David Mark Brown

Writer. Novelist. Redneck. Granola. Raised on a Texas cattle ranch and schooled at the U of Montana (Berkeley of the Rockies), I am the world’s most self-proclaimed redneck granola and author of optimistic-dystopian dieselpunk, sci-fi thrillers and young adult literature.

Lynn and Judy Osburn, where are you?

by

If, like me, you have perused the source material available on-line in regards to hemp usage and economic potential, then you have no doubt come across articles by Lynn Osburn.  Lynn Osburn, writing in the early nineties, appears to be the source for around 75% of what current bloggers are saying about hemp and its magical powers and awesome potential.  If I don’t find Lynn’s name, then I find sentences that are direct quotes (plagiarized apparently. Oh hempies, where is the shame?)

I don’t know about you, but I would like to know more about the genius behind the modern hemp movement.  Besides I have questions like, “Why is noone currently following through with or continuing to build on Osburn’s work from 17 years ago?”  And more importantly, “What the frick happened to this guy?” (He is apparently a guy.)  Well, this is what I have found so far.

Read moreLynn and Judy Osburn, where are you?

Young People Move Around the Country with Confused Impunity

by

One of the big question marks in our floundering economy right now hovers over the idea of human migration trends.  Where are people moving to, and why.  The key demographic in most conversations about migration trends in the U.S. seem to be young couples and singles between the ages of 25 and 40.  Where are these young people moving? And maybe more importantly, what do they want?

The answer, of course, is nobody knows.  But I have to write about something, so… let’s say… meaningful and fulfilling lives.  But first, where are they moving?  States like Texas have had a positive population gain over the last couple of years mostly due to strong energy sector jobs.  But let’s face it.  As an former resident of Texas, I realize not everyone wants to move to the armpit of hell, Houston.

Many are decrying the fact that young people are fleeing the country like scripted drama from prime time television.  But just like prime time TV, there are pockets of CSI, er, young people still finding home in the country.  Others, like a recent Wall Street Journal article, talk about the opposite trend.

Read moreYoung People Move Around the Country with Confused Impunity

If a character tree falls in the forest…

by
AsherDurand-Forestmorninglight
AsherDurand-Forestmorninglight

You would think that I would have diagramed the lives, motives and phycological profiles of my characters before I began the first draft of Blood Vines.  Instead I find myself doing it now, before I begin the third rewrite.  While it is a bit easier to picture my characters now than I image in would have been over a year ago, it am guessing the process of writing the novel has been made much more difficult by waiting until now.

Hmmm.  Good thing good logic is not a prerequisite to being a good novelist.  The thing that amazed me the most as I sat down to diagram the ins and outs of these characters whom I have known now for many months was not how much I knew about them, or even how much I didn’t know about them.  What surprised me the most was how much I almost knew about them.

Read moreIf a character tree falls in the forest…