Welcome Brian Young today/Goddess Fish Tour Stop

Welcome to Dawn’s Reading Nook, Brian Young. Please let my cabana boys/girls get you a drink and make yourself at home. Comfortable? Great…now let’s get down to business.

Q: Tell us a little about yourself. What you do, either for a living or for fun or both.           

I work in customer service at Sterling Savings Bank. I do a lot of different things there including opening accounts and helping people meet their financial goals, some of it is fun and some of it isn’t. I do get to meet a lot of different people and that at least is always interesting. For fun I have a two year old daughter and she is always a blast. There is nothing more fun than watching her grow and learn. She does or says something new every day. I also like to play golf and I’m sure there are people who would tell you I play far too many videos games. 

Q: Are you a by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of writer, or do you have to use an outline to put your collective thoughts into some semblance of common sense?

I am a fly by the seat of my pants kind of writer. I actually didn’t really plan on writing Blood Veins. I had a particular scene that I kept playing over and over in my head and it was keeping me from getting any sleep, so I decided to write it down and it just took off from there. Once I got rolling I had a general idea of where I wanted the novel to go, but I have so many different ideas while I’m writing that an outline I think would be counterproductive. I have particular themes and ideas that I have to keep track of through the novel and now that I am starting the second book its getting big enough that I have created a list of characters and places to help me keep everything straight, but that is the extent of my planning.

Q: Tell us all about your latest or upcoming release. What inspired it?

My upcoming release is Blood Veins and it has been in the works for so long that it is hard to point to one thing that inspired it. I have been keeping notes for years but just never took the time to turn them into a story. I have always been a big reader and a fan of big worlds like Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings. I love the stories they tell and all the possibilities that still exist because of the detailed places those creators produced. 

Q: If you had super powers, what would they be? Why?

 I would have super concentration and speed typing powers. I have been working with a keyboard since I was in junior high but am still a fairly slow typer. It holds me back a little and no matter how much I type I don’t seem to get any better at it. It is also difficult for me to type because I have to have absolute silence and can’t be bothered. Even if I know there might be the possibility of being interrupted, it is hard for me to concentrate. So those might not be very flashy but that is what I would pick.

Q: What genre haven’t you tried yet but want to in the future?

Well, this is only my fist novel so there is a lot of unexplored territory, but I think I would like to try straight fiction. I have spent a long time working in customer service and have seen and heard some amazing things form both customers and coworkers. I think they would make for a very funny and at times horrifying story.

Q: What’s a fun fact about you? Something unique, a particular talent?

When I was in seventh grade or so I won an award for having the highest reading comprehension skills in our grade. At the time I was really embarrassed because none of my friends were into reading or school very much and I didn’t want them to think I was a nerd. I actually faked being sick the night they were giving away the award because I didn’t want to go.

Q: What is one thing readers might be surprised to know about you?

I was a really good swimmer in high school and got to go to state all four years. I held the school record in breaststroke, though I haven’t been back there for a while so I don’t know if it still stands.

Q: Were your stories secret projects or were you able to be open with your family and friends about your writing?

Secret. I didn’t tell my family, besides my wife, about Blood Veins until it was almost finished. I have always been reserved and having someone else read my work was very difficult at first. I didn’t tell any of my friends until I got a release date for the novel so a lot of people were pretty surprised.

Q: Do you have any weird writing habits?

I really don’t as far as I know. Nobody else has seen me write really so I haven’t noticed any myself anyway.

Q: What's your favorite genre to read?

Science fiction/fantasy and history.

Q: What type of book have you always wanted to write?

I really enjoy novels with naval scenes in them. I would love to learn how to sail so I could portray it accurately in a novel.

Q: What authors can be found in your library of books (print, audio or e-books)?

Mostly print. I am way behind the curve when it comes to ebooks. You would find a lot of Star Wars, Dune, and Forgotten Realms novels. You would also find various classics from my time in school and a fair amount of history, especially middle age and crusade history. Six Frigates by Ian Toll is one of my favorite books and is about the founding of the U.S. Navy. S.M. Stirling is also good.

Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world (money is no object), where would you go? Why? And for how long?

I would love to go to Great Britain or Italy and Greece, mostly because of my interest in the history there.

Q: Do you have any obsessions? What are they?

I think obsession is a strong word. I am a really big Star Wars fan. I have at least 100 novels, not to mention all the movies in various formats, toys, comic books and other memorabilia.

Q: Is there anything you’re currently working on that you can give us a taste of?

I am working on a sequel to Blood Veins. It will be a bit bigger in scope and introduce quite a few more players. It’s fairly early in the process and I wouldn’t want to give a way too much of Blood Veins, so there isn’t much to say about it right now.

Q: When creating your characters, do you have models in mind or are they totally fictional?

Mostly inspired I think. If I have a particularly bad experience with someone they will probably make it into a novel somehow and not have the best of luck.

Q: Are you in control of your characters or do they control you?

I definitely have experienced the novel and the characters taking over. I like happy endings, but they aren’t realistic and they are predictable as well, so the story forces me to go places I don’t always want to.

Q: If you came with a warning label, what would it say?

Oh my goodness… I can see through you maybe? Did I mention I won an award for my comprehension skills? I have always been quiet. I don’t like too talk much but am a very good listener. Nothing bothers me more than people who are full of bluster and aren’t aware of their surroundings. People have taken that as me being rude or standoffish and maybe I am a little, but I just don’t like to put up with any garbage.

 About Brian Young:

Brian is a graduate of the University of Oregon. He works as a banker and an editor for Rogue Phoenix Press. He currently resides in Oregon with his wife and daughter.

Find Brian on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Brian-Young/209003422499368

Blood Veins by Brian Young
Buy HERE
Available for Print, Nook and Kindle on January 1st, 2012

A black wave has passed over the thriving kingdom of Larista. Mysterious invaders calling themselves the Dolus have swept over the land laying waste to everything in their paths and leaving ghost towns in their wake. No one knows where they came from and no one knows what their purpose is. Tasting nothing but defeat after defeat the light of hope is fading in the kingdom; but the guerrilla forces resisting the Dolus invasion have received new information. This news has provided a small glimmer that could possibly spark into something more. Captain Maximus Rex leads a daring rescue mission deep in the Laristan forests to save the lone surviving member of the royal family. 

Once freed Prince Alexander Novelle along with his friends and comrades face a perilous journey deep behind enemy lines. Their destination is Castle Varanasi. The once proud Laristan capital, gateway to heaven and salvation, lies in ruins under Dolus occupation. Mysterious assassins, underworld savages and renegade Dolus survivors stand between them the answers they seek. What they find there will shatter their perceptions and lead to unknown perils none of them are ready to face.  

Sneak Peek Excerpt:

Even though the pain had all but disappeared, he felt the sudden pressure against the wound and a warm hand on his forehead. The darkness relented a little as his eyes fluttered open and stared into the brown pair not inches from his face.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "I only just found out or I would have been here sooner. I could have saved you."

He tried to smile but wasn't sure if he had succeeded. It certainly didn't feel right. He started to shake, as the pain was completely gone and cold started to flood into his body. "It's not your fault."

He could see hurt in her eyes and a single tear rolled down her face. The feelings he felt for her had barely begun to grow. He never could have imagined finding any kind of friend in such a dark place, but the tear let him know the feelings were reciprocated. He reached his shaking hand to her face and wiped away the tear replacing it with a smear of dirt from his filthy finger. Instead of demeaning the tear by telling her how wasteful it was, he accepted the gift.

"I take your water for myself in the manner for which it was intended."

She sniffed, controlling herself, and no more tears fell. "I wish I could do something for you. I'm sorry."

"You can," his voice now barely a whisper.

"Anything."

"Come closer. Hold me."

She leaned in and wrapped her arms around him, her face next to his. He knew she was warm and knew she smelled of flowers and spices but both senses were beyond him. "He will come after me. Look after him like you looked after me, Belinda."

"I will do better," she said.

With one final sigh, he was gone.