FIVE MINUTES WITH ROBERT KENT

Robert Kent is the author of the horror novels The Book of David and All Together Now: A Zombie Story, the middle grade novel Banneker Bones and the Giant Robot Bees, and the novellas Pizza Delivery and All Right Now: A Short Zombie Story. The first chapter in his serial horror novel, The Book of David, is permanently free to download.


He runs the popular blog for writers, MIDDLE GRADE NINJA, which features interviews and guest posts from over 500 authors, literary agents, and other publishing professionals, and was the recipient of Middle Shelf Magazine’s Best Blog award. He is a proud member of SCBWI, The Horror Writers Association of America, and the Young Adult Cannibals. Robert Kent holds degrees in Literature and Creative Writing from Indiana University and owns over 900 Batman action figures. He lives with his family in Indianapolis where he teaches courses at the Indiana Writers Center and is hard at work on his next book.

Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?

I'm a stay-at-home dad to a demanding three-year-old and I overhear a whole lot of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood (I try never to look directly into it), which makes me long to write much filthier stories than I might otherwise if I were allowed to watch The Walking Dead while my little one is awake. I'm convinced there would be far less violence and profanity in The Book of David if I didn't have to hear "Won't you ride along with me?" more than three times in a day.

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

I'm an avid reader and audiobook listener. I also genuinely enjoy long walks, but not in a dating profile kind of way. More in a figuring-out-story-details-hopefully-without-getting-hit-by-a-truck-Stephen-King-style kind of way. I'm also a lover of videogames with the sound turned down so I can listen to a book. But videogames don't get played so often, alas, because I'm usually writing or parenting. It would perhaps be fairer to say I'm a man who dreams of one day finishing Horizon Zero Dawn.

Other than the horror genre, what else has been a major influence on your writing?

I have a degree in literature, so I've at least read a lot of great books. I love novels of all types and would put non-horror stories like Memoires of a Geisha and The Martian at the top of my favorite books list. I also write books for children, which is the focus of my blog (though I interview horror authors there as well, such as my hero, Jack Ketchum). I try to read as widely as possible and have forced myself to read stand-out novels from genres I'm not otherwise interested in, such as Twilight (technically horror, I guess) or Gone with the Wind (not bad if you can overlook being encouraged to root for the Klan). There are elements of horror in most genres and the best horror incorporates elements from other genres. I like to read about characters solving mysteries and finding true love while being murdered:)

The term horror, especially when applied to fiction always carries such heavy connotations.  What’s your feeling on the term “horror” and what do you think we can do to break past these assumptions?

I like horror novels, obviously, and when I see that a book is listed in the horror section, I'll at least read its description, if not a sample. I like that so many of my novels are classified as "horror" because it means they're in good company and I would be interested in them if I didn't already know how they ended.

As for assumptions, there are some types of readers who prefer to steer clear of anything that might upset them, which is unfortunate, as it's good for you to be upset occasionally.

It's also true that bad horror is more noticeable than bad fiction in other genres because horror is so very do or die. A horror story is either scary or it isn't. A mystery can be obvious, implausibly solved, but still enjoyable to readers if the detective's kitten gets up to adorable antics. A non-scary horror story can't necessarily win over horror hounds with a cute romantic subplot.

Being a horror fan often means having to wade through some not great stories to find gold, but that's part of the fun. It makes finding something really scary all the more special. Non fans aren't always willing to put up with such a hit or miss genre. Me, I'll never claim Bait 3D is a great movie, but I own a copy and love to rewatch it with friends because sharks in a grocery store is my idea of a good time.

A lot of good horror movements have arisen as a direct result of the socio/political climate, considering the current state of the world where do you see horror going in the next few years?

Zombies are likely to stay popular under the Trump Whitehouse as is other post apocalypse stuff since we're being forced to consider the possibility of such a world tweet by tweet. The It movie making so much cash means we're probably going to see a lot of Stephen King remakes.

My own novel, The Book of David, is very much a story in part about a small Indiana town revolting against the forces of economic inequality and the growing realization for most Americans that its government of the people has mostly left the people behind. A lot of bankers die in that story because I'm still pissed off about the bailouts of the largest financial institutions. David Walters sees a coming ending of The United States because the insanity I'm watching in the news has me wondering if my country's going to survive an openly racist president who doesn't care we know he's lying.

What are the books and films that helped to define you as an author?

Almost too many influences to name them all. Stephen King and Roald Dahl are the authors I've spent the most time studying, though the work of Ira Levin, JK Rowling, Michael Crichton, John Irving, and Frank Miller have all been tremendous sources of inspiration as well.  I'd also credit comedians such as Bill Hicks, Bill Burr, George Carlin, Chris Rock, and Ellen DeGeneres for helping me to find my voice.

As for films, I can't get enough Quentin Tarantino or Steven Spielberg. I think The Exorcist is the film that scared me the most (the book also kept me up late), but I'm always up for another Paranormal Activity. I revisited The Conjuring 1 and 2 while writing The Book of David, and I'm a sucker for anything with a superhero in it.

