Brett O'Brien Interview

• Q. Can you tell us a little about yourself and what inspired you to become a writer?

  Ans. I have always loved reading as long as I can remember. Books became my favorite medium early on due to the ability to get so close to the characters' thoughts and the unlimited budget compared to TV and movies. I have written stories my entire life and fell in love with TTRPGs as a way to tell stories as well, before honing my craft as a novelist.

• Q. What genre(s) do you primarily write in, and what draws you to that particular genre?

  Ans. Fantasy - that has always been my preferred genre to read. I love character-driven stories and human emotions driving the plot - but who can argue that swords and dragons are also super cool?

• Q. What is your favorite book, and what about it resonates with you the most?

  Ans. I say fantasy is my favorite genre, but my favorite book ever is 11/22/63 by Stephen King. He has always been one of my favorite authors and a master of character work which is on full display in that book. My favorite fantasy series has to be Wheel of Time - the character arcs Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson were able to pull off over that length of that series stand with me and cross my mind all the time. I also can't forget to mention Ender's Game, which is just an absolute classic and amazing book.

• Q. Who is your favorite author, and how have they influenced your writing?

  Ans. Stephen King is my favorite author, as his character work is just phenomenal. Brandon Sanderson and Joe Abercrombie come to mind when I think of fantasy authors whose work I've loved and come to admire.

• Q. How do you balance writing with other aspects of your life, such as work, family, or hobbies?

  Ans. It is always difficult, but finding the time to write has been very important to me. I often dictate my outlines or even prose using speech-to-text, so this change has created a lot more "writing" time for me as I can be working on a book while taking care of other things in my life.

• Q. How do you show appreciation and love to your followers and readers? Do you actively engage with them on social media or through other means?

  Ans. I would love to engage with readers more and more as my books reach more people. I think Brandon Sanderson has set the bar there on how that relationship can be.

• Q. Do you have any upcoming projects or works in progress that you'd like to share with your readers?

  Ans. I am hard at work on Book 2 of The Currents of War, which will be out sometime in 2027 - hopefully in the first half.

• Q. Finally, what are your goals and aspirations as a writer? Where do you see yourself and your writing career in the future?

  Ans. My first large goal is to make writing my career - it finally seems like something that I can actually reach, and I will keep writing and striving until I get there. After that, everything is all gravy.

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