Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Brett Riley. We’ll be talking about his YA fantasy/thriller novel, Freaks.
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In this episode Brett Riley and I discuss:
- How he portrayed and deepened the bond between his main characters.
- The double-sided nature of superhero powers and why he showed his characters’ weaknesses.
- Why it’s fascinating to let superheroes be bad and what that exploration reveals.
Plus, his #1 tip for writers.
About Brett Riley
Brett Riley is the author of The Subtle Dance of Impulse and Light (Ink Brush Press), Comanche (Imbrifex Books), Lord of Order (Imbrifex), Freaks (Imbrifex), and Travelers (2022). His short fiction has appeared in journals such as The Baltimore Review, F(r)iction, Solstice, Folio, The Evansville Review, and many others. His nonfiction has appeared in CrimeReads, Role Reboot, Broad River Review, Rougarou, Green Hills Literary Lantern, Literary Orphans, Under the Gum Tree, Wild Violet, and Foliate Oak Magazine. He lives in Henderson, NV.
You can find him on his website or follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Freaks
Hunted by monsters. Wanted for questioning. Late for class.
Four high-school friends suffer daily humiliation at the hands of three bullies. When the friends accidentally open a portal to another dimension, they unintentionally allow terrifying, other-worldly creatures to invade their small Arkansas town. Discovering that they are now endowed with strange superpowers, the four teens dub themselves “Freaks,” the very name their tormentors used to ridicule them. The Freaks must fight to save the lives of family and friends now in mortal peril and thwart a secret government task force that appears to be hunting them.
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Link to Episode 410
(Right-click to download.)
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