Coffee with Tez Brooks

Today is a first for readers here on Back Porch Reads. We don’t often have the pleasure of hosting a gentleman author, so we could be in for a treat. 

So, please welcome Tez Brooks, author of Adult-O-Nomics. A nonfiction self-help book about helping today’s young people in the crazy world we live in shows readers how to blend “ancient wisdom (from the Bible) and modern advice in how to effectively adulting.”

Welcome to the Back Porch, Tez. 

Let’s start with a couple of questions about your writing journey, I have a good handful of aspiring writers looking to make their way in the publishing world.

Tez, What inspired you to start writing?

 I started writing as a young boy in middle school. I took a creative writing class and learned that I love telling stories. As a young man, I continued writing poems and prayers. I tucked that hobby away when I finished college and concentrated on my career.

Then, when I became a manager for a group of journalists, they began to teach me how effective good writing could be in informing, envisioning, and entertaining. But when you ask what inspired me, I have to say the question should be “who” inspired me—it was God! Once I realized this, I honed my craft, and before long, I was writing my first book, a survival guide for divorced dads.

 I love it. When God inspires, I believe that it is the calling He has placed on our lives. To ignore that is doing a great disservice to ourselves and those we may come into contact with. 

What advice would you give a new writer or someone just starting out?

Try to attend a writer’s conference. It’s a worthy investment, and you get to rub shoulders with best-selling authors, agents, and publishers. Conferences shorten your learning curve and propels your writing dramatically. I’d also suggest you join a critique group like Word Weavers Intl. 

 That is excellent advice. We have a local writers group here and they have been such a blessing to me and my writing. 

 What is the most difficult part about writing for you?

The marketing part. I hate marketing, and yet it’s all up to me these days. Even traditional publishing expects authors to take the wheel for this. It would be nice to just finish a book and then relax. But nope! That’s when the heavy work start up. I usually hire a publicist to do the marketing for me. Even then, I’m required to work with them to ensure a successful advertising plan. There’s no escaping that.

Ugh! Yes, the marketing. I confess it is not my favorite part as well, but it is essential to the back side of the business.

Tez, you are a new author to me and, most likely, many of my readers. How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

I have written six books alone and co-authored another eight. My favorite is this recent one “Adult-o-Nomics” because it was fun researching and reshaping advice for today’s young adults. It’s a little funny and yet still covers some very serious advice. And I love the cover design…its fun.

Serious topics are easier to process with some humor, and I agree that your cover is wonderful. Also, CONGRATULATIONS on your 14th publication! That is something to be excited about. 

Are you working on anything at the present you would like to share?

 I’m currently working on a book for engaged couples. It’s 100 questions to ask your fiancé before you say “I Do.” It comes from my experience doing pre-marital counseling for couples as they prepare for marriage. So many topics are never discussed or discovered until after the wedding and I’m hoping this workbook will help the bride and groom to be.

That is so needed. Young people disregard marriage as unnecessary and “just a piece of paper”. Within the church, there are real-world issues that are just never covered. 

Thank you, Tez, for joining us today. I am sure many will look forward to reading Adult-O-Nomics or even getting a copy for their own young people. I pray this blog tour blesses you.

Readers, please continue reading about Adult-O-Nomics, enter the giveaway, leave a comment of encouragement, and maybe even consider getting a copy of the book. 

About the Book

Book: Adult-o-Nomics: How To Nail It On Your Own

Author: Tez Brooks

Genre: Nonfiction (self-help)

Release date: April 30, 2024

Launching out and making your way in life can be hard. But it doesn’t have to be.

One study revealed that over fifty percent of young adults boomeranged home in the first five years. Often, this is caused by underestimating how many curveballs life throws. You may not want to return home, and helicopter parents don’t help as they sympathetically offer to cushion you in the name of “setting you up for success.” But you know there’s nothing more rewarding than making it on your own.

Mom and Dad couldn’t teach you everything. Your peers can’t offer the wisdom of experience. Even mentors don’t often know what you need guidance for. You need preventive counsel; information obtained before a crisis hits. Well, you found it! Within these pages is experience and know-how collected from famous personalities and others who’ve forged the path ahead of you; from all different ages and walks of life.

This mix of ancient wisdom (adapted from God’s Word) and modern advice from contemporaries will place you ahead of the curve as you increase in know-how and understanding for more effective adulting.

Adult-o-Nomics is a gift book to yourself or others. It’s a collection of 500 short quotes, scriptures, and suggestions for those leaving home for the first time. Topics cover everything from practical housekeeping, automotive maintenance, and career advice, to romance and spiritual living.

If consumers in the target market read Adult-o-Nomics, they will:

• Discover practical tips for becoming independent.
• Handle setbacks and trials with know-how, confidence and courage.
• Understand societal norms for more effective life skills.
• Learn how to walk closer to God.

