Today we’re shining the speculative spotlight on Kevin Wright, author of The Last Benediction in Steel, a grimdark fantasy novel entered into this year’s Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off.
Welcome to the Fantasy Inn, Kevin! How are you and how have you been?
I thank you for having me.
And I’m doing well.
It’s been a long quarantine and fixing to get longer, but as far as times in history to have to be stuck at home, with streaming services, skype, facetime, indoor plumbing, etc… this has to be the best.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what types of stories you write?
I’m forty four years old and extremely boring.
I wake up and I write. I work out. I annoy my wife and children.
The stories I write are a blend of my favorite genres, with fantasy being at the top followed closely by detective and then steampunk.
Finally, I have to mention horror, which I use as a seasoning in all my works.
Pick three books: One that is the most memorable to you as a reader, one that had the greatest influence on your writing career, and one that you just love.
Most Memorable: Lord of the Rings because it just is.
Greatest Influence: The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett – It’s a short book but so clean and cool. I use it as the basis for a lot of what I write. Sam Spade is such a badass and all the characters are formidable in their own way and bring something memorable to the table. (The movies is fantastic as well!)
Love: The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander – The first in the Prydain Chronicles, it is simply awesome. I read it about fifty times between 5th and 8th grade and just recently reread it for the first time in about thirty years. I was worried it wouldn’t hold up, but my fears were unfounded.
It was and still is, truly awesome.
How did you first fall in love with the fantasy genre?
Hmmm… I don’t remember exactly.
It’s an amalgam of Dungeons and Dragons, the Rankin and Bass version of ‘The Hobbit’, He-Man, comic books, Clash of the Titans, Dragon slayer, Krull(don’t judge me), Godzilla, Creature Double Feature, and Saturday Morning cartoons(yes, I’m old) all mashed up into one and injected into my brain.
What made you want to become a writer?
I mentioned before, playing Dungeons and Dragons. Well, I loved being a player and creating character but I loved being a DM more.
Creating maps of worlds and cities and continents along with monsters and heroes and adventures is intoxicating. The only problem is when your idiot-adventurer friends run roughshod over your masterpiece and screw everything up.
You don’t have that problem in books which is great if you’re a control freak like me.
Do you have any fun hobbies you’d like to share?
I’ve always been into studying martial arts. Over the years I’ve learned a variety of them, not that I’m any good at any of them, mind you.
Currently, I’m learning some basic boxing and grappling.
I also meet weekly, when there’s no pandemic, with my writer friend Patrick LeClerc and we beat each other with swords. Or, rather, because he’s been fencing for thirty years, he beats me with swords.
I mostly cry.
A fun fact about yourself?
I was born on Leap Year Day and made the front page of my local newspaper because apparently there was nothing important happening that day.
Tell us about the book you entered into SPFBO this year!
‘The Last Benediction in Steel’ is a first-person noir fantasy set in Northern Europe during the Black Plague.
It’s dark. It’s gritty. It’s funny. It’s horrific.
It’s everything I love about fantasy.
It’s also a standalone sequel to my 2018 SPFBO entry, ‘Lords of Asylum’ which made the semifinals and Senlin Net that year.
The two novels are the initial installments of my series ‘The Serpent Knight Saga.’
Pick this up if you like Daniel Polansky’s ‘Low Town’ Series, which is AWESOME.
How did you acquire the cover art for your book?
Mister J. Caleb of J Caleb Design did this cover. I can’t laud him enough.
First off, he’s an awesome artist. Secondly, he’s professional. Thirdly, once he’s on your project, he’s fast.
He’s also insanely dedicated. He was working on my cover on a Sunday and sent out an updated proof a little past midnight. The guy is an animal.
If you want a character-driven book cover, he’s your man. Here’s the link to his website: https://www.jcalebdesign.com/
Why this particular story, of all the stories you could have written?
I love medieval history. It’s so fascinating and dark and insane. And there’s just so much to mine.
With ‘The Last Benediction in Steel,’ I really wanted to explore flagellants, these religious nutbags who’d gather in crowds, dress up as Christ, and then whip themselves bloody in order to stave off the Black Plague.
Reading up on a few books on the subject, it didn’t seem to work.
What key takeaways do you hope readers walk away from your book with?
My favorite review of one of my books refers to it as a ‘drug-induced nightmare.’
I’m pretty sure the reviewer meant it as a compliment. Either way, that’s how I took it.
In the end, I like to think that all of my books, in their own special way, are drug-induced nightmares and ‘The Last Benediction in Steel’ is no exception.
Why did you enter SPFBO? What are you hoping to get out of the competition?
I’d like to win. And if I don’t win (which I probably won’t), I’d like to make the finals. And if I can’t make the finals…
Really, the toughest part of writing, for me, is the marketing. There’s an ocean of fantasy novels floating around out there which is awesome. But it’s tough getting your head above the water and getting noticed.
So that’s what I’m hoping for: new readers to notice me flailing about and drowning, find my book, and give it a whirl.
Which do you enjoy most: outlining, drafting, or editing?
I like editing.
Not copy editing, I’m not a masochist.
But I like when I have a first draft done, and it’s time to really get into the nuts and bolts of the story. I love going through it over and over, smoothing out rough edges, hammering out details, sawing through…
Hmm…
Sorry, I ran out of carpentry metaphors. I just like going through it and making it better and better and better. Then one day you go through it and realize it’s better than what you had in your head at the start. Which is pretty awesome feeling.
What has been the best business decision you’ve made for your writing career?
Get a good cover on your book. It’s not everything, but it’s the initial hurdle faced when someone is thinking about buying your book.
What are you working on right now?
I’m in the brain-storming phase of writing a sequel to my steampunk detective novel, ‘The Clarity of Cold Steel.’
What other projects can we expect from you in the future?
You can expect more Serpent Knight Saga novels and more Tales of the Machine City novels. I plan on writing them until:
A. I die
B. I get sick of the main characters then kill them off
Thank you for stopping by the Inn, Kevin!
About Kevin Wright
Kevin Wright studied writing at the University of Massachusetts in Lowell and fully utilized his bachelor’s degree by working first as a produce clerk and later as an emergency medical technician and firefighter. His mother is thrilled.
For decades now he has studied a variety of martial arts but steadfastly remains not-tough in any way shape or form. He just likes to pay money to get beat up, apparently.
Kevin Wright peaked intellectually in the seventh grade.
Some of his favorite authors and influences are George R.R. Martin, H.P. Lovecraft, Lloyd Alexander, Neil Gaiman, Joe Abercrombie, and Joseph Heller.
Website: https://www.kevinwrightauthor.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevinkwright50
