Featured Interview With Brian Triplett
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I have lived most of my life in Spokane, Washington. It is a small city on the other side of the state from Seattle. Our motto is “near nature, near perfect.” I can honestly say it is near nature. Spokane actually has a lot going for it other than its connection to Craig T. Nelson. For example, Spokane is home to a surprisingly robust community of local authors. If you’re familiar with Jess Walter, Patrick F. McManus, Kelly Milner Halls, Chris Crutcher, or fantasy and science fiction legend C.J. Cherryh, they all live in the area. That barely scratches the surface. Considering how many talented crime fiction, young adult, and literary fiction authors live in my area code it’s a little weird that people don’t move to Spokane to become writers the way people used to move to Seattle to become rock stars. Anyway, I moved out to Spokane Valley, an adjacent city that used to be part of Spokane, recently. I don’t really do much beside work, promoting Crosses and Runes on social media sites, and trying to finish the sequel to my book.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I learned how to read when I was four years old. My mother read to me all the time and my father told me stories, so I was always fascinated by fiction as far back as I can remember. I spent a lot of my free time with both age-appropriate books and stuff I allegedly wasn’t ready for yet. Then I got my hands on a copy of The Hobbit when I was eight. That warped me for life and I became even more obsessed with fantasy and science fiction than I was after I saw Star Wars (Episode IV) when I was four. I started writing when I was four or five. I didn’t know how to form letters properly or that there were supposed to be spaces between words, but that didn’t stop me from trying. My mom used to keep a collection of the weird science fiction stuff I wrote and illustrated as a kid. I didn’t get good enough for publication until I was in my twenties, but all the practice was fun.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
My favorite authors to read are (in no particular order) Poul Anderson, Patrick Rothfuss, Michael Moorcock, Roger Zelazny, Jim Butcher, Kevin Hearne, Martha Wells, Melissa Scott, Terry Pratchett, and Steven Brust. My favorite genre is fantasy. I am inspired by all of those authors, Charles Stross, J.R.R. Tolkien, and C.S. Lewis.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
My book Crosses and Runes is kind of a funky blend of urban fantasy, science fiction, and suspense. Imagine a procedural crime fiction novel where the law enforcement officers are elves and the crooks are vampires and that gets you in the right ball park. My protagonist is a 155-year-old half-elf sorcerer who spent a few years in Washington state before going off to study magic and martial arts. He is some kind of intelligence operative. While on a routine assignment with his team, he stumbles upon a plot to conquer the world. With some help from his wife (also a powerful mage), his friends, and some elf soldiers, he races against time to save our world and the elves’ home dimension from the vampires.
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