Interview With Author Kevin Doyle
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I'm a lifelong Midwesterner and former teacher. I began writing fiction when I was much younger, and for about three decades all I wrote was short horror stories. However, about a decade ago my work began to get longer and longer, and as of this writing I've written fourteen books. However, only ten of them made it into publication. The first four I guess you would call trial runs.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My most recent release is Clean Win, the fourth book in my series about a private detective and former pro wrestler named Sam Quinton. I got the idea for the series several years back when, completely out of the blue, a group of senior boys in our school began talking about wrestling non stop. I was at the time looking for an idea for a new mystery series, and it kind of sprang from there.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not that I can think of, except that usually, when working on rough drafts, I only write about one page at a time to allow myself time to think the plot through.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
The two most obvious influencs I can think of are Lawrence Block and Arthur C. Clarke. Block's mysteries, especially his Matt Scudder books, are the top of the line, at least to me. And it was one day when I was twelve years old and happened to read Clarke's short story "The Star" that I first got the idea of putting pen to paper so to speak. Took about eight more years before I actually did, but very few stories, of any genre, have blown me away (pun intended) as much as "The Star."
What are you working on now?
I have two Sam Quinton books left on my contract with Camel Press, so right now I'm working on book #5. Hope to have it done by end of the summer.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I've had my best returns with Bargain Booksy for newletter ads and Goddess Fish for promotional tours.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
While it may sound cliche, and it does, don't expect to earn a comfortable living. Takes a lot of hard work and years of patience.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
From Lawrence Block, he's said more than once that he makes sure to write every day, usually around two thousand words. Even if he knows it's no good as he's doing it, even if he writes two thousand words that he deletes the next day, he's no worse off than if he had written nothing.
What are you reading now?
I'm on a nostalgia binge and am working my way through, for the first time in a couple of decades, my collection of paperback reprints of the Doc Savage pulp magazine stories.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Once I get Quinton #5 finished, as I said above, I have one more on tap for the publisher. Just as important for me, now that I'm recently retired, there's an idea I've had in the back of my head for several years of a long, dense story I'd like to do. It will probably take two or three years non stop to research, plot out and write, which is why I haven't tackled it yet. But now that I'm done with my day job, it feels like about time.
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?
By Lawrence Block (see how much I keep going back to him) Eight Million Ways to Die and When the Sacred Ginmill Closes. Also The Promised Land by Robert B. Parker.
Author Websites and Profiles
Kevin Doyle Author Profile on Smashwords
Kevin Doyle’s Social Media Links
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