Meet Bryan Wempen

Bryan Wempen writes messy, real characters from Santa Fe, New Mexico's high desert, blending nonfiction roots with dark humor, suspense, and mystery in his fiction projects.

Bryan Wempen is an author and entrepreneur living in Santa Fe, New Mexico, who writes about grit, recovery, and the messy beauty of the human spirit. With over fifteen years of sober recovery, he brings honesty and compassion to his storytelling, whether in short stories, memoirs, or fiction.

His earlier work includes nonfiction titles such as Sober Is Better and F**K My Demons: Redefining Normal, which are deeply personal reflections grounded in his lived experience. In fiction, he explores themes of power, ambition, and survival with titles such as "Unbound Ambitions: The Candidate," a political thriller, and "Adoption, Inc.: A Family Affair," a darkly comedic love story and character-driven novel rooted in American contradictions.

Bryan’s voice blends candid reflection with dark humor. He writes about deeply flawed characters and fractured families, always in search of truth, serenity, and redemption in quiet, unexpected moments.

When he’s not writing, he’s cheering on his favorite English League football team, second-guessing BBC mystery story lines, or hiking and riding in the high desert around Santa Fe with his wife, Michella—a modern tinwork artist.

He has embraced the New Mexico debate of the merits of red versus green chile and, on occasion, enjoys a mild, buttery cigar while pondering his next set of stories.

Characters jump off the page!

Jack J. London

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