The Story Behind The Fringe Candidate W Bradford Swift

Prior to 2016, if someone asked me what my political leanings were, I probably would have said, “I’m an inactive independent and other than voting for major elections, I don’t get involved with politics. It’s just not my thing.” Then the 2016 election happened and I was shocked by the results as were many people. And still my own view was, “But what can I do about it? I’m really not interested in politics.”

Yet, I found myself watching more news shows and becoming increasingly curious and upset by what I read and heard. I began to realize how much political decisions can affect our lives and shape our future, not only for me but for my daughter and for my future grandkids.

So, I continued to watch and listen as authors tend to do, and what I saw and heard did not excite me in the least. I continued to be cynical and resigned by it all…until this past year when a woman I had interviewed in 1997 as a freelance writer threw her name in the hat to become the next President of the United States. What? Really? How can that be? It was true. Marianne Williamson, author and activist became the twenty-second Democratic candidate running for President. Interesting, I thought, and that was about it. No big deal, or at least that was my conclusion at the time. After all, I wasn’t really into politics. Just not my thing. Oh boy, was I ever wrong.

Enter MyMu, my name for the creative energy and higher power guidance that flows through us all. MyMu presented me with a story idea that quickly became an ‘offer I couldn’t refuse,’ at least not if I wanted to get a decent night sleep. Oh, I resisted it mightily at first.

“I don’t write political fiction,” I told MyMu. “I’m strictly a science fiction or fantasy author.”

“But this is science fiction,” she answered back. “Rather than alternate history, think of it as alternate future.”

I had to admit that caught my attention, but I still wasn’t convinced. MyMu then pointed out that I’d made a commitment to write more visionary fiction in 2020, “And this would certainly be the most visionary fiction story you’ve written yet.”

But once again I stubbornly refused even though I felt myself weakening. After all, I was in the midst of writing book two of the Cosmic Conspiracy series, Rabble.

“And that’s visionary fiction too,” I countered.

Still, MyMu wouldn’t leave me alone. Then she started visiting me late at night. I’ve joked a couple of times that MyMu showed me that sleep deprivation can be a powerful tool of persuasion, but that’s not what really happened during those late night visits. It was during one of those sleepless nights that, with MyMu’s help, I realized my resignation, cynicism, and apathy wasn’t serving anyone and especially not me.

You see, this is one thing I know about myself: I’m wired up to make a difference in the world. An integral part of my life purpose is to be of service, and these negative emotions were simply getting in the way of that commitment. So I started to formulated a plan. What if I could replace those negative feelings with some positive one, like inspiration, hope, and a new possibility. That’s when I finally gave in and accepted the offer to write the story, if for no other reason than to maintain some semblance of sanity.

Now, the funny thing is that once I started, I found it was some of the most fun I’d had in years as a writer. The scenes all just came together and the characters took on lives of their own. Thankfully, MyMu stayed with me each step along the way. I felt her guidance throughout the process.

The Fringe Candidate is now on sale on Amazon

See my interview here: https://visionaryfictionalliance.com/video-interview-w-bradford-swift-on-the-fringe-candidate/