I was an early reader and decided to become a writer before hitting high school. An affinity for learning languages led to my spending a year in Germany during college, then a year in France a few years later, as a teaching assistant in a lycée. Teaching agreed with me. There followed a 20-year career in the language school business, first as a teacher, then as school manager and salesman of language training. A few years ago I started writing again and in early 2011 finished my first novel, Doing Max Vinyl. I enjoyed writing it so much that I quit my job at the language school in order to devote all my time to writing my second book, a sequel to Doing Max Vinyl. Nowadays you'll find me writing and revising day and night, when I'm not saying hello on Twitter. Follow me on Twitter for the latest news. 


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You know early on, from the color of the inappropriate bra in the opening scene, that Zombie Candy is going to be a black comedy. Most people could sympathize with the male obsession for sex and zombie movies, but who would put up with a husband who doused every dish with cilantro? 

Frederick Lee Brooke serves up another literary treat with this bizarre and comical tale of love and betrayal. Candace Roach enlists her best friend Annie Ogden (our favorite sleuth from Doing Max Vinyl) to find out what her husband is really up to on his weekly business trips – but their home-cooked aversion therapy gets out of hand and hurtles along an astonishing highway of the undead.

Weaving elements of mystery, horror and romance in a story that starts in Chicago and ends in a quaint medieval town in sun-drenched Tuscany, Zombie Candy transcends any single genre. 

Home for good from Iraq but unsure about her future, Annie Ogden isn't your typical woman sleuth. Her best friend, Candace Roach – gourmet cooking instructor, owner of a house in Tuscany – isn't your typical wronged woman either. Candace teaches gourmet cooking, and loves nothing more than orchestrating a four-course meal full of flavorful surprises and artistic touches. A selection of her recipes is found in an appendix to the book.

But with each shocking discovery in the investigation of her husband, the friendship between Candace and Annie is further put to the test. Candace ultimately takes matters into her own hands and, in an elaborate ruse, stages a nightmarish zombie drama in which her husband plays the starring role. 

In the words of Emma Calin, author of Knockout, A Passionate Police Romance: "This book has all the ingredients of a perfect noir comedy – well formed characters, international locations,  a fast moving plot with no brakes, and of course zombies. Revenge is a dish best served cold – and as a betrayed wife, master chef and cookery instructor, Candace cooks up the perfect recipe for the ultimate gazpacho." Amazon.com

Doing Max Vinyl is an urban mystery-thriller which weaves the theme of defending the environment into a story with a colorful cast of Chicago characters.  

Max Vinyl is a computer recycling entrepreneur whose company cuts corners in the most outrageous ways, almost as if a GPS could substitute for a moral compass. When his environmentalist girlfriend, Tris Berrymore, catches him dumping old computer junk ten miles out in Lake Michigan, Max gets a taste of her violent side. Max is used to turning up the heat on troublemakers himself, but this time he is the one under attack. For Tris, "Doing Max Vinyl" is a mission whose logical end can only be her ex-lover's death.

Annie Ogden is an Iraq war vet who has issues to deal with after four years fighting overseas. When her sister Alison is gratuitously threatened by two of Max Vinyl's brawny enforcers, some instinct from Annie's army training is triggered. Going after the two thugs draws Annie into the world of Max Vinyl's recycling company as well. When we meet Annie she is ill and hardly able to function, still having difficulty re-integrating into civilian life. As she kicks into action, motivated by devotion to her sister, her malaise and depression begin to fade away.

We also meet Alden Sterling, a tragic character who is fighting for custody of his only son. When Alden's laptop ends up in Max Vinyl's recycling pile, his life threatens to implode. The laptop contains a secret that could destroy not only Alden's case in court, but also his way of life and all he has worked for. Alden sends his young business partner, Bob Olson, on a mission to recover the lost laptop from Max Vinyl. While Bob Olson and Annie Ogden join forces and become friends, Alden prepares one last desperate strategem to preserve his secret.

As the week goes on, the attacks on Max Vinyl from Tris Berrymore, Annie Ogden, Alden Sterling and others become more intense and more relentless. Questions of loyalty and betrayal in families, in marriage and in the workplace are weaved into a story that is by turns hilarious and tragic. Doing Max Vinyl


The Independent Author Network would like to thank Frederick Brookefor his hard work in promoting his IAN member page and IAN in general. He received a 15 post Publicity Package including press releases, blog stops and Ezine Articles. His IAN page recorded over 3550 hits for April.