Conlan brown Interview

Q: Let me start with asking you to tell us a little bit about who Conlan Brown is.

A. An intense guy. Hyperactive, short attention span. Likes talking to groups. Strangely extroverted for a novelist. Truth be told, I’m a driven kid from Colorado. I started college when I was 16, got my Master’s at 22, paid my own way and came out of it debt free. I’ve never been good at sitting still, or being content to do whatever is assigned to me. Right now I’m a single guy in my mid-twenties (turned 25 in March) trying to learn how to be a grown-up-It’s harder than it looks.

Q: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

A. I never made the choice to be a writer, I just wrote. It was a kind of compulsion. I have a tendency to daydream and to fidget, so writing is just an extension of those. When you grow up in the middle of nowhere (like I did) and your nearest neighbors are miles and miles away, you find something to fill your time. I originally wanted to make movies, but writing is so much more feasible when you have access to neither actors nor equipment. The result was a writing habit, which led to inevitable improvement and eventually encouragement to pursue my hobby as a career.

Q: Could you give us the highlights of your professional writing career including how you got your first writing break?

A. My professional writing career is brand new, but the road here was interesting. I’d been going to a writer’s conference for a few years pitching stuff to publishers. Last year the economy tanked, and I lost my job. I’d already paid for the conference itself when I lost my job, but had no money for room and board. I was so determined to go that I slept in my car while it snowed outside, eating pudding and ham sandwiches that I’d brought from home. I washed my hair with hand soap from the men’s room and changed my clothes in the stalls. But everyday I went back to work, pitching my stuff. The conditions were dreadful, but I made some extraordinary friendships. That was the conference that got me published. It was insane, but I wouldn’t trade the experience for the world.

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release, The Firstborn?

The Firstborn The Firstborn are three ancient religious orders. They are descended from those brought back to life at the moment of Jesus’ death (Matthew 27:52). They each belong to one of three orders (established in the 1300s) and have one of three gifts: The Prima, who see flashes of the past, The Ora, who see flashes of the present, and the Domani, who see flashes of the future. For the last 2000 years they have distrusted and marginalized each other, but in our modern world it has become undeniable that they must work together against a common enemy: one of their own.

Q: The plot of The Firstborn is big and aggressive especially for a first novel. How did you come up with this plot?

A. First came the concept: I wanted to create a mythos that fans could participate in, and that could be carried on in perpetuity by myself and fans alike without it becoming contrived. Once I had a mythic structure to work in I started on the plot. I knew a lot about the geo-politics and inner-workings of Middle Eastern terrorism and so chose to start there. My research had taught me a lot about religious fanaticism, and the concept simply begged for the exploration of Christian. It started out ambitious and got bigger from there.

Q: With all the action scenes, I can really see The Firstborn as a movie. If it made it to the big screen, who would you cast in the main roles?

A. I love this question! The Firstborn is one of those things that I have always believed belonged on the screen. I conceive my work cinematically and often think of specific actors, directors, cinematographers, and composers when writing. I’ve actually wasted a lot of time trying to find the perfect musical identity for the Firstborn mythos. My actors wish list would be:

Devin Bathurst: The most cinematic character of them all from day one. The character would be best portrayed by either Collin Salmon (Punisher: War Zone) or Chiwetel Ejiofor (Serenity/Children of Men/Love Actually) are both perfect depictions of Devin. Taye Diggs (Equilibrium/TV’s Private Practice) is another actor whose work I have long enjoyed and think would be great.

John Temple: A young Val Kilmer was what I long pictured (Willow/Top Gun) but I went and saw the new Star Trek the other night and Chris Pine (the new Kirk) is as close to perfect for Temple as I can think of.

Hannah Rice: Summer Glau (Serenity/Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles). The perfect blend of melancholy and introspection, transitioning effortlessly and believably between vulnerable fragility and overwhelming strength.

Trista Brightling: I discovered an actress named Stana Kutic recently (TV’s Castle/The Spirit/Quantum of Solace). Grace, strength and authority. Perfect for the role. The best director would be a combination of Martin Campbell (Casino Royale) and Michael Bay (Armageddon), with music composed by any of the following: James Newton Howard (Signs), Steve Jablonsky (Transformers) or Michael Giacchino (M:I:3/TV’s Lost).

Of course, some producer would have to think the idea was worth championing and some studio would have to think it was good enough to gamble somewhere between $50-150 million on it. So for now it’s just a very cinematic book.

Q: You have some powerful messages in The Firstborn. Was there one particular message you wanted your readers to come away with?

A. I resist the notion that the book is a message. I’m so young that I can’t possibly have an insight so profound that I should be telling others to pay attention to my supposed ‘wisdom’. I’ve noticed trends in human behavior. I wrote about those. If someone walks away with a fresh perspective then I’m pleased.

Q: What inspires you to write?

A. There’s an old field road near where I grew up. In the summertime I would go walking out there near sunset. I would watch the sun set behind the Rocky Mountains, the golden light reflecting off the dust from the road that hung in the air. The smell of corn and alfalfa was always strong during the summer. It was the closest to heaven I think I’ll ever get in this life. It was on that field road that I discovered who I was. While I was out there stories flooded into my head. I still go back to my parent’s place sometimes when I get stuck on something. These days I walk around my neighborhood-it’s not the same as that old field road, but a Colorado sunset is still pure creative energy waiting to be absorbed through the skin.

Q: How has being a published novelist differed from your expectations of the profession?

A: I prepared myself pretty well, actually. After I decided to try for publication I just approached it as a job in a business. A marvelous job where I get to do what I love nearly every day, but a job none-the-less. But what has startled me most is how willing my publishing company has been to listen to my ideas and to take things in new directions I come up with. They have been overwhelmingly receptive to my input.

Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now?

A. I’m working on a sequel to The Firstborn, which is coming along nicely. It deals with human trafficking, political assassination, and racism-another aggressive thriller. I’m also taking some time to write some more personal things-satire, primarily. We’ll see how those turn out and if they are something that deserves to be considered for publication.

Q: Would you name three of your favorite fiction books you read in the last year or so and tell us why you enjoyed them?

A. I haven’t read any fiction in the last year that I can think of. A while back I bought and started William Gibson’s Neuromancer, and American Tabloid by James Ellroy. With all the work for my book and all the non-fiction reading I do I haven’t had a chance to finish either of them. I hope to get caught up on my fiction this summer if I get any down time.

Q: What is something your readers might be surprised to learn about you?

A. I’m an extrovert. I like talking a lot. Most writers are quiet, introverted people. But I often write for the sake of posterity when no one is there to listen to me.

Q: When you’re not writing what do you like to do?

A. Video editing. An awesome medium that allows the artist to work in sound, pictures, time and space. I also enjoy video games quite a bit. I enjoy them for their participatory storytelling. It’s a narrative, just like any book or movie, only the player takes an active role in determining how the story unfolds. The best games are the ones with variable endings in which the player has a clear impact on how the story resolves. They are actually a very creative medium that inspire creativity in their users. I also love movies, and go as often as possible. They know me by name at my local video store.

Q: Anything else you’d like to tell or share with us?

A. As dyslexic a kid from the sticks it may have seemed delusional to think that I could ever accomplish something like this. But for all of you out there still trying: dreams can and do come true.