Listen here: Kenneth W. Cain
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
About You
- Tell us about yourself:
- Where do you live? Chester County, PA.
- How long have you lived there? Since the age of 14.
- Are you married? Yes, to a most wonderful woman. Heather has been so supportive.
- Kids? Two, a daughter and a son.
- Full time job? No.
- Education? I graduated with a BFA from West Chester University.
- Who is your favorite author and book? That changes often, but for a while now, it’s been Joe Hill’s Heart-Shaped Box. I just love that book.
- What is your preferred genre? Horror!
- How did you start this journey to become a writer? I’ve always been interested in the written word, and I’ve written short stories here and there throughout my life. But I didn’t really pursue writing as a career until about 10 years ago.
About Your Work
- What have you written so far? It’s a long list, so it would be easier to link to my published work page on my website. https://kennethwcain.com/publishedwork/
- Tell us about your current book. Currently I’m working on editing a few books, so I can’t say much about them. I can mention Midnight in the Graveyard, which will be an anthology coming from Silver Shamrock. I’m also polishing up a novel titled Construct to start subbing around.
- What is the inspiration for your current book? For Construct, I wanted to start the book having everyone think this is a zombie story, then shift away from that. Not to trick the reader so much as create an interesting journey from an old, overdone trope. We’ll have to wait to see how that’s received to know whether I did well.
- Who was your favorite character to write and why? My favorite character is Marty from my early trilogy. He epitomizes the good in people, and his struggles often pit him against himself.
- Is there anything of you in that character? Absolutely. I’d say there are bits of me in most characters I create. Not large parts, but tiny pieces, like a few bands in their DNA.
- What sets your book apart? This is a tough question, as I’m not rightly sure. All I hope for going in is to entertain, to go on a journey and take the reader along. And I aim to make that journey as fun and exciting and harrowing as possible.
- What’s your favorite part in the book? Sorry, it’s still too early for this. It’s not done cooking.
- What was the most difficult part to write? For me, with a book of this nature, the hard part is finding a locality to blow up in a believable manner. There’s a lot you have to consider such as how the authorities would react, both on a local and world scale.
- What was your favorite book to write? The one I haven’t written yet. Whatever comes next.
- How do you write? Do you have a set time or place? How many hours a day? I tend to treat this a lot like a job. I’m up in the morning, having my coffee, preparing. Then I jump right in and don’t come up to breathe until Heather gets home. Sometimes, I’ll take breaks to eat or workout, and sometimes I’m so submersed I stay in my world the entire day.
- Why did you want to be a writer? It’s cheaper than flying (snare drum roll). Seriously, I’ve always felt like I have something to say. The words build up in me, and I have to get them out. And I write a lot, much of which ends up in a notes folder (some of which will never be seen). It’s cathartic, which I suppose is kind of cliché, but it’s helped me sort through my personal issues quite a bit.
- How do you get your ideas? I have pretty vivid dreams and a lot of weird experiences. My stories tend to pull from those two histories, a sort of blended idea base. I keep notes of every idea and eventually, when 2 or 3 of those gel right, I have my story idea.
- What do you have planned next? LOTS of editing. Seriously, I have a lot of editing work coming down the road. And I have 5 novels I’ve started that I’d like to finish.
- What advice would you give new writers? Don’t rush into this; take your time. Patience is key and leads to fewer mistakes. You’ll thank me later.
- How can readers get in touch with you? My website has all my social media links. https://kennethwcain.com