Interview With Author Samuel McKeon
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’ve had a keen interest in cooking and food history for quite some time now. Once I started cooking regularly I quickly found that it was the creative outlet I’d been looking for. I was never a particularly good musician (although more practice probably would have helped…) and I enjoy painting. But cooking turned out to be the thing for me. The combination of flavours, textures, colours and scents all come together like music notes or paints. Their sum is greater than their parts. And which utensils and cooking styles to use lead to variations and different results. So that’s the creative expression side of it for me. Then there’s the added bonus of being able to eat afterwards.
I released my first cookbook “Cooking for Gamers: A Primer” in 2015. It was the first time I’d done anything like that and I severely underestimated the amount of work it required. I work a normal full-time day job, so all my writing is done when I have the spare time. I wanted to write something that would appeal to geeks and gamers because that’s what I am. Couching functional, healthy recipes in nerd terminology and gamifying the cooking process was a unique challenge. It took two years, but it was worth it.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
“Do Androids Dream of Dinner” was inspired by this emerging craze of AI generative content. I have to admit the pun of the title was one of the main drivers behind deciding to go ahead with the project. But curiosity was the other main reason. I’d used ChatGPT to generate recipes but hadn’t cooked any. I decided that I’d do a fortnight of cooking just what it told me to, with no alterations or variations. I did a lot of the cooking live on Twitch. We have a small community there and I generally live-stream from the kitchen two or three times a week. The results of the AI recipes was surprisingly good, and so I started to write them down and that formed the basis for “Do Androids Dream of Dinner”.“Do Androids Dream of Dinner” was inspired by this emerging craze of AI generative content. I have to admit the pun of the title was one of the main drivers behind deciding to go ahead with the project. But curiosity was the other main reason. I’d used ChatGPT to generate recipes but hadn’t cooked any. I decided that I’d do a fortnight of cooking just what it told me to, with no alterations or variations. I did a lot of the cooking live on Twitch. We have a small community there and I generally live-stream from the kitchen two or three times a week. The results of the AI recipes was surprisingly good, and so I started to write them down and that formed the basis for “Do Androids Dream of Dinner”.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m not sure about unusual. Probably more typical than anything else – disorganised, poor workflow, procrastination are three key aspects. But at the end of the day determination wins out.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Love them or hate them, I think celebrity chefs have really changed the position of food in pop culture. For me it really started with Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage. I think Jamie Oliver’s “Ministry of Food” is a fantastic way to write a cookbook. “Heston Blumenthal at Home” stands out too because it includes a lot of key theory and chemistry that can be applied to anything you’re cooking. Closer to home, you can’t go wrong with Margaret Fulton and Charmaine Solomon. They’re core to the Australian experience. If you’re into historical cooking, it’s essential to check out Marco Gavio de Rubeis’ Historical Italian Cooking series.
What are you working on now?
Do Androids Dream of Dessert. It almost writes itself….
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m really not qualified to talk marketing or promotion. As a hobbyist who hasn’t pinned hopes of fame and glory (or income) on my books it’s the last thing on my mind. Awesome Gang is the first time I’ve ever paid to get the word out. They seem like good people!
Do you have any advice for new authors?
With all my cooking related activities, I feel like I have a lower risk of burnout, stress and anxiety because I really am doing it for the love of it. Writing for fun is a good starting point. And expect that whatever you start will probably take ten times longer than you planned.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Get good knives and keep them sharp.
What are you reading now?
Right now I’m reading All Tomorrow’s Parties by William Gibson. On the cookbook front it’s Colonial Comfort Foods by Michael Dragoo.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Apart from writing a followup to Do Androids Dream of Dinner, I haven’t made any major plans at this stage.
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?
Patrick O’Brian’s Master and Commander. Neuromancer by William Gibson. And Dancers at The End of Time by Michael Moorcock. Although it could easily be three from O’Brian’s Aubrey–Maturin series. Seems fitting for a desert island setting. Plus they’re some of the best fiction ever written.
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