Hello people! Please welcome Brian Thompson for today's Unread Interview. He is promoting The Anarchists, his new book which will be released in April 2012. It seems like an amazing book, I've read the first chapter and I am ansious to read more, since it is a sci fi book with some political/cultural twist that seems to interest me deeply, it's sitting on my to read list :)
Unread Interview is a series where I feature authors whose books I couldn't accept for review because of time or logistics issues.
Below, the interview :)
Unread Interview is a series where I feature authors whose books I couldn't accept for review because of time or logistics issues.
Below, the interview :)
Tell us a bit about your book (s).
The Anarchists is set in the year 2050, where four people experience tragic loss. A supernatural force offers them a chance to improve their lives. Three of them take it and one has to be "convinced." They return to reality and find out their benefactor has become a global threat. Their decisions either save the planet or destroy it.
Have you ever wanted to be a writer? When did you start writing "seriously"?
I've always written stories. I wrote mostly poetry in high school. In my senior year, both in high school and college, I took creative writing courses that changed my life. That's when I discovered a calling to write books.
Do you read much? What kind of books do you usually read?
I read as much as my schedule allows. I like a little bit of everything. I have Anna Karenina (Leo Tolstoy), Sula and Beloved (Toni Morrison) on my shelf; those are classics. I dabble in allegorical fantasy, like The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. If I want a laugh, I turn to Young Adult fiction.
What are your favorite or least favorite scenes to write?
My favorite scenes to write are the ones when I can inject comedy into them. The focus of my books are mainly serious, so adding jokes, physical slip ups, or playful banter helps lighten the mood. I'd say my least favorite to write are the ones heavy on exposition - it's hard for me to tell whether or not I'm telling too much instead of showing.
Do you relate more to any of your characters? Why?
In this book, I would say I relate to Micah the most. Micah is an agnostic scientist and I am a Christian author. We couldn't be much more different there. But, he loves his girlfriend and children, and the financial struggles of his family keep him awake at night. I've been there.
Which genre do you feel it would be a challenge to write?
For me, romance would be the most difficult. There are love stories in all of my books, but they are never front-and-center. They are usually lingering in the background, giving depth to my characters.
What inspires you? And how's your writing environment - music, place, etc.?
I know it sounds kind of weird, but reading the Bible inspires me. Every kind of story you could ever want to read is in there. For action/adventure, there's King David. Romance is in Song of Solomon. Inspirational stories are in the New Testament. The fantastical elements in my second book, The Revelation Gate, are all biblical - just WAY exaggerated.
My writing environment is downstairs, in my office. I have a calendar with deadlines hanging in front of my desk, and when I'm writing a novel, I plot it in Post-It notes on the wall. For music, I listen to old school rap, R&B, contemporary and classic rock, gospel, classic jazz or Christian. The music doesn't have to match the mood of the piece I'm writing, but sometimes it does.
What would you say about the book - your words, no blurbs! - to convince someone to read your book?
The Anarchists is a page turner with a complex, but engaging, story line. It's a piece of dynamic storytelling, where a small group of people control the fate of the planet. Even if speculative fiction makes you itch, give it a shot. The characters are endearing or hateful, kind of self-involved or selfless; all are deeply flawed.
What are your plans for the future, writing-wise? New books, sequels, publishing deals, etc.
No sequels to The Anarchists - it ends in a very, neatly-wrapped, decisive conclusion. However, I am writing a sequel now - Gates of Kuzimu - which is the sequel to The Revelation Gate, my second book. It will be a trilogy, with the third book (hopefully!) coming out in 2014.
