Ask the Author: Brian McBride
Answered Questions (9)
Brian McBride
Yes! Many of the settings I use are based on places I've visited in real life! My debut, Love and the Sea and Everything in Between, was set in San Francisco. I lived in Oakland (across the bay) for a time. I also set a scene in that book at Point Reyes, which I've been to myself! My second novel, Every Bright and Broken Thing, is set in an entirely fictional town. However, I based a few of the individual settings on real places. The cemetery scene was based on a cemetery in my hometown, for example. And Sons of Slaughter, of course, is set in my hometown itself!
Brian McBride
Least favorites: love triangles (ew), girl falls for bad-boy (because that's borderline toxic), flawlessly attractive heroes, and unskilled heroes inexplicably defeating the villain without any sort of training.
Favorites: the chosen one (hey, I'm just a sucker for a good chosen one storyline; Percy Jackson, for example), stumbling onto another world (bc who doesn't want that to happen irl?), and discovering magical objects or artifacts (bc we've all inherited a piece of jewelry we secretly wondered was cursed...)
Favorites: the chosen one (hey, I'm just a sucker for a good chosen one storyline; Percy Jackson, for example), stumbling onto another world (bc who doesn't want that to happen irl?), and discovering magical objects or artifacts (bc we've all inherited a piece of jewelry we secretly wondered was cursed...)
Brian McBride
At three in the morning, he woke to the sound of a baby crying somewhere in the shadows of his home. Only, he didn't have a baby.
Brian McBride
Middle Earth! I'd love to make a home in the Shire, explore the heart-stopping ridges of Rivendell, and visit the towering spires of Gondor. Middle Earth has my heart forever.
Brian McBride
That's a loaded question! I've actually thought about this a lot. There's quite a few Biblical figures I'd love to write about for various reasons. Probably one of the prophets - Jeremiah, Elijah, Isaiah, or Nehemiah. The historical and cultural situations these prophets faced were extraordinary. Each of them was considered an outcast to their own people. Each of them had to learn how to be bold and speak the truth in face of severe social and physical persecution. Each of them had to learn how to carry the heavy mantle of authority and responsibility that comes with being a prophet - someone with a powerful and painful message from the Lord. I would love to write about the personal feelings of inadequacy, fear, or grief they might have faced, or the unique circumstances - such as Elijah staring down a group of Ba'al's priests. There's a lot to unpack with the prophets; a lot I think we could learn from as Christians and people in general these days. :)
Brian McBride
Who knows? My next two books-in-progress fall into the YA Thriller genre. I've always written fantasy here and there, but haven't completed a project in a while, but who knows what the future holds? :)
Brian McBride
Actually, yes! Many of my characters either are representative of an individual in my life past or present, or an embodiment of several individuals. For example, in Love and the Sea, Jeremiah and Oliver were the embodiment of all my former friends at my first school who didn't stick by my side. Adam, too, is representative of myself at the time (this was about 5 years ago). In Every Bright, Liam and Ezra are both facets of me, my beliefs, experiences, personality, and struggles. Their parents were actually based on my own parents!
Brian McBride
BOOKS. MOVIES. MUSIC. Nothing gets my creative juices flowing like surrounded myself with both art and artists.
Brian McBride
Currently, I'm wrapping up what I hope will be the final draft of my sophomore novel, EVERY BRIGHT AND BROKEN THING. I'm also drafting my third novel, SONS OF SLAUGHTER.
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