Author Interview: Brian Bern
So, I read Sword of Damocles and I absolutely fell in love with the book. Ever wonder what two sibling teenage spies are like? It's awesome. So I had to interview my friend, Brian Bern. We may know his name, but his identity is a secret due to the highly sentitive subject matter of this novel. Therefore, I had to interview him through a message rather than interview him in person. His location is unknown.
Some say he's wanted by the CIA. Some say he uses his tongue to catch fish. Some say he naturally faces magnetic north and that his heart ticks like a watch. All we know is, he's called Brian Bern! ;)
By response of a coded email that I cracked, he has answered my questions. Sword of Damocles will be on sale for 99 cents up to July 17th on Amazon.
Now here is the Interview. My friends, we'll probably never have access to another interview by the secretive and mysterious Brian Bern!!!
What inspired you to write a young adult spy novel and when was the exact moment you decided you were going to write a book?
I dedicated Sword of Damocles to my nephew. He’s a big Alex Rider fan and he introduced me to the series. The funny thing is, my story came about because my Alex Rider reading experience got interrupted. I went to the beach with him one day and started reading his copy of Stormbreaker, but he pulled me away from it when I was halfway through the first chapter. I spent the rest of the day wondering what happened to Alex Rider and so I started to imagine the life of a teenage spy. I made the decision that day to write my own story before reading the rest of Stormbreaker.
What draws you to write a spy novel?
I love the deception and tradecraft and the action and adventure found in spy novels. I grew up reading Tom Clancy and Frederick Forsyth and was always intrigued by the characters that needed to be both creative and disciplined to achieve their goals.
Give us some insight on your main characters, Cade and Brooke. What makes them so special and different?
Cade and Brooke have been preparing their whole lives to go into the family business—spying for the United States of America. Cade helps his father design and build spy gadgets. Brooke follows in her mother’s footsteps and learns the tradecraft necessary to operate behind enemy lines. These skills make them special, but there are times when they face the same challenges that all teenagers face.
Tell us about the cover and how it came about.
I hired a great cover artist named Jeroen ten Berge. I selected him because he wanted to read part of the story to learn about the characters, the plot, and the setting. He wanted to understand the story before he did anything else. I couldn’t find anyone else willing to do that. He selected a specific scene from the story and ran with it. I love the end result. I think he did a great job.
How long did it take you to write your book?
I finished the first draft in five months.
Did you then let the book stew, leave it for a month and then come back to it to edit?
Yes. I sent the story to my editor and then waited six weeks before returning to it. The waiting was hard, but it was definitely worth it. I not only saw the story from a different perspective, I also built up a ton of creative energy that came in handy when I started working on it again.
How often do you write and for how long?
I make an effort to write every day. I don’t worry about how much time I put into it or how many words I produce. I simply want to make progress every day. I know if I do that, I’ll eventually finish.
What advice would you give to other aspiring writers?
Write. And then write some more. And then keep writing. It might be simple, but I think that’s the best advice—especially for beginners. You need to practice. You need to experiment. You need to finish the first draft and then focus on making improvements.
If you could have been the original author of any book, what would it have been and why?
Wow. That’s a good question. If I had to choose one book that I admire more than any other, I’d choose The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carre. It’s widely believed to be the best spy novel ever written. I have to agree.
What is the hardest thing about writing?
I have a hard time waiting so long for feedback. I don’t share what I’m working on until I finish the first draft. That leaves a lot of time for doubt to creep up on you.
Do you ever experience writer's block?
Yes, definitely. I think everyone does at some point in time.
What do you do to combat it?
It depends on the situation. Sometimes I find myself in the middle of a chapter struggling to move forward. When this happens, I’ll often print out that chapter, read it on paper, and then continue writing with pen and paper instead of working on a computer. That often gets me going again.
Are there any books on writing that you recommend?
Sure. I like Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King. That’s the first book I reach for after finishing a first draft. I also like Stein on Writing by Sol Stein and The Art of Dramatic Writing by Lajos Egri.
Some say he's wanted by the CIA. Some say he uses his tongue to catch fish. Some say he naturally faces magnetic north and that his heart ticks like a watch. All we know is, he's called Brian Bern! ;)
By response of a coded email that I cracked, he has answered my questions. Sword of Damocles will be on sale for 99 cents up to July 17th on Amazon.
Now here is the Interview. My friends, we'll probably never have access to another interview by the secretive and mysterious Brian Bern!!!
What inspired you to write a young adult spy novel and when was the exact moment you decided you were going to write a book?
I dedicated Sword of Damocles to my nephew. He’s a big Alex Rider fan and he introduced me to the series. The funny thing is, my story came about because my Alex Rider reading experience got interrupted. I went to the beach with him one day and started reading his copy of Stormbreaker, but he pulled me away from it when I was halfway through the first chapter. I spent the rest of the day wondering what happened to Alex Rider and so I started to imagine the life of a teenage spy. I made the decision that day to write my own story before reading the rest of Stormbreaker.
What draws you to write a spy novel?
I love the deception and tradecraft and the action and adventure found in spy novels. I grew up reading Tom Clancy and Frederick Forsyth and was always intrigued by the characters that needed to be both creative and disciplined to achieve their goals.
Give us some insight on your main characters, Cade and Brooke. What makes them so special and different?
Cade and Brooke have been preparing their whole lives to go into the family business—spying for the United States of America. Cade helps his father design and build spy gadgets. Brooke follows in her mother’s footsteps and learns the tradecraft necessary to operate behind enemy lines. These skills make them special, but there are times when they face the same challenges that all teenagers face.
Tell us about the cover and how it came about.
I hired a great cover artist named Jeroen ten Berge. I selected him because he wanted to read part of the story to learn about the characters, the plot, and the setting. He wanted to understand the story before he did anything else. I couldn’t find anyone else willing to do that. He selected a specific scene from the story and ran with it. I love the end result. I think he did a great job.
How long did it take you to write your book?
I finished the first draft in five months.
Did you then let the book stew, leave it for a month and then come back to it to edit?
Yes. I sent the story to my editor and then waited six weeks before returning to it. The waiting was hard, but it was definitely worth it. I not only saw the story from a different perspective, I also built up a ton of creative energy that came in handy when I started working on it again.
How often do you write and for how long?
I make an effort to write every day. I don’t worry about how much time I put into it or how many words I produce. I simply want to make progress every day. I know if I do that, I’ll eventually finish.
What advice would you give to other aspiring writers?
Write. And then write some more. And then keep writing. It might be simple, but I think that’s the best advice—especially for beginners. You need to practice. You need to experiment. You need to finish the first draft and then focus on making improvements.
If you could have been the original author of any book, what would it have been and why?
Wow. That’s a good question. If I had to choose one book that I admire more than any other, I’d choose The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carre. It’s widely believed to be the best spy novel ever written. I have to agree.
What is the hardest thing about writing?
I have a hard time waiting so long for feedback. I don’t share what I’m working on until I finish the first draft. That leaves a lot of time for doubt to creep up on you.
Do you ever experience writer's block?
Yes, definitely. I think everyone does at some point in time.
What do you do to combat it?
It depends on the situation. Sometimes I find myself in the middle of a chapter struggling to move forward. When this happens, I’ll often print out that chapter, read it on paper, and then continue writing with pen and paper instead of working on a computer. That often gets me going again.
Are there any books on writing that you recommend?
Sure. I like Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King. That’s the first book I reach for after finishing a first draft. I also like Stein on Writing by Sol Stein and The Art of Dramatic Writing by Lajos Egri.
No comments have been added yet.
