An Interview with Bryan Swalley
I was raised in the small mountain town of Webster Springs, West Virginia, where I had the rare blessing of being brought up by two sets of grandparents I called ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad.’ It was an amazing childhood, full of memories and lessons that stuck with me long after I left those mountains.
After college, life took me in a lot of directions, but baseball was always at the heart of it. I’ve worn just about every hat the game has to offer: player, agent, professional scout, and even coach, from Major League Baseball’s program in China to the Lexington Counter Clocks here in the States.
These days, I live in Kenova, West Virginia, with my wife, Cindy, and our three kids, Allyson, Lydia, and Ty. The Reclamation is my fiction debut, and in many ways, it’s a love letter to small towns like the one that raised me.
What inspired you to start writing this book?
I had always wanted to try my hand at writing fiction, but I never had a story that really grabbed me. Then one night, the idea for The Reclamation just kind of popped up in my head. I started thinking about it more and more, and before long, I couldn’t stop. The story, the characters, the setting, it all started to feel real to me.
A lot of that comes from growing up in Webster Springs, West Virginia. That small-town feeling, where everyone knows everyone and the mountains seem to hold their own secrets, really found its way into the story. The more I thought about it, the more I fell in love with the idea, and eventually I just said, “Why not give it a shot?” That’s how The Reclamation was born.
Tell us the story of your book’s current title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?
It actually came pretty easily. Once I started writing, the word ‘reclamation’ just stuck with me. It had a few layers of meaning that fit the story perfectly. On one hand, there’s the coal mine reclamation aspect, since a mining company plays such a big role in the book. But it also ties into what Rob, the main character, is trying to do, he’s coming back home and trying to reclaim not only his town, but a part of himself that he lost along the way.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized it summed up everything the story was really about. It just felt right.
What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?
As I mentioned before, I’ve spent a good part of my life working in professional baseball. I’ve been a player, an agent, a scout, and a coach, which gave me the chance to see the game from just about every angle. Currently, I work in education, which has been a whole different kind of rewarding.
Something readers might not know about me is that I’ve always been the type to take chances and bet on myself. Whether it was jumping into baseball, coaching overseas, or now diving into writing fiction, I’ve never been afraid to take a leap and see where it leads. So far, every leap has led to a pretty good story.
Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?
I’ve always admired authors and screenwriters for their ability to tell a story in such an artistic way. The way they can pull you into another world and make you feel something real has always fascinated me.
When I was in undergrad at Marshall University, I took a literature class where I had to write a paper. Fast forward about fifteen years, and I happened to start going to the same church as that professor. One Sunday morning, she walked up to me with my old paper in her hand. She told me she had kept it all these years because it was so well written.
That moment really stuck with me. It gave me the confidence I needed to write The Reclamation.
Where is your favorite place to write?
For me, it’s not so much about the place as it is the time. I did about 99.9 percent of my writing late at night, when the house was quiet and everyone was asleep. There’s something about that stillness that makes it easier to think and really sink into the story. No distractions, no noise, just me and the page. That’s when The Reclamation really came to life.
What’s one thing you hope sticks with readers after they finish your book?
I hope readers keep thinking about the ending long after they’ve turned the last page. The Reclamation is the kind of story that changes a little once you know how it all fits together. My hope is that readers will want to go back and experience it again, catching things they might have missed the first time. I think the second read can be even more enjoyable than the first.
Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.
Atmosphere Press is a selective hybrid publisher founded in 2015 on the principles of Honesty, Transparency, Professionalism, Kindness, and Making Your Book Awesome. Our books have won dozens of awards and sold tens of thousands of copies. If you’re interested in learning more, or seeking publication for your own work, please explore the links below.