Interview with Christian A.Brown

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:

Blog|Twitter|Facebook|Goodreads|Google+

Book Tour & Review: Feast of Fates by Christian A. Brown

Title: Feast of Fates
Author: Christian A. Brown

Series: Four Feasts Till Darkness Book One

Genre: Fantasy Romance

Date of Publication: September 9, 2014

Pages: 540
Goodreads

Amazon

"Love is what binds us in brotherhood, blinds us from hate, and makes us soar with desire.”

Morigan lives a quiet life as the handmaiden to a fatherly old sorcerer named Thackery. But when she crosses paths with Caenith, a not wholly mortal man, her world changes forever. Their meeting sparks long buried magical powers deep within Morigan. As she attempts to understand her newfound abilities, unbidden visions begin to plague her--visions that show a devastating madness descending on one of the Immortal Kings who rules the land.

With Morigan growing more powerful each day, the leaders of the realm soon realize that this young woman could hold the key to their destruction. Suddenly, Morigan finds herself beset by enemies, and she must master her mysterious gifts if she is to survive.

To be honest I am at a lost for words with this book. I have no idea what to say about it. I enjoyed ever bit of it. The whole story was amazing! All the characters played an important role. There wasn't really just one or two main characters, there were a ton. But the real heroine in the story is Morigan. At first I thought this book would drive me nuts with all that is going on and all the different points of views. But nooooooo I enjoyed every minute of it. When some of the characters were suppose to meet each other I got super excited and tried to rush to see the part where they meet. But then I probably would have been a tad bit lost.

Morigan is a sweet and wise young lady. Her bloodmate Caenith, The Wolf, is a powerful, yet gentle giant. They were brought together by fate and fell in love. Those two were made for each other no doubt. Morigan is his wind and Caenith is her river. 

This is one fantasy book I know you probably won't be able to put down. It may have a ton of different views. But those views are what brought everything together, it is what shows you everything that is going on around their world. The story is mostly about Morigan, and her newfound ability, everything that happens leads to her. She is suppose to save the world from this upcoming war and bring peace. She has the power to do so, not only does her fate say she has to save the world. She uses her powers to help people, she shows them their true self.   

The Sisters Three, you don't see them a lot through out the book, but when you do you sit and wonder what could they possible do in this story. Well towards the end of the book you learn so much. Not just from the Sisters three, but from Caenith and Thackery. 

This book is written differently then most books and I found it interesting and unique. I would recommend this book to anyone. 


About the Author

Christian A. Brown has written creatively since the age of six. After spending most of his career in the health and fitness industry, Brown quit his job to care for his mother when she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 2010.

Having dabbled with the novel that would eventually become Feast of Fates for over a decade, Brown was finally able to finish the project. His mother, who was able to read a beginning version of the novel before she passed away, has since imbued the story with deeper sentiments of loss, love, and meaning. He is proud to now share the finished product with the world.

Blog|Twitter|Facebook|Goodreads|Google+

GIVEAWAY!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway