Firstborn

New Blog

2010-06-21T17:32:00.001-06:00

After much debate, blood, sweat, and tears, I have now established a new blog. This one is dedicated to me as an author and not just the first book in the series.

Come and check it out! And don't forget to grab a copy of The Overseer, book 2 in the Firstborn series - available wherever fine Christian books are sold!

http://conlanbrown.blogspot.com

Another Trek

2009-06-28T08:27:00.002-06:00

I'm a little tired. A little sick. And a lot busy.

I'm leaving today for Cornerstone Music Festival 2009 to promote and sell my book. It's a huge financial risk with a scary lack of prospects on return. I just drove all the way out to my friend Steve's in Maryland for his wedding last week - and now I'm getting ready to drive from Colorado back to Illinois again. All while sick and stressed.

Ten years from now I'm going to look back at this trip and think "wow, that was awesome! I had such a great adventure!" but right now I'd really like your prayers :)

Sequential

2009-05-24T19:03:00.003-06:00

So, the book has been out for about two and a half weeks now, and life is starting to get back to normal. I have a lot of events and stuff still left to do, but I feel like a real person again. Less exhausted and "out-of-body".

I have a lot of work to get done on the sequel before the first week of June. At that point my stuff is going to be pitched to see if the sequel is getting published. I'm optimistic, but with the PW review, even if Strang doesn't want the book I'm certain someone will.

The biggest challenge right now is making sure that the sequel has all the same elements that people liked about the first book. I have a pretty good idea about what I think those things are, but I have also been talking to readers. It's always exciting for me to find out what worked about the first book that people would like to see more of, so this is a very cool time for me.

Please comment if you have any thoughts about what you liked about the first book elements that you would like to see carried through.

What immortal hand or eye?

2009-05-18T00:46:00.004-06:00

It's been more than ten days since my book came out, and I'm still not sure it's real.

I went to Colorado Christian Writer's Conference this last week and won an award for showing great promise. I spoke to agents and authors alike who told me that I have a bright future ahead of me. All so strange.

I've sold copies of the book to family members and strangers alike. Today I did a book signing at the bookstore whose coffee shop I wrote most of the book in. We sold out the entire store's stock in just under three hours.

It's weird to think that anyone would buy a book I wrote. Stranger still to think they would actually read it. When you're writing a book you get to play god for that tiny universe, but then it goes to print and it's a bit like letting a wild tiger off its leash. It's free now. The story belongs to the world - to love or forget.

I was told this last week that getting published is like winning the lottery, the odds are so astronomical; even with talent factored in. Of all the fierce creatures of the imagination, how is it that mine is the one to be unleashed? But there it is: my tiger, unleashed upon the world.

I wonder: where is my tiger tonight?

Love and Marriage and Publishing

2009-05-05T02:33:00.004-06:00

Having a book released on shelves is a big deal. But scary. Nerve wracking. Intense.

It's not that I'm afraid that people will think the book is bad, or that it won't sell. Yes, I have considered those things, and they do worry me, but those things can be brushed aside for a while. The trouble is what I've seen while running a camera.

Some of you may know that I've done some professional wedding videography. As a result I have had a birds-eye view of everything that happens. And it is not at all uncommon for people to be seriously neurotic before the big service begins. It's not so much that you're scared (though there must be some fear, I'm certain), you are probably even giddy with joy. No, you are nervous because you know that in another twenty minutes you will filing your income tax jointly, sharing everything (including the things you don't want to share... or have shared with you) and becoming 'one flesh'.

In other words: Everything you know about your life, and your world, is about to change.

It's a happy day. A day of celebration. But after today you start a new life. Exciting? Yes. Familiar? No. You're off the map, below the radar, you've taken the red pill and you're going to find out just how deep the rabbit hole goes - and there really isn't any going back.

I noticed a funny phenomenon while shooting weddings: Brides who are nervous wrecks until two minutes before the ceremony, then calm. And grooms who are cool and collected until the same final minutes - at which point, they usually freak.

Needing to get the approach shots of the bride, I am almost always standing next to the groom when the panic sets in, and I have always offered these words: "You're only ever as married as you are in your heart. Do you love her?" the unquestioning 'yes'. "Then go out there and put a ring on her finger."

If there is one thing I have learned through all of this, it is that you are only ever as published as they are in your heart. I love what I do. Now it's just time to seize the brass ring.

Sh'ma Yisrael

2009-04-24T23:33:00.008-06:00

For those of you who know me know that I do not like much religious music. Too often music is confused for worship (which simply means: to bring worth to). And like any form of highly intimate connection, I don't want to watch it in public.

It's just a thing. I'm certain I'm being ridiculous.

However, I've been going to my brother's church for a while now, and they have a weekly tradition that I'm growing very fond of.

In keeping with the Jewish tradition, every Friday night (the regular service night) they blow the Shofar (ram's horn) and sing the Sh'ma Yisrael. It is a traditional Jewish prayer/song and every week it gives me chills.

It started at Christmas when everyone was at my home, sitting in a circle, and we completed the prayer. My brother laughed and said that he had the sudden urge to sing the Sh'ma (as they do after a circled prayer at his church), and my niece, Allanna, having heard the words, began to sing.

Allanna is three. And adorable. She and her brother are included in the dedication of my book. She, at three, knows and sings the Sh'ma - with perfect pitch. Out of everything that happened that night I was most touched by that moment.

I have since seen her at home, coloring in a coloring book, singing to herself. Again, the Sh'ma.

Sh'ma Yis'ra'eil Adonai Eloheinu Adonai echad.
(Hear, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.)
Barukh sheim k'vod malkhuto l'olam va'ed.
(Blessed be the Name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever.)

This week I heard a story of a Jewish family that sang the Sh'ma every Friday night. The wife would hold their son, and the husband, hand on his child's head, would recite the ancient prayer. As their son grew taller it became harder to hold him - and as time went on he began to stand next to his mother (her arm around him) as his father would put his hand on his son's head.

Eventually the son grew so tall that he could not be held, and the father was too short to touch his head, but still they performed the prayer every Friday night.

Thinking of small children and this ancient prayer touch me in a place deeper than words can describe.

I am currently learning the Sh'ma, myself. Someday I hope to rock my children to sleep while singing the Sh'ma to them. To see my own children learn and sing the words that were uttered by so many martyrs before their deaths. A sweet sentiment that I long, with every ounce of my heart, body, mind, and soul, to share with my family someday.

The thought of my own daughter singing that prayer is the stuff that makes me want a family of my own more than anything else.

Exciting times

2009-04-23T15:06:00.002-06:00

Just got off the phone with another reporter. This will make the fourth paper running a story on me. And if this is big enough for these local markets, then it's probably time to start looking at bigger markets for news coverage.

Yesterday morning started with an email with some unofficial news that I am not fully at liberty to share - but bookstores are picking up my book. Quite a few of them, apparently. There are some very good signs in regard to this book so far. It's probably a result of the PW review I got. Which - how did that happen to me, again?

I was also notified about a web interview that has been requested with me. That, and I am attending Cornerstone music festival in June/July and was going to need 1,000 books shipped there for the event - which was going to be expensive.

Turns out the books are printed in Peoria Illinois, just up the road from Bushnell, which is where the festival is. That means no shipping cost. Not like we were looking at, at least. How is my luck this good?

