“Immediate feedback from readers is responsible for my success”

Celebrated author Chris Weatherman, known by the pen name Angery American, has unveiled the twelfth installment in his compelling Survivalist Series titled Exploring Home. Chris is a literary luminary with twenty-three published works, and has left an indelible mark on the dystopian fiction landscape. The Survivalist Series, which took flight with Going Home, has amassed over a million copies in global sales. Notably, Engineering Home, the eleventh book in the series, claimed the top spot on the Amazon New Releases Charts in Dystopian Fiction and Dystopian Science Fiction at its debut, even reaching the second spot on the Amazon Best Seller Chart, surpassed only by George Orwell’s iconic 1984.

Here, Chris shares more about his love for writing and his journey as a writer. Excerpts.

AABP: Brief us about yourself and how you embarked on your journey as a writer?

Chris: By trade I am a high voltage electrician specializing in power plant construction. I got into primitive survival skills over thirty years ago which evolved into what I refer to as modern survival. I began writing Going Home when I was traveling for work and sitting in hotels at night. The first two books were wrote on a survival forum for my own entertainment. It was never intended to be a book. However, the readers of the story insisted I do and pushed me into it. I self-published Going Home and very much to my surprise it was an immediate success. It was such a success that Plume Publishing, a division of Penguin Random House reached out to me and made an offer, which, much to their chagrin, I turned down as I was making considerably more from Amazon than they were offering. Two weeks later they made an offer I couldn’t refuse which resulted in the first five books of the series being published by them.

AABP: What inspired you to become an author, and how did you get started in the world of writing?

Chris: I never really intended to. I do not consider myself a very good writer and in the technical sense, I’m not. Just ask my editors! That being said, I am a very good storyteller and I think that is what the readers like. I began writing for fun. It was just something to kill time while on the road. The path I took, writing on a forum, gave me an insight into what the readers were thinking. The thread on the forum exploded with over two million views before it was published. Following the comments of the readers I always knew what they were expecting next and I never gave it to them, even if that was the original intent.

AABP: How do you approach the writing process, from idea generation to the finished product?

Chris: As I was posting this on a forum in pieces there was a constant demand from the readers. They used the term, moar book! (Their spelling) relentlessly until I would post a new piece. There was no plan, no outline and no real forethought. I was just having fun.

AABP: Who are your literary influences, and how have they shaped your writing style?

Chris: I would say my three primary influences are Mark Twain, as he could weave a yarn like no other. Hemmingway, for the romantic lenses he used, good and bad. Lastly, Hunter S, Thompson. I really embraced his methods of Gonzo writing, bucking the publishing world and doing things my way. Publishers have a hard time as I do some very unconventional things. Such as switching constantly from first to third person. They argued with me I couldn’t do it. I simply replied two million people think otherwise and refused to change.

AABP: What moments or achievements in your writing journey are you most proud of?

Chris: Early on, like so many authors I was enamoured with rankings. I qualified for the NYT bestsellers list twice, though they refused to list me. I did make the USA Today list twice. Now, what I am most proud of is when a reader messages me telling how reading my books changed their lives, how they took more responsibility for their lives, sold their homes in the city or the burbs and moved out to create a homestead. Story after story like this from people who completely uprooted their lives and left all the stress and anxiety behind them to forge a new life where they are closer to their families, produce their own food and live closer to the Earth. That is how I measure success today! As I write this I am sitting in my travel trailer on a homestead in southern Georgia that belongs to a reader. My readers know I will not hesitate to come out to their place and spend time with them. I routinely give out my personal cell number and answer all messages personally. I think that personal connection is the other key to my success. Lastly, I would say because of my skill set and the fact I live the things I write about and know them in a detail only actually experiencing them can provide, the readers can feel the reality in what I like to call the faction, fact based fiction I write.

AABP: How do you develop your characters, and do you draw inspiration from real-life individuals?

Chris: Most of my characters are based off real people. I have a very interesting background that goes into the military and law enforcement worlds. These two are the source of many characters. Not to mention, over twenty years of heavy industrial construction where I’ve met all kinds of people. That, is the best source of my characters. I believe in two methods of character development. First, really getting into the character’s head, his past, what they may think of the future. Essentially making them an open book. Conversely, I really like the mysterious character where his past is always hazy and his true intentions unknown. These characters will always surprise readers. One such character, Dalton, is based off my best friend in the world. He’s a big man from the mountains of north Georgia. Yet, he surprises readers when he can speak Russian, Japanese and even Mandarin. Because he can in real life.

AABP: What is your approach to crafting engaging and immersive stories?

Chris: I want the readers to immerse themselves into the world. I want them placing themselves in the characters shoes and ask, what would I do? Additionally, I’ve found it critical to keep it grounded in reality. Accuracy is also very important. Not making mistakes about basic things these characters would know. For instance if using a weapon, you better get those details correct. Readers will crucify you for them. Lastly, avoid cliches. I loath them and find them to be lazy. I refuse to use them.

AABP: Tell us about your book Exploring Home? This is the 12th book in the series. Are there more in store?

Chris: In Exploring Home I begin to expand the world. By this book, only a little more than a year has passed on the timeline. They’ve survived the hardest part, the beginning and now we’re looking at the start of the rebuilding. Power hates a vacuum and when one exists, someone will step into it, for better or worse. We will see the worse of that in detail in the next book. At the moment I am planning on stopping this at no more than twenty books. A long series I know. I’ve always told the readers I would write them as long they liked reading them and I liked writing them. Many say they hope it never ends.

AABP: Can you share some challenges you’ve faced in your writing career and how you overcame them?

Chris: I have to be honest, and it sounds arrogant to say, but I really haven’t had any. I’m the classic Cinderella story. I tell people not to look to me as an example because what happened to me was like getting struck by lightning. You simply cannot plan for it. It just happens. With that said, I have become a professional author. I now have a manager and we are expanding in many directions. The series is fully developed for video, be it a streaming series as most people want or even a motion picture.

AABP: What advice do you have for aspiring authors looking to make a mark in the literary world?

Chris: First, sit down and write. Don’t worry about what it looks like, just get it on the page. Second, develop an audience. Find a forum, website or social media page that is about what you want to write. Become active there. Become part of that community. Spend some doing this, not by jumping in and posting your work, but by being active. Then start posting your writing. Once you have a majority of voices telling you you should publish, you know you’re ready.

AABP: Are there any upcoming projects or works in progress that you’re excited to share with your readers?

Chris: I have several projects in the works. Many more books, entirely new concepts as well as the pursuit of the right production company to make the TV or movie a reality.