Featured Interview With Jay Brenham
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised in the northeast. I have lived up and down both coasts of the United States and some places in between. I spent half a year living in a former Soviet satellite and I’ve traveled to more countries than I can count on two hands. Some of those travels were for work and others were for pleasure, but I enjoyed them all. I now reside in an undisclosed location in the Pacific Northwest.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I am a lifelong reader. When I was little my parents would read to me before I went to bed every night. Once I could read I continued the habit of reading for about ten minutes before I go to sleep.
I started writing when I was in elementary school, my first book was written in the fourth grade and was titled “My Trip to Uranus.” After the smashing success of my first novel I took a two decade break and began writing in earnest a few years ago.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Orson Scott Card is my favorite author. For one thing, he wrote my favorite book. The second reason I’m a huge fan of his, is that a number of years ago I wrote to him and asked for writing advice and he actually took the time to respond. I asked him what I should do about feeling self-conscious when I write. I said that even though I had ideas for books, I always had an overwhelming feeling of dread when it came to putting words on paper. OSC wrote back and essentially told me to get over myself because it doesn’t matter what other people think. I took his advice. Without Orson Scott Card there would be no Seven Cities saga.
Orson Scott Card has published more than fifty books, yet he took the time out of his busy day to reply to a person who was too self-conscious to write more than a few sentences before giving up.
A close second is Scott Lynch who wrote The Lies of Locke Lamora. The characters in this series are good at things because they work for it, not because they’re naturally gifted or lucky or because they’re somehow fated to be the best. No character has it all.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest book is Exodus from the Seven Cities. What inspired me was a love of all things action and horror. There are so many books out there that feature people who are miraculously prepared and have all the necessary skills when a problem presents itself. But that isn’t how life is. Most of us aren’t weapons experts, nor do we necessarily have all the skills required to easily survive a long term power outage, let alone the apocalypse. I want my writing to be a tip of the hat to the common man, an homage to the ordinary person who is required to do extraordinary things in a time of need.
Exodus from the Seven Cities follows Sam, a recently discharged undesignated Navy Seaman. With no gun to protect him and no special skills to show for his military service, Sam‘s ability to adapt and his will to survive are soon put to the test in a city that’s become a nightmare. I would describe it as 28 Days Later meets The Crazies.
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