Then I went to the dentist and was told that my tooth dead, that it has abscessed and exploded once already, will probably do it again, and that I need root canal, an implant, and several fillings. All to the tune of $6,000+ dollars.

That's when your luck looks pretty bad.

Then I got a call from my dad. He'd been to a very unhelpful and depressing job fair. No good job news. But he had been interviewed by one of the papers that was there (900 people, and they talked to my dad?) so my dad suggested they do an article on me. The reporter gave him a business card, and that's who I just called.

While I was on the phone with my dad telling me to call this person he also got a package in the mail. It was for me. It was my advance copy of the book.

I hung up on my dad and drove at an unsafe speed to my parent's house where I stared - out of body - at my very first copy of the book. Held it in my hands. Read the pages. Pinched myself.

What the HECK is going on?

All these doors keep opening. All these good things keep happening. The only option I'm really seeing is that through all the terrible stuff that's going on in the world, God has chosen to bless this.

But why me? I don't deserve this kind of favor. There are better writers out there who have been waiting YEARS for the chance to even get a book on shelves, much less have the chances that I've gotten.

It's not fair.

To all you real writers out there that deserve this more than I do - I'm sorry.

And so, for now, I owe it to all those who are still trying to make the most of what I've been given. Not to squander what so many would die to have a shot at.

Humility doesn't always come easy to me, but this is one of those times when I can't help but feel unjustified favor.

As good as shoplifting...

2009-04-17T12:48:00.005-06:00

I'm kind of a thrill junkie. This is starting to become apparent to me.

Right now I'm trying to start buzz about my book. As a result I'm trying to get word out - not just to the masses, but to the people who will actually read my book.

So there I was, in the public library. I was going to talk to an old friend of mine who is now a librarian, and I had a stack of seriously awesome promotional bookmarks in my hand. Sadly the friend was not there, and so I could not use them to get him excited about the book and hopefully set something up with the library. I was about to leave when I looked up and saw a Ted Dekker novel sitting on the shelf.

I thought to myself: "Self, I really wish I could give a bookmark to the person who checks that book out." They're exactly the kind of person who will like my book. Maybe I could just stand here until someone checks it out, and hand them a bookmark. Right?

Then I had another thought: if I put the bookmark in the book, then the person who checks it out will have a bookmark. Laser-guided, targeted marketing genius!

But I wasn't certain that was something I was allowed to do. So I surreptitiously walked over to the book and hid a bookmark in its pages, hoping no one saw. It was a bit thrilling. So I did it again with another book. And then I was hooked.

I managed to unload a stack of about 60 bookmarks in targeted novels all over the library. And then I did it again at another library the next day, and started hitting all the libraries in town. And yesterday I went into the last library in town.

I went in with a stack of about 150 bookmarks, and went to work in one of the most open library environments I've ever seen. Getting caught was a real possibility! So I kept working as quickly and quietly as possible, hiding bookmarks in the pages of assorted thrillers.

And then I had an idea. All the new releases and wildly popular books were located at the front of the library. If I put bookmarks in those they would be sure to get circulation, right? So I took the rest of my marketing ammo up front and went for the books.

Most awesome of all was the librarian working on a computer cart two feet from me. Occasionally she would look my way, so I had to be super careful.

It was AWESOME. A huge thrill. Like Wynona Rider shoplifting things she had more than enough money for - just for the thrill.

I felt like Captain Mal Reynolds pulling off the train job. I was pulling off my caper right under the noses of Alliance troops, and that was the best part of all: it made it that much more fun!

When I stop and consider, the whole thing is pretty ridiculous. Chances are good that if I just asked they would let me do it. But what's the fun in that?

I'll be mellow when I'm dead

2009-04-03T20:44:00.002-06:00

I made mention today of what I want my funeral to be like. My brother told me I needed to write it down for my children (assuming I actually make it that long - and find a special enough lady who would want to bear my offspring). Since that group of people might not ever exist I have decided that I must write this down somewhere.

I want my funeral to go as follows:

My body:
Cremation. I don't want to have a "body". I've spent too much of my life fidgeting and not sitting in any one place for any period of time to have a "final resting place". Cook my body and spread the ashes - EVERYWHERE. If they can be sent to space that would be best. I've had to do enough staying put in life that I don't want to be stuck in a single geographical location for ANY amount of time.

The service:
15 minutes. No open mic. Someone deliver the plan of salvation, show a PowerPoint presentation of my life (throw in some pictures of Batman, James Bond, and John Williams as you see fit) set to the 1812 Overture. At the end of the song I want real canons firing. Heck, shoot some of my ashes out of one of them.

After:
Throw a party and celebrate the living. Don't be sorry about the things you never said or expressed to me. By then I won't care. Find someone still living and love on them. Don't bring me flowers: I can't smell worth a darn in life and they'll mean nothing to me in death. Honor my memory by giving them to someone who is still around - so you'll never have to regret that you didn't when their comes.

And so, with a heavy heart, and a mind filled with the mortality of man, I have considered these morbid thoughts and say this: I love you all. I appreciate you now. And my life is full because of all of you.

No point in waiting until it's too late.

Reviews

2009-04-01T22:44:00.003-06:00

I haven't given much thought to reviews up until now. I remember have bouts of panic when considering what others might say. But for the most part I just didn't think about it. And then last week my contact in the marketing department at my publishing company contacted me, letting me know that Christian retailers was going to be reviewing my book.

That's when it set in. "Uh-oh, whatever will they say?" I got all jittery and flustered and waited for the dreaded Monday morning email telling me the review was up and that I could look at it. I would hold my breath while the site loaded and wait for. . . ?

Would I get panned? A pat on the head? Or worst of all, would they simply say "Meh".

Monday came. I rolled over, grabbed my laptop and checked my email.

No review.

There had been a caveat that the review might not go live until Tuesday, so I wait until the next day, woke up anxiously, hoping for the best, and. . .

No review.

That afternoon my mom came over (cooking all the food in my refrigerator that was not going to get cooked by a couple of bachelors) and I sat at my kitchen table, working. I kept checking my email - surely that blasted review would go live any moment and I'd be able to look it over and be done with it. Just a simple synopsis of the book and an "it beats a sharp stick in the eye".

No review.

So I did what any logical person would do: I got onto Google and typed in "Conlan Brown Review". After all, there could be other reviews up by now that could be kind of cool. Right? That's when I saw the link for Publisher's Weekly. . .

And there was a review.

Now, you should understand something: Publisher's Weekly is THE magazine of books. All books. This includes things like Comic Strip Anthologies. If Penguin books gets new management this is where you will find this news. It is THE trade journal of the book industry. The Wall Street Journal of printed media. The odds of getting a review with them are less than 10%. And just because you get a review doesn't mean they have anything nice to say about you.

But that wasn't what was going through my head. What I was thinking was "Huh, that can't be right. I'll check this out and see if they really did do a review of my book. . . because that just doesn't seem right".

And I found this:

The Firstborn Conlan Brown. Strang Communications/Realms, $13.99 paper (304p)
ISBN 978-1-59979-607-9

Author prodigy Brown is one to watch after this roaring entrance into Christian suspense fiction. Three prophetic Christian orders called “The Firstborn” must set aside their differences to thwart a terrorist plot. The Firstborn are descendants of a great resurrection that happened after the resurrection of Jesus. Each of the three main characters has a different gift: one enjoys foresight, another has hindsight, and the third, insight. Dialogue and action drive the story in settings that leapfrog across
the United States. The dialogue sermonizes but does so in a zingy way (“And yet
your God hates all the same people as you,” John replied gravely. “How convenient”). Tension is generated by hostage situations, chases and shootouts intended to stop a terrorist bombing. The author gives readers a huge cast to sort out and religious and political world views to wrestle with throughout. Christian suspense thriller readers will cheer for the Firstborn and for this new voice on the scene. (May)

And that, by the way, is a really positive review.

