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Brad Wiebe Showcase Interview

Brad Wiebe

Self-Publisher’s Showcase: Today we are joined by Brad Wiebe, author of Testament. Welcome to the Showcase Lounge, Brad.

BW: Thank you.

SPS: For any of our readers that haven’t come across you previously, can you take a moment to tell us all a little about yourself?

BW: I’m married to a wonderful woman for almost thirty years; both of us semi-retired. I’m a retired chiropractor, a seasonal fire tower lookout observer, and a soon to be Pacific coast lighthouse keeper. When I’m not working or writing, my wife and I travel the less travelled regions of the globe. I like to be informed, I’m a devoted science follower, and a possessed reader. I also like to make time to write fiction for young adults and teens on topics I desire to have a voice in. Ultimately, though, I want to write good stories that entertain readers.

SPS: January 20th saw the release of your debut novel. What can you tell us about Testament?

BW: I’m a debut fiction writer of the Young Adult novel Testament released this January 2020. This novel is the answer to questions I’ve been asked by inherited nieces & nephews regarding why I’m not a Christian or a believer in God. As I’m unable to answer them due to real concerns about negatively impacting my relationship with them, I wrote a story – a good story, I think, that answers their questions.

I don’t suspect that these kids will ever read this novel, but I know there are other kids, teens, out there that have similar questions, and perhaps this story I’ve created will help them find answers. It’s a good story if a story is all a reader desires, but there is more there for those that want to dive deeper.

SPS: What would you like a reader to take away from reading your novel?

BW: That’s a great question, thank you for asking. The answer is simple. Kids need to be taught to think critically. To be sceptical of everything and learn to find answers from valid sources. Think of what we will learn from them.

SPS: How long did the whole process take from idea to publication?

BW: My so-called bucket list had a vague notion of writing a book at some point. However, had it not been for the kids mentioned above, I would likely never have found the motivation. With that in mind, it was about two years from conception to publication as an indie-author.

It’s been a lot of learning, as my background in writing was probably a failing grade on an English assignment in high school. I’m quite surprised at the catharsis I feel writing and have already begun my next novel.

SPS: Were there any particular parts of the writing/publishing process that you struggled with on this novel?

BW: Yeah, a lot. I am a truly green author. Had it not been for the literal thousands of books I’ve read prior to this venture; I would not have had any idea where to begin. But we know what we like to read, so I used that as my strategy to write Testament. Frankly, writing was the easy part for me.

There is a grossly abundant amount of information to sift through out there regarding creation of a professional product. It’s not all good information, and all of it is designed for monetisation, so one need be careful where they find help.

This latter bit took most of that time.

SPS: Have you received a favorite early review?

BW: I’ve read time and again to be wary of reviews, to not let them crush me, because there is a crushing review awaiting me out there somewhere. So, I take them in stride, I guess. I’ve only two that I am aware of, and from my perspective, I think they are both flattering.

SPS: Testament has a fantastic cover. How did you go about the process of selecting a suitable one?

BW: One of the worthy businesses that I’ve come to know in my search to create a professional novel is Reedsy. I love Reedsy and cannot shout out about them enough. Through them I was able to find my editor and my graphical artist & typesetter. Sarah Beaudin created my cover – completely abstract from what I’d had in mind, and I immediately loved it and knew it was the one.

I would wish Sarah on everyone except I’m selfish and want her to have time to create my next one. Seriously, I highly recommend her.

SPS: What are your perfect writing conditions, and how often do you write?

BW: I’m in transition now while I move to a lighthouse, so I’ve had, or made, little time to write. But when I wrote Testament, I preferred a quiet comfortable space, early in the morning before my wife awoke to start our day.

Most of this book was written during our travels through the Balkans, on a laptop set upon a lap desk, with a coffee getting cold beside me. This works for me, and I don’t foresee changing this habit. Maybe paying more attention to the coffee?

SPS: Can you put your finger on the moment you decided that you wanted to publish your work?

BW: I made the decision to publish before I started writing, with the only caveat being that I must feel that I had something worthy to share. I believe I do.

SPS: Why do you think it is that you have found yourself writing in the style that you do?

BW: Again, I’ve done my best to steal from the talents of all the authors that I’ve enjoyed over a lifetime. No doubt I’ve abused each of them, but I suspect one gets better the more they write, so maybe I’ll have made them worthy accomplices at some point in the future.

SPS: What would you say, if anything, best differentiates you from other authors?

BW: I think a good author is passionate about their work. They write to entertain and share knowledge. I’m no different. I’m proudly passionate about my work, and I look forward to having more to offer. Proud to join the ranks.

SPS: Where does the inspiration for your work come from?

BW: Well, I’ve written only this one book and I think I’ve been clear as to why I wrote it. For future work, I’ll choose topics that are important to me, topics I want to learn more about, to understand better, and do my best to turn these ideas into great stories. Stories with a purpose for those readers interested in that.

SPS: What’s next on the self-publishing horizon for yourself?

BW: I’m a proud indie author. I made a worthy product in Testament. But I would be lying to say that I would not be excited to have a traditional imprint consider my work as it matures. I just think it’s got greater potential to get one’s work out there to readers, and frankly I prefer the writing to the work required to put it in front of readers.

I’m currently working on the foundation of a second novel that I hope will be ready for publication sometime in 2021.

SPS: Was the Self-/Indie-Published route always your preferred route for your work?

BW: I was convinced early in my post writing work that it was unlikely that I would win the so-called traditional lottery with so many great authors out there, so I presumed to self-publish at the outset. I may attempt the traditional route with novel two depending on how Testament does.

I would prefer a traditional publication.

SPS: Has the experience so far been all that you thought it would be?

BW: I didn’t have any expectations, really. I knew I wanted to write this book but had no initial forethought as to its publication until it was written. As for writing specifically, I’ve found a new love. I really really enjoyed the work of creating a story around an idea. There is more work coming, for sure.

SPS: If you could give one piece of advice for someone looking to get into writing, what would it be?

BW: Trust your intuition. Follow your dream. Provide your absolute best work. This is the advice I considered for my own work and followed through accordingly.

SPS: Thank you for joining us today, Brad, and all the best for the future.

BW: Thank you for this opportunity.

SPS: For more information on Brad and his work, please do visit:

Website
Goodreads
Amazon
Instagram
Reedsy
Twitter

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