Hello! Before we start, we have a giveaway up and running, click on the button to the left and participate, it is worth it! The swag pack is beautiful, but I don't have pictures, sorry :S
Please welcome Kevin Newsman for this week's Unread Interview! Kevin is promoting his latest book, All Night By The Rose!
Unread Interview is a series where I feature authors whose books I couldn't accept for review because of time or logistics issues.
From Amazon: In this collection of short stories we are introduced to a city of depravity, a misanthrope who is compelled to blast away others’ delusions of grandeur, a psych ward terrorized by an author, the entropic boredom at the heart of a car plant, a man who finds himself caught in the act of becoming a spider, a building with character encompassing several eras, a fellow who must come to terms with how he treated his brother, two love stories that defy expectations, two tales of the fantastic to be found in the Middle-East, childlike theism and a trailer park in space.
Tell us a bit about your book (s).
I have two. One is a free ebook collection of short stories called “All Night by the Rose”. Here’s the blurb:
In this collection of short stories we are introduced to a city of depravity, a misanthrope who is compelled to blast away others’ delusions of grandeur, a psych ward terrorized by an author, the entropic boredom at the heart of a car plant, a man who finds himself caught in the act of becoming a spider, a building with character encompassing several eras, a fellow who must come to terms with how he treated his brother, two love stories that defy expectations, two tales of the fantastic to be found in the Middle-East, childlike theism and a trailer park in space.
The other is a novel I wrote and published promotional copies of in 2010. Here’s its blurb:
Jude Pender has troubles managing his emotions. Case in point: Cecile. He thinks he can bury his thoughts and that the rest of his neurons will naturally grow around them, leaving an obelisk that he can visit as if in a dream. He's wrong, and since he doesn't know when to give up, the result will be an explosive release after a series of betrayals.
Have you ever wanted to be a writer? When did you start writing "seriously"?
Yes, I’ve always wanted to be a serious writer but I wasn’t always seriously ‘at it’. There was a brief period after high school where I worked in the corporate world and I think it prevented me from writing as prolifically as I do now. In the last five years I’ve increased my pace and abilities due to the fact that my main focus is on writing.
Do you read much? What kind of books do you usually read?
I do read a lot, but there are periods in my life where I went without reading. That said, I’m still a pretty prolific reader. I read all kinds of books from classics to what an old teacher called ‘mind candy’. It depends on my mood really. I think the greatest writer humanity has ever produced is Yukio Mishima, so when I went a great serious read that’s where I go. But if I want something light and entertaining I read speculative fiction.
What are your favorite or least favorite scenes to write?
My favourite scenes are ones with large groups with lots of dialogue, usually at a party. My writing is pretty minimalistic and dialogue-heavy. A close second is scenes heavy with imagery. My least favourite? Exposition and I avoid it as much as possible.
Do you relate more to any of your characters? Why?
I relate to almost all of them. I’m a pretty empathic guy, and I really need to be with my characters as they mostly write my stories for me.
Which genre do you feel it would be a challenge to write?
I’d have to say the Vampire sub-genre because, so far, the only time I’ve seen it done well was when Joss Whedon was doing Buffy/Angel.
What inspires you? And how's your writing environment - music, place, etc.?
The forest inspires me, being surrounded by it really does help me write.
What would you say about the book - your words, no blurbs! - to convince someone to read your book?
For the short stories, I’d say that I take life and hold it up to a dark, shattered mirror. For my novel, Id say that I’ve taken several writing techniques and melded them into a story about how we treat one another and wrapped that into a plot that is both melodic and full of action.
What are your plans for the future, writing-wise? New books, sequels, publishing deals, etc.
The novel is the first part of a series and I have several other novels on the go, both part of that series or separate.
