This is another connection made by my friend who had a nearby booth an Arts fair (or something like that). I don’t know if either my pal or McBee sold much that day, but I appreciate them conversing at least! If you look at his material and compare it to others from this series of posts, one thing you’ll see off the top is the wide variety of genres we have here. It ain’t all potatoes and mountain scenes here, folks.
Anyway, sit back and enjoy this chat with Bryan McBee–and go check out his site and books afterward.
Before we get into things, why don’t you give the reader a brief introduction to you and your work.
My name is Bryan McBee. I am an Idaho author. I served in the US Army for five years. After which, I attended BSU and graduated in 2018. I have been a bookworm for most of my life, thanks in large part to my mom, who caved in to my constant pestering, and read to me from Stephen King’s The Night Shift in third grade. I have been in love with reading and writing pretty much all my life. I finished writing my first novel, Vector Zero, in 2013, and found a publisher for it in 2021. My second novel, Afterworld, came out in 2022, and I just signed a contract for my third novel which is titled Abnormal Ends. A few of my favorite authors are Dan Simmons, Stephen King, Robert McCommon, Megan O’Keefe, John Scalzi and Brandon Sanderson.
What kept you going from 2013-2021? Also, how many revisions did Vector Zero go through in that time? Incidentally, what I’ve heard of Abnormal Ends on social media has me really intrigued—looking forward to that.
Some of the time in between was taken up by college. I took advantage of the GI Bill and returned to school. For much of that time Vector Zero sat in a file on my computer collecting metaphorical dust. I took it out from time to time trying to find an agent to represent it. Each time I reread and revised it a little. Then came working with an actual editor with an eye towards publication and release. All told the novel went through at least five or six major revisions/rewrites before hitting the shelves.
I’m glad to hear that you’re looking forward to Abnormal Ends. I was excited to write it. It’s with the editor as we speak. I will send out updates as they come in.
Are you a native Idahoan? What brought you to Idaho in the first place? What is it about Idaho that keeps you here?
I’ve lived in Idaho most of my life. I moved here from Oregon when I was 13. My mom’s job transferred her here, and I being her only remaining dependent, was carted along with the rest of her luggage. I love it here. It’s clean, the people are nice, and the country is beautiful.
Are you tied into some sort of local author/bookish group/culture? If so, tell us about it and how it helps you as an author.
I am still pretty new to the whole published author thing, so I’m still trying to find my place in the local culture. I’ve joined the Idaho Writer’s Guild. They’ve been pretty helpful with finding events and giving support to a newby like me.
I’m hearing a lot of good things about the IWG from this series of Q&As. What kind of support/help have you found from it? Here’s a chance for a newby to do some outreach so he can become a respected vet 🙂
I’ve only been a part of the Guild for a year, and due to work haven’t had as much time as I would like to take advantage of the conferences and other events they hold. I am hoping to change that this year and become more active within the Guild.
What kind of events in the area do you attend—either to sell/promote your books or to network with authors? Are there any outside of this area that you hit regularly and wish we had something like it here?
I’ve gotten in touch with several bookstores in the Boise area to do signings. They’ve all been very accommodating. Most recently, I was at Barnes and Noble. In addition to bookstores, I will be at the Gem State Comic Con for the second year in a row, and the Idaho Halloween and Horror Con for the third year in a row. Both are great events. Very fun, and I get to meet lots of awesome nerdy people like me. I attended FanX, the Salt Lake City Comic Con in 2022. That was amazing, and almost overwhelming.
I haven’t made it to Gem State yet—what’s it like for authors? (or in general, come to think of it). I don’t think I’ve heard of the Halloween and Horror Con, either—but if you’ve gone twice and are coming back, it’s got to have something going or it, what’s it like and where is it held?
Gem State Comic con was pretty fantastic. I’m told that last year was the first year back after a hiatus. I found the crowd very welcoming and friendly. Lots of people from all sorts of different fandoms gathered to celebrate the things they love.
The Halloween and Horror Convention was my first big show since becoming a published writer. Last year and the year before they held the convention at the Red Lion hotel downtown. But they’ve outgrown that and will be holding it at Expo-Idaho, like Gem Comic Con. It’s a really great show if you like all things Halloween or Horror.
I will try to keep going back to both shows, as long as they will have me.
What’s the breakdown of your audience—do you have a strong local base, or are your readers from other parts of the world?
I am still a very new author on the scene, and in the process of building my audience. Much of my audience is local to the Boise area, because that’s where I live and can easily reach. However, several of my old army buddies have become dedicated readers, so I have some out of state reach. According to the demographics function on my Facebook page, I even have a follower in Malta. Which I think is tremendous!
Malta? Sounds very exotic. You need to arrange a signing there. (The snarky part of my brain just flashed on Cliff Poncier from the movie Singles, “we’re huge in Europe right now. I mean, we’ve got records… uh, a big record just broke in Belgium.”)
Are those buddies spreading the word as well? I’d think that could be good marketing (especially if they’re still enlisted and stuck on base somewhere with other people who need something to fill downtime).
I just rewatched Singles for the first time in years a little while ago!
My army buddies are spreading the word about my books. A few of them have been fans as well as friends for a long time! Every little bit of exposure helps when it comes to building an audience, and word of mouth is absolutely invaluable!
Do you think there are particular challenges or advantages to being a writer in the Treasure Valley?
I can’t say that I’ve seen any particular challenges to being an author here in the Treasure Valley. The internet has made it so that one doesn’t need to be in New York to be discovered. One thing I have noticed, is there is a strong feeling of local pride among people when they see that I’m a local writer. People here love to support local artists and creators. Which I think bolsters the strong sense of community that we all share here.
Do you bring Idaho (or some sort of Idaho-sensibility, assuming one exists) to your work? Whether or not anyone else sees it, can you look at some aspect of your writing and think “That’s Idaho” or “I would do ____ differently if I was a Kentuckian or from Illinois?”
I’m not really sure. My main focus as I’m scribbling away is to try and make my characters and situations as believable as possible, especially when it’s completely unbelievable. I feel like a writer has to be true to the world they have created and the people who inhabit it. On the main, I like to write what I like to read. Which is a little bit of everything. Hence, my first book is a military thriller, my second is a post-apocalyptic fantasy, and my third is going to be a cyber-punk serial killer novel. The only sensibility I try to bring to my work, is to tell the best story I can.
One final question, is there a book (or two…or 18, if you get really carried away), that embodies Idaho/the Idaho spirit to you to recommend to my readers?
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. Such a good book.
That’s my first Doerr response, which really surprises me.
In college, especially in English classes, especially in the writing classes, and most especially in the fiction writing classes, the professors name drop Anthony Doerr constantly. Not quite to the point of annoyance, but only just. It did make me curious about his work. So after I graduated (and gained free time with which to read what I wanted to read) I checked out his work. Very impressive, in my opinion. Well worth all the name dropping I heard as an English major in school.
Thanks for your time and participation! Hope you enjoyed it!
Thank you for the opportunity to chat with you!
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