Meet Brian S. Converse | Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brian S. Converse and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brian S., why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
From a young age I loved the extraordinary. Whether it was fantastical adventures or chilling horror, I liked the idea of stories outside the realm of normal. I didn’t begin my writing career until my early twenties, which is late for this type of artistic endeavor, and I didn’t see it as a career choice until much later. Even now, I’m practical enough that I have a job that pays for the mundane every day bills while pursuing the dream of my creative career eventually being able to support myself and my family. Part of this is being able to set my own artistic standards in everything that I create and not compromising to another person’s aesthetic. Writing is an individual enterprise until it isn’t. Before anything sees it’s way to the public, there are editors, Beta readers (those who read a draft and give input on what they like, don’t like, would like to see more of, etc.), and even sensitivity readers when dealing with subjects that could trigger a negative emotional response from readers who have experienced some type of trauma. The collaboration with others is part of the process and a welcome part, as long as they don’t dictate artistic changes that compromise the art. The goal of my writing is to have fun by entertaining people and also providing the necessary income to live in the modern world.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I was born in a small city in mid-Michigan to a single mother who did her best to raise my older brother and I. When I was old enough to realize that my grades were good but not great and that we didn’t have money for college tuition and that I would more than like be swallowed into the blue collar workforce of factories or shops, I took the first opportunity to escape that life and joined the US Army as a combat medic at the age of seventeen. I spent two years in Germany during Desert Storm and then returned home to find that nothing had really changed there. Yet I had changed, and my perception of the world was different insofar as what I could accomplish. I spent a few years working third shift in a factory while going straight from work to community college before taking the plunge and moving across the country and attending the University of San Diego full-time as an English major. I earned scholarships and grants as I went, my grades and social activities contributing to that ability. Persistence and hard work were instilled in me by my mother from an early age, and it paid off in my ability to face the hardships I experienced while I kept my goals in front of me.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live halfway between Colorado Springs and Denver, so I have the luxury of being able to visit each of them when I want. Colorado offers a great deal of activities – of course there is the skiing, hiking, and mountain climbing that is the heralded attractions for the area, but there are other things to do as well. Monday – Garden of the Gods park. Lunch at the Garden Market & Cafe or Trading Post. Dinner and drinks at Carlos Bistro.
Tuesday – Driving trip up to Pike’s Peak then half a day at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.
Wednesday – Shopping and browsing in Old Colorado City and Manitou Springs with a trip to the Manitou Cliff Dwellings. Dinner at the Cliff House in Manitou.
Thursday – Olympic Training Center and Olympic Museum.
Friday – Denver Zoo and Museum of Nature and Science. Dinner at Vine Street Pub.
Saturday – 16th Street Mall and State Capital tour. Dinner at City O City.
Sunday – Hiking in Cherry Creek State Park. Dinner and drinks at Cherry Creek Grill.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I chose to self-publish my science fiction trilogy of novels to retain some control of my writing, but there are others that contributed to the success of the books. One that played a major role was my cover artist, a man named Lawrence Mann, who is brilliant in his understanding of science fiction history and the needs of a cover that draws in the reader and makes them interested in reading the story. The old saying is to “never judge a book by its cover,” but it’s not necessarily true these days where my book on a shelf in the bookstore may have only a few seconds for a potential reader to make the decision to pick it up.

Website: www.briansconverse.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/brians.converse

Twitter: www.twitter.com/BrianSConverse