(Ian Brazee-Cannon. Photo credit to Sarah Maxey)
Happy Pride Month to our readers, and to celebrate, we have a special interview with author Ian Brazee-Cannon. His first book had themes on the power of diversity, while his second dealt with the feeling of being an outcast and looking for acceptance. He has been a storyteller since he was young. A writer, filmmaker, game designer and podcaster, he has over a dozen published short stories. A few of the titles are ‘The Fifth Di…’, ‘Wondrous Web Worlds’, ‘Forgotten Worlds’, ‘Tales of the Talisman’, and various other anthologies. He’s also known for the podcast he co-hosts called Amateur Skeptics. Denver area conventions are used to seeing him in author alley as well as panels. Thankfully the Pandemic is loosening its grips, and his fans should be able to see him at Whimsycon, MileHiCon, and hopefully Rocky Mountain Con this Fall.
Get caught up with the two gay, shape-shifting master mage dragons in Ian’s newest book Georgie and Armand’s Place Under Siege.
After the attack on The Hotel, Georgie and Armand have put together The Great Quad-Mechanics, a car race unlike any seen before on any world and one that could only be held at Georgie and Armand’s Place. As the race is bringing the crowds into The Hotel, outside forces are up to something sinister that is linked to the Dragons’ past. What personal demons will Georgie and Armand have to face to protect The Hotel and all those in it?
Get to know the author behind the adventures, Ian Brazee-Cannon.
Colleen Bement: Congrats on your newest book Georgie and Armand’s Place Under Siege. What was the inspiration for this particular adventure that you put Georgie and Armand on?
Ian Brazee-Cannon: I had enjoyed writing these characters while doing the first novel so much I knew I was going to do at least three novels, with the beginning ideas for the second novel being the flashback stories to explore Armand’s past. I actually had the title come to me before I had fully figured out the actual plot, as the concept of The Hotel being under siege was an interesting idea as to what that would consist of, as The Hotel crosses through hundreds of dimensions and is connected to a thousand-thousand worlds. From there I just put the pieces together and as usual, surprised myself a few times along the way.
CB: Just who are Georgie and Armand, and give us a taste of the adventures that they go on?
IBC: Georgie and Armand are two gay, master-mage, shape-shifting dragons who run an inter-dimensional hotel that is unlike anything you have seen before. The first novel explored in flashback how they met and fell in love as they dealt with a threat to The Hotel in the present. The second novel has them trying to fix their reputation after the events of the first novel. They put together The Great Quad-Mechanics, a car race that could only be held in The Hotel, and their truly unique race track they have there as a way to show all is well with The Hotel. Any car in the race has to have a four-part engine where it can run through different dimensions with a driver that can switch between those engines quickly as needed. While they get ready for the race, something sinister is going on outside The Hotel that threatens to disrupt the big event.
CB: The artwork on your book covers is pretty damn awesome! Do we have you to thank for the art?
IBC: I have used Chaz Kemp for the covers to both of the Georgie and Amand’s Place novels. He has been a friend for some time so once I needed professional art he was the first person I asked. The second novel is in his new watercolor style which I’m really impressed with.
CB: Tell us about your podcast Amateur Skeptics.
IBC: The Amateur Skeptics started with a group of friends who met regularly to play various RPGs. It was a great group of people and we would spend a lot of time just BSing with some nights being more BSing than actual gaming. One night we ended up talking about high fructose corn syrup and if it really was worse than sugar. We had to admit we really did not know the facts about it at all. Bryan (Who I also give credit to for creating the concepts of Georgie and Armand) was doing a tech podcast at the time and came up with the idea of starting our own podcast where we look into the facts about such things. We’ve been doing it for over a decade now with 270 regular episodes recorded and a handful of special episodes. There have been some changes in co-hosts over the years, but three of the four of us who started it are still active with it.
CB: Are you excited to get back to going to conventions? Will you be attending any in Colorado this year?
IBC: I am very excited about them starting up again. The conventions have been a huge part of my life for several decades now, with both of my boys having grown up going to them. I only have two cons that I know I will be at Whimsycon the last week of September where I will have my own table on author’s row. Then the week after that I will be at MileHiCon. I am hoping to have a table at Rocky Mountain Con, but that is not confirmed yet. 
CB: What is the next project that you have lined up?
IBC: I am working on the third Georgie and Armand’s Place novel, which will introduce everyone to Georgie’s mother, who is nothing like her son. I am also working on the seventh Georgie and Armand Vacation story, a series of stories following the two of them around outside of The Hotel on various fun adventures as they tackle classic story troupes in the unique manner of Georgie and Armand. I’ve also started the sequel to my YA novel ‘The Cost of Leveling Up’.
CB: I noticed on your Facebook that one of your favorite quotes is “Sometimes people are so invested in their fear and hatred that peace is the most threatening thing they can imagine.” –Dalia Hassan. That’s so powerful, especially in the world we live in today. Do you have a particular social cause that is important to you?
IBC: While I have no direct social causes I push, in the Georgie and Armand’s Place novels I very much promote themes that are important to me. The first book was very much about the power of diversity. The second novel ended up dealing with the feeling of being an outcast and looking for acceptance. The third book looks like it will have the theme about family, both in the sense of dealing with one’s birth family and the power of the extended family. Those ideas all reflect on the greater concept of accepting people for who they are and defending the rights of those who have for too long been marginalized by outdated ideas.
Grab your copies of Georgie and Armand’s Place Under Siege on Amazon.
Follow Ian on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Written by Colleen Bement
Hi, I’m Lynn, and I Make.
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