Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Thanks to Awesomegang for this entirely unsolicited opportunity to share an interview with me, I hope my responses can be interesting and worthwhile!
My name is Branden Holder and I live with my wife near the big ol’ Midwestern city of Indianapolis, Indiana. We both graduated from Anderson University just up the road in Anderson, myself with a degree in Psychology/Religious Studies and a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing for her.
To date, I have written five books and/or novellas: ‘How to Die’, ‘Fragmentum’, ‘When the Cold Wind Blows’ (The District Trilogy Book #1), ‘Sons of Vice & Virtue’ (The District Trilogy Book #2), and ‘Patriots Under Fire’ (The District Trilogy Book #3). However, if you are searching for ‘How to Die’ or ‘Fragmentum’, you are certainly in for an adventure since both of those books are no longer in print!
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My most recent release was the conclusion of ‘The District Trilogy’, an alternate history crime-noir novella series. That book, titled ‘Patriots Under Fire’, delivered a thrilling final installment to a gritty and powerful series of novellas written off and on over the course of three years.
In 2011 after graduating college, I initially planned to write a “just for fun” crime-noir story modeled closely after the style of Frank Miller’s ‘Sin City’, the graphic novel series I was reading at the time. However, as the world and characters began to take shape, I found myself writing an alternate 1950s Washington, D.C., where the issues in the books reflected many of my own thoughts and feelings on where our modern-day populace, government, and country had fallen into relative disrepair. And it certainly was not in the ways the conservative or liberal media portrayed it.
Ever since, ‘The District Trilogy’ has morphed into a meaningful, fictitious exploration of my own political and societal thoughts/ideas regarding various topics of importance in human existence.
Through the development of the characters in this trilogy, I examined the fine line between good and evil, as well as the convoluted areas that exist between the two. The question in these three books, above all else, is how far is an individual willing to go for their ideologies, friends, family, countrymen, and country? And once you cross from one side of the spectrum into the other, can you ever reclaim the pieces that are lost along the way?
At its core, I personally feel the most recent volume, ‘Patriots Under Fire’ is very psychological in nature, introducing living and breathing manifestations of the id, ego, and superego into this gritty, war-torn alternate Washington, D.C., and watching how they overcome the obstacles they are facing.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not typically, but I have found that recently while I’m writing on my laptop, I have to angle myself to the left or right of my desk instead of staring head on at my computer. Otherwise I lose all focus and start obsessively correcting my straight back’s posture. Slouching for the win!
Also, I write better barefoot than with socks on. So, yeah, that’s unusual.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
As far as my crime fiction goes, I would have to attribute a significant portion of my early style and word choice to Frank Miller, despite the fact that he writes comics and graphic novels. What I started with in 2011, while reading ‘Sin City’ as mentioned above, was a foundation for noir focused on Frank Miller’s particular brand of hard-boiled characters. From that point on, I built up and crafted my own style that was successfully able to integrate emotion, dark humor, grit, and a bevy of other characteristics.
For the thriller aspects of my writing, I’m most likely influenced by writers such as Dan Brown and Stieg Larsson. These men each bring something different to the table in all of their works, and while I cannot place what particular themes or influences they have inspired, I am always learning another twist or plot device that can be stored away for future reference.
And lastly, Ray Bradbury. His works overall inspired me from a relatively young age (okay, high school) to always write meaning into your words. When I picked up ‘The Martian Chronicles’ from Goodwill and pored over the pages, the themes and ideas expressed fictitiously spoke to my inner intellectual. They made me question my positions on topics and think deeper about the world in general. And I will never forget that.
What are you working on now?
I have several projects underway as of right now. With NaNoWriMo currently in full swing, I am working on the first draft of a ~50,000 word horror thriller, revolving around a group of private military contractors sent to the fallen republic of North Korea on an intelligence gathering mission in one of the gulags hidden deep in the mountains.
My primary project at this time, however, is a new hard-boiled crime thriller called ‘What Shadows Walk Among Us’, which tells the story of Seattle Police Detective Aiden Winters as he hunts a faceless serial killer leaving a trail of unidentifiable bodies while struggling to find answers about the murder of his partner.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Blog reviews, interviews, and promo spots from website just like Awesomegang.com!
No, seriously.
As I have found out recently, these sites are invaluable to aspiring full-time writers/authors such as myself. In 2011, I had a significant following, but once my trajectory changed and slowed wayyyyyy down for me to build up my other business, I lost a lot of traction in the marketplace. Now in 2014, I’ve discovered just how useful these connecting opportunities are and how important it is that they exist for the indie-publishing industry.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
During my time away from writing in 2012-early 2014, I came to understand just how unique it is to possess the ability to put creative, comprehensive ideas onto pages and have people read them, be they fiction or non-fiction.
My secondary business is graphic design and apparel printing, but those industries are cut-throat with the acquisition of new (loyal) customers and pricing your services so that you both attract customers as well as make a living. I’ve come to terms with the reality that everything my business offers, a machine or factory can do…1) exactly the same, 2) faster, and 3) probably cheaper. While this is disheartening for the future of “that” business, it showed me precisely how valuable our talents are as writers and even artists.
A machine might be able to print a t-shirt graphic or cut vinyl for a sign, but a machine cannot print MEANING, it cannot print INTRINSIC VALUE. And in both art as well as writing, that is what we offer the world as creatives…MEANING. We write meaning into the very fabric of our books, our short stories, and hell, even our self-conducted interviews.
On the journey to becoming an author or full-time writer, focus on the meaning you give your words and the meaning it has for those who read them. In a world of automation, meaning and intrinsic value are just two of life’s verses that humanity will forever own.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Measure twice, cut once. Not sure why it is considered the best advice I have ever heard, but for some uncanny reason, every time I prepare to do something new, uncomfortable, or stressful, these four words flash in my mind. I think it might be my brain’s way of reminding me that you only get one shot at a first impression/chance/opportunity and not to waste it by assuming there will be others later on.
What are you reading now?
At this time, I am reading a horror novel called ‘For We Are Many’ by Stuart Thaman. I am thoroughly enjoying this book so far and can already highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good creepy read.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I have hinted at it a little bit in my previous answers, but I plan on bringing my design/printing business to a stop soon and plunging myself even further into the world of writing. I love setting my own schedule (in case you could not tell–it is 3AM while I am doing this interview) and writing provides this while allowing me to live inside the worlds that populate my head.
I am never happier than when I am putting words onto paper, a reality that has not changed since halfway through college. In the coming months, amidst holiday get-togethers and snow, I hope to continue working on my new books and building my future as a full-time writer. It is a long journey, but one I am excited to continue taking.
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?
‘The Martian Chronicles’ by Ray Bradbury, ‘Republic’ by Plato, ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ by Stieg Larsson, and ‘The Series of Unfortunate Events’ by Lemony Snicket (I know, I cheated).
Author Websites and Profiles
Branden Holder Website
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