Hello everybody and welcome to day three of Nanowrimo. For the last several months, since my Interview with Lea Schizas, I’ve been working on a series of interviews focused mainly around MusItUp! authors. I will be posting one of these interviews a week, each Wednesday, until I run out of interviews to post.
Today’s author is Kevin Hopson, whose story World Of Ash has just been released. He’s the first author that I interviewed and his interview was done during the summer. I’ll also be reviewing World of Ash in the next week or two here on the blog.
Introducing the Author
Kevin has only been writing fiction for a short time, but he has been a freelance writer for nearly 10 years, covering subjects such as energy, finance, and sports. He focuses on short works of dark fiction with an emphasis on science fiction, horror, and the paranormal. Kevin currently has four eBooks (three short stories and one tween novelette) under contract with MuseItUp Publishing. He also has a print book – Darkness Abound – available at Lulu.com, which collects three of his short stories.
The Interview
Welcome to Fictional Worlds, and thanks for agreeing to do this interview.
When did you first start writing?
I started to write regularly about 10 years ago.
When did you decide to pursue writing as a career?
Though I have held part-time freelance writing jobs over the years, I did not dedicate myself fully until last year (2009). I jumped into the fiction market and have not looked back.
Tell us something about your stories.
No matter what the story, I always try to bring a fresh perspective to the genre I am focusing on. Even if there are similarities to other works, my main goal is to make the story unique, differentiating it in some way.
Which genre did you start writing in?
I tend to do a lot of cross-genre writing, but I guess it all started with science fiction.
Which genre do you enjoy writing in most?
I would have to say science fiction. I like the fact I can tie a story to real science, making it believable, yet still have the freedom to roam an imaginary world or create new technology. Science fiction allows me to have the best of both worlds.
Which genre do you think you write best in?
Again, I would have to say science fiction. Given my passion and interest, no genre motivates me to write more than science fiction.
Currently you have three (four?) short stories coming out with MuseItUp. Are you working on any novels?
I have three short stories and one novelette under contract with MuseItUp Publishing. I have considered writing a novel, and I may choose to do this one day, but it is not a priority for me right now. I love the pacing and eventual pay-off with a short story. Furthermore, my wife and I
are expecting our first child in September, so time will be limited in the near-term.
Can you recommend three books about writing to my readers?
“How to Write a Short Story” by John Vorwald and Ethan Wolff
“On Writing Horror” by The Horror Writers Association
“Body Trauma – A Writer’s Guide to Wounds and Injuries” by David Page
Who is your favorite author and why?
I would have to say Brian Keene. In addition to his entertaining stories, he has a very simple style, which makes for easy reading.
What do readers have to look forward from you other than the stories mentioned here?
Since I will hopefully be a dad soon, readers can look forward to my new perspective on life. Perhaps this will rub off on my writing going forward. For example, a novelette titled The Vanishing is my first stab at the tween audience, so maybe there will be more books aimed at this age group.
Me: Thanks again for agreeing to do the interview. Readers, you can buy a copy of Kevin’s story World Of Ash here.
Did you find the information in this interview useful? Do you have any questions for Kevin? (He may or may not be available to answer. I suggest you try anyway.)