Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a professional freelance writer, former Alaskan chess champion, explorer of the world’s remotest wilderness rivers, and author of several non-fiction books, including:
The Little Encyclopedia of Modern Ignorance
Australian Bush Survival Skills
The Jet-setting Copywriter
The Over-40 Digital Nomad
Attracting Frogs to Your Garden
Jobs Abroad
Australian Chess Brilliancies
I was born in California, but have lived in Australia for the past thirty-odd years – and am loving it.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
‘The Little Encyclopedia of Modern Ignorance’ was primarily a reaction to how much spin, ideology-based denial and bias has been creeping into the information we absorb in this century. This book explores some of the most common forms of ignorance today, covering subjects as diverse as bottled water, life coaching, overpopulation denial, recycling, religion, vaccination and much more.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Pre-COVID, I did a lot of my best writing overseas, sitting in an Airbnb apartment at least ten floors above the traffic noise in cities like Plovdiv (Bulgaria), Ljubljana (Slovenia), Cagliari (Sardinia, Italy) or Santa Cruz (Bolivia).
I research first, write second, edit third. I never mix these three vital tasks together.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I read all sorts of non-fiction. I’m a big fan of science and nature books. In the fiction realm, I like John D. McDonald, Lee Child, Harlan Coben, Elmore Leonard and Rex Stout.
What are you working on now?
Mostly, kayak fishing on the beautiful east coast of Australia!
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Rule #1: When a new book comes out, don’t be shy about giving away enough freebies to get a nice chunk of honest reviews.
Rule#2: Put an Author Page on any website that will let you.
Rule#3: Always be polite and grateful in all interactions. Most people will love your books, but treat the haters just the same as those who gush over it.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Writing a book is the easy part. Making that book known to the wider world is where the real time and energy is spent, and when the serious work sets in. It can be the greatest book on earth but if no one knows it exists, you won’t sell a single copy.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Proofread everything three times… at least.
What are you reading now?
‘Riding the Rap’ by Elmore Leonard. It involves Raylan Givens, the U.S. Deputy Marshal made famous from the TV series ‘Justified’.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I tended to be guided by whim when deciding to write a new book. I still take on occasional freelance writing work, from crafting articles to ghost-writing other folks’ books for them.
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?
I think Killing Floor by Lee Child is possibly the best debut novel ever written, so I’d probably start with that. An instruction manual on how to open green coconuts and catch fish with a makeshift spear might also come in handy, under those particular circumstances. I’ve actually been stranded on a desert island (on purpose, in Papua New Guinea in 1989), and it wasn’t that fun. I contracted malaria and was robbed by bandits toting machetes, spears and an axe. The snorkeling was exceptional, though.
Author Websites and Profiles
Kevin Casey Website
Kevin Casey Amazon Profile
Kevin Casey’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile