Can you
tell readers a little bit about yourself and what inspired to write in this
particular genre?
My name is Christian Brown. I
live in Hawaii, where I was born and raised. I’m an avid beach-goer. I surf,
skim, body board, body surf, dive, and basically spend all my free time in or
near water. I read pretty much everything,
but I write YA/Paranormal Romance. My sisters and wife are young adult
paranormal/supernatural romance fans. I started reading what they were reading
because what they were talking about seemed so interesting. When I began writing
Beyond Heights and Depths, I wanted to write something that would fit into the
genre, but also be considered different from the norm.
What
inspired you to write this book?
I started writing Beyond
Heights and Depths because the story kept playing in my head. I felt like I had
to start writing the story to get it out of my head. It was consuming me. What
triggered it was running into someone I had not seen in a long time. I guess
you could say she was the inspiration for Ash. The story kept playing on from
that point. New ideas would develop and the story would flow over time, but
it’s funny to think everything started from me casually running into someone.
Please
tell us about your latest release.
Beyond Heights and Depths is the first book of the Beyond Heights and
Depths Trilogy. The book follows the journey of Emmett and Ash. Emmett moves to a better neighborhood with the
hope of leaving his troubled past behind and doing everything he can to
reconnect with his lost love, Ash, who is dealing some personal demons of her
own. An accident brings them together, but before they can enjoy their new
relationship they find themselves at the center of a battle between good and evil
that has existed since the beginning of humanity. They are forced on a
nightmarish journey through this world and beyond to stay together.
Do you
have a special formula for creating characters' names? Do you try to match a
name with a certain meaning to attributes of the character or do you search for
names popular in certain time periods or regions?
I start writing, and then I try to go with a name that
fits the character. Most of the time I have a vision of the character in my
head as I am writing, or even before I start writing. The character starts to
take shape, and then I add a name.
Do you have a formula for developing characters?
Like do you create a character sketch or list of attributes before you start
writing or do you just let the character develop as you write?
I like to let the
characters develop as I write. I start with the basic traits I have envisioned
in my head. Every character has to start somewhere. However, I find that the
characters begin to take on a life of their own as I write. As they do, their
traits begin to make their way to the surface. They grow and change without a
lot of external influence from me. They begin to feel very real.
What is
your favorite scene from the book? Could you share a little bit of it, without
spoilers of course?
It’s hard to choose, but I do really love one particular scene in
chapter 5. I love the scene where Em and Ash are sitting in Ash’s living room
eating tacos. It’s late; they are eating junk food. The scene is something that
is familiar and comforting for them – after all kinds of craziness, but also a
scene that readers can easily relate to. The quiet moments are always nice. You
get to see the way they interact together in a more candid way.
What is
the most interesting thing you have physically done for book related research
purposes?
In book two, Emmett decides to take his chances riding enormous waves.
I’m a water person, but I wanted to describe the feeling of riding an enormous
wave in detail, because not everyone is going to experience that. I decided to
take my chances during a massive swell to get the details right. Unlike the
character, I got drilled and nearly drowned. I felt slightly embarrassed, but I
did get the details I was looking for.
Can you
tell readers a little bit about the world building in the book/series? How does
this world differ from our normal world?
A huge chunk of the world Emmett and Ash live in is real. I describe
real places, particularly in Hawaii, that people can visit and see for
themselves right now. The other part of the world is supernatural. It’s
interesting because I describe some supernatural places existing in coexistence
with our own world, but I also built worlds beyond ours. I wanted to build a
heavenly realm that readers could easily envision. I also describe a fiery
hell.
With
the book being part of a series, are there any character or story arcs, that
readers jumping in somewhere other than the first book, need to be aware of?
Can these books be read as stand alones?
They can be read as stand alones. Personally, I don’t like when books
have cliffhangers in the middle of the series. It’s even worse if I have to
wait a long time to find out what happened next.
Do any
of your characters have similar characteristics of yourself in them and what
are they?
Yes, Beyond Heights and Depths is my first novel. As such, I had to
start with what I knew: places, people, things. Some of the characters and
events are loosely based on people and events from my own life, sure, but
eventually the characters took on a life of their own. Specifically, Emmett’s
past and some of his memories are based on real events from my own past.
Initially, his way of thinking and acting is very much the way I was when I was
that age.
Do you
have any weird writing quirks or rituals?