What new and upcoming authors do you think we should take notice of?

I've got so many writer friends, I should list them all, but I'll just say that I think Laura Martin's Edge of Extinction novels are amazing. As for horror, I greatly enjoyed Courtney Summers' This is Not a Test, and Amy Lukavics is keeping her good company in YA horror. He may already have up and came, but I look forward to Joe Hill's books.

How would you describe your writing style?

It varies a little depending on the story, but typically I use a lot of short paragraphs and short chapters, which usually end on cliffhangers. I like to keep things moving, but I always focus on character as the reader won't be scared if they don't care if our heroes live or die. I also like to make the reader laugh where I can to make them comfortable before I show them something awful. The Book of David is my homage to Stephen King, so I intentionally aped his style and made multiple references to his work. I wrote him an open letter to tell him just how much his work has influenced my own.

Are there any reviews of your work, positive or negative that have stayed with you?

I'm always thrilled to read that a reader was terrified reading something I wrote. That's pretty much the whole reason I'm writing these scary stories. The reviews that really stayed with me were the ones written about The Book of David's fourth installment because it ended on a huge cliffhanger and it took me 7 months to get the fifth installment published. I was thrilled the reviewers were pissed about the wait because it meant they were hooked, but I felt very guilty about being so late to complete the story.

What aspects of writing do you find the most difficult?

The middle of a story, especially a long one, is usually the hardest part. The initial excitement of the opening is done, but the joy of completion seems forever away. Worse is the fifth or sixth draft, where there's hard work that still needs to be done, but I'm ready to start the next story.

Is there one subject you would never write about as an author?

I like to think not, but I'd have to have a really good reason to write a story about a little girl and her love for a horse. As I review middle grade books at Middle Grade Ninja, I've read more than one such book, and I don't think I have anything to add on the subject (unless the horse is allowed murder the little girl).

How important are names to you in your books? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds or the meaning?

Depends on the character and their significance to the story. I keep a phonebook handy for most character names. However, The Book of David contains a lot of religious horror and it's not a coincidence that David's son is named Peter or that his father is named Abraham or that he's haunted by a painting named Sexy Jesus.

Writing, is not a static process, how have you developed as a writer over the years?

I've taken a lot of writing classes, attended a lot of conferences, and joined a few critique groups. I also teach classes on writing, which is the best way to learn. But the best thing I've done for my writing is to keep doing it. I've been writing seriously for more than two decades, and I've read a lot of different books during that time. No writer can develop without a whole lot of writing and reading.

What tools do you feel are must-haves for writers?

Something to write on and something to write with, though I prefer a laptop. Only writing is writing, so make sure you do that first, then seek out things to accentuate it.

Beyond that, I strongly recommend a critique group. God knows my books are better for mine. I also strongly recommend reading and rereading Story by Robert McKee. That book changed my life. A lava lamp is also nice to look at when you're considering the precise wording of a new sentence.

What is the best piece of advice you ever received with regards to your writing?

I had a writing instructor insist that I start a horror story at the first instance of violence, because the class agreed that the first five pages of the story was too slow and things didn't get interesting until the killer was threatening the protagonist. After that, the class was unanimous that the story was scary. I argued those first five pages were where we got to know the character so we would care about him when it mattered. But the instructor was a big deal author, so I cut those five pages.

When I submitted the story to a new workshop, no one found it scary. They didn't care about the character, so they didn't care what happened to him. I realized the big deal author, while not entirely wrong, hadn't been entirely right either. That's when it hit me that no one knows how to write perfectly all the time. We're all figuring this out as we go and doing the best we can.

I rewrote the five pages to three pages and opened with a promise of the violence to come on page four, thus hooking the reader and keeping them hooked because they cared about the protagonist. That version of the story got published.

Getting your work noticed is one of the hardest things for a writer to achieve, how have you tried to approach this subject?

A little bit of everything and I'm still trying new things, like this interview. I've done book signings, given talks at conferences, and appeared on various websites. I also maintain my own blog focused on promoting books and authors, things that potential readers are likely to be interested in. But my number one marketing strategy has always been to publish the best possible book and make sure that it's one I would want to read. Fans of my work have blogged about it and shared it on social media, giving me a far wider reach than I could hope to achieve on my own. If they like your book, readers are the best PR people there are.

To many writers, the characters they write become like children. Who is your favourite child, and who is your least  favourite to write for and why?

I love them all, of course, and they're all my favorite when I'm writing them. My favorite character in a horror story has been Sexy Jesus in The Book of David because He's particularly foul-mouthed and says loads of offensive things while appearing as our Lord and Savior. Having an erotic depiction of Jesus say things like, "My mouth's as dry as your grandmother's wrinkled cunt," gives me the titillating thrill of being really naughty.

I don't know that I have a least favorite. If I can't stand writing about someone, I know the reader probably won't like them either. I love a good villain or even a slightly obnoxious character because they make stories fun.  I either find a way to love a character, or they don't make the final cut.

What piece of your own work are you most proud of?

