Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
So far, I’ve written 3 books: A Sight Unseen (Tolkienesque fantasy), Counting Losses (romantic comedy/drama), and Iniquitous (horror/mystery/thriller).
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Iniquitous is my most recent release. To me, recent horror films and books haven’t been too scary, but I can’t really be a critic if I’ve never attempted to write in that genre. So I gave it a go with subject matter I believe to be pure evil.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I must have an orchestral soundtrack prepared for whatever scene is taking place in the story. Also, I like to work on two or three books at the same time, so that if I get bored with one, I have something else to work on.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love the works of Chuck Palahniuk. Fight Club is still my all-time favorite novel.
What are you working on now?
Among a few works in progress, I’m working on a satire of self-help books. It’s guaranteed to be the worst advice you will ever read. I have a few sample chapters up at inkitt.com/craigrkey.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
To be honest, making people give a damn about your book is hard. No one wants to take a chance buying a book that they don’t know anything about. The only thing that’s going to get you started is getting good reviews. Go outside, shake some hands, build some buzz between new and old friends. Get on social media, make some fan pages, and talk yourself up. After you get all your friends and family to leave some reviews, you can start hitting up all the free paid review websites. These are the sites that send out free copies of your book to people who will give your book an honest in exchange. I can’t promise success because it’s all a game of chance. Maybe the right people read it, maybe not, but without your effort, it will never happen.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Read. Read a lot. Find what you like, and what you don’t like. That’s how you find your unique voice. Writing is not easy. It’s time-consuming work. And sometimes, it’s lonely work. But you can only get what you put into your work, and there’s no guarantee that you’ll get anything.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If you’re not hurting anyone, don’t give up. It’s simple but very true to many aspects of life.
What are you reading now?
I’m starting on Academ’s Fury which is book 2 of the Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher. It’s a cool fantasy with Roman overtones. So far, it’s been very entertaining.
What’s next for you as a writer?
If you want to make God laugh, make a plan. Regardless if you believe in a higher power or not, we can all agree that we can’t control everything; we can only prepare for what might come our way. So as for what is next for me, I’m going to keep writing until life makes me stop.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Fight Club, The Disaster Artist, and Getting off Deserted Islands for Dummies.
Author Websites and Profiles
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