Alternate history
Date Published: May 1, 2021
Publisher: Freedom Thorn Press
Fifty years after a coup replaced President Franklin D. Roosevelt with a fascist dictatorship, America is a land of hopelessness. Ben Adamson, a 19-year-old farm boy in southern Illinois, wants only to spend his time fishing and hunting. But when his dead brother demands justice for his suspicious fate in a colonial war, Ben and Rachel, his brother’s fiancée, are drawn into an underground revolutionary movement.
After staging a rally against the war, Ben and Rachel are arrested by the Internal Security Service, who have perfected the science of breaking people. Ben is given a choice: betray the rebels, including his best friend from childhood, or Rachel will be lobotomized.
Although traumatized and addicted to a powerful drug, Ben refuses to doom anyone he cares about. Can he find a third option? Can he free Rachel and strike back at the dictatorship, while dodging the suspicions of police and rebels alike?
What is the
hardest part of writing your books?
The hardest part is sitting down every morning and getting
into the flow of writing. Perhaps it’s the hardest part of any journey: to
begin.
What songs
are most played on your Ipod?
Sadly, my ancient 20GB Ipod died a couple of months ago. I
still use iTunes on my laptop, though. I usually put it on random shuffle,
except when I’m writing. I have playlists for each point of view character,
plus songs to evoke emotions for different types of scenes (action, romance,
etc.). Born in Salt is told through the eyes of a single character, Ben.
The playlist for Ben is mostly alt-country like Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt,
Jason Molina (Songs: Ohia and Magnolia Electric Co.), Old 97’s, and Whiskeytown.
Do you have
critique partners or beta readers?
I am in two critique groups, one in Baltimore, MD, and the
other in Annapolis, MD. I also solicit feedback from beta readers, who are
mostly other writers. If you want to join my beta reader team, please let me
know!
What books
are you reading now?
Little Brother by Cory Doctorow and Border Crosser
by Tom Doyle.
How did you
start your writing career?
I’ve pursued writing since childhood, then learned
filmmaking and screenwriting in college (along with a little bit of physics). I
transformed those interests into novel writing while trapped at home during the
"Snowmageddon" of 2010, and looking for something productive to
do.
Tell
us about your next release.
I’ve completed
the first draft of The Council, a satire of local government. A newly
elected councilman tries to save the last stand of forest in the county against
greedy developers and a dysfunctional government. I’m still in editing mode, so
it probably won’t be out until 2022.
And I’m revising
a post-apocalyptic horror novella and several other projects. I expect the
novella will also come out in 2022, although finding publishers for novellas is
difficult.
About the Author
Ted Weber has pursued writing since childhood, and learned filmmaking and screenwriting in college, along with a little bit of physics. His first published novel was a near-future cyberpunk thriller titled Sleep State Interrupt (See Sharp Press). It was a finalist for the 2017 Compton Crook award for best first science fiction, fantasy, or horror novel. The first sequel, The Wrath of Leviathan, was published in 2018, and the final book, Zero-Day Rising, came out in 2020. He has other books on the way as well. He is a member of Poets & Writers and the Maryland Writers Association, and helps run writing workshops and critique groups. By day, Mr. Weber works as a climate adaptation analyst, and has had a number of scientific papers and book chapters published. He lives in Annapolis, Maryland with his wife Karen. He enjoys traveling and has visited all seven continents. For book samples, short stories, and more, visit https://www.tcweber.com/.
Contact Links
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