HORROR AUTHOR INTERVIEW : KIT POWER
26/2/2014
 Kit Power lives in the UK and writes fiction that lurks at the boundaries of the horror, fantasy, and thriller genres, trying to bum a smoke or hitch a ride from the unwary. In his secret alter-ego of Kit Gonzo, he also performs as front man (and occasionally blogs) for death cult and popular beat combo The Disciples Of Gonzo, www.disciplesofgonzo.com. Horror Author Interview with Kit Power KIT POWER Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself? That’s the idea! …oh, right, I see. Yes, my name is Kit Power, I’m 35 years old, have long hair, am six foot tall, incredibly handsome, and prone to lying about how tall and handsome I am. Do you prefer the term Horror, Weird Fiction or Dark Fiction? Horror. It’s probably not the most accurate label for my work, but it’s the one I’m most comfortable with. Who are some of your favourite authors? Mr. King, Mr. Barker, James Ellroy, Ian Fleming, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Which fictional character would be your perfect neighbour, and who would be your nightmare neighbour? Can you imagine living next door to The Doctor? Doesn’t work in any practical sense, given his MO, but how cool would that be? Nightmare neighbour – Freddy Kruger. Knowing my luck, my house would get burned down by mistake… (Spoilers?) What do you think of the current state of the genre? I have no idea. My cultural tastes ground to a halt completely somewhere around the late 90’s and no matter how hard I prod ‘em, they just keep snoozing. It’s the same with films, music, all of it. Sad state of affairs, but there it is. What was the last great book you read, and what was the last book that disappointed you? Last great book would be James Ellroy’s ‘Blood’s A Rover’. That man is a fierce beast of a writer, and the sheer scale of his ambition and vision left me breathless. I was unimpressed by a novel I read recently, but I never publically criticise indie writers so I will have to be coy there. Sorry. How would you describe your writing style? Chameleonic. Which according to my spellchecker may actually be a word, and not something I made up. Go me! *grins* I want the prose style and voice to fit the tale I’m trying to tell like a glove, so I vary my voice, tense, and perspective a lot from tale to tale. I recently got my first ‘bad’ review for my e-novella on Goodreads, but it actually had one of the most flattering bits of feedback, which was that the reviewer felt like the two stories had been written by different people. Mission accomplished (well, apart from how she hated half of it). Are there any reviews of your work, positive or negative that have stayed with you? I should really read ahead when answering these! Aside from the above, not so far. I like to think I’m pretty rock-ribbed when it comes to criticism, and that I can tell the difference between taste/opinion and useful critique. Most of the time. What’s your favourite food? SteaknFries. Who would be on the soundtrack to your life story? Oh man… Guns N’ Roses, Rage Against The Machine, The Wildhearts, Aerosmith, Sepultura, Slipknot, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones (up to ’74), The Dogs D’Amour, The Queens of the Stoneage, Queen, Henry Rollins, Iggy Pop, The Stooges, The Levellers, Tool, Bruce Springsteen, Terrorvision, Marilyn Manson, Soundgarden, Nirvana Unplugged, Amen, Alice In Chains, The Who, The Kinks, One Minutes Silence, Skunk Anansie, Garbage, Capo Jr., Rancid, The Sex Pistols, The Clash, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, The Drive By Truckers, The Black Crowes, The Disciples of Gonzo, The Workhorse Movement… Hey, wait, where are you going? I’m not done… What’s the most important lesson you have learned about writing? Write every damn day. Every sentence counts. You can’t edit a blank page. Getting to the end of D1 is waaaaay more important than getting it polished. It’s amazing what you can save with a good edit. Erm. That lesson. What aspects of writing to do you find the most difficult? Finding the time between day job and life. How do you think you’ve evolved creatively? Good question. I think I’m still trying to bottom out what I’m capable of, what areas I can explore. The biggest advantage of just starting out is that I have no fan base to disappoint, no editor or publishing house to annoy because my next story isn’t the exact same genre at the last (how’s THAT for silver lining hunting?!?) so I really can just go where my twisted little muse takes me. It’s exhilarating, and I am definitely still evolving. What is the best piece of advice you ever received from another author? “Read a lot, Write a lot.” – Stephen King. From ‘On Writing’ – we didn’t go to school together or anything. Who is your favourite character from your book and why? Tel. He’s a proper old school east end villain, and I really love how he came to life on the page. How about your least favourite character? What makes them less appealing to you? The Husband is... a complicated man. I enjoy him as a character, but I don’t really like him as a person. I can empathise to a degree, but that’s not the same thing... Fame, fortune, or respect? Fortune. Fame sucks, and I’m fortunate enough to already have the respect of the people that matter to me. What piece of your own work are you most proud of? Oh, killer question. ‘Which of your children do you love the most’? I recently submitted a western which I’m really, really proud of to an anthology. But I think in truth my favourite work hasn’t yet been published. That said, creative types are often the worst judge of their creations. It’s far more important what you, the reader, enjoy than what I think is good. And are there any pieces that you would like to forget about? It’s entirely possible that one or more of my D1’s won’t make it to D2, though so far, touch wood, I’ve been able to get something each time. I’ve also all but decided to give up on one idea entirely and start again from scratch, because the angle I’m on right now is just not working at all. And lurking somewhere on a password protected forum is a piece of Doctor Who fan fiction featuring the eighth Doctor and Deborah Layton, one of the few survivors of the Jonestown massacre, which I just can’t face revisiting… Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next? My last book is called ‘The Loving Husband and the Faithful Wife’ and is a novella that’s twinned with short story ‘The Debt’. Both tales take ‘normal’ people apply pressure, and slowly bring to a boil... A common question to both tales is ‘How much does it take for apparently ‘ordinary’ people to find themselves committing or contemplating horrific or dangerous acts?’ and the not-at-all reassuring answer appears to be ‘less than you might think’. Next is breaking D1 of my novel out of cold storage and seeing if it’s any kind of good. So I really appreciate the displacement activity of this interview because... ahh shit, that’s the penultimate question, isn’t it? Bugger. What's the one question you wish you would get asked but never do? ‘Would you be okay with a seven figure advance for your debut novel, Mr. Power?’ For more information on Kit Power click on the links below Website: Blog: Facebook: Twitter: Lnkedin: Goodreads: The Loving Husband and the Faithful Wife A cutesy tale of romance and domestic bliss? Step inside this suburban home to find out what happens when the couple decide to have an extension added. What could possibly go wrong? The Debt Meet Del. Meet Tel. Two men from the wrong side of the tracks. Del stayed straight. Tel, well, he didn’t. Now Del is in debt up to his eyeballs, facing ruin. Only Tel can help. Will he though? And if he does, can Del afford the terms? Two dark tales of fear, paranoia, and good intentions, set in situations where grey bleeds into black, and where there are no easy answers. Kit Power invites you to see the world through the eyes of the faces that pass you every day. Discover how it feels to really know someone. For more reviews and interviews click the links below HORROR AUTHOR INTERVIEWSHORROR NOVEL REVIEWS
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