What’s The Story?
Bestselling writer and journalist Kevin Flanagan interviews exciting new voices in the world of publishing. This week it is E. Michael Brehm.
Michael Brehm was born in Weyawega where he had, to quote his own words, “the immense good fortune to live in a house full of books.” He trained as an actor and has been a teacher, a profession he loves. But he has gone back to his first true love with the writing and publication of his first book: Pawns in a Larger Game (The Immortal Wager Saga Book 1)
Michael, you have said that the glam-rock band Queen inspired your first book series. Tell us about that . . .
It came from “Who Wants to Live Forever?” from the A Kind of Magic album. I found it when my wife and I were putting items together for a sale, and for some reason the title stuck. We all might like longevity but do we really want immortality? Wouldn’t it get dull after a while? And if you were a god who wished to relieve that boredom, what kind of repercussions would your actions have on the mortal realm? In the series, Death and Fortune begin with a game, but when gods play games, can mortals really win?
What inspired you to write a series rather than a one-off book? From the beginning, it had to be a trilogy. The story is simply too large to fit in a one-off.
The hardest part of writing is . . . recognizing that writing and editing are two different processes. It’s when I start the re-writing and recognize what absolute rubbish the first draft really was.
Where do you like to write – what is your routine? I have a day job, so I write whenever I can, but I’m best if I hit it first thing in the morning for as long as I can. I have a corner of the basement with minimal distractions, and I slip off to that whenever possible.
How long did it take you to write your latest book? Start to finish, about a year-and-a-half. I’m trying to be faster with the next one.
What do you do when you are not writing – do you have a day job? I teach World History and Political Science full time, both of which provide ample inspiration.
Do you work with an outline or just write? I have a file called “Plans” which contains a very loose outline for all three books, so I know what needs to happen when, but the day-to-day is just writing.
How important is marketing and social media? I’m a self-published indie, and for us I think it falls into two camps. If you just want to write a book because you have a story inside of you, then best wishes to you, and you don’t need to bother with marketing. But if you’d like anyone other than your immediate family and friends to read it, then I think marketing and social media becomes crucial.
What advice would you have for other writers? Write something daily, or as close to daily as you can, and don’t worry if it’s awful.
What’s your next step? Back to the basement office for Book Two, which when finished will be Knights on a Bloody Field.
Pawns in a Larger Game (The Immortal Wager Saga Book 1) is available here and here
Kevin Flanagan has published two bestsellers: Maximum Points – Minimum Panic and Everyday Genius. He is the MD of the BecreativeMediaGroup which has created supplements for The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and The Sunday Times. kevin@becreative.ie