The result. I started to shake. Got a little bit out-of-body and began to make noises that made my dead ol' mum worry if I was about to have a seizure. I stared at the wall - a total zombie for the better part of an hour. My mom even drug me to her chiropractic appointment because she didn't think it wise to leave me alone.

When we got back I had an email. It said that I had gotten a PW review and that it was "very positive". Since I already knew that I mostly just smiled. Then I learned that I was the only novelist from by publishing company to get a PW review as of yet. Moreover, mine was the only Christian book to be included in the PW roundup this month.

That's kind of a big deal.

This morning I got notice that the Christian Retailing review had posted. It went as follows:

The Firstborn
Conlan Brown
Realms Fiction (Strang Book Group)
softcover, 304 pages, $13.99
978-1-599-79607-9
The Firstborn, a thriller by new author Brown, jumps immediately into overdrive and doesn't slow down. The opening sequence erupts with heart-pounding action, daring escapes and a victory that leaves the reader wanting more.

Brown introduces us to The Firstborn, made up of three groups: the Domani (those that see the future), Prima (those that see the past) and the Ora (those that see the present), all descendants of those resurrected during the resurrection of Christ. Mistrust fractures The Firstborn as each group can only see the purpose of their own
gifting and misunderstand the significance of the other two groups, making
allegorical asides about the spiritual gifts within the church.
When a member of one of the groups decides to murder an Islamic holy man, the rest must learn to put aside their differences to stop a terrorist attack threatening the
lives of hundreds of innocent children. As the characters race against time to
save lives, readers can almost hear the tense turning of the clock from the TV
show 24

The Firstborn is an addictive adventure and written with such
quality that it's hard to believe it's Brown's debut.

-Jeff Jones

So, now I need to not blow it. I've got a lot going for me. I've been very lucky, and very blessed.

Things are extremely exciting - and for the first time so far, I'm starting to think I might really have a future in this business :)

So, wherever you. Whatever you're doing. Know that dreams do come true. And I sincerely hope yours do too.

Whatever it takes

2009-03-25T10:10:00.003-06:00

Whatever it takes.

That should be my family motto. I was raised in a weird family with lots of strange habits - but first and foremost on that list would be drive. The notion that when the going gets tough, the tough get going. From a very early age it has been instilled in me that you can either be a victim or a volunteer.

But my battle just got a little more uphill. Yesterday my father was officially given notice that he is being laid-off. After 36 years with the same company, he is going to lose his job 4 months before he was scheduled to retire - which, of course, means no retirement to draw from.

My father is a survivor. If nothing else - he will ALWAYS find a way to survive and to provide for those in his life (at this point that's just my mom). He's a fighter, not a quitter - whatever it takes.

Man, just one more thing. And I'm starting to develop a major dental problem as one of my molars is shattering a little more each day. But I have to soldier on. Make this book a success and be there for my folks.

I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can do this.
I may not believe that at the moment, but I have to keep saying it. I have to do this -

-Whatever it takes.

Personal musings...

2009-03-22T14:50:00.002-06:00

My uncle Carl passed away suddenly yesterday. He was young - a little younger than my dad. He left behind a wife and four daughters.

These are the moments when faith starts to make sense.

Carl was a missionary in Russia, behind the Iron Curtain for years before the wall came down in the late 80s. But he still did work in that part of the world. Was still a missionary and a teacher. He'd been living in Germany the last few years, flying in and out of his mission zone on a regular basis.

He lived in the states for a while a few years back. I used to go do evangelism on the UNC and CSU campuses on a weekly basis. I got to know him then. I liked him.

A few months back he was doing a talk at a local church about the current state of Russia - a topic I had recently gotten interested in. I had wanted to write a novel about the post-Soviet Russia and he just happened to be discussing exactly that at a local church. What luck.

But I chose not to go. I was busy or something. Mostly just a codeword for lazy. I figured I'd see him soon enough and that I'd just pick his brain on the subject then. I enjoyed my conversations with him well enough that I would wind up talking to him at some point at some family gathering.

But there was no next time. That was the last chance I would ever have to talk to him - and I chose to skip it. And there will never be another chance to talk to him again. Just like that: poof.

We happen fast, us human beings. We plan on a future that isn't always waiting for us. There's no explaining it, or coming up with any meaning for why these things happen. Solomon warned us against that: a chasing after the wind.

But through it all my faith tells me that Carl's best is ahead of him, instead of behind him. That he has a home for his soul, and that because of the teachings of Jesus--his widow and children will be taken care of. We--his family--will be there to care for those that were most important to him.

Yes, this is the stuff that reminds me why I'm a believer. Sure, an atheist can still take care of widows and orphans--and still have some measure of comfort in the face of misfortune--but not like this. Good luck explaining it to those who don't believe, but for those of us that do, you know what I'm talking about. Peace that has nothing to do with human understanding--that surpasses understanding.

So here I am, free of pretense, simply saying what I believe: that I have a hope and I know where it comes from.

Hug someone you love today. We humans happen faster than we like to think.

Scenes and Scenses

2009-03-20T12:59:00.002-06:00

I'm getting ready to write a meeting scene. Very important, very pivotal. And yet the sucker really isn't going to eat words. Why? Because I don't think words are all that important.

My apologies to all my brothers and sisters in the field of writing, but I have to be true to myself: I hate to write boring stuff. Yes, the scene could be made longer by describing the conference room in minuscule detail, or by starting off the meeting with people getting coffee and thinking about the swirling creamer that makes clouds in the cup as they consider.... blah.

Dig out my eyes with a spatula!

I DON'T CARE what the itinerary feels like in someone's hands. I could care less about who is wearing what and standing where. All I care about is who is there, what they're talking about -- and most important -- how this ramps up the conflict to the point that the audience now has an intimate understanding that somebody, somewhere is about to have a VERY bad day that will end with the loss of limbs.

Just had to get that out. Now I'm going to write a scene with lots of florid prose about how manila envelopes feel to the touch and the smell of linseed oil.

Good Times

2009-03-19T16:07:00.005-06:00

I had a very good day a few weeks back and I’ve been riding out a lot of things since then.

Good day. Hmm, what happened? Let’s see. It was the day Mike Dellosso’s Scream hit shelves. I wanted to help him out so I did what I could. The trailer he’d done for his book had obvious value, but Mike is working with more limited tools than those that I had at my disposal, so I remade his trailer and released it online.

Insert trailer HERE.

The trailer was a hit. I was even sent a message from the IT guy at Strang, asking for a copy so that he could post it officially, and that he wanted to get more of those done for Realms books.

I also went to Family Christian Bookstore in my local Greeley mall, and talked to the manager. Very helpful. Very encouraging. Provided me with a few great sources.

And then the biggie came: the new cover art. Realms did not ultimately go with my rendering. Instead, their design department took my idea and turned it into a massively popular design that has taken on a life of its own. So amazingly cool.

Insert new cover HERE.