Because the book will:

• Inspire readers to step out and take risks.
• Encourage young adults to mature and grow a thick skin.
• Produce a growing dependence on God rather than others.
• Offer peace in the midst of turmoil and stress

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Whether he’s working as a missionary journalist, coaching aspiring writers, or writing devotions, Tez’s passion for walking with God is evident. His book, The Single Dad Detour won Book of the Decade with Serious Writer Academy and recently, Christianity.com featured him in “50 Authors You Should Know.”

As a multiple award-winning author, filmmaker, and international speaker, Brooks was recently named one of the Top Writing Coaches by the Coach Foundation. His work appears in Guideposts, Power for Living, The Upper Room, CBN.com, Clubhouse, Focus on the Family, and more. Tez is a member of Colorado Authors League and president for two chapters of Word Weavers Intl. He and his wife serve as full-time missionaries based out of Colorado Springs. They have four children.

More from Tez

AN INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR TEZ BROOKS

Q: Adult-o-Nomics shares insights and encouragement from high school and college students, parents and your own experience as a youth pastor and father of four. What led you to write it?

I wrote it because I see so many young adults struggling with anxiety after moving out on their own. By asking around, I realized it that anxiety comes from a lack of know-how. It’s so stressful to attempt something with little to no information. Google makes it so easy to avoid asking real people by just looking it up online. The trouble is, that alienates us and it doesn’t give us everything we need. People don’t know what they need to learn. I thought it would be nice to have an easy-to-read gift book filled with one-liners and tips – something you could pick up when you have a free minute just to learn something new. Many don’t have time to invest in reading a complete “How-To” book but 30 seconds of advice is easier to digest….bite-sized pieces. So I wrote it!

Q: Would you be willing to share a little bit about your observations from watching young people launch from home?

I have observed a lot of young adults boomerang back home after a few years because they underestimated the cost of living or they forgot to plan for unexpected expenses. But we’ve all had stuff happen that caught us off guard, right? It’s impossible to anticipate everything. But parents who want to be a safety net to rescue their kids don’t really help. Helicopter parents cause their adult kids to lack confidence and become overly dependent upon them. Im not saying parents shouldn’t help in time of need. Im saying help by all means, but with clear expectations and specific end dates. One parent I know bought their daughter a security camera for her apartment so they could watch her sleep and wake her if she overslept for work. Ugh! Another dad insisted on talking to his son’s professor about his grades. It’s my hope this generation will find the peace that comes from total dependence on God and total independence from Mom and Dad. Anxiety doesn’t have to be the norm for those launching out for the first time. Adulting should be a rewarding right of passage, not a dread.

Q: Many young people think living on their own is going to be either really difficult or super easy. You had a difficult event that affected your launch. Can you share with us, what was your experience as a young college student? 

Soon after I graduated high school, my mom died unexpectedly after a minor surgery. I went off to college five states away with little to no experience living on my own. My mom prepared me a little bit before she died. I knew how to do laundry and clean a bathroom but not much more. I experienced a lot of trial and error as I adapted to life away from home. When I returned home after that first semester, my dad had already re-married and started a new life that I was not a part of. My step-mom was not the nurturing type like Mom, and it was clear I needed to take care of myself. It wasn’t easy but I made it. So I have an understanding of young adults trying to adapt to adulthood. It’s way harder for them now than it was for me. Anxiety doesn’t have to rule us though. It’s my hope they will find comfort from some of the tips others have provided in this book.

Q: Adult-o-Nomics is filled with practical advice on topics like romantic relationships, employment, car maintenance, housekeeping, what food to keep in your fridge, and even financial tips. But you also include physical, emotional and spiritual advice? Why are these important?

In the end, our spiritual condition is all that matters. If we get that correct, all the other areas of our life will fall into place. But yes, I do address physical, emotional, and other aspects because these things are vital to our success. Let’s face it, if we know how to get hired for a job but don’t know how to respond in a healthy way to criticism from our employer, we’re not going to have that job very long. Many of the tips in the book are connected and play off each other.

Q: Anxiety is a common issue for this generation. They deal with it more than other generations have. This causes some young adults to delay, avoid, or even abandon their launch. Do you have any advice?

Yes, there’s no need to avoid your launch when God is in your corner. If you have large financial debt and you’re delaying the launch temporarily, that makes sense. I’d pray about how you might trust God to be your Provider. God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. He’s in your corner, cheering you on!

Q: What’s the most important thing a young adult needs to know before they move out? If you could pick one thing to tell them, what would it be?

I’ve said it before, learn total dependence on God. Seek his face. Be sold out to Him…all the rest will work itself out.

Q: What is your next book?

It’s a book based on the pre-marital counseling I have done. It’s called “Is Calling Us to Marry?: 100 Questions for the Well-Prepared Couple”

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, June 14

Guild Master, June 15 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, June 16

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, June 17 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, June 18

Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, June 19 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, June 19

Locks, Hooks and Books, June 20

Beauty in the Binding, June 21 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, June 22

Back Porch Reads, June 23 (Author Interview)

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, June 24

Artistic Nobody, June 25

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, June 26 (Author Interview)

Lots of Helpers, June 26

Little Homeschool on the Prairie , June 27

Giveaway

To celebrate his tour, Tez is giving away the grand prize of a $75 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.