Friday Night Reads: Brad R Cook

This Friday I'll be hosting my sixth #FriNightReads starting at 7p MT on my author Facebook featuring St Louis Writers Guild Historian, Brad R Cook, with the first installment of his steampunk trilogy, Iron Horsemen. Now, here's more from this week's featured indie author:

How did you first start writing?

I was lucky to start at a young age. My elementary school had a creative writing teacher, Mrs. Goldman, and she had us write, produce, and illustrate a book every year. We wrote the stories in class, and then put them in little booklets which we illustrated ourselves. She even laminated the covers. It was my favorite part of the year, and yes, I still have them. By high school, my first play was performed on stage, and I started my first novel while in college.

Why do you love it?

I love storytelling. Crafting plots, character arcs, and bringing all the little bits of a story together. I love the wordplay. The way writers play with language and phrase. I also love books. From the covers, to the style inside, the weight of the paper, and feel of them in your hands. I can’t decide if I like writing them or publishing them more.

More on Brad:

Brad R. Cook, is the author of historical fantasy, and award-winning short stories. He began as a playwright, dipped into the corporate writing world, and served as co-publisher and acquisitions editor for Blank Slate Press. He currently serves as Historian of St. Louis Writers Guild after three and half years as President. He learned to fence at thirteen, and never sets down his sword, but prefers to curl up with a centuries’ old classic.