That night I received a reply email from bestselling author Robert Liparulo. I had asked if I could pick his brain some before my scheduled paid appointment with him at Colorado Christian Writer’s Conference. Not only did he agree, he actually wanted to set up a phone meeting.

And that was the moment when I thought to myself: “Self, today has been a very, very good day.”

About a week later I had an awesome birthday. Saw Slumdog Millionaire with good company, and had my phone meeting with Mr. Liparulo. Long story, but WHAT A GREAT GUY! We wound up chatting for four hours on the phone. Sure, he answered my questions, but I also just really enjoyed talking with him about books, movies, music and John Williams. That’s right—he’s met, nay, Interviewed, the John Williams. All while he told me about his recent exploits in Hollywood (he has four movie projects he’s working on right now!).

Anyway, he’s a great writer and an even better guy. His new book Deadlock just came out. It’s a follow-up to Deadfall, and they should both be purchased and read.

And while you’re at—don’t forget to buy nine copies of The Firstborn, hitting shelves May 5th, 2009, and get all your friends to do the same!

Red letter.

2009-03-04T01:48:00.001-07:00

Today has been a very, very good day.

Details to follow.

Getting From A to B

2009-02-28T15:03:00.000-07:00

Story is about creating a satisfying experience. Is a satisfying conclusion—or set of conclusions—starting at point A and landing on point B. And this isn't just “Once upon a time” Point A, leading to “Happily ever after,” Point B. That's part of it, but there is also an element of moving from one leg of the trip to another. Where things end is a form of satisfaction, but if you get there in a boring or incoherent way, then no matter how you end you still have a boring, incoherent story.
And that's bad.

So, here I am again. The bane of my authorial existence. The guy who never wants for words—I'm just trying to get the story right. I've had moments in other books where I said to myself: “Self, just keep the story rolling and move on to the next thing.”

Inevitably those places where I implemented that strategy have been the weakest portions of any work that I've written. Those are the portions that people complain about—and I am ultimately dissatisfied with.

So I find myself thinking—someone just tell me what to write. I don't care how I get there, I just want to know what happens next in the story. There are a million ways to get there and I just wish someone would tell me one that they prefer so I can at least say SOMEONE liked one way better than another. All this because frankly—this section of the story bores me and every path to get to the next part bores me too. Someone tell me an interesting way to do the next part and I'll gladly write it with gusto.

And since I don't know how Angelo tells everyone that if they do what they want to the Universe Will Implode, then I guess that I'll just write a blog post instead.

Oh, the tangled...

2009-02-23T16:23:00.005-07:00

My website is up now. Visit it by clicking HERE. You can also visit by clicking HERE. Or HERE, if you haven't managed the other two.

The thing was a bear to learn how to make. It still isn't perfect, but I like what I have. What's more, I had some difficulty getting the thing posted. My very good friend Aaron helped me post it--even providing me with the domain name and hosting. All free of charge to me for the moment. So, if you're listening A-Train, my hat is off to you.

However, the Place Holder page he put up simply said:

CONLAN BROWN

He will make all your dreams they will come true (sic)

That has now been resolved and the real site is there instead.

Also got my back cover copy (bcc) which is all the stuff they write on the back of the book. I like it a lot, but I'm tweaking, hoping I'll be able to conjur up just the right.... (French word for "I don't know what") that will make people want to read the first page and then rush to the checkout line to buy three copies.

Anyway, the website (conlanbrown.com) is live, and kicking. Check it out. Tell your friends. Buy seven copies when it comes out. Get all your friends to do the same...

...And all your dreams they will come true.

The Science of Art

2009-02-18T14:16:00.004-07:00

Long story, but the cover art to the book is getting replaced. We're going to scrap the original idea, it looks like. At least that's how things are looking at this point. The old art is good, but some investigation led me to believe that it might not be best for the book.

The result was a very scary conference call with Strang. It wasn't scary because of anything bad. It was just very hard on my frayed nerves to talk with the VP of marketing about my research about the book cover and say "I actually think that this cover will... um... you know... uh.... hurt the book"

I also found out yesterday from my good friend Jeff Gerke that a book cover costs $3,500 to have made. That means I was on the phone with a very important person with a company that has taken a very big risk on a very little fish in a very little pond and said: "I'd like you to take the $3,500 investment you made in this book... and throw that money away."

It's that kind of scary.

The conference call lasted 15 minutes. 15 minutes? That's it?

Well, it was a really great 15. The people I spoke to were very supportive, and said that they would do a new cover. That there would not be an endless revision process (money constraints) but that they would bring in a new vision for the cover. A vision they asked me to aticulate in writing. And did I mention they were also looking at samples I had sent them?

My good friend Lee Vary was a lifesaver and swooped in, making sample book covers in less than 24 hours!!

Anyway, they liked the stuff and said we would be going in the direction I suggested. So I spent hours and hours and hours researching book covers, finding trends, looking at color schemes, reading up on the stuff and came up with a final design that I'm asking them to consider.

Moreover, I'm asking them to consider using my rendering. This is a kind of gutsy move (with more than a little bravado) but the layout has generated a LOT of positive feedback, and I think it will be good for the book.

But, even if they don't use my exact cover, they are at least taking the design in a direction that I feel is better for the book.

Until next time, good people of Cyberspace...

Rockin' Robin -- Tweet, tweet!

2009-02-09T10:05:00.002-07:00

So, I'm on Twitter now.

Yes, I sold my soul to the cyber-devil. I accept this but this is the world we live in and what fun would the world be if you weren't drowning in a sea of data and technology-driven anomia?

But I'm enjoying the heck out of Twitter and invite you all to check me out at:
http://twitter.com/ConlanBrown

Until next time, Space Rangers....

Once more unto the breach...

2009-02-08T19:39:00.004-07:00

It's been over a month since I posted.

Why? Because I'm lame. But here's how life has been.
I got my first round of edits a week before they were due to me. I completed the first round in less than a week. In other words: I finished my first round of edits BEFORE I was supposed to get them. They consisted 140 comments. Half were compliments. The other half were mostly things like: these two scenes could really just be one scene—please write a transition between them.

This I can do.

We traded back and forth for a while. And it got done. Early. (I think).
Then the copy edit began. This mostly consisted of getting emails that said things like “Wait, Devin's jacket was shot full of holes like a block of swiss cheese—and yet he still has it. Does it still have holes?” And I write an email that says: “My bad. Just delete the last jacket reference.”

And the peasants rejoice.

We're also working on things like: a sequel. My contract is only for one book, with an option for two more. And last week my editor expressed that she is not only interested in getting the ball rolling on getting the sequel acquire, she's also stoke about the concept I chose (Human trafficking and the underbelly of the sex industry). She also let me know that they are planning to use the trinity knot (triquetra) as a “ding-bat” between scene breaks and pov shifts in the text of the novel.

And the author rejoices.

And to top it all off I got the revised cover art.
This is still absolutely, positively not the direction I would have gone if I had been in charge of the cover design process. But I'm also not a professional marketer or graphic designer. But it looks really cool none the less.

It's covered.

2008-12-31T13:14:00.003-07:00

I got my cover art last week. We're talking about tweaking the characters to more closely resemble them as they are described in the book. But here it is:

It looks a lot like a superhero book. Which could be awesome for sales. Hopefully our "tweakings" will result in a more traditional, but equally striking thriller design for the characters.

