Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m a Canadian author, currently living in Sudbury (Ontario), and I’ve written three books – all in the same series. I can’t say what possessed me to write this series, but I can say I did it out of a desire to see Sudbury front and center instead of standing in for something else (there’s been quite a few movies filmed here… but they’re never about Sudbury). I write mostly speculative fiction, particularly post-apocalyptic adventure and survival, so you can guess what happens to my city.
I’m from Northern Ontario. I was born in Kirkland Lake, and I went to school in North Bay and Toronto (okay, Toronto isn’t Northern Ontario, but it’s still part of Ontario). I moved around quite a bit so I’ve lived in Elliot Lake, Sault Ste. Marie, Blind River, as well as Timmins. I’ve been to many other places and my writing reflects this. Usually my books and stories take place in one of these places as the backdrop… and why not? Ontario has a lot to offer for artists and writers. “Bear” took place near Sault Ste. Marie and it won one of our top awards here, so there’s plenty to pull from.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book is Between Silence and Fire, and it’s the third book in the Kingdom of Walden Series. Other than being in the series, what inspired it was my community. What inspired the series are the people within Sudbury and their resilience… not to mention the area surrounding Sudbury is phenomenal and deserves to be front and center.
The series itself, the storyline and the characters within, came from a creative gaming campaign. We were playing Dead Reign (it’s kind of like the Walking Dead, only a pen & paper roleplaying game) by Palladium books.
And I hate zombies.
So, while I love post-apocalyptic and dystopian fiction I try to find something different. In my case, it was how could I write something that draws on this game but doesn’t involve zombies or nuclear apocalapyse… and I watched a documentary about the End of Oil and Peak Oil. I thought to myself, “This is it, right here… what would happen to Sudbury and the characters in it if this happened?”
And that started After Oil which then became The Last Iron Horse and now Between Silence and Fire.
The second part of the inspiration was the characters themselves. They had stories to tell, and I’m just the one that channeled their stories.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Doesn’t every writer?
The most unusual is actually a mix of a bunch of habits. People often joke that a writer can get away with writing in their pyjamas. Not me – I have to dress, if comfortably, like I’m going to an office for work. I set up my office much like an artist’s studio, complete with painting sets, paints, brushes and other media for creating… as well as plants and greenery. I have to write someplace that inspires the creative spark, but still feels like I’m going to work.
I just happen to love what I do and I need my writing space to reflect that.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
The first one to inspire me, and kick off the survival/post-apocalyptic adventure bug was a book that wasn’t post-apocalyptic at all. It was about a boy that rejected his modern life and decided to move up into the mountains and live off the land (My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George). I think I read that book until the cover fell off.
My writing style is most influenced by a bit of Stephen King (whose style, so everyone tells me, is very similar to my own) as well as a bit of Tom Clancy, Margaret Atwood (the undisputed queen of Canadian speculative fiction), as well as Elizabeth Moon and Anne McCaffrey.
What are you working on now?
I am working on “Red Sails”, which is book five of the Kingdom of Walden series. It follows a plot thread left dangling back in the second book which I promised one devoted reader I would eventually tie up. I can’t give away too much of it as it would spoil not only Between Silence and Fire, but also the fourth book, Ghostwalker, which is due out in April 2017).
I’m also working on a cozy mystery (because my grandmother, who loves Murder She Wrote, challenged me to) under the pen name “Eve Morrison”, and a harder crime thriller under the pen name “Meredith Hayes”.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far I’ve found the best method is to get out there and be face to face with readers through in-person events, signings, and going to conventions… as well as being engaged with fans on different social media platforms. That’s the key thing right there – you can advertise a book all you want but if your fans can’t reach out to you and feel that there is some engagement, then your career is basically dead in the water.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Don’t worry about the first draft. Just write it. Get that finished – you can edit it and rewrite it to your heart’s content after the hardest part, in my opinion, is done… which, for me, is the first draft.
Also, outside of editors, publicists and ad campaigns (so long as they’re not too expensive), cover artists, etc… don’t pay a cent to be published. A publishing company will never ask for money up front, especially if they take a hefty portion after the fact out of your royalties. If a publisher offers this kind of deal, run away.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Forget all distractions and just get that first draft done. You can always revise it later.
What are you reading now?
Bloodhound by James Osiris Baldwin. Baldwin is another indie author, and another NaNoWriMo participant. His books are about a mage who is also a Russian mafia hit man. Yeah. He went there. However, the research and storytelling are wonderful. The end polishing is so professional that it makes some traditional published books pale in comparison.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’d like to finish the Kingdom of Walden series for now… tie up the loose ends (but not too many) so that my readers are satisfied and then finish a project I have been working on for ages but never been able to publish. I’d also like to feature more of my mixed media art. I’m not a one-trick pony. I paint, I sculpt… and I write… and sometimes I mix all three. I’d like people to see this in addition to my writing.
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?
Oh dear God, don’t make me choose. The first would be my copy of the SAS Survival Guide, which is full of ways to just survive on that deserted island without dying. The other three would have to be Hunting Party by Elizabeth Moon, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood and The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy.
Author Websites and Profiles
Kristan Cannon Website
Kristan Cannon Amazon Profile
Kristan Cannon’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account
Pinterest Account