I’m hosting an interview with Alex Kimmell, author of fantasy horror “The Key to Everything”.
2) Tell us about your book.
Here is an elevator pitch I’ve used a few times for “the Key to everything”… I had a nightmare stemming from the old idea of being sucked into a good book. What if that was to really happen? A young husband is torn away from his family into a strange prison that physically exists inside of a mysterious journal he digs up beneath a tree in their new home’s backyard. What follows is his wife and children’s descent into horror attempting to find and rescue him. All the while they are pursued by unpredictable demon animals and a neighbor with a dangerous obsession.
3) What inspired you to write the Key to Everything?
As I mentioned in the elevator pitch above, the story started because of a nightmare I had of being sucked inside of a book unable to get out. Not sucked into the story, but becoming a physical part of the book itself. What would that be like? It grew from that incorporating the characters and other elements that hopefully make the concept more engaging for readers. The response so far has been polarizing. I switched narrators quite a bit throughout the book. Intentionally I wanted to develop an uneasy sense of confusion that submerges the reader in a ride along with the characters’ journey.
4) How much time per week do you spend writing / editing your work?
Every week is a bit different. I write from home and look after my kids. The hours spent vary from day to day in the hectic schedule or school, sports and two dogs. I tend to edit as I go. Always jumping back every few minutes or so to make sure the words are put down the way I want them to be. Once I finish a first draft, it’s as close to ready for an editor as it’s going to be. Some pieces get sent to beta readers, but most are shipped off as is. I’m kind of possessive about my work that way.
5) If you could meet three authors, which authors would you choose?
Wow. That list will change from day to day. It also depends on living or not.
Here is my current “Alive” list:
1. Michael Marshall Smith – “The Straw Men” trilogy are three of my favorite suspense/horror books of all time.
2. Mark Z. Danielewski – I read “House of Leaves” at least once a year. Every year.
3. Neil Gaiman – He’s Neil Fucking Gaiman!
Here is my “Dead” list:
1. William Shakespeare
2. H.P. Lovecraft
3. Ray Bradbury – One of my prized possessions is a signed copy of “The Martian Chronicles” he signed for me. I didn’t really get to talk to him much, but his writing has had a tremendous influence on my life.
6) What are you working on at the moment?
There are several projects right now. I am in the middle of a new novel currently titled “The Idea of North” which I hope to release later this year. There are several short stories I am completing for upcoming compilations that I unfortunately can’t reveal any further details about just yet. One project I am very excited about is at the beginning stages. It is one story told in five different points of view, written by five different authors. More information on that one will hopefully be soon to come!
About the Book
Title: The Key to Everything
Author: Alex M. Kimmell
Genre: Fantasy Horror
Cracked and weathered binding, hiding mysteries on pages tied closed by a bloodstained string. A happy young family enchanted by dreams and possibilities. A barren, empty room. A boy with no friends obsessively drawing angles, edges and diagrams. In his debut novel, Alex Kimmell captures a vivid and startling tale of fear. Auden’s journey begins when he discovers a curious leather-bound book whose contents will soon endanger his entire family. The pages of this book draw him into a prison that cannot be breached, a place that can only be unlocked with a very special key. In The Key to Everything, fear is explored and heightened through jarring imagery and a terrifying, unique menace, ratcheting up the tension until the novel’s gripping climax.
Author Bio
Alex kimmell (the squirrel whisperer/twodoggarage/daddy not-so-much-bucks) is an accidental novelist, anti-rhyme-ologist, oxygen inhaler, carbon dioxide exhaler who often generates harmonious sounds with various instruments of different historical importance. his work has appeared on cool places around the 1’s and 0’s like Black Lantern Press, Front Row Lit, Dumb White Husband and The Wordcount Podcast. His novel “the Key to everything” and collection of short, horrific tales “A Chorus of Wolves” were released by Booktrope Publishing. come and join the neurosis at alexkimmell.com.
Links
Website: http://alexkimmell.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alex.kimmell
Twitter: https://twitter.com/alexkimmellauth
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15711734-the-key-to-everything?from_search=true
Purchase the book: http://www.amazon.com/Key-Everything-Alex-Kimmell-ebook/dp/B008BW98WA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397495502&sr=8-1&keywords=the+key+to+everything
Title: The Key to Everything
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