© Joan Allen
His debut novel Red Rising released at the beginning of the year became a New York Times bestseller and is currently being adapted into a movie. The man behind Red Rising is American author, Pierce Brown and it is the first book in The Red Rising Trilogy. We caught up with Pierce to find more about how he got into science fiction writing, and about his novels including the eagerly awaited next story in his trilogy called Golden Son, to be released in early 2015.
Please tell us a bit about your writing experience, how you got into writing, and in particular how your interest in writing in genres such as young adult, science fiction and fantasy came about?
I’ve always wanted to be a world builder. When I was a kid, I’d spend nearly every waking moment setting up vast battles on my floor. I’d light tennis balls on fire and launch them from makeshift trebuchet at army men in dirt or stone castles I’d make from scratch. Writing is just another form of that world-building. It’s sort of like asking people to go on an adventure with me into a world I’ve built to share and filled it full of my memories, my dreams, and all the cool little things I could think up. Science fiction just lets me paint with a very large brush.
Your debut story Red Rising is a New York Times bestselling novel. Can you please tell us what the novel is about, what inspired you to write it, and what key underlying messages you want to convey through it?
The novel is about a young slave infiltrating an oppressive ruling class after his wife is taken from him. At its heart it is about power, why we seek it, how we keep it, and how it is abused. I was inspired by the Greek play, Antigone, in which a young woman pays the ultimate price to stand up to injustice—a theme that winds its way through much of RED RISING.
Red Rising is of course the first instalment in The Red Rising Trilogy and you will be releasing story number 2 entitled Golden Son soon. Can you please tell us a little about what we can expect from Golden Son?
Without giving anything away to those who’ve not yet RED RISING, GOLDEN SON focuses on the larger picture of our hero, Darrow’s struggle against the Gold class which rules over his society. We will see other planets besides Mars, and perhaps meet some of the more famed members of The Society. Lorn au Arcos, the Sovereign, and the family Telemanus.
Can you please give us any hints about book number 3 in The Red Rising Trilogy? Have you started to write it yet?
I’m well into my first draft! All I can say is it’ll be a hell of a ride.
Can you please share 3 top tips with writers who want write a fictional trilogy?
Be foolishly bold. Find an agent. Don’t stop writing, ever.
How can people find out more about you?
Check me out at www.pierce-brown.com or Twitter @Pierce_brown or @piercebrownie on Instagram!
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://writingtipsoasis.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/hv1.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Hiten Vyas is the Founder and Managing Editor of eBooks India. He is also a prolific eBook writer with over 25 titles to his name.[/author_info] [/author]