Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Q&A with author Brian S. Leon, author of Chaos Unbound



Now available from Red Adept Publishing is the urban fantasy Chaos Unbound, book two in the Metis Files series, by Brian S. Leon.




The author has taken a few minutes out of his busy schedule for a Q&A about his novel.


When did you become interested in storytelling?

Writing to tell stories is a relatively new thing for me. I only started doing it about six or seven years ago. I did a lot of expository writing for academic journals and such through grad school and then I wrote and edited articles for fishing magazines for years after that, but storytelling of this kind is new for me.

What was your first book/story published?

Havoc Rising, the first book in the Metis Files series. It was published in June of 2015.

What inspired you to write Chaos Unbound?

Someone described my first book as “Tom Clancy meets the Iliad,” and I wanted to write one that was more like “Jason Bourne meets Harry Potter.” I wanted one to write a story that was more nonstop action, something that moved from place to place in a hurry. Plus, there was the whole blackout thing that happened in San Diego and it seemed to make a perfect segue for a surreptitious chase scene.


What character in Chaos Unbound is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

I suppose the character most like me is Diomedes, but only in some of the ways where I’ve been able to develop his personality a bit more in depth. Obviously I didn’t invent him. There are dozens of myths and legends about him, including whole sections of the Iliad. I got to flesh out his character a bit more and I’d say that’s where you might run into similarities. I also have some similarities with Duma, too. Abraxos, Duma’s brother, is probably the least like me—he’s all action and no planning. As for exactly how I’m like Duma and Diomedes, well, readers will just have to speculate.

What is your favorite part in Chaos Unbound?

I am very partial to the scene that takes place during the Battle of Sirte, in Libya. I like the chaotic feel of running around while a battle rages around the characters. I also really like the scenes from Coronini as well, but for different reasons.

What was the hardest part to write?

The parts about North Korea. Hard to come by good information about that place. I had regular nightmares about government agents showing up on my doorstep to ask about my browser history.

What would your ideal career be, if you couldn't be an author?

Would it be too easy to say fishing guide? Probably. Oh well. So what if I already do that.

Do you read reviews of your books? If so, do you pay any attention to them, or let them influence your writing?

Yeah, I do read them. I don’t read them hoping every one will be a 5-star review though. I read them to get ideas on how to improve my writing. I don’t expect everyone to like my writing style or my storytelling, but when they say specific things about things I did or didn’t do with regard to my writing, I pay attention when I can. And if I screw something up, I try to correct it, or at least avoid making the same mistake again.

What well-known writers do you admire most?

Modern writers I like include Jim Butcher (of course), David Morrell, and Preston and Child. But I also love Tolkien, Verne, Dumas, Hemingway, Burroughs and host of others. I love action adventure, and I definitely lean more towards fantasy than Sci-fi.

Do you have any other books/stories in the works?

You bet. The third book in the Metis Files series is already finished and under contract at Red Adept. Its tentatively titled Rebellion Reborn. I’m in the process of writing book 4 as I do this interview. I have storylines for at least half a dozen more books in this series. I’m far from done with these characters.

 
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About the Author: Brian S. Leon is truly a jack of all trades and a master of none. He writes just to do something with all the useless degrees and skills he’s accumulated over the years. Most of them have no practical application in civilized society, anyway. His interests include mythology and fishing, in pursuit of which he has explored jungles and museums, oceans and seas all over the world.

His credentials include an undergraduate degree from the University of Miami and a master’s degree from San Diego State University, plus extensive postgraduate work in evolutionary biology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he studied animals most people aren’t even aware exist and theories no one really cares about anyway.

Over his varied career, Brian’s articles have been published in academic journals and popular magazines that most normal people would never read. They can be found in The American Society of Primatologists, the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, Proceedings of the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the like.

His more mainstream work came as an editor for Marlin and FlyFishing in Salt Waters magazines, where he published articles about fishing and fishing techniques around the world. He won a Charlie Award in 2004 from the Florida Magazine Association for Best Editorial, and several of his photographs have appeared on a number of magazine covers—almost an achievement of note, if they weren’t all fishing magazines.

Always a picky reader, Mr. Leon enjoys stories by classical masters like Homer and Jules Verne as well as modern writers like J.R.R. Tolkien, David Morrell and Jim Butcher. These books, in combination with an inordinate amount of free time, inspired him to come up with tales of his own.

Brian currently resides in San Diego, California.


To find out more about Brian, visit his website at: www.briansleon.com

Follow the author on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

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