Impossible question. I love everything I've published and I'm proud of it all or I wouldn't have put my name on it. At the moment, the work I'm proudest of is The Book of David as I really like that story and I've just finished it. But I'm nearly convinced my newest work in progress will be my best ever, which may or may not be true, but I need to think so to finish it.

And are there any that you would like to forget about?

I wrote a story in college about a dying hooker that I hated when I wrote it. All these years later, I still hate it. A lot of my classmates declared it my best work, but they're wrong. That terrible story is on a shelf and there it will forever stay because the world is better off not reading it.

For those who haven’t read any of your books, which of your  books do you think best represents your work and why?

Probably All Together Now: A Zombie Story. It's really violent, but written from the perspective of a rather innocent 15-year-old and his 6-year-old brother. The young voices display some of my middle grade sensibility, but the unrelenting bleakness of a post apocalypse is the stuff of an adult's nightmare. The readers who love that book usually tell me it snuck up on them because they thought I was playing nice and that story gets particularly mean before the end. Readers tell me it haunts them because they thought they were safe. I like that in a story.


Do you have a favorite line or passage from your work, and would you like to share it with us?

Several, but here's one from The Book of David that's not a spoiler (bonus points if you catch the Stephen King reference):

Sexy Jesus scrunched His features and twisted His lips, grunting as though He were taking a particularly difficult dump. When He opened His eyes, he said, "My word is a lamp from My feet and a light unto your path."

"What does that even me—" David stopped speaking once Sexy Jesus walked away from him, leaving glowing footprints radiating in His wake, bright enough to illuminate the ground around them.

Sexy Jesus strode across the desert, and David followed.

The lighted foot prints showed David the way, but they disappeared after he'd passed them, simply shutting off as though someone were throwing a switch. He varied his pace until he was satisfied that the footprints weren't on any kind of timer, but were deliberately waiting to fade until he passed them, as though to prevent him from seeing the path back.

"Hey, Davey," Sexy Jesus called over His shoulder. "I don't see any of your glowing footprints. Do you?"

"You know I don't."

"Huh. I guess if you look down and see only one set of footprints in the sand, I must be carrying your bitch ass." He laughed uproariously, snorting before He got Himself under control.

Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next?

My next book is Banneker Bones 2, as I try to alternate between horror stories and friendly middle grade books to give myself a little break.

My last was The Book of David, and you can download the first of five installments FREE. Here's the description:

"The Lord has appointed you to a special duty in these last days and given your life a unique purpose. Will you turn away from the myriad temptations of this wicked world and answer His righteous calling?"

The Walters family has just purchased the perfect home if only it weren't located in the small hick town of Harrington, Indiana, and if only it weren't haunted. David Walters is an atheist now, but his minister father taught him from a young age that Satan would one day deceive all mankind by pretending his demons were extraterrestrials. The day the Walters family moves in, they spot a flying saucer outside their new home. Things only get stranger from there. David Walters is about to learn what it means to be truly haunted, forcing him to confront his past, fight for his family, his soul, and his sanity.

If you could erase one horror cliché what would be your choice?

I hate it when cats jump out and make loud noises for an early jump. Unless the cat is actually the killer. Then it's okay:)

What was the last great book you read, and what was the last book that disappointed you?

I just this week finally got around to reading Game of Thrones. I'm shamefully late, I know, but it lived up to the hype and I'm looking forward to A Clash of Kings.

As for disappointing me, it takes a lot to irritate me so much I'll publically reveal I didn't care for your book:) Probably the last writer who did that was Robert Heinlein in Time Enough for Love, which was a pretty good time travel story... until our hero went back in time to have sex with his mom, then into the future to have sex with his daughters. What the hell, Heinlein?

What's the one question you wish you would get asked but never do?  And what would be the answer?

"Wouldn't you love it if everyone who read this interview downloaded at least the first part of The Book of David, which is free, and gave it a shot?"

Excellent question. I would love that. And thanks for having me. This was fun.

"The Lord has appointed you to a special duty in these last days and given your life a unique purpose. Will you turn away from the myriad temptations of this wicked world and answer His righteous calling?"

The Walters family has just purchased the perfect home if only it weren't located in the small hick town of Harrington, Indiana, and if only it weren't haunted. David Walters is an atheist now, but his minister father taught him from a young age that Satan would one day deceive all mankind by pretending his demons were extraterrestrials. The day the Walters family moves in, they spot a flying saucer outside their new home. Things only get stranger from there. David Walters is about to learn what it means to be truly haunted, forcing him to confront his past, fight for his family, his soul, and his sanity.

This is a compilation of all five chapters of THE BOOK OF DAVID, a serialized tale of terror from Robert Kent, author of ALL TOGETHER NOW: A ZOMBIE STORY and PIZZA DELIVERY.

WARNING
This horror story is intended for a mature audience. It's filled with adult language, situations, and themes. It's in no way appropriate for the easily offended or younger readers of BANNEKER BONES AND THE GIANT ROBOT BEES.

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Click to purchase The Book of david