- Does writing energize or exhaust you?
Depending on the phase that the book is in and what other projects I have going on. Usually writing energizes me, it is often fuel for the soul. The times that it doesn’t are when it is in the heavy editing phase, that uses a very different, critical-thinking part of the brain which can be exhausting.
- What is your writing Kryptonite?
Time:)
- Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?
I initially did in the past, thinking that it might be good to not share what I do in case it was too graphic for people in my work life. However, I think the benefits of being transparent outweigh risks.
- What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?
I’m friends with many authors and keep tabs with as many as I can. Most of them are in the local area of Alberta, some are elsewhere, and I have only met them online. Some of the local ones I keep touch with are Matthew Gillies, M M Dos Santos, Adam Dreece and Suzy Vadori. We frequently run into each other at conventions.
- Do you want each book to stand alone, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
The grand plan is to build a connection for each and every story that I write. Some of the books read as stand alone and others are part of a series. For the diehard fans, they’ll notice small hints that connect the stories together. This opens up many questions to the reader since there are large time period differences in the novels.
- What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?
I’d say getting an editor, it makes a world of difference. A second one was paying for consultation advice from a successful indie author who was able to provide insights into the indie author world.What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?
Most likely when I was reading the Redwall series by Brian Jacques. His work painted detailed imagery in my head and I realized the power of how words could transcend one’s mind into new worlds.
- What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel?
That’s a tough one, I think there are a lot of them in the indie author world. If I had to pick a personal choice, it’d have to be a non-fiction book. Specifically Looking In, Seeing Out: Consciousness by Menas Kafatos and Thalia Kafatou. It is a powerful book and offers great insight into science and spirituality.
- As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
Well, my Chinese Zodiac birth sign is a horse. I think that animal best summarizes my creative process – a work horse.
- How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?
I have a lot of book outlines and short stores on the go. Currently no finished manuscripts.
- What does literary success look like to you?
To me literary success is being able to make a stable income from your work.
- What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
I spend a lot of time researching, before plotting, during writing and during editing. Questions arise that never crossed my mind until I am at that moment in writing the book.
- How many hours a day/week do you write?
It is pretty spontaneous. Some months I write every day around 2,000 words and other months I will barely write a total of 5,000. Of course with the blog I do write fairly consistently on a weekly basis.
- How do you select the names of your characters?
The process varies based on the genre I am writing. Fantasy names are often combinations of a couple words or have some sort of historical background to them. Other names are based on age, ethnicity and time period. Basically something that will make them believable to be in their world.
- What was your hardest scene to write?
I’d say the battle scene in my upcoming fantasy novel, Mental Damnation III. It contains a pretty lengthy fight between some powerful characters. It had to elaborate on what magic they had while remaining fast paced.
- Why did you choose to write in your particular field or genre? If you write more than one, how do you balance them?
Genre often becomes a second thought for me. I have an idea book filled with concepts for stories. Once I find one that I have a hunch on where it can go I start jumping into the plot outlines and then the genre becomes clearer. Usually my work fits within the horror or fantasy realms.
- How long have you been writing?
I’ve been writing all my life, professionally I haven’t really started until 2012 with the first release of Mental Damnation Reality.
- What inspires you?
Movies inspire me, books, video games and my own life. It’s like being a sponge and absorbing as much around you as you possibly can.
- How do you find or make time to write?
I don’t know! Ultimately though you just have to make time for it. You either have to cancel on some previous plans or power through being tired or push through a creative block.
- What projects are you working on at the present?
Currently I have a slasher in the works. I have notes for a number of short stories and the fourth Mental Damnation installment. Not 100% sure what order these will come out in though.
- What do your plans for future projects include?
For immediate release, YEGman is coming out along with Mental Damnation III later this year.
- Share a link to your author website.
Bio:
Konn Lavery is a Canadian horror and dark fantasy writer who is known for his Mental Damnation series. The second book, Dream, reached the Edmonton Journal’s top five selling fictional books list. He started writing fantasy stories at a very young age while being home schooled. It wasn’t until graduating college that he began professionally pursuing his work with his first release, Reality. Since then he has continued to write works of fiction ranging from fantasy to horror.
His literary work is done in the long hours of the night. By day, Konn runs his own graphic design and website development business under the title Reveal Design (www.revealdesign.ca). These skills have been transcribed into the formatting and artwork found within his publications supporting his fascination of transmedia storytelling.
Links:
Mandy Eve-Barnett's Blog for Readers & Writers 