Brian Meehl’s Blowback Time Travel Trilogy has captured the hearts and minds of readers, so much so ‘Blowback ’94: When the Only Way Forward Is Back’ recently smashed on to the bestseller list. This was a huge accomplishment for any author, but it was not the first time for this rather epic writer, whose books have consistently been bestsellers in 2021.
Besides being an acclaimed bestselling author Brian Meehl has a long history of entertaining people, having worked on Jim Henson’s Muppets as a puppeteer on ‘Sesame Street,’ as well as Henson’s cult classic, ‘The Dark Crystal.’ Three Emmy’s also sit on Meehl’s shelf, having won these coveted awards while writing for children’s classics, including ‘The Magic School Bus’, and ‘Between the Lions.’
‘Blowback ’94’ has taken readers by storm, and it is clear that this book will thrill and enthrall readers for years to come. Meehl is an expert at weaving stories that provide readers with adventures that they never want to see end. If you are looking for a fantasy book, which delivers in every area, then ‘Blowback ’94’ is the book for you.
Recently Meehl talked with us about his work, what’s next and yes, time travel.
What was the very first thing that came to you as you started the writing process of the Blowback Series, and how did that idea work its way into BLOWBACK ‘94, your current bestselling book?
I’ve always been fascinated by the intersection of American history and American sports. The story of Jackie Robinson integrating Major League Baseball is probably the most famous of these intersections. But there are many lesser-known intersections where sport and history come together to create a compelling story.
The first book in the Blowback Trilogy, BLOWBACK ’07, dives into the true story of how a scrappy bunch of Native Americans revolutionized the game of American football in 1907. They invented the passing game and shocked the big Ivy League schools with a style of play no one had seen before. The second book in the trilogy, BLOWBACK ’63, goes back to the Civil War in 1863 when baseball was being played by Union and Confederate soldiers camped on opposite sides of a narrow river. At the time, baseball itself was divided by two different sets of rules.
While the third book in the trilogy, BLOWBACK ’94, doesn’t deal with a particular American sport, it does share the concept of “play.” Just as the protagonists in the first two books must “play their way home” via a sport, in the third book the central character of Iris must play her way home via music.
You’re a bestselling author, and I am sure you have a lot of fans. What was the most interesting feedback or question you have received from a reader about BLOWBACK ‘94 or your entire series?
There is a character in BLOWBACK ’94, Joseph Pujol, who many readers think is a product of my twisted imagination. Pujol, a star performer at the Moulin Rouge in Paris in 1894, who is called Le Pétomane, has a unique talent. He can pass wind at will and produce all sorts of amazing sound effects with his “second set of lungs.” Also known as “Le Fartiste,” Pujol was very much a real person; I love seeing people’s reactions when I tell them that he is fact not fiction. I dare you to check him out on your browser.
You are gifted at creating compelling characters. I don’t expect you to tell us your “secret sauce” for creating such powerful characters, but could you tell us one that you use to start developing them?
Compelling characters are built from the outside in and the inside out.
From the outside in. Characters are defined by what they DO. The saying goes, “character is choice.” So, one way to build a character is to throw him or her into tough and challenging situations and see what choices they make. Beating up a character, putting them through hell, is part of the fun of storytelling. Will they survive? Will they triumph?
From the inside out. To explore the inner working of a character, consider a twist on “sexual orientation.” “Character orientation” is the ability of a writer to self-identify with a person. A writer imbeds him or herself in the mind, heart and soul of each character. You gotta talk their talk, walk their walk.
When you are not writing what are you doing to refuel and recharge?
I’ve always been some sort of athlete, from high school sports, to dance, mime, and full body-puppets for the Muppets. While all those more youthful “sports” are behind me, I am an avid golfer for two reasons: the gymnastic move of the golf swing and the long walks amidst Mother Nature. For me, recreation has always been just that: re-creation.
I understand that you are mulling over other writing projects. Can you tell us a bit about them, and what this process is like for you?
After spending a decade researching and writing the Blowback Trilogy, I’m taking a wee break from writing. But this writer can never stop researching, and there is a subject that has my attention as fodder for historical fiction.
One little-known story about the founding of the United States and the writing of its Constitution is how, in the 1700s, Benjamin Franklin became fascinated with how the Iroquois Confederacy and its Six Nations (all different tribes) had avoided war with each other for over 200 years. What Franklin discovered within the Iroquois Confederacy were basically three co-equal branches of government: executive, legislative, and judicial. Ring a bell? Why don’t we know more about these “forgotten founding fathers”? On top of that, the Iroquois Confederacy was more matriarchal than patriarchal.
More information about Brian Meehl and ‘Blowback ’94: When the Only Way Forward Is Back’ is available on Amazon.