Each week I’ll be sharing an author interview so it’s an excellent opportunity to discover authors and find out about great books. Thank you to David for being the “guinea pig” for the new author interview form!
First of all, a little about David M. Brown . . .
Where were you born?
Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK
What did you want to be when you grew up?
I was never sure!
Other than author, what jobs have you had?
Cleaner and various administrative posts throughout Yorkshire.
About David’s most recent book...
Fezariu’s Epiphany - David M. Brown
The White Oak, Clarendon’s oldest brothel, lured and destroyed men by the thousands. Fezariu was different. He had never been drawn by the White Oak’s vices but the brothel had still ruined him when he was just a boy.
Salvation came in the form of the Merelax Mercenaries - Elenchera’s most prestigious hired hands. They gave Fezariu the chance to escape from his past. Immersed in the world of dangerous assignments in the colonies Fezariu longed to forget everything about his childhood but only in facing the past would he ever be free of it.
How did you come to write this book?
I’d spent ten years building the history of my fictitious world, Elenchera, and it was time to write a novel set there. Of the many ideas I had Fezariu’s Epiphany was the one that stood out ahead of the rest.
What’s the opening paragraph?
“The unrelenting snow fell between the far-reaching deciduous branches of the vast forest, disguising an already barely discernible path that ran between the trees and into the heart of a steep valley. Amidst the persistent snowflakes and swirling breeze, a cruel game of cat and mouse was drawing to a close.”
David said he would rather:
Win a Nobel Prize for Literature but only sell 20,000 copies than sell a million copies but never win an award
Now for a bit of fun . . .
What’s the most exciting book you’ve read this year?
The Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follett
Describe your perfect weekend . . .
Wake up, not too early, but not too late to find myself in Cologne, Germany. My wife, Donna, and I head into the city, see the sights, enjoy ridiculously huge ice cream at the cafes and relax on the banks of the Rhine and read or write. In the early evening we enjoy some divine German food before drinking a modest amount of the local brew—Kolsh—before heading home to our luxury home and spend the rest of the day with the cats. That would be Saturday. Sunday would be an uneventful day at home or perhaps in the garden, writing plenty and enjoying being with my family. I sadly don’t have a home in Cologne, nor do I have a garden, but I’ll have both of those things one day.
Describe a more realistic weekend . . .
Enjoy a well-earned whisky Friday evening after a week at work, write some blogs or work on my latest novel. Weekend is divided between quality time with my wife and the six cats, household chores and as much writing as I can muster. Weekends are sacred which makes socialising with friends and family impact heavily on the spare time but so long as it’s not every weekend I’m happy.
You’re having a dinner party and you have to invite one writer, one musician, one monarch, one villain and one president. Who do you invite and why?
Writer of choice would be the fantasy great, J.R.R. Tolkien, who would be great to talk books with. Jim Morrison from The Doors would liven up any party though it would be an expensive night! In terms of monarchs I would go for someone like Alexander the Great, brilliant tactician but just to suit Jim, he enjoyed heavy drinking sessions. Villain-wise it would have to be some outlaw loved by the public who fell foul of the authorities, how about Billy the Kid, for some cool party tricks with the empty bottles left by Jim and Alexander. Controversial here, but my president of choice would be the US leader that never was i.e. Al Gore, wrongly denied the American presidency. Looking back that would be an intellectual party in the beginning but would quickly descend into a drinking fest! A good night then!
