Addiction & Pestilence is your first published book. How long did it take you to write it and when do you plan to publish book 2?
I
started writing heavily in mid-March 2016 and I finished writing
around the end of August. The story seemed to pour out of me.
I
already have pages written for the second book in the series, Demons
& War, but I promised my wife I wouldn’t start writing heavily
again until after the holidays. I’m probably the only person in
New England looking forward to the long winter, perfect time to
write!
What
do you think makes a great story?
Relatable
character(s). I think relating to the character(s) draws the reader
in. I feel it becomes easier to read and delve into the story when I
can relate to the characters. Suspense is also great too.
Which
writers/books inspired you when writing Addiction
& Pestilence?
Stephen
King, Dan Brown & Lee Child. I’m a huge Stephen King fan. King
has the knack for drawing the reader in and scaring the hell out of
them when they least expect it. King also created a wonderful
universe with his “Dark Tower” series.
I
absolutely love Brown’s writing style and his ability to create
fast-paced page turners.
Child
has one of my favorite characters of all time, Jack Reacher. I’ve
read all the Reacher novels except for the newest one that was just
released, but it’s on my Christmas list.
What
are your ambitions for your writing career? Full time? Part time?
Becoming
a full-time writer is my dream. I enjoy putting my headphones on and
typing away. I love how the characters come alive as I write. In a
weird way, it’s almost as if the characters talk to me. Their
thoughts and actions just come to me and I type it out. It’s pretty
cool to be sitting there and have these characters talking to each
other in my head as I type away.
When
did you decide to become a writer?
I’ve
always loved reading and I always wanted to write, but I think fear
of failure stopped me. One day I decided to not let fear stop me
anymore and I am so glad I did. This and other reasons, helped me
decide to name the series, Slaying Dragons: A Journey Through Hell.
Slaying
Dragons is a term used to describe one who overcomes addiction to
drugs and/or alcohol. One who defeats evil or the devil. Also, one
who conquers their fears.
When
writing Addiction
& Pestilence
did anything stand out as particularly challenging?
Time.
I’m married and I have a two-year-old daughter and an
eighteen-year-old step-daughter. I also work full-time, so trying to
find the time to be daddy, husband and writer can be challenging. I’m
lucky though, I’m married to a wonderful woman who pushes me to
continue and believes in me, even when I don’t believe in myself.
My family is my whole world.
Writer’s
block. Every now and then I would get a bout of writer’s block. I
had read somewhere that the only cure is to keep writing, so that’s
what I did. I just pushed through.
How
did you come up with the story in Addiction
& Pestilence?
I’ve
always loved post-apocalypse books and I toyed around with the idea
for several years but I always felt I was missing that spark to bring
the story to life. The main character, Drew, is based off my life and
the things that happened to me in my childhood along with my adult
life. The beginning scene in chapter 3 is pulled straight from my
life. Those events and dealing with those events provided me with
that missing spark, addiction. Once I had that spark there was no
turning back.
What
do you like to do when not writing?
I
love spending time with my wife, two-year-old daughter and
step-daughter. It’s incredible to watch my daughter discover the
world and watch her grow. I enjoy watching movies and TV. I’m
hooked on HBO’s Westworld and AMC’s The Walking Dead. I’m
looking forward to the return of The Leftovers, Homeland, House of
Cards, Ray Donovan and Stranger Things (which was phenomenal!). I’m
also a huge Star Wars fan. I was thrilled to watch the newest Star
Wars movie because of the strong lead character, who is female. I
grew up on Star Wars and now my daughter will grow up with it too,
but the best part is she’ll have a strong independent female role
model to look up to. I want her to grow up chasing her dreams with no
fears and to have no one hold her back. I hope by writing this series
I can show her that too.
How
can readers discover more about you and your work?
Readers
can find me on my website: http://www.edmundkelly.com
They
can also follow me on Twitter: @edkell99