Interview With Author Jeff Kikel
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have been in the financial services industry for over 30 years and began writing almost 10 years ago, then went nearly 9 years before publishing another book. In 2024, I decided that I wanted writing to become my main career. I have over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry, and began writing nearly 10 years ago. After a nearly 9-year hiatus, I published another book in 2024. That year, I decided to make writing my primary career and ended up writing 8 books. So far this year, I have published another 4, with a goal of reaching 12 by the end of the year. Most of my books fall into the non-fiction category, focusing on entrepreneurship and finance, and I ended up writing eight books during the year. I have published four so far this year, with a goal of 12 by year’s end. Most of my books have been in the nonfiction space (entrepreneurship and finance).
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Overcoming the Retirement Trap. This book tells the story of how I transitioned from a 20-year corporate career in Finance to becoming an entrepreneur. It tells both the good and bad times, as well as what it took for me to reach my “Freedom Day”, the first day I had a work-optional lifestyle.
The book outlines an 8-step strategy that readers can follow to achieve their own Freedom Day and beyond.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I have integrated AI into my writing strategy. Specifically Claude and ChatGPT. I typically use ChatGPT to help me get my head around the research on my topic specifically what others are saying about competitive books on Amazon, then using Chat to help me draft my outline.
Once I have a rough outline, I will run that through Claude and use it as a writing partner to help me flesh out the chapters to get to a final polished outline. I am not a fast typist so I typically write by recording the book into a recording device, most often while I am taking a morning walk. Then I take those recordings and run them through Descript for transcription.
Once I have a transcribed draft of the book, I edit it in Grammarly for copy editing, and then store the book in Scrivener until I can read through it and do a final edit of the book before running it past my editor or now in some cases running it through Claude (who has been asked to act as a Senior Copy Editor). I have been amazed at the quality of the advice from the Claude AI. It is insightful and often works with me in much the same way as a human editor.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
From the Entrepreneurial side, Russell Brunson has helped me to understand the best way to structure books. On the Fiction side, my writing is very similar to James Patterson and Ernest Hemingway. I prefer short, punchy sentences and paragraphs with rapid dialogue, so the reader is not bogged down in the reading. It is the type of writing that I enjoy reading.
What are you working on now?
After 10 years of writing nonfiction and 14 books to my name, I have decided to begin writing fiction, specifically Mysteries and Thrillers. If you had asked me when I was getting out of college, that would have been what I would have told you I wanted to write; it has just taken me 35 years to achieve that goal.
I have a series of Novella’s in the works right now, that are a bit Noir and a bit high tech. The series follows Marcus Vale, a former NYPD Detective, that was forced to resign and ends up becoming a Private Investigator. Two unique aspects of Marcus’s work are that he began experimenting with AI in early 2024 and has been utilizing it to assist him in solving cases ever since. He has built a reputation for solving cases no one else wants, quickly, and typically during the evening hours, largely because he sleeps for only 3-4 hours a day. The series is called Night Falls. The first book, titled Shadows over Bourbon Street, is scheduled to be released in late June 2025.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I refer people to my website, www.JeffKikel.com, where you can find and link to my books. I also promote my book through my mailing list, social media, and sites like Awesome Gang, so that I can get a big rush of sales at the beginning of my book launch. This strategy has given me 10 out of 14 #1 New Releases over the last year.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
As a new author, you need to set goals for yourself on how much you will write every day. My unique strategy of combining AI with dictation allows me to write upwards of 10,000 words per day. That means I can theoretically complete a first draft (after 2-3 days of developing a detailed outline) in 3-4 days. Then it is just editing. I can do that because I am essentially a full-time writer now, but if you are not, you need to set goals for yourself and persist until you reach them.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The greatest advice I have ever heard, and I can’t remember who said it (he was an older writer that is long gone at this point) was “Writing is the art of attaching one’s butt to a seat and writing”.
What are you reading now?
I just started James Patterson and Bill Clinton’s The First Gentleman. I have really enjoyed this series as a look behind the curtains of Washington DC.
What’s next for you as a writer?
For now it is Mysteries and Thrillers. My first long form thriller novel “Shadows over Montmartre” is about half finished and that will begin a new series of books called the Brotherhood of the Star, which is set in post-WW1 Paris will be out in early fall.
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?
That is a difficult one, since I have about a 2000-volume library. Here we go. First and foremost, Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. Although you need a dictionary to read it, it has some of the most interesting character development. Russell Brunson’s Expert Secrets, I learned more about storytelling from that book than anywhere else (and one that I have read at least 20 times). The Four Hour Work Week, by Tim Ferriss. This is another book that I have read at least twice a year for the last 10 years. Every time I read it I find something new that I was not ready to receive at the time. Finally Letters from a Stoic by Seneca. This book is 2000 years old and has more in it on how to live a life worth living (and you are going to need this on a desert island) than any book I have ever read.
Author Websites and Profiles
Jeff Kikel’s Social Media Links
Author Interview Series
To discover a new author, check out our Featured Authors page. We have some of the best authors around. They are just waiting for you to discover them. If you enjoyed this writer’s interview feel free to share it using the buttons below. Sharing is caring!
If you are an author and want to be interviewed just fill out out Author Interview page. After submitting we will send it out in our newsletters and social media channels that are filled with readers looking to discover new books to read.
If you are looking for a new book to read check out our Featured Books Page.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.