An Interview with Peter Brandvold

We asked Peter Brandvold about his latest Western series, where he gets his inspiration from, and what makes stories truly special. Check out the full interview below!

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You've written quite a few Western series now under Wolfpack Publishing. How does Nordic & Finn stand out in your catalog?

• I think it’s the one that has the most heart in it. Nordic’s love for Finn and Finn’s love for Nordic make it stand out. That and the fact that coming to love a dog opens Nordic up to being able to love and trust people, which he’d really never done before.

What sort of inspirations did you have for the main characters—Anders Nordic and his loyal collie Finn?

• I, myself, and my own dog were my inspirations for Nordic & Finn. And I suppose my love as a kid for the books by Jim Kjelgaard, Gary Paulson, and Jack London.

The West is a big place—how do you decide on the exact setting for your books/series?

• I usually have two criteria for setting a book in a certain place--a landscape that lends itself to the most drama, and where would I most like to spend the month or so it takes to hammer out a book. I usually like to set them where I’ve been, so I have some knowledge of the terrain, its formations, etc, but since I’ve lived all over the west, that’s not hard.

How many books do you have planned for the Nordic & Finn series?

• I’d like to do at least eight, maybe nine. But that’s usually determined by how well they sell. When sales start to wane, they usually tell me it’s time to wind it down and start another one. I have a spin-off series in mind that would feature Nordic and his wife, Alex, and one of Finn’s grand-dogs or great-grand-dogs in the 1920s, bring them and their ranch and the family they’ll be raising into the 20th century, sort of the way Taylor Sheridan did with his 1923 spinoff of Yellowstone.

Of the books/series you've written thus far, which one is your favorite?

• I’ve written so many books in so many series it’s hard to pick just one. I love them all. I don’t think there’s a dud in my bibliography. But if I had to pick one, I’d pick my new one--Nordic & Finn. I’m both Nordic and a dog lover, so both the main characters, man and dog, really resonate with me in that both are deeply personal to me. Finn is really my dog Buddy, who's been my trail pard for over ten years now. He’s a rescue who had a rough first year and a half. Because of that, he had “issues.” But, after an initial fat lip, he and I got along fine and now there’s no separating us. We go everywhere together. I can hear him breathing as he sleeps on the sofa behind me as I type this.

Where do you get inspiration from for a new book/series?

• I really don’t know where the inspiration comes from. I just get to looking around in my head for a character or characters--it always starts with characters for me--that I’d be interested in and think the reader would, too, and when I land on something, when something resonates, I know. I can feel the excitement--rapid breathing, fast heartbeat, eagerness to sit down at the keyboard, turn my imagination loose, and start tapping words out on the screen.

Which part of the writing process do you dread the most? Getting started? Making edits? Something else?

• I hate editing. I don’t like going back. I like to keep moving forward. I know it’s necessary, and sometimes I don’t do it well enough, but it is my least favorite part of writing.

Have you ever included a nod in your stories to another one of your books/series?

• I’ve done that a couple of times that I can remember, maybe more. In one of my Spurr Morgan books, I have Yakima Henry make a cameo at the end. He’s not there long, just half a page, I think, but that was fun. And then in my last Lou Prophet book, published by Kensington--The Cost of Dying--I pair Prophet with Cuno Massey from my .45-Caliber series. That was fun. I just remembered there was another time I did that. In one Lou Prophet book--I can’t remember which one--I had Colter Farrow from my Saga of Colter Farrow series make a cameo. I think he was being sick outside a saloon, which is kind of funny because in his own series, I have Colter not liking the taste of liquor. It also makes him sick.

What do you think makes a story spectacular?

• For me, what makes a story spectacular is vivid characters, characters so real they become like someone we know in real life. They can’t just be characters. They have to be people we love, hate, empathize with, sympathize with, and either pull for or against. Character is key. No plot will work without great characters.  

Where can your readers reach/interact with you?

• They can send me a friend request on Facebook or email me at peterbrandvold@gmail.com