Kevin Henry
Featured Author: Kevin Henry lives in a small town in Ohio, USA, where he rebuilds diesel engines for a living. He is the author of horror, fantasy, and science fiction short stories as well as the as-yet-unpublished Soul Forge Saga epic, dark fantasy series. His writing has been influenced as much by Steven King and Dean Koontz as by Robert E. Howard and H.P. Lovecraft and lies in a strange sweet spot somewhere in between.
Find him at www.facebook.com/authorkevinhenry/
Learn about the Soul Forge Saga at kevinhenry68.wixsite.com/soulforge
Featured Author: Kevin Henry Interview
- How long have you been writing?
- What/who inspired you to be a writer?
- What genre do you prefer to write in?
- Describe your writing process. What comes first–character or plot? Do you “pants” it or outline?
- What is your daily routine as a writer?
- Are there any software tools, resources, or websites you often use while writing?
- What are some of your biggest challenges you feel like you have to overcome in your writing career?
- Do you prefer short stories or full-length novels in your writing?
- Can you give some us some insight into your story in Realities Perceived?
- What advice can you give other writers?
LHP: How long have you been writing?
Kevin Henry: I’ve been writing all of my life, but only started submitting my work to publishers three years ago. Back to top >>>
LHP: What genre do you prefer to write in?
Kevin Henry: I prefer dark fantasy, but also enjoy writing horror and science fiction.
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LHP: What/who inspired you to be a writer?
Kevin Henry: Comic books. My mother read them to me while I sat on her lap before I could read by myself. I knew right away that I wanted to be an artist and writer. I was reading H.G. Wells and Jules Verne by 4th grade. J.R.R Tolkien and C.S. Lewis came next. Robert E. Howard and H.P. Lovecraft got me through junior high school. Stephen King captured my imagination after that. These are the authors who inspired me to write, and my style is a mixture of all of them and more. Back to top >>>
LHP: Describe your writing process. What comes first–character or plot? Do you “pants” it or outline?
Kevin Henry: The plot always comes first for me. Once I know what the story is about, I can create the characters that will populate the world of that tale. For novels, I outline rigorously. The more I know before getting started, the better, but I also leave room to improvise and alter the outline as I go. With short stories, I don’t always outline, but I do know where the story will begin and where it will go.
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LHP: What is your daily/weekly routine as a writer?
Kevin Henry: After getting home from work and spending time with the family, I seclude myself in my office (the bedroom), make myself comfortable, cue up some atmospheric music to block out the sounds of the world, and fire up the computer. I keep a notebook of research and notes nearby. Limiting interruptions that will take me out of the “zone” once I get started is also important, with the most common interruptions including social media and phone calls. Back to top >>>
LHP: Are there any software tools, resources, or websites you use often while writing?
Kevin Henry: I use Scrivener for writing novels, but just a basic word processor for short stories. Research is done on Google and the soundtrack is provided by Tabletop Audio, as well as the Battlestar Galactica T.V. series soundtracks. Back to top >>>
LHP: What are some of your biggest challenges you feel like you have to overcome in your writing career?
Kevin Henry: Every new project is a challenge. I try to do break new ground, push my limits, connect more fully with my emotions, and write more honestly with each new story. Back to top >>>
LHP: Do set word counts or other goals?
Kevin Henry: I try to get at least two hours of writing time every day, more on weekends. The word count is not as important to me as the time spent. I’d rather write 200 good words than 2,000 mediocre ones.
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LHP: How much time is spent on “the business of writing”, queries, seeking an agent or publisher, marketing/sales?
Kevin Henry: It depends. When I’m writing a novel, everything else takes a backseat. Between novels is when I write shorts, sub to publishers, etc. Overall, the business side occupies little of my time, yet I’ve been able to have work published in more than a dozen anthologies over the last few years. That may not seem like a lot, but considering that novels take up most of my time, I’m quite pleased. Back to top >>>
LHP: Do you prefer short stories or full length novels in your writing?
Kevin Henry: I like a balance of novels and shorts. Both styles utilize different writing skills and I enjoy them both in different ways.
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LHP: Can you give some us some insight into your story?
Kevin Henry: My story, “Grace, Regardless,” is about a futuristic gunslinger, or “slinger”, who wasted most of his life in the grip of addiction. It cost him his friends and the love of his life. Now he is pulled out of retirement to accomplish the most important task he has ever undertaken. This character, Johnny Blaze, is a man stuck in the past, obsessed with redemption. He may find it, regardless of his own shortcomings.
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LHP: What advice can you give other writers?
Kevin Henry: Learn as much as you can about the process and mechanics of writing. Read relentlessly. Absorb the words, feel the rhythm, be a student of your heroes. Write every day. Don’t wait for some mystical “muse” to bless you with inspiration. You must do it even when, especially when, you don’t feel like it. Work provokes inspiration, not the other way around. Believe in yourself and be unrelenting in the pursuit of your dream.
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Beautiful Lies, Painful Truths Vol. II
Kevin Henry recently authored “Grace Regardless” for Beautiful Lies, Painful Truths Vol. II, on sale now on Amazon.