Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I discovered a talent for writing at age 14. I was heavily into SciFi at that time, and later sword & sorcery fantasy. I devoured all the books I could find. I was born in Idaho, raised in Arizona, grew up in Los Angeles. Over the course of my life I’ve been a Vietnam Veteran, a musician, a Hollywood taxi driver, a computer programmer, a single parent, and ran my own Internet marketing business. I havean associate’s degree in computer science (from 1972).
I’ve written and published eight books in four different genres; Sword & Sorcery Magical Fantasy, SciFi, Western Detective, and one Erotica. I’m currently working on a fifth genre-A Tuff Guy Adventure. All eight books are available in all eBook formats and paperback online.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Prophecy of Tara is a mystical fantasy where a hot chick kicks butt! She’s trained by monks and sent across the land to deliver information to an ancient wizard that will defeat a newly risen ancient evil. Along the way she picks up a stranded star traveler with a laser sword, a drunken giant, and ancient warriors from the time before.
I don’t know where these ideas come from. Something I read inspired it and the mind runs rampant. The ideas develop.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t follow any of the classic teachings. I don’t make outlines nor map out the course of the book. Nor do I write the ending and fill the rest in. I just write. Along the way I make notes when an idea strikes me to add to a section already written, or where the story should go. The muse strikes, I obey. I write and let the ideas flow.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Issac Asimov, Terry Goodkind, R.A. Salvitore & Ed Greenwood, Bart Davis, Nelson DeMille, Lee Child, and I must mention Robert Aspirin, who inspired me to start this whole process. He writes fantasy adventure (Myth Conceptions, Another fine Myth) and I wrote a western. Absolutely no connection but he was the inspiration for me to start writing again.
What are you working on now?
My current WiP (Work in Progress) is a Tuff Guy adventure called St. Intrepid, the type of guy you do NOT want to mess with. A former ‘government employee’ who some higher up tries to intimidate into doing wet work, eliminating a pretty DOJ investigator, by threatening to kill innocent civilians if he doesn’t take the job. He shows them the error of their ways in a ‘Take No Prisoners’ way.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still trying to figure that out. Websites like this one that list an author’s books and have author interviews are most helpful. There must be in excess of two million recently self-published new authors (thanks to Amazon and Smashwords) and trying to get your book noticed among all those is a daunting task. Promotion is the most difficult part of the self-publishing process.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Yes, write! Just write it down, get those ideas out of your head and onto paper (or screen). You can deal with all the mechanics, grammar, sentence flow, all that once it’s written. The most important part is to get those ideas onto paper. Just write!
Both Amazon and Smashwords have good information on formatting. That’s important to put your book in the proper format for publishing. Createspace (an Amazon company) has good info for print formats.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The same advice I’m passing on now. W r i t e i t d o w n !
What are you reading now?
I have two books going. Odd Hours by Dean Koontz, the most prolific author I know of, and Without Fail, a Jack Reacher novel by Lee Child. Can’t get enough of him.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Keep writing, keep learning promotion (a never ending task), and sell some books.
What is your favorite book of all time?
Ah, man, there are so many good books it’s hard to have just one favorite. J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings stands out as having the most influence.
Terry Goodkind’s Sword of Truth series, The Dark Elf series from R.A. Salvatore, Cathedral by Nelson DeMille, the list is endless.
Author Websites and Profiles
R.L. Kiser Website
R.L. Kiser Amazon Profile
R.L. Kiser Author Profile on Smashwords
R.L. Kiser’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account