Interview With Author Kevin Bryant
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am an Army veteran and a former Special agent that has turned to writing books because I’m a glutton for punishment. I have written one fiction book (that I scrapped after two years!) and another nonfiction book (being published after eight years of research and writing).
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The name of my current book is Spies on the Sidelines: The High-Stakes World of NFL Espionage. It is all about how teams spy on each other trying to gain a game day advantage, the various collection methods used to do this, and the countermeasures employed to defend against these efforts. I became intrigued by the subject after Spygate and began wondering how much spying goes on in the NFL. After about a month of research I realized nobody had that answer. So, I set out to to answer that question.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
No (as I sit here typing at 1:30 in the morning). Hmmm, I don’t know about strange habits. I’m pretty methodical. Everything is a process for me. I have stages of review: Rough draft, clean it up, polish, polish again, insert humor, review for word choice, fact check . . . it takes forever, but that’s how I’m wired.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
As for influences, I’ve always wanted to write. It’s just a need. It simply took me a long time to find a topic that fit me. As someone with a bachelor’s degree in history and master’s degrees in intelligence studies and sports management, and having worked for 23 years for the Department of Defense collecting and protecting information, I felt like the topic of spying in football just fit me. More than anything I love to read fantasy (especially Robert Jordan). That inspired me to try writing fiction, but I crashed and burned. That failure told me to move along to nonfiction.
What are you working on now?
I’m writing a follow-up to Spies on the Sidelines about spying in college football, which sounds like almost the same book but is actually very different. I don’t want to give away too many secrets and spoilers here. I have about ten ideas for additional books floating around in my head as well, so I just need to make sure I live to 200 to finish them all.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
The website for Spies on the Sidelines is https://www.spiesonthesidelines.com. All the purchase options for the hardcover, ebook, and audiobook are there, as well as author information, social media handles, and information about upcoming podcast, radio, and tv interviews.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you’re writing for money, get a job at McDonalds instead. Seriously! But if you just can’t stop writing because you have a story that has to get out, well, welcome to the club. As for real advice, have fun with it, keep your day job, and just refuse to quit!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Try to get advice and feedback during the writing process. This will save you a lot of time in the long run if flaws and issues can be identified early. Hopefully you’re reading this advice early in the writing process (instead of six years into your book like I was).
What are you reading now?
Right now I’m reading three books at the same time. I’m rereading Wheel of Time (book 2), reading a random David Baldacci book that was in a freebie pile (I give a lot of stray books a home), and reading Twilight (book 1 in French).
What’s next for you as a writer?
For the next six months or so I’m going to be promoting Spies on the Sidelines like crazy. After that madness slows down a little bit I’m going to get back to working on book two. I’m not sure where this crazy adventure of being a newly published author will lead, but it’s exciting nonetheless and I’m looking forward to hearing how everyone likes the book.
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?
I would take Huckleberry Finn (Nobody makes me laugh like Mark Twain); the entire Wheel of Time series (I’ll have them smuggled in via contraband if needed), and what I have written of my book 2 (because I’m not starting over from scratch).
Author Websites and Profiles
Kevin Bryant’s Social Media Links