GFP Tour Pit Stop with Bryan Young - Blood Veins

Welcome to Immortality and Beyond Bryan! I'm so glad you are here to chat about your book, Blood Veins. Now that we're all settled in, let's get started shall we?


BK:  Please tell us a little bit about your current release...
Blood Veins is a science fiction novel about a young prince, Alexander Novelle, who loses his older brother and his father when his kingdom is invaded. The invaders come from the mountain which is supposed to mark the end of the world and be where only God resides. The story is about his journey to the mountain and his quest to find out who these invaders are, where they came from and what really happened to his family. Along the way he and his companions will face mysterious assassins, underworld savages and renegade Dolus survivors. What they find at their destination will shatter their perceptions and lead to unknown perils none of them are ready to face.  

BK:  What inspired this particular novel/book?
There was a rescue scene I kept imagining in my head over and over again. I would even dream about it. Finally one day I decided I had to write it down. It is actually the first chapter of Blood Veins.

BK:  When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
I think I finally made the commitment to be a writer after I wrote down the above scene. I had always loved to read and I would take notes and jot down ideas. The idea of writing a story seemed daunting, but after I finished that first scene I just kept going. I really got into the story and looked forward to writing as much as I looked forward to reading a good book. There were times I just didn’t want to stop working on it.

BK:  How do you keep your writing different from all the others that write in this particular genre?
That is honestly something I haven’t worried about before. When I started writing Blood Veins I was writing it for me and didn’t really have an audience in mind. It wasn’t until after I few friends and family members read it and told me they liked it that I decided to try and publish it. I try my best to make the characters feel real and to give them their own unique voices. If the characters are genuine I think they will stand out on their own. One thing I do is try to make sure I’m not reading a similar style of book while I’m writing. I find that reading different stories than what I usually read can help give me a fresh perspective and sort of shake things up in my head.

BK:  What was the hardest thing about writing this story?
The hardest thing was making sure everything was at a consistently high level of writing. There were times when I felt like I was really flying a long but when I would go back and read what I wrote, I realized that I had let myself slip and some of the writing just wasn’t very good. It’s a long process writing a novel and keeping the same high standard through the whole thing can be difficult.

BK:  What character was your favorite to write for in this story? Why?
I think my favorite character to write for was Percival. Percival is one of Prince Alexander’s closet friends and leader of an elite group of soldiers called Forest Company. I really enjoyed writing him because he is a mess mentally. During the story his faith is shaken as there are certain falsehoods about the Laristan church that come to light during the invasion. He also thinks of himself as a ladies’ man and a smooth talker, but he falls for the lead female character Briah and completely falls apart over her as well. She is a member of a sisterhood that is religiously opposed to the Laristan Church and Percival struggles with that too.

BK:  Which was your favorite scene to write?
This is actually a really tough question as there are obviously a few scenes that I really like. I think my favorite scene is one between Briah and Percival. It’s fairly short but basically Percival and Briah are having a conversation where Percival is only half paying attention because he is mooning over her. He says something about how beautiful she is but he doesn’t mean to. Briah is flattered but when she tells him so, he is so embarrassed he just stares at her unable to speak. The best part is his friends see the whole thing and make fun of him afterwards. I think it is pretty funny.

BK:  Will this become a series? If so, what inspired it to be a series?
I do plan on it being a three book series, but didn’t originally. What inspired it is that the story actually just got away from me. The story grew as I was writing and at a certain point I realized I just had too much to write and too many characters to develop for one novel.

BK:  Now for a little fun, and into your everyday life, What is a day in your life like?
A day in my life starts out with me waking up to my wonderful daughter saying something like, “Snack! Snack!” from the other room letting me know she is ready for breakfast. My baby girl is two and we usually spend the morning together before I have to drop her off at day care on my way to work as a banker for Sterling Savings Bank. The only time I truly have to myself is on my lunch break, so that is usually when I get the majority of my writing in. Then after a long day with customers that are always pleasant my wife and I will have dinner, hang out with our daughter for a bit and then off to bed. Nothing too exciting.

BK:  What do you like to do when you're not writing?
My wife and I like to take our daughter on walks, there is a park close to our house and she loves to play on the slide. I like to golf with my buddies and in the fall my dad and I have season tickets to the Oregon Duck football games. I was a bigger swimmer when I was a kid and I can’t wait for the summer so I can take my daughter to the pool and teach her how to swim.

BK:  What is one thing your readers would be most surprised to learn about you?
Well after they read this novel and see how good it is they won’t believe it’s my first one!

BK:  What do you like to read? Who is your favorite author?
I like to read science fiction, historical fiction and history. I am a huge Star Wars fan and must have about a hundred Star Wars Novels. I also really like S.M. Stirling and his Dies the Fire series. I enjoyed Patrick Rothfuss’ first two entries in the Kingkiller Chronicles and am currently working my way through A Game of Thrones. As far as history is concerned there is a book called Six Frigates, about the founding of the US Navy, and a book called the Road to Armageddon, a fascinating book about the Crusades.

BK:  Please tell us one piece of advice you were given as an author that you carry with you when you write?
Write EVERYTHING down. There is nothing worse than having a great idea as your making dinner or walking to work only to forget it when you are finally in front of your computer or whatever else you use to write. I always carry a notepad and pen on me so I don’t forget anything.

BK:  What is one piece of advice you can give to aspiring writers/authors?
A common complaint I have heard is that the dialogue doesn’t sound realistic. I make sure to listen and observe people around me. Real people are the best way to get a feel for how people really talk and it can also provide you with a lot of different perspectives and points of view. It can be hard to make characters sound unique, but it’s made easier if you can channel someone you have met in real life.

BK:  What are you currently working on?
I am currently working on a sequel to Blood Veins. Its working title is Sand and Blood. It’s in its early stages and I wouldn’t want to spoil Blood Veins for anyone so there isn’t much to say.

BK:  Where can readers connect with you?
I like to keep things simple when concerning social media so I only have a facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Brian-Young/209003422499368

BIO: – Brian was born in Salem Oregon and currently resides in Eugene Oregon with his wife and daughter. He graduated from the University of Oregon with a BA in English. He squeezes in time for writing in the early hours of the morning and during lunch breaks at work.

A black wave has passed over the thriving kingdom of Larista. Mysterious invaders calling themselves the Dolus have swept over the land laying waste to everything in their paths and leaving ghost towns in their wake. No one knows where they came from and no one knows what their purpose is. Tasting nothing but defeat after defeat the light of hope is fading in the kingdom; but the guerrilla forces resisting the Dolus invasion have received new information. This news has provided a small glimmer that could possibly spark into something more. Captain Maximus Rex leads a daring rescue mission deep in the Laristan forests to save the lone surviving member of the royal family.

Once freed Prince Alexander Novelle along with his friends and comrades face a perilous journey deep behind enemy lines. Their destination is Castle Varanasi. The once proud Laristan capital, gateway to heaven and salvation, lies in ruins under Dolus occupation. Mysterious assassins, underworld savages and renegade Dolus survivors stand between them the answers they seek. What they find there will shatter their perceptions and lead to unknown perils none of them are ready to face.

Bryan is offering one lucky commenter a chance at a $25 Amazon Gift Card, randomly drawn at the end of his tour. You can follow Bryan's tour HERE for more chances to win.

Thank you Bryan for taking time to chat with me today. I wish you much success in the future :).