Drama King

2008-12-22T23:01:00.002-07:00

I'm currently trying to crank out another trailer. The last one was pretty good, but it just isn't doing it for me. I'm certain I can do better. Just my personal thoughts.

As a result I have been watching a lot of internet trailers and stumbled across the new trailer for 'X-Men Orgins: Wolverine'. As a big fan of Hugh Jackman, the character of Wolverine, and the X-Men franchise, I was deeply interested.

Since this would be my first time watching the trailer I decided to document my gut-level feelings regarding the trailer in the hopes that these would lend some creative insight to me while working on the next video for my own work.

I eventually watched the trailer in its entirety three times. Each time I walked away with something new, writing them down. The result was an idea I lay out below: Meta-drama. The despised younger sibling to Melodrama (which I'm a pretty big fan of) and the grandchild of actual drama (which is King).

Now for the disclaimers:
My ultimate diagnosis of the trailer is poor. This does not mean that I expect the film to be bad, or that I am not going to see the film the day it releases. It just means that the fine people who created this trailer didn't have me in mind when they made it, and they did not do work that would have changed my mind about the film if I hadn't already decided to see the movie back when I first heard they were making it (like a year ago). Also, many of these lines are for me. They may not make sense to all of you (they're just the thoughts I had whilst journaling my experience).

If you would like to watch the trailer you can see it....

Here!

So, here it is--my thoughts:

WOLVERINE TRAILER:
Abstract & Analysis

1st viewing.

Too much action.
Pacing is important.
The opening draws attention, but quickly slips into a repetitive loop of flashy action.
No personal conflict or drama is clearly delineated after the opening.
The narrative of the trailer showcases the most over-the-top elements, neglecting story for glitz.

2nd viewing

The opening drama is actually really quite good. It really drew me in.
For some reason the younger version of Logan doesn't work for me.
It's the moment when Wolverine bursts out of the water and gets shot that the trailer goes south in my opinion.
I HATE their interpretation of Gambit.
The action in the last half of the trailer doesn't seem motivated or rational—thus it appears as action for the sake of itself, which is a turn-off to anyone over the age of 25 (and many others on their way there).

3rd viewing

So much of what I don't like stems from unnecessary “showiness”: costumes, flourishes, weapons, and statements, that are not a direct incarnation or utility of the drama, but simply a demonstration of excess.

Drama:
The process of conflict seeking resolution.

-Drama is the primordial understanding that two objects cannot exist in the same space at the same time, and thereby must find some resolution—favorable or ill. Either the objects share, or one, or both, must vacate the desired location. Whether the position be intellectual, idealogical, material, romantic, or otherwise, the position must be contended, and some force must fill the void in the absence of the other. Without contest—deeply motivated contest—there is no drama-

Melodrama:

The demonstration of conflict and eventual resolution

-Melodrama is the act of paying special attention to the ramifications failing a contest. Thereby, antagonists are more clearly malicious, heroes more clearly benevolent, and the prize in contest more overtly desirable. A less pure form of drama, that—if used correctly—can be equally effective-

Meta-drama:

The overt demonstration drama's most outward elements as a replacement for true conflict.

-Meta-drama is the notion of showing instead of telling, when there is nothing to tell and the show exists purely for the sake of itself. The result is a narrative that seems contrived and fails to suspend disbelief by focusing on form, rather than substance. It is the act of paying special attention to the outward displays of melodrama—specifically the most titillating portions of the contest—while offering considerably less attention and focus to the purpose of the contest and the drama that drives it-

And there are my thoughts. It's not Gone With The Wind, but it's how my creative mind works. And that's why I'm guilty of occasional bouts of Meta-drama.

Game on.

2008-12-13T22:36:00.003-07:00

Okay, so I'm a writer. I write books. One of them is about to go into print. It is my job to be literary and to talk about writing and things related to... writing.

And yet I have developed a love over the last year that has absolutely NOTHING to do with writing books. Well, not much anyway. At least no correlation that most of you out there would find substantive.

So today I'm going off topic to talk about an obsession of mine. So please forgive. That obsession?

Xbox 360.

Now, I'm not here to endorse one platform over the others. Wii tends to be too family friendly for me, and I've never really tried the PS3, so most of what I'm doing is the product of simply falling into the lap of yet another Microsoft product (in a family of Linux users I'm despised a little).

That being said, I move to my central topic of writing:
Halo.

More to the point I would like to say that I played Halo a little bit a few years ago and just didn't care for it. Largely because I was rubbish with a console controller. Then i tried again about a year ago when Halo 3 came out, and gave it another shot. Again, I really didn't like it. Largely because I had no clue what I was doing, and again, was still more used to PC gaming.

So after being the proud owner of an Xbox 360 for nearly a year now, I decided it was high time to go back and give Halo another shot. I mean, I'm pretty darn good now. I pretty consistently out-play my friends and I really enjoy some leading titles. So tonight I rented Halo 3 again.

Verdict:

How the heck did a game with clunky handling, boring weapons, sub-par sound design, and absolutely NOTHING new to offer to the gaming community become so popular that Peter Jackson signed on to do the movie? For those of you who desire run-and-gun gaming, I highly recommend that you take a look at Unreal Tournament 3, before Halo. And story? Intense action? Rainbow Six Vegas 1&2 both leave Halo in a pitiful cloud of dust. Macho military action that builds commradary while playing with friends? Trust me, Gears of War (specifically 2) is a superior product by far. And for the very few people who have made the slightest bit of a compelling argument that the biggest draw of Halo is the story, then I would like to ask you to take a look at The Force Unleashed (Seriously, don't watch the Star Wars prequel trilogy, just watch TFU's cut-scenes on YouTube), or, even better, with all the elements of Halo and single-handedly the single best video game story I have EVER seen: Look no further than Mass Effect.

All that to say: Halo is so overrated I think my head might burst. But, in all truth, I still like it better than Quantum of Solace (a game I looked forward to for months, then ultimately decided it would have been less agonizing to simply mail the money to my video store and forget the game.

That said. I love gaming.
Man, I love gaming. A lot.
It's everything I loved about every other story-telling medium (books, movies, tv) only it's interactive. And the best games (the ones that let you play co-op with a friend) also create memories you never would have been able to have unless a swarm of subterranean monsters really did burst up from beneath the surface.

But in real life I probably wouldn't have a chainsaw bayonet. So the game is even better by far.

Insert Pithy Pun....... here.

2008-12-11T01:36:00.003-07:00

It's been over a month since I've written anything. That is because I have become INSANELY busy.

Once my publishing company pushed up my release date I was approached with another task: create a demo video. Reason#1: so it can be shown to sales people so they'll know about your book in the hopes of talking Borders/B&N into buying it and putting it on their shelves. Reason#2: actually SHOWING it to people from these places. Reason#3: Show to "Key Members of the Media" so they can see if they want to put you on tv. Yep. Me on tv. Not yet, of course, and let's face it: probably aint gonna happen anyway. A long shot by most standards. BUT! They sent me a demo DVD with examples of similar videos done by others. The box described those authors (the ones, like me, who had been requested to make videos) were their "top authors". It's very cool to be lumped into that group--even if only in a circuitous way.

The video needed to be done in time for their marketing committee, a meeting with all the sales reps and top execs in which they show off their new product and their new author to the rest of the company.

So I spent last week coming up with a demo video and a new trailer. Hopefully the demo can be posted soon. But the new trailer can be found here.

