Welcome to BookView Interview, a conversation series where BookView talks to authors.
Recently, we talked to Tamara Brigham about her writing and recently released book, Hyperion’s Bier: Scarecrow Trials #4, a searing tale of vengeance, collapse, and fragile hope (read the review here).
Unsatisfied with ‘how the story ends’ as a young reader, Tamara took on the challenge of crafting endings to the tales of others to better suit her vision of the world. That desire to mold reality into how she imagined it should be, gave birth to a life-long fascination with the written word, and its capacity, particularly through realms of fantasy and science fiction, to foster an understanding of the people, events, thoughts, and emotions that make us who we are.
A long-time resident of Clearlake, California, after a life that took her back and forth across the country, Tamara is owned by a pack of papillions, a pride of cats, and an eclectic arsenal of films she enjoys in her off-moments.
How often do you base your characters on real people?
I base character faces and appearances on faces I find online all the time; I search celebrities, news resources, images by age or race, or other factors, to help me visualize my characters as I write. Sometimes, a fictional character on TV, in film, or in another book helps inspire a new character, with care taken to ensure that I do not steal someone else’s character. I have borrowed last names from people I meet if they are interesting and fit a particular character as well. But I am not comfortable with basing characters on people I personally know.
What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
I love the research and worldbuilding phase of writing. I can spend months researching world details. For the Scarecrow Trials series, research went into uses for hemp, bioluminescent algae, duct systems, hydro power from waterfalls, and more. I have made maps for another series and built 3 versions of a language (from grammar to pronunciation and more) I have to remind myself not to over-research or world build so that I can get down to the business of writing!
How many hours a day do you write?
Since I also have a full-time job, my writing time during the week is limited to approximately an hour a day. On the weekends, however, I typically spend four to eight hours each day writing. It is a ‘second job’ to me, but one that I love.
Do you find writing therapeutic?
Writing is very therapeutic for me. I grow irritable and restless if I go too many days without writing (or at least researching, plotting, or world-building). When I have a stressful day, or get angry with someone, or am feeling sad about something, I purge those emotions by channeling them into scenes on the page. I believe writing has saved me thousands of dollars in therapy expenses!
How long on average does it take you to write a book?
It typically takes me 3 to 4 months to write a first draft, plus one or two months of plot development. After that, because I typically have two or three in rotation for editing at a time, it will take up to 2 years to work through the rewriting and editing phases. Thus I typically spend half of the year on a new project and the other half on editing and publishing.
How did you decide which form or genre was right for you?
I have not settled into a single genre. While most of my work is fantasy or sci-fi/post-apocalyptical, I have also written historical fiction as well. I am most comfortable in novel-length works, as I have always had difficult writing ‘short’…even with reports and projects in school.
Tell us a little about how this story first came to be. Did it start with an image, a voice, a concept, a dilemma or something else?
The Scarecrow Trials was originally inspired by a TV character and the actor who portrayed him, who I wanted to rework into a vigilante ‘superhero’ in sci-fi setting. I had the look of the character and the antagonists (The Crows from Book 1) in mind from the start (using customized gas masks and plague doctor masks) and the world and plot sprung up around those things.
Where do your ideas for stories come from?
I wish I knew! The Kestrel Harper saga was born when nearly 40 years ago when I discovered Celtic harp music and I wanted to develop a fantasy story centering on a bard. The Blood Wild Series sprung up entirely from a comment my daughter made while in the car one day, about a cloud looking like a scratch across the sky. One book came about when a friend and I were bantering about how many favorite actors we could cram into one story…and our mutual interest in World War II.
Each book in each series has been born out of unanswered questions, unresolved plot, and the need to follow my characters’ stories and development through to the end.
What’s next for you?
Currently I am working through the final book of the Blood Wild Chronicles and Book 8 of the Kestrel Harper Saga and I have 3 new worlds/series in development. I’m not sure yet which of those I will jump into next, but with 2 series coming to an end, it is time to begin the dive into another world. I look forward to the challenge, to meeting new characters, and learning their stories and what lessons they have to teach.
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