Location: Canada
Member Since: Aug. 24, 2013

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Brian Gottheil

Biography

I’ve been writing as a hobby since, at the age of four, I penned an epic about my then-favourite sport, the charmingly mis-spelled “baceball.” I’m more of a basketball fan these days, but I have kept up my love for writing throughout.

I live in Toronto, Canada, or as we Torontonians like to call it, “the centre of the universe.” I’m just joking about that … mostly. I’m writing a novel at the moment in which the main character hates Toronto, so that’s been a bit of a challenge. At one point she describes it as a “frenetic smogscape.” To each her own, I suppose.

In my day job, I work as a labour and employment lawyer with Bernardi Human Resource Law (visit us at www.hrlawyers.ca). I practice labour and employment law, which I think is fascinating and covers everything from union certifications to human rights issues, employment contracts to severance packages, and court and tribunal work to harassment investigations.

Outside of work, while I'm less enamoured than I once was with "baceball," I've replaced it with a hobby and passion that I find even more creative, exciting, and easy to spell: swing dancing. In addition to the joy of dancing itself, I also serve as President of Toronto Lindy Hop, a not-for-profit swing dance organization, which I find incredibly rewarding (www.torontolindyhop.com).

Smashwords Interview

Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
The first book I wrote was about baseball, at age 4. It was an A to Z book. I honestly can't remember what I did for X and Q. I do remember the first novel-type story I wrote, though (novella length, really). I was in sixth grade and it was about a killer robot trying to destroy Toronto.
What is your writing process?
I really enjoy thinking through a novel and coming up with a lot of the ideas before I start writing. I always start with a plan, but I keep it flexible and it inevitably changes quite a lot along the way.

Once I have the novel's basic concept, my focus is on mapping out the ending. But I have a compulsive need to write the novel in order, so even though planning the ending is the first thing I do, it's still the last thing I write.

When I have a good sense of what the ending will be, I will start actually writing the novel from Chapter One. Normally that is a very slow process, with lots of writing and re-writing as I try to figure out the best way to introduce the characters and plot lines while also setting up the ending, all without losing momentum. Since writing the beginning takes so long (and is so frustrating), I take a lot of breaks to map out some of the key plot points I'll hit in the middle. So once the beginning's done, writing the middle becomes a lot easier.
Read more of this interview.

Where to find Brian Gottheil online

Website: http://briangottheil.com
Facebook: Facebook profile
LinkedIn: http://ca.linkedin.com/pub/brian-gottheil/49/76/10b

Books

Swing Out of the Blue by
Price: $6.06 USD. Words: 141,050. Language: English. Published: January 28, 2022 . Categories: Fiction » Coming of age, Fiction » Literature » Literary
Sophia uses swing dancing to ease her struggle with depression. When she breaks her ankle, her defence is gone. But any challenge can be a blessing as well as a curse. Against the backdrop of bullying, mental illness and darker threats, Swing Out of the Blue is a story of vulnerability, friendship, courage and personal growth, and of recognizing, above all, that we are not alone.
Gateways by
Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 155,430. Language: English. Published: October 20, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Fantasy » Historical, Fiction » Fantasy » Epic
In the midst of a devastating war, pacifist politician Caryn Hallom finds herself trapped with a member of the enemy's royal family, and seizes on the opportunity to try to negotiate an end to the fighting. Little does she know that a new faction is about to enter the conflict, armed with a frightening magical weapon ... or that it will be led by the one person who knows the truth about her past.

Brian Gottheil's tag cloud

1914    coming of age    comingofage    depression    diplomacy    fantasy    fantasy historical    female lead    first world war    geopolitics    history    lindy hop    mental health    mentalhealth    negotiation    swing dance    swing dancing    swing music    university    world war i