types of heroines to provide contrast.

7.Do you have someone who you base your hero on?

No. I do not have any particular person in mind when I write my stories.

8.What makes you decide to write a series or standalone?

Writing a series gives me time to figure out in what direction the story should take.
A series is also easier on the reader.
Reviewers commented that they appreciated the break in the stories as they are bedtime readers.

9.What about your family: do they read your books?

Yes. My sisters and children look forward to reading my books.
My husband although very supportive, does not like to read. However, he loves to read the book reviews.

10.What subject will you write about in the future?

I love to experiment with other genres and right now I am writing a romance novel, The Gift of Love.

Brenda’s Website

Amazon Universal Link

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Refer Brenda Mohammed to your friends.

Thanks to the Reader who understands the concept of Revenge of Zeeka : Horror Trilogy.

The following is the latest five-star review I received from a reader who is also an author who has published two popular books.

A wonderful sci-fi zombie trilogy
By Katerina Sestakova on November 21, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition
Five - Stars

Revenge of Zeeka: Zeeka and the Zombies

This is a story about a mad scientist who got really mad. We do not learn about him and his motives much in this book since it’s just the first part of the series. Yet Brenda Mohammed shows us the first consequences of his madness in this clever story about a virus outbreak leading to an emergence of strange zombie-like people. The fast pace and amount of action keeps this story thrilling. At the same time, the author manages to give us a glimpse of the main characters’ feelings that do not concern the zombies directly. We can observe a young doctor planning her marriage and her admirer’s disappointment. This seems to be a plot within the main plot, and it makes this story more complex, the characters easier to relate to, which is not easy to achieve in such a short story that is packed with action. Yet there is a final twist that reveals to us that personal lives of the main protagonists may be infected by Zeeka’s influence more than it seems at first glance.

This book leaves many questions unanswered and makes me look forward to reading the sequels. I can even imagine this book as a good movie.

Zeeka's Child (Revenge of Zeeka Book 2)

This is an interesting science fiction story about zombies who were created with the help of modern science. They differ from traditional zombies in many aspects. They are controlled by their mysterious master Zeeka through sophisticated technology. Many of them do not even eat human flesh, but that trait alone does not make them harmless.

The core of this book in the series focuses on a relatively fresh couple, Jane,t and Raynor. Janet finds out she is pregnant with the man she had been engaged to before Raynor. He is not just an ordinary ex, but someone whom they both see as a mad scientist. Yet the child in her womb is not the only reminder of her past. There is also a necklace her former lover gave to Janet, which contains more secrets than it seems at first glance. It’s a fascinating tale of kidnap, arson and a lot of other action. There are many shocking twists, but the main one revolves around the question who Zeeka’s child is.

The second book answers many questions the first book left us with, but it also poses many new questions. That’s why i am already looking forward to reading the third book.

I read this book in one sitting since it’s difficult to put down once one starts to read it. The story itself is quite complex for such a short book. There are not many authors who can say so much without wasting a single word. Brenda Mohammed excels in this respect.

Zeeka Returns (Revenge of Zeeka Book 3)

If I am not mistaken, this third book was originally meant to be the last one in the series but the good news is that there is already Revenge of Zeeka Book 4 out. The author seems to be a genius in writing short pieces that seem to be complete and finished stories in themselves, yet they all leave some space for a next book. This third book could easily be read and enjoyed without knowledge of the previous books in the series. The author reminds us of all the important information without boring the readers who are already familiar with it. This requires some special talent few writers have. It also enables readers to read these books in any order. I read this book long after the first book and shortly after the second book and I was never lost. I will still want to read the fourth book pretty soon for the simple reason that I can’t wait to read it.

My favorite character was Miranda, the perfect woman. She is a result of very advanced technology, just as all the zombies in these books are. Her appearance in the third book makes me more hopeful about human progress. While the story of zombies points out the potential misuse of science, Miranda shows its positive side, which is only good for the overall balance in my opinion.

I thank this reader for understanding the concept of the book and for her great review.
The book is available at:
Amazon Universal Link
Books2Read
Barnes and Nobles
Create Space

Five Star review for Revenge of Zeeka:Horror Trilogy

I just received this wonderful Five-star review for Revenge of Zeeka: Horror Trilogy, and coincidentally this book was nominated for Metamorph's Publishing Summer Indie Book Awards 2016 just yesterday.

Here is the review:

"The Zeeka virus, zombies, and robots
By Wayne Vernon on August 17, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
This is a mini trilogy by author Brenda Mohammed. Different niches apply, from sci-fi to romance, from mystery to horror. The editing is top notch, and the language is fit for younger audiences too. Book 1 sets the scene & the intrigue, while books 2 & 3 expand upon it with action and even more intrigue. The reading flow is great as well. Brenda Mohammed had a sheer moment of brilliance when she decided to build her plot around the Zeeka virus. Creative reason at its best."

This review really made my day and I had to share it.
Thank you, Wayne Vernon.

The book is available in Kindle and Paperback on Amazon.
http://Author.to/BCM786

Books nominated for Summer Indie Book Awards 2016

I was indeed surprised that three of my books were nominated for the Summer Indie Book Awards 2016.
My books may not place first in any category but I am extremely grateful for this opportunity.
The books are available in Kindle and Paperback at Amazon