We recently connected with Brandon Kroupa and have shared our conversation below.
Brandon, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
It was October 15, 2005 as I was on my way to visit my dad in Traverse City, Michigan. I had just gotten off the exit to M-115 made my way through the outskirts of Cadillac, Michigan and headed on down the highway through a very wooded area. I remember that it was raining and very gloomy. Typical for Michigan at this time of the year. The CD I was listening to ended so I decided to tune into WTCM Radio out of Traverse City since I was close enough to pick it up. They had just done the noon update when they played this song called “The Legend”, a folksong about a local legend of a half man, half dog, creature that seemed to have a history of coming around each decade in the seventh year. Being where I was, pretty much in the middle of the woods, creepy story, and all, got me thinking. After I arrived at my dad’s I asked him about the song. He gave me the backstory of it and later that evening after we had gotten back from dinner I took to the internet to find out more about the song and this creature that was known as the Dogman. I got it in my mind that it would make a good movie and went to work developing a story and working on a screenplay for the idea. After the screenplay was finished I attempted to get it out to those in Hollywood with no success. Then a co-worker of mine who I let read it, told me that it read much like a book. He said that being that I couldn’t get any traction on it as a screenplay that I should novelize it. He figured it wouldn’t be very hard to do and added just to look at J.K. Rowling. She had written Harry Potter and some secretary suggested it to her producer boss and the rest as they say is history. Figured that it couldn’t hurt. Little did I know at that time that a simple suggestion would turn that screenplay into my first book and soon to be seven others.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am proud to say that I am a self-published author. My writing journey began in the Fall of 2005, October 15th to be exact, after hearing the song, “The Legend” by Steve Cook. That song would become my inspiration for my first novel, “The Seventh Year,” that saw its release on April 7, 2012 almost seven years later.
That first novel was published through the Chapbook Press, located inside Schuler Books, a local, independent bookstore in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Since “The Seventh Year” I have gone onto “self-publish” six other titles with Chapbook Press with “What Happened To The ‘Muth’?” being my most recent title. In September of this year I will release my 8th novel with them titled “30 Storeys”. You’ll find me just about every Wednesday, “Writing Wednesday” as I have come to call them, sitting comfortably in my home office, listening to movie scores or Christmas music, while working on the next novel.
As a self-published author, I have a unique approach to my work. My philosophy is that “If I sell one book at a signing or hand out one business card, then that signing was a success.” You may ask, “But it was only one?” True, but that one might tell others who will then get interested and that one turns to into two and so on. It works, trust me.
I also follow Stephen King’s philosophy of writing stories I want to read. If I enjoy the story, chances are others are going to be interested as well. The stories in my books are inspired by songs, life-events, and personal interests. I’m proud that I have proven to myself that this is something that I can do and have become good at it. Watching the stories I’ve written come to fruition as a novel never, and I mean never, gets old.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist/creative is seeing the journey of the project from start to finish. You start with an idea. The idea then has to be flushed out, the journey laid out. Then you need to write, edit, rewrite, and continue to polish it until it unfolds into the finished product. But then the job is only partially done. The process of putting it all together for the publisher to make the finished product comes to bear. This is just as intensive as writing the story. But when all is said and done, and the publisher hands you that proof copy of your work, you feel a sense of accomplishment. The journey has come to fruition. It’s a fantastic feeling that never gets old. At the same time it’s sad because the journey is over. That is, until you pick up the next idea and then a new journey begins.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
When I started out writing, it was mainly to prove that I could do it. After the first novel came out the feeling of accomplishment made me want to do it again, and so I did releasing books in 2013, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2023 and yet this year in 2025. Now my goal is not only to continue perfecting my craft as a writer but to reach a point where this is my “real job”. One that I can do the rest of my life as I love doing it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bkrowriter.com
- Facebook: @bkrowwriter
Image Credits
All photos either taken by the author or the author’s wife. Demon of Sweet Briar pic taken by my friend’s husband.