Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Mr name is Richard and I live in Scotland with my wife, two step children, two cats and a bearded dragon.
I have wanted to be a writer for so long now I cant remember a time when I wanted to be anything else. I was always a lover of books and writing when I was growing up. I guess at some point I thought it would be really cool to create my own worlds and my own characters and bring them to life on a page. Lets be honest, that will always be cool.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is one that I haven’t released yet. Its called Fawley Island and is about a man who must travel to a deserted island to look for his lost brother.
When I was a boy growing up I was a huge fan of survival horror games like Resident Evil, Silent Hill and Dino Crisis. There was just something about a character being trapped somewhere horrible with limited supplies and a whole lot of peril. I’ve tried to capture that fear and a desperate need for survival in this novel.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Unusual habits? None that I can think of. Usually when I sit down to write I find somewhere quiet, I might put on a bit of music and sometimes the cat snuggles in beside me. (She’s with me right now.) And I try to get about ten pages written a day. Most of the time I can achieve this.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have been a huge fan of Stephen King for many years. His books have just had a way to reaching me in a way that not many other authors have. I’m also a fan of James Herbert novels.
What are you working on now?
Right now I’m working on story about an evil child. As you can probably imagine I drew inspiration from stories like Pet Cemetery, Children of the corn and movies such as The Omen.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I must admit that my only method so far had been word of mouth and social media. However I am trying to figure out more effective ways of getting my book out there for readers to find.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Its a classic but a good one.
Don’t give up.
There are many people who say they want to write a book and then never make it past the first fifty pages. But if you know with every fibre of your being that you were put on this planet to tell stories then I think you owe it yourself and your idea to get it down on paper and then try to get it out there in the world.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
It was something Stephen King said once. If I remember the story right it was back when he was sending in short stories to magazines. Every time he got a rejection letter he would pin it to his wall. One day he got so many the pin fell out the wall, so he got a bigger nail. That story stuck with me. And now when I feel like I’m getting nowhere and all I’m getting is rejected I take a deep breath and tell myself to get a bigger nail.
What are you reading now?
Right now I am half way through book seven of the Tomorrow series by John Marsden. From book one I was completely hooked. The story is well written and grabs you from the get go. Told my the main character Ellie, she tells the struggle as she and her friends must fight to save their families and country from an invading force. It is a book series that I cannot recommend enough.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Right now I’m in the middle of proof reading and editing two projects that I hope to release in the next year. One they’re completed then I’d like to continue with my latest project.
What is your favorite book of all time?
If I had to choose one then it would have to be Misery by Stephen King. They way it was written was just perfect to me. I truly felt how trapped the main character was and joined him in his helplessness. But the villain of the story, Annie Wilkes was just incredibly written. There were moments when I felt sorry for her and I think if the reader can empathise with the villain in spite of all the horrible things they’ve done then it makes them seem more human. And therefore much more scary and dangerous.
Author Websites and Profiles
Richard Kenway Amazon Profile
Richard Kenway’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account