Todd Brown
Author Interview - Todd Brown
Author of Anna So Knows 'Ya
Tagline: The truth doesn’t set you free. It follows you into the dark.
John Simons has built his career on facts. As a crime reporter in a city rattled by violence, he knows how to separate rumor from evidence and truth from noise.
Then the noise begins to acknowledge him.
A man in a dark hat starts appearing at the edges of John’s life. Taps in the wall sound like messages meant only for him. His boss Anna So’s smallest habits take on a terrible new meaning. As bodies surface across the East Side, John begins to fear he isn’t just chasing the story anymore.
He’s slipping inside it.
As dread hardens into obsession, John follows connections no one else can see, descending deeper into a reality that grows more intimate and menacing with every step. The closer he gets to the truth, the less he can trust his own mind or the people trying to pull him back.
Anna So Knows ’Ya is a haunting psychological horror novel about grief, paranoia, and the terror of realizing reality no longer knows you.
Author Interview - Todd Brown
Author I draw inspiration from:
Shirley Jackson, Paul Tremblay, Claire Keegan (I could list about one million)
Author Interview - Todd Brown | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
In my bedroom
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
Lisbeth Salander: I’d probably get along with her better than most people would (thinking around an 8 out of 10), but think we'd have a tough start. I feel like she’d respect my strong sense of justice, skepticism toward institutions, loyalty, persistence, and dark humor. But as a PhD in computational sociology and my instinct to understand people might make her feel watched or analyzed. I think she'd value my honesty, loyalty, and willingness to give her space. Our biggest conflict would be her readiness to use illegal or extreme methods, but we would agree about who deserved justice. I'd probably still be a bit alarmed by what she considers a proportionate response. Eventually, we'd trust one another, though she’d never admit it, but I know she'd always be there when I needed her.
Author Interview - Todd Brown | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
The second I read Salem's Lot in 7th grade.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
I've never listen to any audiobook but my debut novel, When Shadows Burn, narrated by Emily Woo Zeller and it was amazing (I know that sounds self-centered, but it was because of how talented she is). I used to love paperback and hardcover, but I don't have the room to keep all of the books I read, and I can't part with any of them. At this point, I am an ebook person.
The last book I read:
Guilty Creatures: Sex, God, and Murder in Tallahassee, Florida by Mikita Brottman. I read it because the new show being made on Apple TV with Julia Garner (I love me some Julia G.). It was fantastic.
Author Interview - Todd Brown | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
I'm on the autism spectrum, so it's my superpower. Once I get an idea for a novel, I have to write about it incessantly, regardless of time of day. I love to listen to movie instrumentals that match the mood of what I'm writing. My office is painted a hunter green with white trim and is full of actual horror movie and tv props from things that I love (particularly anything Mike Flanagan makes).
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
Sherlock Holmes because we're both freaks (minus the drug use).
Author Interview - Todd Brown | Book Character I’d be Best Friends With
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
My actual career is working as a computational sociologist specific to human behavior with regard to infectious disease outbreaks and biological attacks. My writing (although dark) gets me away from some of the doom and gloom of my work.
Favorite decade in fashion history:
the overlap of the Gilded Age and Victorian Period in New York City (although it looks hot, smelly, and uncomfortable. haha).
Place I’d most like to travel:
To my front porch (I travel all over the world for work, so being home is where I love to be).
My signature drink:
Water (I'm a boring bastard)
Favorite artist:
Aert van der Neer (Artemisia Gentileschi is a close second place)
Number one on my bucket list:
Being a full time novelist
Anything else you'd like to add:
Thank you for being willing to allow me into your world!
Find more from the author:
Instagram and Threads: @toddbrownwrites
About Todd Brown:
Todd Brown
Todd Brown is the multiple award winning author of, When Shadows Burn, and computational sociologist, which mostly means he overanalyzes human behavior. He has spoken in seven countries and at dozens of universities. His work has appeared most recently in TIME Magazine, as well as The New York Times, WIRED, National Geographic, Forbes, USA Today, and numerous others.
Anna So Knows ‘Ya, is his second novel. He is neurodivergent and lives with his family in a small town in Virginia, where he shares life with his incredible wife and their transgender son, who between the two of them, there's enough neurodivergence to turn comedic dysfunction into an art form. They also have a son who lives in Florida and travels the world.
