Catina: Hi Christian A.
Brown, I want to take the time to thank you for stopping by and doing an interview. Christian A. Brown is the author of Feasts of Fates.
You can read my review here
~Ouestions about the
Author~
Catina: Tell us a little about yourself and your
background?
Christian A. Brown: Thanks for having me today, Catina. Regarding
your question, I have a background in health and fitness. I worked in that
industry as a personal trainer and fitness manager for over 10 years, leaving
when my mother fell ill with cancer. At that time, I became her primary
caregiver. There’s nothing more rewarding (to me) than being able to support
your parent when they need you the most. During my long stays in the hospital,
I rekindled my love for the written word. I had a lot of time on my hands
between my mother’s various treatments, so there was really no excuse, no more
procrastinating I could do.
Catina: Do you have any special sayings or expressions?
Christian A. Brown: “Don’t give up!” No matter your passion or
profession, persistence and discipline are key attributes to success.
Catina: What is your favorite book? Why?
Christian A. Brown: I have so many! I used to read quite a bit—not
so much these days on account of time (there’s just not enough of it). I do
rather like the Earthsea Trilogy. It’s YA fiction from the 60’s or thereabouts,
and it’s brilliantly written. A lot has changed with popular fiction since that
time.
Catina: When did you first realize you wanted to
be a writer?
Christian A. Brown: I’ve written stories for as far back as I can
recall. My first kindergarten project was the horrifying tale of a monster that
lived in my closet: Snakefingers. The story is as you would imagine, a
man-shaped thing with hissing snake fingers. Pretty sure I terrified most of my
class with the story. Still, it was an early lesson in the power of words and
storytelling!
Catina: What books/authors influenced you to write your
first book?
Christian A. Brown: Well, Ursula K. LeGuin, who wrote the Earthsea
series that I mentioned. Add to her esteemed company any number of classic
fantasy writers from Tolkien to C.S. Lewis. I’ve been heavily influenced by
modern authors like Timothy Findley and Margaret Atwood, too. The former, due
to his ability to write incredible, convincing dialog. The latter, because
Atwood simply writes clever, politically charged stories. She’s not shy about
writing the bad stuff, as well as the beautiful, sunshiny things. Neither am I.
~Questions about your
book~
Catina: Do you recall how your interest in writing
originated?
Christian A. Brown: Again, I’d go back to my childhood and blame my
wild imagination as the culprit. I’ve always wanted to believe in mysteries and
magic, which helps with playing make-believe (that’s what writers do).
Catina: What inspired you to write your first
book?
Christian A. Brown: The idea for Geadhain has been germinating in my
head for over a decade. The world never had the name it does now, and it took
several half-started manuscripts before any solid ideas manifested, but now I
feel that Geadhain and its characters are as real in my mind as many of the
places and people on Earth.
Catina: Where did you get your ideas for your book?
Christian A. Brown: We’re all influenced by the media we’ve consumed
in our lifetime, so I’m sure that traces of literature I’ve read have found
their way into the story. Concepts such as heroism, humanity, good/ evil, and
love/ hate are all things that I like to explore in my work. That said, most
readers seem to feel that the world (Geadhain) is quite unique in its mythology
and history. I consider that an achievement of which I am proud.
Catina: Give us an insight into your main character.
What does he/she do that is so special?
Christian A. Brown: Well, there are two main characters, depending
upon how you look at the story. More than two, actually, since I like to show
all the angles of a story and to do that you need to get into a lot of
different heads! ☺ For simplicity’s sake,
I’ll only mention the two primary leads of Feast of Fates, starting with our
heroine, Morigan. She’s unique compared to a lot of current market trends, in
that she’s unmarried, contentedly single, sexually aware, self-sufficient and a
little older—nearly thirty. She’s strong, without being too stubborn. She makes
mistakes, but she doesn’t whine too terribly when this happens and learns from
each stumble. I think Morigan is a great role model, and she really seems to
have resonated with female readers. Furthermore, she makes a fantastic
counterbalance to our wild hero, the Wolf. I want to keep his backstory a bit
of a secret, since the history of the Wolf is best learned by the reader.
Still, he’s mysterious, but not in a broody secret-vampire way. To the
contrary, he’s very open about his bestial nature and otherworldly traits. He
hides very little from Morigan, and I think his sincerity and the honesty
between the two characters is part of what makes their romance so compelling.
Catina: Is there anything you find particularly challenging
in your writing?
Christian A. Brown: Finding the time to do it. I’d say that’s the
most important thing. Sit down and just type some darn words. A story will come
out of it, eventually! Oh…and not logging into Facebook certainly helps with
productivity!
Catina: What are your current projects?
Christian A. Brown: I’m currently hard at work on the third and
fourth manuscript. Feast of Dreams, the second novel, will be available in
stores and on shelves in a few months. Lately, I’ve been quite busy with radio
and media appearances, as well. You can keep up to date on that sort of thing
at my official website: christianadrianbrown.com
I speak and write a lot
about hot-button social issues, especially since I have a history with having
experienced marginalization. I like to be active in talking about and
supporting movements to break down negative social constructs (racism, sexism,
classism, etc.).
Catina: What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Christian A. Brown: Don’t give up. If writing is your dream, and your passion, you have a lifetime to become successful (whatever your measure of success is, and it needn’t be monetary). Find yourself a brutal editor, too, who appreciates your voice and knows how to fine-tune your language and scope. Sometimes an editor needs to eviscerate your work. That’s good, and normal—few things if any are perfect on the first try. If your editor is a genuine critic, they’ve probably identified some serious flaws in your story that you need to pay attention to and fix. Constructive criticism is one of the best gifts a writer can receive.
Thanks again for the
opportunity to connect with your readers.
All the best,
—C
Stalk the Author:
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