Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Working at a grocery store since 2001, working every position there and becoming one of the managers of a corporate chain store, I have seen and heard it all in the retail/service world. I had to get those stories, thoughts, feelings, and ways to escape out of my head. I had to write not out of compulsion but out of a love of writing.
Then the rest is as they say, history.
I grew up in a small town in Southwestern Michigan (coincidentally a town that no one that visits knows how to pronounce correctly), originally attending school to become a music therapist but the tapping of the keyboard was more addicting and found myself attending Andrews University in Berrien Springs, MI.
I play the drums, I love wearing ties, I will eat all your Oreo’s, having an expensive hobby of collecting watches and an unhealthy addiction to Netflix.
5 books –>
Primetime – A Novel
Progeny (Book 1)
The Stair (Book 2)
Mental Twistitution (Book 3)
The Vault
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
THE VAULT
I needed a break from my psychological thriller series and wanted to write a “billionaire philanthropist” that was truly inspiring. I had been researching time, watches and philanthropy and it all came together. There weren’t many books, to my knowledge, that used the capabilities of eBooks to their full advantage so I wanted to not only use social media but blur the lines so much that if readers wanted to go further into into the “Easter Eggs” Sam Montgomery would come to live in new exciting ways.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have to have music.
Every novel I write has its only genre or time period and it takes me a good while of just going through finding the right vibe to right and research.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
This is tough I never like this question because I actually don’t read a lot. And what I do read isn’t fiction, but research. What I mostly read are non-fiction, medical books, history books. I’m DEATHLY afraid that if I read an author to much that I’ll start to write like them and lose my voice or be compared too closely.
With that said, the very first book I ever voluntarily picked up and read was THE DA VINCI CODE…I read it in a weekend and I’m a slow reader. Finally what put me over the edge was EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE; how Foer told the story was inspiring and that’s when I said, “I can do that.”
What are you working on now?
I’m working on my next novel called MERCY STREET. It’s actually part of my TWISTITUTION series, set in a criminal asylum. The series is told out of order (for a specific reason) and follows Dr. Cylus Pine and interaction with different criminals in each novel. MERCY STREET will be set in Pennsylvania and I’m getting ready to take my second research trip and will be using what I’ve learned in developing THE VAULT to take the “interaction” to the next level and break the fourth wall, so to speak, for the reader.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
As an indie author I’m not sure we ever figure it out.
I think each story and each novel requires something different. There is no sure-fire way of doing it.
But you have to do everything you can, whatever it takes.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Tell the story you want to read.
Actually the way I approach it is, its not my story, its the characters’ story I’m telling, I’m just trying to present it in the most honest, realistic, respectful and truthful way I can. If the characters don’t like it, then sue me, but it has to be real.
If I’m not entertained by it, neither will anyone else.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Keep going. Don’t stop. And write what inspires me.
What are you reading now?
The Maze Runner series – because its totally out of norm for me.
What’s next for you as a writer?
MERCY STREET research trip to Pennsylvania – it will take me a week.
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?
What are the thickest books you can think of?
Those – because I want as many pages I can use for kindling if I need.
Author Websites and Profiles
Brian Harrison Amazon Profile
Brian Harrison Author Profile on Smashwords
Brian Harrison’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account