Please welcome, fantasy and horror writer Keith Blackmore to the blog.
(Me, Keith)
Keith, when did you start writing?
Many many moons ago.
What genres do you write? Why?
I grew up reading a lot of Alan Dean Foster, Stephen King, and Robert E Howard, and a dash of Terry Brooks, which all influenced me to write Fantasy and Horror, with a little bit of Science Fiction in there as well. I actually tried writing erotica once, which gave my girlfriend at the time an extreme case of the giggles--never went back.
Why did you choose to self-publish your work?
Mostly because of the conflicting reviews of editors. Some like my voice, some didn't, others loved my pacing, some thought it was too slow, some didn't like the head hopping, others didn't mind. In the end, when epublishing became available, I went for it, and decided that the readers could decide for themselves. And because my prices are fairly cheap (I use the rule a page equals a cent, give or take) I had no issue with selling my work as an indie.
A page equals a cent, not a bad plan there. What authors have inspired you?
Alan Dean Foster, Stephen King (head hopper), and Robert E Howard, Larry McMurty (big time head hopper), David Gemmell and a slew of others.
Your cover art for your novels is fantastic. Do you create them yourself or hire it out?
I hire it out. My cover artist is very talented and cheap :). I'll pass on the compliments.
You definitely can't beat talented and cheap. *grins* Tell us a little about your novels and your works-in-progress.
Oh my, that's a big one... it's probably best to check out the website at www.keithcblackmore.com and take a look.
My most recent work is one of Science Fiction, called "The Bear That Fell From The Stars" and it's about a ninja that gets abducted by a bunch of aliens.
I'm currently working on a novella of about 3 horror short stories which will be entitled "Cauldron Gristle." I was reading somewhere that, back in medieval times, cauldrons would rarely ever be cleaned out, and a lot of food would simply be dumped in on top of what was left over, which resulted in this nasty gruel. I liked the ultra-nastiness of "gristle" and that's where I came up with the title.
Sounds great! Do you have any advice for fellow writers?
Write write and write... Read read and read (and not just in your genre--read outside of it as well as a study on how other writers do things). Also, never be defensive about reviews or feedback. Read them, reflect upon them, and keep them in mind when you put fingers to keyboard.
And write.
My current work can be found at:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004RVSUL4
And my full length horror novel about the week where everyone stops dying, entitled "The Missing Boatman" can be found here:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00480OP9A
Great advice. Thank you so much, Keith!
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