Brian Price worked in the marketing and communications industry for nine years. The Public Relations Society of America, American Business Awards, and Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals are a few of the organizations that awarded his work.
But who actually cares about that?
He certainly doesn’t.
Sick of bookshelves being stuffed with bureaucrats’ memoirs and snake-oil entrepreneurs using novels as sales funnels, Brian started wrote a novel, Last Chance California.
If he isn’t reading or writing, Brian is probably playing with his rescue pup, Bucky, or ranting about the government.
Why do you write?
Writing brings me joy. It’s challenging. It’s fun. It’s a battle against oneself.
If I didn’t write, I don’t know what I’d be doing. It’s something I’ve always enjoyed doing. Before I wrote a novel, I was in marketing and public relations, where I spent a majority of my days sitting in someone else’s office writing.
Even while working full-time, I’d still find time to create my own short stories, jokes, thoughts or whatever else popped in my mind. Unfortunately, I’d write my own ideas down during meetings or while on the clock at my job. There were just things I just had to get out and onto paper. There are always things I need to get out. Writing is an obsession with me. It always has been.
What are obstacles that come in the way of writing?
People. Dogs. Existence in today’s world. There’s always a crisis. Something constantly needs my attention.
I often fantasize about owning a cabin in the woods far away from the universe where I can write.
I do my best work when I’m isolated.
Or maybe that’s the pandemic fatigue talking.
What’s the most memorable thing asked/said by a reader about your work?
A good friend of mine read a beta version of Last Chance California, and after he finished, we had a long talk about our fathers. The book helped him articulate some of the things he felt towards his own father. Being able to reach him in that way was one of my proudest moments as a writer.
How long have you been writing?
I started writing before I could even write sentences. I have books from my childhood with pictures and squiggly lines underneath them. I always wanted to be a storyteller. If I wasn’t reading, I was writing. I’d give my family stories and books for holidays and birthdays. Sometimes I’d just write to write. There’s nothing I enjoy more than writing.
Well, no.
That’s not entirely accurate.
There are a few things I do enjoy more than writing.
What is your work schedule like when you are writing?
Wake up. Coffee with my gratitude journal, philosophy reading and general reading. Get a fresh cup. Write some words. And that’s what I do for the rest of the day. I’ll take a few breaks throughout the day to play with pup, eat, or stretch, but for the most part, I’m writing or editing from nine to six. After that, its dinner, some educational videos on famous writers, the publishing industry or how to self-publish before I do some more writing.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I don’t know if it’s a quirk, but I light a certain candle and make music playlists for every book. I love to set the mood for writing.
And if a character is sad, I like to get myself feeling sad. I do the same for any type of mood. That way I can write with passion. I think that translate in my novel. Or at least that’s what I was going for.
How long does it take to write a book? (If you’ve written one -published or non)?
Too long.
Do you have suggestions on how to become a better writer?
Be true and honest with your words. Readers can tell when an author is holding back, not being truthful, or trying to imitate another writer. The key to writing is to write like yourself. Don’t try to be something you’re not. No one can write like you.
What do you think makes a good story?
Good stories need to hit all the human emotions. Desperation. Hopelessness. Fear. Loss. Sadness. Pride. Love. Triumph. Happiness. Add those emotions with flawed and memorable character and a hopeful ending and you might be onto something.
What does your family think of your writing?
No idea. It’s terrifying to be honest. I’m not sure if they enjoy it or hate it. But I’m kinda glad I don’t know how they feel … considering my writing style and subject matter.
Do you see writing as a career?
I hope so.
Not having an alarm clock wake me in the morning, making my own schedule, every day being a weekend, and typing whatever nonsense is floating around in my head for money is something I hope I can get paid handsomely to do.
Do you have anything specific you’d like to tell the readers?
I mean well, despite the main characters I wrote in my book.
No. but seriously. My debut novel, Last Chance California, is dark, hilarious, and raw. You’ll laugh, cry, and finish the book with a sense of hope. I think I really captured the sentiment of millennials and the state of our world in Last Chance California.
But then again, I’m bias.
I wanted to write something that challenged people’s perspectives while highlighting the last effects of child abuse. Child abuse is real. And it’s never talked about it. People don’t understand that child abuse doesn’t just end after childhood. Many of us carry that burden of abuse and it’s secrets for our entire lives. Some of us are unable to face the past. Others? It destroys.
It did both to me for a long time.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
Writer. Author. Bestseller. Most people throw around these terms for sales or their own ego without considering what the words mean.
A lot of people write, but there aren’t a lot of writers.
I don’t consider myself a writer. At least not yet. I’m hopeful I can get there some day. But who knows?
Title:
Last Chance California
Link:
Description:
Are We All Doomed to Become Our Parents?
Terrified he’s becoming just like his father, Wyatt Lewis, a disillusioned millennial, breaks up with his fiancée to chase his childhood dream – a fresh start in Southern California.
Once in San Diego, Wyatt reunites with an old friend, Summer Harrison, while falling hard for the elusive and free-spirited, Leah Murphy. Summer and Leah show Wyatt a dazzling world littered with lavish speakeasies, egregious drug use, and overpriced cocktails. Surrounded by fake glamor and stuck in a terrible corporate job, Wyatt’s escape turns into his worst nightmare.
Overworked, alone, and filled with regret, the aspiring writer spirals down a self-destructive path that forces him to confront the violent past he ran away to California to forget.
In his raw, hilarious, and dark debut novel, Brian Price showcases our world, on the verge of the COVID-19 pandemic, through the eyes of a sarcastic and stubborn narrator as he attempts to drown his family’s demons.
Title:
Tales From California
Link:
Description:
This short-story collection highlights Brian Price’s writing style while also serving as an introduction to the main characters in his debut novel, Last Chance California.
The collection includes the following tales:
Chicken Nuggets or Bust
It took Wyatt over thirty years to experience In-N-Out Burger. The joint turned out to be a powder keg ready to blow with one missed pickle.
When Wyatt Met Summer
How did Wyatt meet Summer? Well, she isn’t shy about telling the story. that’s for sure.
The California Palm Reading Seduction
Wyatt is struggling in Southern California. He calls out of work and visits a fortune teller for guidance. She invites him over to her mansion for a reading. Things get weird.
Sick and Fired
Wyatt’s job sucks. Thankfully, strep throat allowed him to avoid the office for a few days. But that led to more problems for Wyatt’s career.
Abraham Lincoln: Animal Whisperer
If not for a reincarnated Abe Lincoln, Wyatt Lewis would have killed his dog while flying home for Christmas.
Title:
pandemic woes and lockdown lows
a poetry collection written during Covid-19
Link:
Description:
wake up. make some coffee. watch the news. pack a bowl. freak out. catch a snooze.
Lockdown poetry.
It’s sad.
It’s weird.
It’ll punch you in the heart.
Brian Price’s first poetry collection delves into themes of love, death, depression, inequality, mental health, and self-righteousness. Written entirely during the COVID-19 lockdowns, the works are the thoughts of a millennial questioning himself and the world he lives in.
Title:
Once Upon a Subway
Link:
Description:
The author of Last Chance California, Brian Price tackles toxic love in this modern romance novel.
Years after their passionate, but turbulent relationship ended, two ex-lovers reconnect during a chance encounter on a subway commute. Is their train ride together a second shot at love or a final farewell?
Author Website/Blog:
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