This killed a week of my life between these two videos. The first of which only getting done because of my friend and his generosity with his time. I should have a link to the demo soon (that is as soon as I get it on YouTube).

So, Tuesday morning I got my edits.
Exactly 140 comments... TOTAL. Half compliments. Most edit requests saying things like: there doesn't need to be a scene break between these two. Write a transition.
Exactly 404 words cut.
That means almost nothing needed to be removed and very little needed to be fixed.

My editor, a lovely woman by the name of Lori Vanden-Bosch, did move some stuff around and stick some scenes together, but for the most part the manuscript is intact.

I'm told that this is good, that they couldn't hardly find anything wrong.

I certainly hope this is true.

But here's the kicker. I wasn't supposed to get the editing notes until this Friday.... and I may FINISH them before I was even supposed to get them. That's right, within the first 12 hours of recieving my editing notes I was half way through them. I made it through another quarter of the book today.

Not to say that I'm a really great writer or anything (those many masses of you, meaning YOU Jess) know from reading this blog that me know right gud. Not really. But I guess I can create pithy characters that are amusing when they kick people and blow stuff up.

Life is SO amusing right now.

Oh, yes. And in the midst of it I'm in the middle of a positively gut-wrenching personal crisis that is so hideously painful that I've been sworn not to share any details with anyone. And Batman came out on DVD yesterday. And I think I might be going bald. And the barista at the coffee shop where I wrote the book over a year and a half ago still remebers me by name. I took one look at her and wondered where I knew her from.

Yep. My brother is like a laser-beam. I am like a tornado. A big F5 tornado.

Such a strange life I'm leading right now.

Deadlines

2008-11-03T11:16:00.001-07:00

I meant to post last week.

You see, dear reader, last Tuesday I received my production schedule for my book. For those of you who don't know (as I did not until last Tuesday) a production schedule tells the author when their due dates and deadlines are. Mine said that I needed to turn in the first draft by December 1st and that my book was going to be released on October 6th 2009.

I thought this was kind of a bummer (but who is going to complain about a book being released at all?). My disappointment came from the fact that I had hoped to be able to do my promotional trip during the summer months (warmer, nicer traveling weather, more people read, and there is no substitute work to miss and feel bad about). My good friend, Steve, even pointed out that that seemed like a bit of a wait. This is not actually a long wait, some books sit for three years before hitting shelves, but it was still longer than I wanted to sit around twiddling my thumbs.

So to kill time I wrote a marketing plan--which I understand is good both for communicating your intentions to your publisher, and also to get them excited (and potentially free up some funds for marketing). I sent that Friday.

Today (Monday) I received notice that the marketing department had decided to push the release date up and make my book part of their summer promotion list. My good friend Jeff (who actually worked for, and even started the company I'm publishing with) says that this is a good sign (which my publisher also assured me of) and that this is an indicator of my publisher's excitement.

All that to say that there is good news and bad news. The good news is that I'll be able to get cracking sooner and not have to sit on my hands, my publisher is psyched, I'll probably be getting better promotion, and that I get the summer release I wanted. The bad news? My editing schedule has essentially been cut in half.

But as bad news goes, I'll take that any day. I work fast and I love my craft.

Today is a good day.

Whining Rights: Revoked!

2008-10-20T22:05:00.005-06:00

Once you have a life dream come to fruition you lose your whining rights with the rest of the world.

This is fair.

As badly as I would like to cry about my failings, I still have one achievement to hang my hat on. No matter how cruddy my day has been: I'm still living a dream. No matter how much I want to break down and sob because of the chances I blew and the mistakes that I made and all the spilt milk in the world, I still have something I didn't have before.

Tomorrow.

And a bright one at that.

It's kind of weird to realize that you are no longer deserving of the petty complaints you once indulged. Not that people were thrilled with it before, but they flat-out won't put up with it now. So that means I have to grow up.

And if that's the one thing I get out of being published, then it's worth its weight in gold.

Growing up a little each day.

2008-10-19T20:02:00.004-06:00

I cleaned my house this week.

I mean I really cleaned my house this week. I did dishes, swept, mopped, did laundry, bagged up clothes for Salvation Army, changed my sheets, cleaned out my bathroom, cleaned out my cabinets, cleaned off the kitchen table, paid my bills, packed up my old desktop computer, found homes for all my orphaned DVDs, stored my CDs, got groceries, shaved my face for the first time in months, quit soda and beer, started eating healthier, and wrote most of a marketing plan.

Why? Because it was time.

Essentially I scraped away a year and a half of bachelor residue that I've had too many excuses to deal with. Whenever I went to get my life together (which is what I really did) I always had some reason why I couldn't.

1. I'm too busy.
2. I'm too stressed.
3. Too depressed.
4. I really need to work on...
***
345. I have a hangnail
346. It just seems like too much work.
347. I don't want to.

Essentially this week I realized that I had run out of reasonable excuses. I'm published now. A life dream. Without an agent. At 24. Do dreams come any more true? [sic]

If I don't have the chutzpa to quit whining and start doing the things that needed to be done months ago, then what real value am I to the world? Am I going to take the blessings of publication and use them as an excuse for entitlement and do nothing? Or am I going to suck it up and live the rock star lifestyle of someone who truly deserves the blessings I have received?

I'm beginning to realize that having your dreams come true is nowhere near as important or satisfying as being content. And no matter what happens: value does not come from accomplishment, but from character.

Tall Dark and Educated.

2008-10-15T15:15:00.004-06:00

Here's a dilemma I have. Just because I'm a suspense writer, does that mean I have to come across as angsty all the time?

There are lots of writers who embody their material, but let's face it: I just don't have the attention span to be dark, brooding and intense all the time. That and I don't think most people would like it very much.

Truth be told, I'm a pretty spastic guy. I'm hyperactive, dyslexic and I love Queen (Under Pressure is a personal favorite).

So, I guess the the wise answer is to say that I don't have to embody my material. I suppose it would just be easier to write completely off-the-wall humor so I could going running up to people at random and pitching my book in pig-Latin (which would be cool, because that's the kind of entertainment I would be offering). And don't get me wrong: I've written several books like that, but instead, the book that I'm getting published is serious, dramatic and theoretically intelligent.

So how do I "brand" myself? What gestalt fully encompasses zany, brainy, angsty, witty and intense all in one fell swoop? I guess I'll just have to think of something.

Scatter Brained.

