Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m an Iraq War Veteran from West Virginia. I left the military in 2003 and went back to school to be a journalist, and although I believe journalism is important, I learned over time that there most journalism was just opinion-based and that facts mattered less and less to the average person. So in order to try and make a real impact on the world with words, I turned to fiction and “creative nonfiction.”
I’ve written a lot of books, but only four of them are published currently. I’m still seeking an agent, but if I end up having to do it on my own, then I will. One thing I learned in the military is that impossible odds don’t always result in defeat. Sometimes the battle you’re fighting was the wrong battle to begin with.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Bombmaker’s Wife was inspired by the recent divide in the USA. People hate one another for things that aren’t in their control just as much as they do for their actions. And one of the most terrifying things about terrorism is that there is always the potential for it to happen. And to avoid being too didactic here in this interview I will just say that a lot of Americans are hurting currently, and instead of coming together despite our differences we are being driven farther apart. So I wrote a book that chronicles what is one of the origins of our current problems in the Middle East, and then I brought those problems to America on the back of a woman who wanted to be good despite the bad things she had done in the past. I wrote the kind of book that I wanted to read.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I wake at 4 in the morning and write until my kids wake. Since I’m a stay-at-home dad, there is no other option. If it is unusual, there you go. For me it is necessity regardless of it’s “usualness.”
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Cormac McCarthy, Kurt Vonnegut, Samuel Beckett, Joseph Heller, Tim O’Brien, Dostoevsky, Bruce Weigl and so many more. Basically anyone I’ve read has “influenced” me, and these I’ve mentioned influenced me in ways that I wanted to emulate.
What are you working on now?
I am working on a series of kids books about a couple sisters who get into the kind of trouble that little girls get into. Vague, I know. But until it’s done, how do I know what I’ve written?
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
This is tricky. I’m looking for a “best” place, and I hope this might be a good start.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t just write. Learn more and make more in many different ways. Adapt and don’t be blinded by the silliness of the academy if what you want to do is write for a living.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Do the thing that makes others think you’re crazy.
What are you reading now?
The Hobbit as a refresher for a new book.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Graphic novels.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Blood Meridian. Red Cavalry. Crime and Punishment. Catch-22.
Author Websites and Profiles
Brandon Davis Jennings Website
Brandon Davis Jennings Amazon Profile
Brandon Davis Jennings’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account