Richard Brown
What made you decide to become a writer?
I started reading as a young kid and have always loved stories. I told stories as a kid all the time. My dad would reminisce about how I would lie about everything. I would say the sky was green as sincerely as saying it was blue. When I learned to write, I transferred that creativity to the page.
As an adult, being creative seemed like it could only be a hobby, but when my professional goals were shattered by blindness and prejudice, I had nowhere else to turn. I describe my journey as a writer in the last section of my book, Holes In The Somewhere.
How do you decide your plots? Are they taken from events that have happened to you? Do you base your characters on real people – or do you prefer to be fully creative and make them up?
My book is a collection with thirteen different stories, so I have thirteen different plots to talk about, all in one book. Some are based on real events, others are complete figments of imagination. Almost all of them have some tiny fragment of reality, though: a real place for the setting, a character based on a real person, an actual event…something to build on. ‘Larger Prey’ takes place in my own house and backyard. ‘A Hole In The Somewhere’ was inspired by an actual railroad-side shack that I saw during a train trip. ‘No Content Available’ is my most personal story because most of the plot is autobiographical. I’ll let readers decide if they can tell what’s real and what’s made up.
My current story, which is on its way to my editor, is completely fictional. No basis in my personal reality at all.
What comes first for you – the plot or the characters? And why?
Again, sometimes it’s the character, sometimes it’s the plot. I guess it’s usually the plot, though. When an idea hits me, I think about it for a minute and ask myself if I can (and want to) continue developing it. Can I write more about that setting? What about the backstory? How about who’s involved? Most often, the backstory and the consequences of the event are what catch my attention, so…long answer short – it’s the plot.
Tell me more about your favourite book – the plot, characters, setting, POV, tense…
‘No Content Available’ is my emotional favorite, but ‘The Final Butterfly’ is the one I put the most work into. A group of strangers are caught up in a ‘butterfly effect’ where each encounter leads to another and ties them together while a genetically-modified fungus is inadvertently set loose on the populace. The setting ranges all along the West Coast, from Lynnwood, WA to San Jose, CA, but mostly in Central Oregon. The fungus is causing people and animals to become feral and vicious until it’s ready to bloom and spread. Candace, Peggy, Rob, and Bert take on the mission to find the cure for the fungus, and stop the madman who started it all. First, they have to meet each other. Through their journey, they face psychotic ex-husbands, sociopathic teenage murderers, hordes of infected people and animals, and personal weaknesses and infirmities.
The story is told by Peggy to her daughter, but I think the real hero of the story is Candace. She starts out as a beaten (literally), timid trophy wife and finds the courage to escape, rediscover her self-worth, and emerge a self-reliant survivor and role model to Peggy’s daughter.
What is your favourite genre to write in? Tell me why.
I love stories that ask, “What if…”. Therefore, my stories start out with me asking that question, and hopefully end by leaving the reader asking that same question. “Speculative fiction” is the perfect name for my genre, and I try to follow its literal meaning.
Would you travel to the area where your book is set? Do you already know the area? Have you written about that area because it’s a place you know? Have you used the original name of the area or manipulated place names?
Many of my stories are set in a fictional town named Wren Lake. It’s based on my hometown, as I remember it from forty-plus years ago, and the even smaller town I had planned on moving to after college. I’ve been to both towns, but I only really know, deep in my bones, my hometown from my childhood. Therefore, even a part of my setting is “speculative”, although I am pretty familiar with small, Washington towns.
How do you feel about killing off popular characters? Is it something you enjoy doing in your own books? Have you done it?
Here’s the deal. I do what the story needs. Do I enjoy killing my characters? Actually, no. Do I enjoy doing what it takes to make the story better? Absolutely. And here’s the secret: Killing random characters that weren’t very important, anyway, carries no emotional weight. There’s no “punch to the solar plexus” in that. To make the kill pack a punch, it has to be a character that’s been developed. They have to have a past, a future (or so they think), aspirations, fears. Readers have to care about them for the death to mean anything. That’s just the rules. I didn’t make them.
Does your family read your work? If not, would you like them to? Are your books their thing? Would it bother you if they weren’t interested in reading any of them?
My family is exceptionally supportive! My genre isn’t their favorite to read, but they have read and enjoyed some similar works, so they don’t suffer in anguish through mine. My brother and my mom are more supportive than I expected. My brother is downright excited that I’ve published a book. I don’t think all of my nieces have actually read the book, but they’ve all read bits and pieces. One of them will be reading ‘No Content Available’ for the audiobook coming soon (I hope!).
Or does your family help you when writing your book – how much do they support you?
The only help I ask for when I’m in the process of writing is word choice. I’ll ask them if some snippet of dialogue sounds natural, or if some description is using too weird of a word.
How many hours a day or week would you say you spend writing? Is it a potential career for you, is it something you do outside your day job?
I am disabled (nearly totally blind), so I live on disability. I write on a precarious ledge. If I made this a career, but struggled as so many writers do, I could lose some or all of my benefits. However, I have the same dream as all creative types: Fame and fortune. So, if a movie deal came along, I’d take it! If all of your subscribers wanted to buy my book, I’d say “please, and thank you!”. But I don’t put in the work ethic that a career would require. I write when time allows and inspiration strikes. I don’t carve out time from every day to dedicate to writing. My heart and well-wishes go out to those who do. They are the dedicated, disciplined artists who deserve admiration and support.
Is writing therapeutic for you, or does it cause you to stress out?
Writing is therapeutic. Publishing is stressful. When I write, the story takes shape as fast as I write. It’s all in my control. When I publish, I have to wait. I wait for editors; I wait for ARC readers; I wait for cover designers; and I wait for my audience. It takes time for my book to filter out to the public amidst all of the other books out there being advertised and pushed by publishing houses.
Waiting is stressful.
How do you market your book?
I market my book on social media. I mention it if someone talks about books. I’ve been known to carry a copy with me to places. I suppose it looks weird to see a blind man swinging his cane back and forth and carrying a book, but those are the times we’re living in these days. I’m relying on word-of-mouth because I don’t have an advertising budget. I blew all my money on creating a quality product.
Tell me why you market them this way – how it helps.
Who said it helps? It’s just all I know to do. If readers have other ideas, they are welcome to send me a message on my website, www.richardrbrown.com
I’d love to hear from you all, anyway!
How do you react to reviews? Would you prefer just good ones or are you okay to receive a bad one occasionally? How does this make you feel?
I think I’ve prepared myself, mentally, to receive bad reviews. Honestly, I kind of expect them. Any writing skill I have has all been gleaned from reading. I have no formal writing education. I may have taken one creative writing class at community college many, many years ago, but that’s it. I expect my writing to have some flaws. So far, though, I’ve received three reviews, and they’re all glowing and 5 stars. Well, okay… the Goodreads review started out at 5 stars, but a month later changed to 4 stars. That surprised me. I really didn’t expect my book to get worse over time.
I think that there are a lot of readers out there that are like me, though, and would love some stories that spark the imagination, tug at the heartstrings, and make you ask questions about what you think is reality.
You can find Richard on his website at www.richardrbrown.com