Yes, I have a routine. I usually wait until late at night
to write. I have a specific desk and chair I sit at. I have the television
playing somewhere in the background barely loud enough to hear, usually on some
random cooking show. I also play different types of music from time to time for
inspiration or setting the mood.
When
did you consider yourself a writer?
Honestly, I don’t know. I really didn’t feel like a writer until I was
working on book two of the series. A lot of people call me a writer, but I’m
not sure I’ll ever consider myself a writer. I just enjoy writing. It’s nice
that other people like my works too.
What
are your guilty pleasures in life?
Beach, chocolate, ice cream, and doughnuts. On rare occasions I like a
good craft beer. On extra special occasions I like single malt scotch.
What
can readers expect next from you?
My latest project is another young adult novel, but it is much darker
than Beyond Heights and Depths. It is inspired by a true story. At it’s core,
the book is about a boy and girl who meet again in a psychiatric facility and
their journey from that point. They are both deeply troubled, so it is a rough
journey for them both.
Beyond Height and Depths Trilogy
Book One
Christian Brown
Genre: Paranormal Romance/Young Adult
Publisher: C. Brown Publisher
Date of Publication: January 22, 2013
ISBN: 9781301231515
ASIN: B00B5SKSOO
Number of pages: 200
Word Count: 67,170
Cover Artist: Charli Infante
Cover Artist: Charli Infante
Book Description:
As I awaken in the dark warmth of this terrifying place, laid out on the strangely uneven ground, I open my eyes to see the true horrors this place was built upon…She is supposed to be near where I landed. If I don’t reach her soon, we will be doomed to remain in eternal fire and pain forever.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Are soul mates real, or just a fairy tale? What if you found your soul mate, but you had to fight your way through heaven and hell to stay together. Could you sacrifice everything, even your own soul, for the one you love?
Emmett Goode moves to a more affluent neighborhood with the hope of leaving his troubled past behind, starting fresh at a new school, and more importantly, reconnecting with his lost love, Ash, who is dealing some personal demons of her own. A tragic accident brings them together; unfortunately, before they can enjoy their new relationship they find themselves at the center of a battle between good and evil that has existed since the beginning of humanity, and forced on a harrowing journey through this world and beyond to stay together. Their bond, and the supernatural power it creates, could mean the difference between saving the world, or its destruction.
Is love enough to overcome seemingly impossible odds?
Excerpt:
As
I awaken in the dark warmth of this terrifying place, laid out on the strangely
uneven ground, I open my eyes to see the true horrors this place was built
upon. The hills and valleys are not made of dirt at all but rather the bodies
and remains of various humans and unidentifiable creatures. The uncomfortable
warmth quickly turns to searing heat; with each second that passes my skin slowly
burns away from my body, literally turning to ash and dispersing into the fiery
air. The pain is excruciating. I want to scream in pain, but I quickly realize
that all I can hear are the tortured screams and moans that seem to be coming
from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. I try to move and the skin on my
legs tears away in large grotesque chunks. What am I doing here? I think to
myself, and I remember that I am here for a very specific reason. Where is she?
She is supposed to be near where I landed. If I don’t reach her soon, we will
be doomed to remain in eternal fire and pain forever.
I
turn franticly, looking everywhere, all the while hoping the pain that feels
like burning needles in my eyes doesn’t mean that my eyes are about to fall out
of my head. I feel a sharp jolt in my chest as I peer into the noxious haze
that seems to be growing right before my burning eyes. There, there she is, she
can’t be more than fifty feet away. I can make it to her, just as I thought.
This plan has to work; I only have a minute or two to make this work. Just
then, I realize just how difficult this is going to be. To my left are the
shadows I had seen before, on my right I see the disfigured faces of what I can
only imagine were once human beings descending upon me, and right in front of
Ash is the menacing figure of a twenty foot tall man-beast. Suddenly the
screams and moans stop, only to be replaced by something more sinister. All I
can hear is the malevolent laughter of the creatures that have come to make sure
that we never leave this unholy place. Wake up, Ash, please; I can’t do this
without you.
About the Author:
Christian Brown is a Pastor at Reunion Hawaii. He has been working with youth and young adults for most of the last 10 years. His passion is in helping others. He is the author of the Beyond Heights and Depths Trilogy and has other projects in the works. He currently lives in Honolulu, Hawaii with his wife and two young sons.
Twitter - https://twitter.com/CBrownHI
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