1. What is your name and where do you call home?
My name is Kyle West. I’m from the small town of Lake Jackson, TX, though I now live in Oklahoma City.
2. What is the name of your most recent book and if you had to sum it up in 20 or less words, what would you say?
Night of the Necromancer is an epic, choose-your-own-adventure zombie survival challenge.
3. Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series?
I am currently working on two book series. The first is called The Wasteland Chronicles, and I have recently published the first book in it, Apocalypse. My other series is a dark fantasy set in an alternate universe. That series will be called Dark Prophecies, and I’ve finished the first draft of the first novella in that one. It is currently untitled, but it is about a princess who develops dangerous magical abilities that she cannot control.
4. What or who inspired you to start writing? And how long have you been writing?
I have several influences. First, I’m inspired by a lot of my favorite authors, such as Stephen King, Robert Jordan, and Ken Follett. I like to read horror, science fiction, fantasy, and historical fiction. Second, I have a lot of real life influences. I’ve had a couple of writing teachers who have been highly encouraging, without whose influence I probably would not be here writing today.
5. Do you gift books to readers for book reviews?
I gift my book to bloggers, but as far as my friends, I make them pay… :P
6. Which is your favourite cover of all the books you have written?
I only have two books currently, but I really love the cover of my newest book, Apocalypse. It is perfect at capturing the post-apocalyptic tone of the book. I’m really a sucker for a good book cover, as I’m sure all readers are.
7. Is there anything you would change about your book covers?
I like both the covers. In the future, I’d like to have covers that are very colorful and cool looking. A good cover is very, very important.
8. How did you come up with the title for your book?
The title for Night of the Necromancer was tricky for us. It took a long time for us to settle on one, but both of us liked Night of the Necromancer. We added the subtitle “Can You Survive the Zombie Apocalypse?” because I thought it was very important for readers to know our book was a choose-your-own-adventure. The only downside is the title is insanely long, which is probably something I’ll steer from in the future.
9. Is there anything you would change about your book? And why?
On Night of the Necromancer, I’m pretty happy with the way it is. I think it might be cool to add some additional storylines, but it is already very long (much longer than any choose-your-own-adventure book I know about).
10. What is your opinion on ARCs?
I think ARC’s are a great way for to build buzz for a book before release. I’ve never personally tried them, mostly because I’m just now sticking my foot in the water as far as promotion goes. Eventually, I’d like to do some ARC’s and experiment and see if they work.
11. Do you prefer e-books, paperbacks, hardcovers or audiobooks?
I like paperbacks and hardbacks, though I mostly read in e-book format. And nothing can beat a good audiobook for a long trip.
12. Are you a self-published / Indie author?
I am definitely an indie author! Currently, only a few people know of me outside my friends and family. I’m working on changing that J.
13. Have you ever read a book more than once? And if so what was it?
I have read the Harry Potter series twice, I’ve read 1984 twice, and I’ve read several Wheel of Time books twice. I’ve also read The First Man in Rome twice, which is a historical fiction novel set in ancient Rome. I’ve also read London, by Edward Rutherford, twice.
14. Have you ever read a book just based on it’s cover?
Haven’t we all? I buy books on Kindle all the time just because of the cover. Especially if it’s cheap and it’s a nice cover, you don’t have much to lose. I know this as a reader, which is why as a writer it’s so important to me to have a really good cover.
15. Has the quality of the cover of a book ever put you off of reading it?
Yes, definitely. I won’t even look at the blurb. I know you are not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but we all do anyway…and a bad cover makes me wonder if other parts of the book might be bad, since the cover is such a crucial point.
16. What is your favourite film based on a book?
Hmm…definitely Lord of the Rings. All three of those movies I’ve seen about twenty thousand times. They are just so good. Fellowship is probably my favorite.
17. What is your favourite book genre at the moment?
I’m really into dark fantasy. I’m reading The Dark Tower by Stephen King, as well as a few indie tittles. I mostly read indie, and since most indie books are in the $.99 - $3.99 range, it is really the best for my budget.
18. Do you have any advice for other writers? And what’s the best advice that you have been given when it comes to writing?
My advice is to realize writing is a lot of work. You have to put in the hours both writing and promoting. And of course, to read.
19. Do you have any hobbies that aren’t related to reading & writing?
Really, my entire life right now seems to be dominated by both work and writing. Promoting also takes a lot of time. When I don’t do those things I like to go out to eat, run, watch TV or play video games. And of course, read.
20. Where can your readers follow you?
Goodreads author page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4571430.Kyle_West
Twitter: @kylewestwriter
Thankyou so much for taking the time to do this interview and allowing us a glimpse into your writing world!
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