Featured Interview With Brian Price
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up in Southern New Jersey. Smallish town. Boring childhood. Minus the constant fear I felt at home. I keep moving away from Jersey as an adult with the pandemic being the latest reason I’m back. I’m hoping a return to California is in my future, but that Sunshine Tax on the West Coast seems to be higher than inflation at this point.
I’ve been in PR and marketing for about a decade. I’ve worked with some incredible and smart people, but I felt trapped in the office. I always knew where I was going to be and a general idea of what I’d be doing. The mundaneness drove me mad. When the pandemic happened, it burned any faith I had left in the traditional 9 to 5 life.
That’s when I said, “f*ck it” and decided to chase my wildest dream… writing a book.
As for pets, I have a rescue pup from Alabama, who I named Bucky Barnes. He’s a brindle corgi-terrier mix and my reluctant, but noble companion. He also has a thing for blondes. In California, he’d pull his leash toward any blonde woman. It was the funniest thing. He also likes to chase trucks and skateboarders. I guess we all have our things.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
In elementary school, we had this reading program that encouraged children to read fifteen minutes a day, and if you hit a certain number of minutes before the end of the school year, you’d win a pizza and a trophy. I’d be finished with the reading requirements before spring.
If I wasn’t reading, I was writing. I started writing before I could even write sentences. I have books from my childhood with pictures and squiggly lines underneath them. I assume those were the words. I don’t know. I always wanted to be a storyteller. If I wasn’t reading, I was writing. I’d give my family stories and books for holidays and birthdays. Sometimes I’d just write to write. There are not many things I enjoy more than writing. But there definitely are some.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Charles Bukowski, Neil Strauss, John Fante, Chuck Palahniuk, Hunter S. Thompson, and Ernest Hemingway. Besides Neil Strauss, I didn’t read any of those writers listed until the pandemic. Reading those writers flipped a switch in my mind and really made me want to write Last Chance California. And enrolling in a Writing Masterclass with Neil Strauss. Those two things sent me down a path.
As far as books that influenced me, Ask the Dust, Ham on Rye, Invisible Monsters, Choke, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
I’m a big fan of contemporary fiction or realism. I also like to dabble in history or self-help books.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
My debut novel is called Last Chance California. It’s a dark humor and contemporary literary fiction novel. It showcases our world, on the verge of the COVID-19 pandemic, through the eyes of a sarcastic and stubborn millennial as he attempts to break his family’s cycle of abuse. That’s just a romantic way of saying a depressed and lost man goes full-blown alcoholic after moving to California to escape his violent childhood.
The story follows a disillusioned Wyatt Lewis, who moves to California after realizing he’s more like his abusive father than he realizes. There’s romance, sex, drugs, exotic locations, depression, and substance abuse rampant through the novel. Last Chance California highlights some of the glaring deficiencies in our society while also reminding readers of the complexity of families, the imperfections of humans, and the burdens we carry every day.
Connect with the Author on their Websites and Social media profiles
If you enjoyed this writer’s interview, check out our Featured Authors page. We have some of the best authors to learn about. They are just waiting for you to discover them. If you enjoyed this writer’s interview feel free to share it using the buttons below. Sharing is caring! If you are an author and want to get exposure to new readers submit your book to our book promotion service.