In a takeoff from our usual Books In A Series offerings, during the month of December we are featuring Australian author Stephen B King whose current release out of the Wild Rose Press, Eight Reasons, contains eight short stories of a combined mystery/suspense/horror genres. Mr. King is with us today to talk about himself and how he got to where he is today.
Good morning, Mr. King.
Thank you for joining us at Wild Women Authors. Let’s start with which writer
or character[s], from either books or movies, have had a major impact on your
writing?
I think my favorite character of all
time is Lisbeth Salander of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy, by
the late Stig Larsen. I don’t remember ever being moved so much by a story, and
because it was spread across three books, I felt something akin to euphoria
when I reached the end. A close second would be the series of books featuring
Professor Joe O’laughlin, criminal and clinical psychologist, written by the
fantastic Michael Robotham (a fellow Australian).
With regard to research,
where did you start for this novel? Did that lead you down different paths,
thereby changing the original concept? Each
of these stories involved some research – some more than others. Two of the
stories relate to my study of witchcraft and black magic, many, many years ago.
Another, The Curse of the Manitou,
came about after I visited the Native American Museum in Washington. The Boy
in the Bubble occurred after a lengthy discussion with a man I met who was,
as a child, an original boy in a bubble because he was born with so many
allergies that if he left it, he would have died. All stories required
research.
Everything I write about, I strive to make
as factually accurate as possible. Sometimes studying one thing can lead to
another, and another, and take the original concept of my story in a different
direction. I love it when that happens, as I am also a pantster when in the
zone and writing. I am as keen to find out what happens next as hopefully my
reader is.
Tell us a bit about your
publisher. What influenced you to submit to them? I won a Twitter competition, years ago, held by a very
well-known editor, Mica, which got me a free edit of the first three chapters
of a WIP. I had almost completed a book called Thirty-Three Days, and I
thought it was pretty good. When I submitted the chapters, Mica said, “I love
what you're doing with this story and where it is heading, but it’s all wrong.
Get rid of the prologue – you don’t need it, make chapter one into two, and
vice versa.” Then gave me a heap of other changes.
I was genuinely horrified. But after a
couple of weeks to calm down, I realized she was correct, so I asked her if she
could edit the whole book and what she would charge me, intending to
self-publish when done. Meanwhile, I did a rewrite, following her guide. She
gave me a price (expensive) but said that she couldn’t fit it in for three
months. I booked her, finished the re-write, and while I was waiting, looked up
three publishers at random and submitted it – sure that it would be declined. I
was shocked when I received, in a very short space of time, three contract
offers to publish, one of which was Harlequin – one of the big ones.
The nicest approach I had was from Melanie
Billings, senior editor for The Wild Rose Press, and I thought that she was the
person I’d most like to work with. I’m so glad I made that choice, as I am
still with her and TWRP. By the way, as I had already booked Mica, I had to
tell her I had accepted an offer for Thirty-Three Days, but since I had
already booked her, would she consider looking at another project I had? She
was delighted for me and agreed.
I sent her a completed MS, and boy, did
she let me have it with both barrels. Again, I was offended and thought, OMG, I
paid for that abuse. Once again, though, when I calmed down, she was 100%
correct. That book was called Glimpse, Memoir of a Serial Killer, and
after an enormous rewrite, I submitted that and an outline for another two
books in the planned trilogy. All books were contracted. So, I will be forever
indebted for the ‘tough love’ Mica heaped upon me.
What is the turnaround
time [with Wild Rose] from the date of query to the date of release? These days it takes between six and nine months,
including editing rounds. That is after no less than five rewrites of a first
draft before submission.
What are you reading right
now? A book called The Silent Town,
by a fellow Australian author, Annie Taylor. It is a police procedural, set in
the unbelievably beautiful Blue Mountains area near Sydney. She’s good, really
good.
What's next for you? I have a Friday the 13th release in
January called Twins (two halves of the same rotten apple). Two
identical twins are trying to outdo each other by murdering a victim on the
thirteenth of every month in ever increasingly horrific ways.
I’m also working on a full-length novel
called Davey Came Home. A story of a US Congressional Medal of Honor
winner who returned to his hometown after being horribly wounded, only to find
it has been taken over by a biker family who deal drugs and rule with an iron
fist. As crippled as he is, Davey must make a stand to fight for the town he
grew up in and the family and friends he loves. This book is dedicated to
Melanie, my editor, as I have set it in her hometown.
www.stephen-b-king.com
facebook.com/stephenbkingauthor
To purchase Eight Reasons,
go to: https://amzn.to/4gYSDoM
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