Heevie Jeevies Interview with Jason Brannon

Jason Brannon

Jason Brannon’s stories are nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat reading that makes it hard to put his books down. His story telling embraces the dualistic nature of good and evil. You have to appreciate the skill Brannon has as his richly drawn characters come to life in his books. At times Brannon’s writing is full of slam-bang action and other times he makes you set back and ponder life.  Heevie Heevies is proud to interview this bright and upcoming author.

Heevie Jeevie's: What compelled you to write your first book?

Jason Brannon:My first book was actually a collection of short stories called Puzzles of Flesh. I developed the writing bug in high school, and I started writing short fiction because it didn't seem quite as daunting as a full-blown novel. Little by little, I started finding homes for my fiction in small magazines. That gave me confidence and motivated me to keep writing. Eventually, I got the idea to compile some of those stories into a collection. But the idea wasn't something I started out with. Originally, it was just a short story here and there sold to an online magazine or to a small print outfit.

Heevie Jeevie's: Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Jason Brannon:I'm not sure I've always wanted to be a writer but I've always been a reader. My mother taught me to read before I was two years old so literacy was engrained in me early. We used to go to the library frequently, and I read everything I could get my hands on. That sort of upbringing built the foundation for writing later on.

Heevie Jeevie's:  How did you come up with your titles?

Jason Brannon: Some titles evolve over time. For instance, the original title of my novel The Cage was Caged. The publisher thought The Cage would work better so we went with it. In other cases, the idea for the title comes at the same time as inspiration for the story. The title for Lake October came when I was sitting on my parents' deck and looking out over the small lake that flanks the back of their house. One of my favorite books of all time is Ray Bradbury's The October Country. When trying to come up with a name for the fictional lake in my novel, I decided to pay homage to the book's creator.

As is the case with most of my books or short stories, there isn't a hard and fast rule for anything. Sometimes, I just wing it.

Heevie Jeevie's: Tell us briefly about your latest book.

Jason Brannon: I've actually got three books which have been released recently. The first is Rusty Nails which is a supernatural detective novel. Think the Harry Dresden novels or the television show, Angel. The book has that sort of vibe. It's a story about a second war between fallen angels, a mystical street drug called Rusty Nails that erases guilt, and a young child who knows a secret that holds the key to everything. This book has been around in various incarnations for several years, been sold to a few different publishers, but never seen publication until now. The sequel, Resurrections, Inc., will be out next.

The second of my releases is Lake October. It's a story about a strange presence living in Lake October that demands offerings from local residents. Those who fail to make offerings to The Lady in the Lake learn all too quickly what it's like to feel the punishment of a god.

The third and final release is Quartet. Several years ago I had a novella collection published entitled Winds of Change. Quartet was the middle novella. The story is basically about a string quartet who become trapped inside a conservatory and held captive by a group of sea-dwelling denizens. The quartet's only defense is music which inflicts horrendous pain on the denizens. In order to survive, the quartet must play their instruments indefinitely...or die.

 

Heevie Jeevie's:  What are you working on at the moment?

Jason Brannon: At the moment, I've got a couple different projects going. I'm working on Resurrections Inc (the sequel to Rusty Nails) and Uncaged (the sequel to The Cage). I'm also thinking about revisiting Graffiti (the third novella from Winds of Change).

Heevie Jeevie's: Do you have a favorite character? Why is s/he your favorite?

Jason Brannon: Some of my favorites would be Leland Gaunt from Stephen King's Needful Things, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, John Taylor from Simon R. Green's Nightside series, Merrily Watkins from Phil Rickman's books, Randall Flagg from King's The Stand...honestly, there are a lot of great characters I love. I should probably stop now because there isn't room to list them all.

Of my own characters, I'd say Captain Jack Omaha from The Cage. Although his fate seemed a bit uncertain at the end of The Cage, we will be seeing more of him.

Heevie Jeevie's: How did you feel the day you held the copy of your first book in your hands? 

Jason Brannon: Disappointed, actually. The first version of Puzzles of Flesh featured a cover that the publisher did on her own. It was horrendous and not at all what I had hoped for. I suppose I should have been more focused on the fact that I had actually gotten a book published, but at the time, all I could focus on was how dreadful the cover art was and how I would have loved something different. Eventually, a second edition of the book was printed with a different cover. I was a little happier the second go 'round. Looking back now, that book was part of the learning process and a stepping stone toward where I am now.

Heevie Jeevie's:  The main characters of your stories – do you find that you put a little of yourself into each of them or do you create them to be completely different from you?

Jason Brannon:There are little bits and pieces of me in everything I do. Maybe it comes through in dialogue when a character uses a phrase that I'm known to use. Or possibly in the way a setting is described-this is particularly valid when reading my Southern horror novella, The Order of the Bull. I've even written entire stories based on small experiences that I've had-an early tale called The Pond was based on a small pond that I used to explore as a boy.

Heevie Jeevie's: When growing up, did you have a favorite author, book series, or book?

Jason Brannon: I never had an author that I called my favorite until I discovered Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles in high school. From there I read, The October Country, The Illustrated Man, Fahrenheit 451, Something Wicked This Way Comes, A is for Apple, and on and on. I read everything by him I could get my hands on. He was and still remains my favorite author. Everything he wrote had the ability to turn on a dime. One moment he could write something beautiful and poetic only to write something ugly and savage the next. The Martian Chronicles is still my favorite book.