Thomas Grant Bruso

Interview by King Brooks

Recently, we had the opportunity to sit down with Thomas Grant Bruso and discuss his new novella ‘The Two of Us.’ So enjoy the interview and share with a friend.

King Brooks: Hi Thomas, How are you?

Thomas Grant Bruso: Hello. I am fine.

KB: Congrats on your new novella ‘The Two of Us.’ Tell the readers about it?

TGB: The story is about loss and death and faith. For the main protagonist, Cody Whitley, he struggles to find a light at the end of the tunnel. He goes through life’s motions, asking the inevitable questions, what happens when you are left alone, parentless, and with no hope of a future? All that changes when he discovers that there is life after death in the form of a complete stranger.

KB: Where did the inspiration for this novella come from?

TGB: The idea came to me when I was thinking about my grandmother who is no longer with us. The story isn’t about her, but the idea stemmed from that period of mourning.

KB: How long did it take for you to write it?

TGB: Two months and many rewrites later.

KB: What kind of person is the lead character Cody Whitley?

TGB: Cody is a caring, reflective, nonjudgmental man who, like many of us, is struggling to figure out the meaning of his life.

KB: When you wrote the last word, what did you do afterwards?

TGB: I put it aside and started work on another story.

KB: Please give the readers a brief bio on you as a person/ author?

TGB: I am book and animal lover. I am an introvert which works well for my writing. I like scary movies, too.

KB: What was life like growing up?

TGB: I was a child who had his nose in a book all the time. I didn’t go anywhere without a book in my hand, or book bag. I was bookish, a book nerd. I still am. Always.

KB: What kind of dreams did you have for yourself growing up?

TGB: I knew early on that I either wanted to work with animals or be a writer.

KB: What is your writing process?

TGB: Quarantine has given me the time to devote to my writing. Since March, I’ve written four stories, three of them have found homes with small presses for which I am enormously grateful. I write between one and two thousand words daily, early in the morning and then again in the afternoon.

KB: What advice would you give to writers wanting to publish a book?

TGB: Two things: make sure that the manuscript is polished and is edited before you send it to a publisher. Second: have confidence in yourself that you can write a book. Don’t let others–friends, family, agents, editors, publishers, other writers–tell you that you can’t do it. Stay strong.

KB: If ‘The Two of Us’ is made into a film, who would you like to play Cody Whitley and the others? Why?

TGB: Tom Hardy as Cody. He is my favorite actor. Liam Hemsworth as Liam. Tommy Lee Jones as Cody’s father, Henry. That would be the perfect cast.

KB: Have you started working on your next book? What is it about?

TGB: I don’t like talking about the plot of an unfinished manuscript because I never know if it will materialize. But I am always writing. I have two work-in-progress novels now. Both of them are mystery, horror and romance.

KB: When this life is said and done. What do you want your legacy to be?

TGB: That I showed up. Life is about showing up, doing the work, and being a responsible, selfless human being. As for my writing, I’d hope that I entertained, enlightened, and engaged my readers. That I took them out of the own lives for a few hours and made them think, laugh, cry, smile.

KB: You can connect with Thomas Grant Bruso on the following platforms:

http://www.twitter.com/thomgrantbruso http://www.facebook.com/thomasgrantbruso