2008-10-14T23:02:00.003-06:00

The things that are currently on my mind regarding the writing of a sequel:

1. You can create characters that are weak, and they'll last you a while. You can even get through a full novel without properly developing said character--but when you write the sequel you better have a better idea who these people are.
2. One of the hardest parts of writing a novel is not that it takes so long to write the actual words, so much as it's sometimes difficult to come up with enough events to write words about.
3. If you only have enough content to fill a two hour film then writing a 80,000+ word manuscript is going to be a difficult process.
4. Novels require more content than films.
5. People like movies because things stay interesting longer. In books they have to read through all that extra tedium.
6. Good books don't have tedious parts.
7. Playing video games is good for the creative process.
8. Cleaning house is a great way to put off doing important things like writing a marketing plan or actually working on writing a sequel.
9. Wow... my house is SO clean right now.
10. Dating and a writing lifestyle are mortal enemies.
11. Eating oatmeal is healthy--fiber, carbs, fat-free-ish--costs next to nothing and can be eaten at your laptop.
12. Facebook is the enemy of writing.
13. Wow, the last half-hour of Indiana Jones and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is boring.
14. Holy cow, the first half-hour of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is AWESOME!
15. Just because I write supernatural suspense does that mean I have to be angsty and dark all the time in the way I present myself?
16. I know NOTHING about women. Writing them is difficult.
17. Okay, so I know some about women, but that doesn't stop me from feeling insecure about it.
18. The trailer for Quantum of Solace is SO awesome. I've watched it like ten times today!
19. Maybe my next book could be set in the desert.
20. The trailer for Quantum of Solace is SO awesome. I've watched it like ten times today!!
21. What if my next book featured free-running over the rooftops of Sienna?
22. The trailer for Quantum of Solace is SO awesome. I've watched it like.... oh, dear. My creativity is slipping.
23. How many ADD kids does it take to change a light bulb?
24. Wanna ride bikes?
52. I hate the vocals on the song Another Way to Die. The lyrics themselves aren't bad, but seriously, rap? For a Bond film? What next? Blue grass?
26. I know Max Payne is going to be an awful film, but hope does spring eternal.
27. I can't wait to start editing my book.

These are things I'm letting gnaw at me. I really am okay, and I'm very blessed.

It's still so surreal to think that I'm going to be published that I keep expecting my publishing company to back out. Or maybe I'm delusional and it never really happened. Maybe all of this is a solipsistic pipe-dream. Or maybe the economy is tanking badly enough that my company has changed their minds, deciding to pull the plug.

So, that's where my braid is. I wouldn't say that my thoughts have anything resembling a permanent address right now.

Until next time, I love you all, and wish you all success.

An age undreamed of.

2008-09-30T23:38:00.002-06:00

If you're reading this at all and are interested in Christian speculative fiction (sci-fi, fantasy, time-travel, supernatural suspense, horror, or just a little weird) you aren't going to want to miss the launch of Marcher Lord Press.

As I write this it is 11:40pm, and the launch comes at midnight. So if it's all the same to you fine people I'm now going to go watch the clock tick down the seconds to Christian new year.... or maybe even a new and glorious era.

Part II: the Revenge!

2008-09-30T23:31:00.002-06:00

So... I'm working on developing a sequel to Firstborn. It's so weird. If anyone else had written the blasted book I would have just knocked out a sequel idea (that would have been darn good) in about ten minutes. No fuss. No problems. Just me.

So, here I sit, thinking of every sequel ever made that was awful (there have been a lot) and every idea I come up with to fuel the next chapter of the Firstborn smacks of the exact same problems.

I've come up with some stuff I like, but none of it really captures my attention the way I'd like it to.

I had an idea for another book in the Firstborn mythos, but used none of my earlier characters and none of my earlier scenarios. Just a book about people with the same abilities.

Normally these things are effortless for me, but right now I'm psyching myself out and the stuff to make a sequel just isn't there right now. I guess I'll just have to accept that for the moment, because if I force it I'll get a cruddy product. I guess I just have to be still for a while and think about something else.

Obsession: A Very Poor Hobby.

2008-09-29T00:12:00.003-06:00

I don't read Stephen King.

Well, I didn't until a week ago when I started pecking at the Gunslinger, and discovered that I loved it. What I discovered is that the hype is pretty true: the man has talent. And lots of books under his belt. And I've decided to add one more thing to my list of garbage that I'm allowing myself to obsess about: how am I going to become as prolific as Stephen King?

I've written a novel every year in my free time for the last four years. At that rate I keep up with him. But I still worry.

Look at Ted Dekker. The man published three novels the first year he was in print! And something like four novels last year alone!

So, I'm going to go to bed now, and stop worrying. Seriously? What's it going to solve? Nothing as far as I can tell.

Whew.

I just threw on some Jason Mraz, so I think I'm going to be able to chill out now.

I can't let myself forget just how awesome this opportunity is. I don't have to be Stephen King or Ted Dekker. I'm me, and that's an accomplishment. I got published when others didn't, and now I have to show my thanks to God by letting Him run the show while I slip into the passenger's seat a little more.

I love you all. Good night, and good luck.

Life's Been Good

2008-09-26T13:05:00.002-06:00

Life if less boring now. My mom bought a car, so I got mine back. It's nice to be an adult again.

I don't want anyone to get the wrong impression: that I'm sad or down, or that I have nothing but bad new, however I have dedicated this blog to chronicling my path to publication. That said, I now have to come to grips with the fact that I'm going to have to wait a while before I get my revision notes back from my publisher. That means I don't get to spend time with my novel for a while.

I recently read a blog about how writing a book is a lot like having a relationship, and how you eventually fall out of love. Perhaps this is true, however I'm still passionately in love with my novel (or simply in love with writing) and want to spend meaningful time with my manuscript again.

I would move on and start another project, but hey, I could get the notes back sooner, rather than later, and then I'd have to drop it and... EMOTIONAL BREAKDOWN!

Similarly, I would love to start work on the sequel, but I'm hesitant to start before I get feedback about what did and did not work in the first novel. So, this blog will probably have a little bit of whining for the next while.

In the words of Joe Walsh: "I can't complain.... but sometimes I still do."

Lazy Day

2008-09-24T14:10:00.003-06:00

Today I have nothing to do.

For me this is not an ideal day. I'm not employed (two words: economic downturn), my car threw a rod (so temp work is out of the question too), and I've decided not to start work on the sequel to Firstborn until I have my publisher's notes on what they want fixed on the first one (this will help give me a better idea of what direction we'd all be happiest with me going).

So.... I'm blogging. Because I'm bored.

Watched the Departed yesterday. Good movie... until the head-scratching finale. I've been working my way through an animated movie: Justice League: New Frontier. Started Leatherheads, and so far I'm loving it. But I don't have the temperament to sit down and watch a movie. I like to be working on things. I heard a pastor say recently that people who say they just "love to work" really just love the physical possessions it brings them.

I don't think this is the case with me.

I'm about to be paid for this stuff for the first time in my life, and while I am exceedingly grateful for the amount I have been offered, it still is hardly a "rich and famous" contract. I guess I just like to write... and at the moment I don't really have anything I feel right working on.

So.... I guess I'll just have to learn how to kill time like a normal American. I hate being a couch potato, but who knows? I could really learn to enjoy it.

Conlan Brown

2008-09-23T14:24:00.002-06:00

For those of you who have been following my blog religiously, but still have no clue who I am (I'm certain there must be someone out there reading this) well, here is an introduction to me. Below you will find an author bio and picture (the fine photographic work of a man in Greeley CO named Stan Kerns).

Born in 1984, Conlan Brown was functionally illiterate until the fifth grade, when he learned how to read and write, as well as a love of story, from his grandmother. Conlan went on to start college at the age of sixteen, and now holds a Master's degree in Communication, which taught him the academic principals needed to write Firstborn.

Conlan lives on Colorado's Front Range where he is working on his next book. He enjoys video editing, film scores, and developing high octane, thought provoking fiction that turns pages and excites the senses.

Weird Smith

2008-09-20T00:22:00.002-06:00

I had my picture taken today.

Thus, the pattern of "weird" has been perpetuated. When the photographer asked what the purpose of the picture was I explained that I'd gotten the shoot for free (part of the work on my teeth) and that I also needed to send a "nice" photograph to my publishing company.

Than comes the excitement. The questions about release dates. The obligatory reference to Harry Potter and millions of dollars, and the guest appearances on Oprah.

