Book Feature: The Brainiacs by Brook Syers - Author Interview

Hey guys! Today I'll be featuring an author on my blog, Brook Syers. Brook has recently released the second book of his Brainiacs series. The book featured today will be the first book in the series, The Brainiacs. It was published on February 22, 2012. Brook will also be joining us with an author interview!

The Brainiacs by Brook Syers

fter graduating from Harvard and returning home to the worst economy in decades, Theo Phillips is forced to swallow his pride and take a job at a burger joint. An act of violence against a co-worker puts him at the center of a deadly drug war that threatens to destroy his hometown. Determined to fight back, he and his childhood friends band together to challenge the gangs. Using their unique skill sets, cutting edge technology, and psychological warfare, they fight for those who can't protect themselves.

Action-packed and suspenseful with surprising moments of humor, The Brainiacs is a tale that grabs you with the very first sentence and captivates all the way to the shocking conclusion.

Buy it from Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords

Why not check out the sequel to The Brainiacs, The Brainiacs vs. The Ravens here?

Brook Syers

A graduate of The University of Texas, Brook has been a practicing CPA and bean counter for over 10 years. On the weekends he likes to BASE jump, skydive, rock climb, free-dive, hunt Great White sharks, and participate in other life-threatening activities. Actually, he doesn't do any of those things. He usually just comes home from work, eats dinner, plays with his son, and attacks the DVR with his wife. He follows UT football obsessively and occasionally tries to inspire young people to stop complaining about life, get out of debt, and save for their future. The inspiration for his first book, The Brainiacs, was his own childhood in which he was bullied until learning karate and fighting back. He lives with his wife and their son in Houston, Texas, which consistently ranks in the Top 10 of America’s Fattest Cities.

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And now, let's welcome Brook to the blog for an author interview!

Hey! It’s lovely to have you on the blog today! So, shall we begin? J

Thank you and I was born ready to begin ;-)

For starters, why not tell us a little about yourself? Perhaps something not many people know?

Well I’m an accountant, so as you can imagine my life is very exciting and rewarding.  Actually, it’s pretty much the opposite of that.  I work as an internal auditor, meaning people aren’t too excited when they see me coming towards their office.  No one wants to invite the auditor to lunch, if you know what I mean.  I do have a Master’s degree in Criminology.  Does that make me sound more interesting and mysterious?         

What made you want to become a writer?

I could say I did it for the fame and fortune (if you are an indie writer, you are laughing right now) but I would be lying.  I became a writer simply because of….wait for it…..Envy! 

I read an article about a certain author making tons of money selling ebooks.  I downloaded a sample of their ebook and it was terrible.  When I say terrible, I mean it was basically unreadable.  That’s not to say that I can’t read, because I can, but there were tons of run-on sentences and grammatical errors.  Right then and there I decided I could write a book.  So there you have it.  I was envious of someone else’s success (typical American, right?) and figured I could replicate it, which I haven’t been able to do yet, but I’m working on it.  Apparently success takes lots of hard work.  Who knew?       

Do you have any hidden talents? *wink*

I can chirp exactly like a cricket.  I’m so good that I can approach a group of children, start chirping, point at the ground, and they will begin looking for the cricket. 

What gives you inspiration for your book(s)?

I love entertaining people.  I don’t mean having people over and serving them dinner with antique silverware, I mean grabbing someone’s attention and keeping it.    Whenever I write a book, I am inspired by the reaction I hopefully create for the reader.  It’s not uncommon for readers of my books to finish them in one sitting while ignoring their kids, skipping work, and foregoing bathroom breaks.      

Are your characters based off real people, or did they all come entirely from your imagination?

The central character in my The Brainiacs series is a genius.  He graduated from Harvard and has a photographic memory.  So basically I used myself as a model.  Okay, that’s not true.  He is a figment of my imagination.  Each of my characters is a figment of my imagination, however some of the things that happen to them actually happened to me.  Most of the time, they react to these situations in ways that I wish I would have at the time.  Writing about them is kind of like a do-over for my own failed experiences.     

Could you tell us a bit about your book and why it is a must-read?

There are two books so far in The Brainiacs series (The Brainiacs and The Brainaics vs. The Ravens).  They are both must-reads simply because I wrote them.  That and they are loaded with action, humor, and witty dialogue.  Seriously, you must stop reading this interview and go buy them right now!  You can buy both of them for less than a Grande Mocha Latte Frappuccino Vente Half-Caff at Starbucks.  And my books don’t have any calories, so you can enjoy them without fear of gaining weight. 

What do you love most about the writing process?

You mean other than the constant struggle against writer’s block and fear of failure?  I’ll go with the creativity.  I’m an accountant and unless you worked for Enron, you can’t be too creative when you’re an accountant.  Creating characters and storylines is a lot of fun and I enjoy making them come to life.  Artists and writers live for creating something out of nothing.        

And of course, do you have a particular favorite character? I know an author will love most if not all of the characters he/she creates, but I’m sure there must be a favorite of yours! So who is it, and why?

Most writers will pick their protagonist.  While I love mine (Theo Phillips), I would have to say my favorite character is Zing Li.  He showed great aptitude for math when he was a child and the Chinese government plucked him from his home and trained him to become a world-class hacker.  They sent him to America with an assignment (under the cover of an exchange student) and he joins up with Theo and the other nerds to fight the bullies.  He has a very interesting backstory and the best superhero name (The Angry Panda).   

Will you tell us a little about your plans for the future, and maybe other books that are in the works? (Ideas thought out, perhaps even a rough draft?)

I have been working on another series after finishing The Brainiacs vs. The Ravens.  It’s called The All-American Family and is basically a serialized sitcom in ebook format.  It is an ongoing story about a typical American family and the craziness of life and the pursuit of money – I mean happiness.  I don’t think there is anything out there quite like it among the millions of ebooks.  Each episode is jam-packed with humor and fun.  For example, in Episode 1, the parents decide to send their teenage children to Facebook addiction therapy and as you would expect, they don’t like it.       

And now, just some little random questions!

Favorite colour?

Green.  It’s the color of my eyes so I see it every time I’m admiring myself in the mirror. 

Favorite place?

Austin, Texas.  The food is spectacular and there are tons of things to do.    

Favorite book?

Catch Me If You Can.  After reading it, I wanted to start forging checks and impersonating airline pilots.    

Favorite genre? (and why, if you like)

Crime thrillers – especially about serial killers.  After seeing The Silence of the Lambs, I wanted to be an FBI agent and hunt them down.  Then reality (bad eyesight, weight problem, small hands) hit.   

To end off, is there anything you would like to say to your readers?

I have my eye on a Ferrari that I would like to buy at the end of the year.  Please keep buying my books so I may do so.  Just kidding!  I would like to tell my readers that I truly appreciate them and the fact they have set aside time out of their busy schedules to read the words that I have written.  I know that my books are just an escape from the daily stressors of life and I love providing that outlet for them.  If you enjoy my books, please recommend them to your friends.  If you find typos or grammatical errors, you can blame my wife since she is my editor.      

Hmm, I think that should be about it for today! It was a pleasure to have you on the blog today! Wishing you all the best in your career! :D

Thank you!  It’s been a whirlwind, but writing books has become the love of my life.  Unless my wife is reading this, then scratch that.  

So yep, that's about it for today! Thanks for visiting and do leave a comment! :)