And then me explaining that I'll have to have pay down my advance about four times before I'll make enough money off the book to get over the poverty line. The explanation that 90% of all novels don't make their money back, and the explanation that no, I doubt the Oprah really wants me on her show.

But, standing there in a gray suit and a pink dress shirt, it all suddenly became very real. As if people might actually look at my face on a piece of literature that will be distributed all over the United States.

And once again I reiterate the only statement that can possibly explain what it's like to be me right now:

"How.... weird."

Just a Guy

2008-09-17T16:06:00.001-06:00

I had a really kind of amazing experience last night.

My mom has a doctorate in music education, and as a result winds up directing every community choir under the sun. And a few weeks ago she was driving through an intersection and was hit by a woman who ran a red light. Thus, I find myself driving my mom to things a lot... and last night was her choir rehearsal for a local church choir.

Thus far, everyone that I have told about my recent publishing breakthrough has been pleased, but stoic. All of them know that I write, and most of them expected this day to come sooner, so not many people have been passing out from shock and amazement.

(My cousin Allan was the first person I called when I was offered my contract. When I told him the news he took a minute to nibble some cheese and said: “That's cool,” we chatted for a few minutes and then asked: “so... was there anything else you wanted to talk about or was the publishing deal it?” Yep, it's been a lot like that.)

But last night I picked up my mom from rehearsal and was met with a certain amount of awe that I just really don't deserve. Everyone clapped for me and wanted to shake my hand. It was really strange. I'm just a geeky kid from the mid-west with too much imagination and too little time away from my word processor. The best part was when the head of my local library district approached me. (Yes, that's right, the head of my library district and all its branches, just happens to be in my mom's choir). She told me to be absolutely sure to let her know when the book came into print and they would be certain to not only buy it but to feature me as a local author.

So, I suppose, last night was my first taste of celebrity.

It's weird. It's kind of uncomfortable. And not at all glamorous. Luckily, I like people, and love to talk to them, it's just really weird for people to think that I've done anything special with my life.
No, the truth is just that I'm kind of a mutant, and writing books comes naturally to me. So I did it for a while for myself, did it for a while to get published, and now I'm going to be doing it for a paycheck (a little one).

No matter what happens in life, I'm still just a guy. I'm no happier than I was a month ago, no more complete, no more free of insecurity (although, I pretty much banished that baggage a while ago).

So in the words of a man wiser than me:
“Oh, man, tell me who knew, that simply being content was the dream come true?”
-John Reuben

Express Yourself

2008-09-16T16:10:00.002-06:00

I mailed my contract yesterday. Express mail. $16 and some-odd cents.

Worth every red penny!

I wandered into the post office at 4:50pm, minutes before they were closing the doors, and sent off two copies of my contract. I was told at the counter that for my documents to go from Colorado to Florida would take 2 days. The documents were supposed to arrive some time before 3pm tomorrow.

At 9am I got an email saying that my publisher had received the contracts and were processing the stuff...

HOLY COW. That's fast. And good news. Only bad news is supposed to travel that fast (hats off to Mr. Douglas Adams).

Next they asked for my author bio and pictures.

Author bio? Wow. Pictures? Like... for the back cover? No, it turns out they just want them for "internal marketing purposes". That seems cryptic. Lucky for me I just got my braces off. That's right, the grown man with braces. Gag. (I had a tooth fused to my jawbone, that, once removed, was going to cause my entire mouth to implode... enter braces). As a gift from my orthodontist I am being given a free professional photo shoot (usually for senior pictures for people who don't already have Master's degrees). Not only are the braces off in time for my face to go on a book, I also have a free professional photo that I'll be getting so I can send it off to all the nice people at my publishing company and their marketing team.

The fame. People wanting pictures of me. However shall I handle my adoring public.... and their marketing team (who probably just want to see if I'm so unattractive I'll burn a hole through their book cover).

Still blessed.

Keep Your Day Job.

2008-09-12T21:42:00.002-06:00

So tomorrow I'm taking the Colorado educator's PLACE exam, so that I'll be qualified to teach in a public school. I don't feel prepared for this test (I have a Master's degree in this stuff and I'm looking at the study guide going "WHAT?"), but I really would love to get a full-time job as a teacher. I don't know if being published helps there, but I'm certain it can't hurt if you're applying for an English position.

*Quickly scans over post to see if there are any GLARING writing errors*

[Insert clever closing line...... here.]

Signed in Blood

2008-09-11T10:48:00.003-06:00

This morning I received my contract.

This is an experience that can cause insanity from all the mixed emotions. I knew that I would be receiving the documents via PDF this morning.

Two words: Excitement.

I got up early this morning to see if the hard working people two time zones away had emailed me my contract yet. This really isn't something I thought would be exciting--but somehow it's amazing, to see a legal document, expressing in legally binding terms, before God and government, that I am going to be published.

Then comes the flip side to this coin.

As a writer who has done his homework (when you get an advanced degree you learn to do this obsessively) I knew full well that the right to change the title of my book was something that the publishing company held full rights to. But... it is a completely different can of worms when you see that in black and white, knowing that the moment you put your John Hancock on that page they have the right to rename your book.

In a lot of ways contracts exist because we can't trust one another in this world, in many other ways they exist to force trust. Oxymoron, I know, but here I am, signing on the dotted line that I trust these people not to totally destroy my book.

I had a dream... scratch that, a nightmare, that my company elected to rename my book "The Red Rescue" and put a picture of a cuddly dragon drinking tea on the cover.

The moment I sign that document I officially give them permission to do precisely that, if they so choose, and I'm trusting that they know what they are doing.

Now, my good friend, Jeff, tells me that they simply will not do this. But it doesn't change the fact that I'm signing away virtually all legal recourse should they go completely insane on me.

Have I mentioned that I've never met ANY of these people in person?

So, the excitement continues.

I am so blessed to be dealing with things like this. I'm lucky, and I know it. What a great life experience.

My First Week As An Author

2008-09-10T14:23:00.002-06:00

A week ago yesterday I was informed that I was being offered a contract with a publishing company and that my novel, Firstborn, was going to go into print.

My reaction to this news went something like this:

1. Ten seconds of unmitigated jubilation.
2. Three hours of blah.
3. A week of absolute PANIC.

Yes. That's right. The dog cuaght the car and said "Now what?" Truth be told it was less about not knowing what to do next and more about not knowing how I was going to get it all done. I had to update the information on my video trailer on YouTube, create a MySpace account, and a FaceBook, and of course a blog, and I was going to need to start vlogging and podcasting... and that was all before I remembered that I actually had to build a website.

Then I started getting even crazier: the road trip/book tour I was going to have to plan and fund by myself, the bookmarks I was going to have to print and distribute, the brilliant posters I was going to have made and donate to every youth room, library and public place that would give me the time of day.

All that to say: I'm having the time of my life. Wish you were here.

In the mean time, be certain to check out http://wherethemapends.com/, especially those of you writing Speculative Fiction. Jeff Gerke is an amazing guy with a lot of great resources for everyone who wants to write.

I feel like ending by giving Russell Crowe's Oscar speech to all of you. Of course I'm not as humble as Russell Crowe.... or as ill-tempered... but what he has to say is what I want to express to all of you who are still writing and haven't landed your contract yet.

This is for you....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJNmKn8f15E

2008-09-06T15:49:00.001-06:00