Friday, March 23, 2012

Author Interview & Giveaway: Kevin Krohn

Today at Bibliophilia, Please, we have with us Kevin Krohn, author of Latter-Day of the Dead (you can read my review here).

 






Kevin Krohn is the author of Latter-Day of the Dead and Severed Ties. He lives in Layton, Utah with his wife and two children. He likes the way The Sopranos ended.






First off, Kevin, I would like to thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to not only interview you, but review your book. I was immediately drawn to the premise of Latter-Day of the Dead – a zombie outbreak on a polygamist compound in Utah. Umm, yes please! What made you decide to go with that scenario?

When thinking about a zombie outbreak, or any catastrophic event for that matter, I began to think about the small sects of people across the country that have cut themselves off from the rest of the populace. They would really be the last to know of such a widespread problem, so I found that scenario exciting and interesting to write about. And when they do find out, would they even be able to comprehend the magnitude of an outbreak or know how to respond to such a situation? They literally wouldn’t know a zombie if it bit them in the shoulder. Literally. So I took that set-up and ran with it.

Usually, one of the main topics I avoid outside of an academic setting is religion. However, Mormonism plays a rather large role in this story. Is their history and doctrine something you are personally familiar with, or is it something that you had to research for the story?

I was vaguely familiar with the history before I moved to Utah three years ago. When I started living here I wanted to have a better understanding of the state’s history, and the religious connection plays a big part in that. Once I got going on the story I did a much deeper dive into researching specifics.

Did you try to visit any compounds or interview any polygamist families during your research? If so, how did they respond to your questions?

That would have been interesting, but I did not. They do not let extra males hang around…it kills the guy/girl ratio they are looking for.

Who was your favorite character to write in Latter-Day of the Dead?

I had a lot of fun with Kib. He was just one of the side characters, but I was able to utilize him for some slight comic relief during some pretty intense scenes. He was not the brightest person in the group, and I think his aloofness made him pretty endearing.

If I could choose two words to describe Elias’ (the protagonist) method of describing his situation and surroundings, it would be distinct and unique. Is it based on something you do yourself, or just a part of Elias that developed as you created him?

Haha, I definitely don’t speak like that. I think a lot of times a first-person narration is just utilized to give the play-by-play of the story, and an opportunity is missed to give the reader a sense of the main character’s personality. It was a repetitive piece I wanted to use to give the story some rhythm, and to hint at Elias having to constantly explain things in very basic terms for the less-educated group.

I know every author has a variety of literary writers or works that have had a major influence on them, even if it has nothing to do with his/her genre or writing style. Who or what are some of yours?

Chuck Palahniuk is the one who has had the biggest influence, because reading his books actually pushed me to want to get mine out there. Rant would probably be my favorite book of his.

What are you reading right now?

Drive by James Sallis. Loved the movie, and the second book is coming out shortly so I decided I better jump to it.

If you could choose one book that everyone should read, which one would it be?

Max: The Dog that Refused to Die by Kyra Wayne. It will be mandatory reading for those of us that survive the zombie apocalypse. If Max endured his battle for survival, there will be hope for us all.

I have told quite a few people about your book since reading it, and they are hesitant because of the negative opinion so many have about self-published novels. What made you decide to publish independently?

I don’t want to get to a point where the fun of the writing process ever goes away. And to me the fun is getting to do this my way. I want to make the decisions, keep the book what it was intended to be, and try to keep this a passion without it ever becoming too much of a business. I want artistic decisions to be made throughout, not business decisions, and staying independent has allowed that to happen.

It’s weird that in the music scene, it is cool and even encouraged to search out and find these great independent artists. It is hip to discover unknown bands or great local artists, but for books there is a disconnect for some reason.

Independent books are the same as any major-company-backed books, movies, or music. There are some really cool ones, and some really bad ones. Latter-Day of the Dead falls into the “really cool” category, thankfully. You don’t need big budget backing to tell an entertaining story.

Do you have any upcoming projects that we can look forward to? More specifically – when is Latter-Day of the Dead’s sequel releasing?

I would like to get a quick turnaround on ‘LDotD: Book Two’ due to the great reception Book One is receiving, so I will be working to get that out as soon as possible.


Latter-Day of the Dead can be found on its Facebook fan page or added to your TBR on Goodreads.
Available for purchase now on Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Since I enjoyed reading Latter-Day of the Dead so much, I will be giving away an Kindle digital copy to a lucky entrant. If you don't have a Kindle e-reader, you can always use the Kindle app in your web browser, PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, and/or Android Phone. I'm sure it will download directly to your head in the next fifty years or so. Anywho - Rafflecopter time!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


14 comments:

  1. Hey Kevin, congratulations on the release. I know my daughter would just love this book. She just loves zombies and has devised plans on how to ward off the enevitable (her thoughts) zombie attack!

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  2. Congrats on the release of your book, Kevin! The book sounds awesome and the cover is delightfully creepy! I personally don't have anything against self-published authors and I can't wait to read yours! Thanks so much for the awesome giveaway:)

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  3. That's so weird. I never thought about the comparison between indie music and indie publishing. It's true: if a band hand made CDs, persuaded local stores to sell them, stations to play them and reviewers to review them, they would be seen a mold breaking, exciting go-getters. Not so much in publishing. We need to fix that!! The book sounds great :)

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    1. The book is great! I had never thought about indies in that light before, but Kevin has definitely made me more open-minded. :-)

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  4. Thanks for the comments everyone!

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  5. Zombies and Mormonism?! Sounds very interesting and a different way to approach the subject. Most of the zombie books I've read deal with small groups of people but ones from every walk of life that managed to find each other after the apocalyptic event happened. This way the group already existed prior to the event.

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    1. It's awesome. I hope you check it out and enjoy it!

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  6. Wow this sounds really fascinating. Will this book have a trailer made any time soon?

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  7. The trailer can be found on the Latter-Day of the Dead facebook page. Check it out!

    www.facebook.com/latterdayofthedead

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  8. Indies are awesome - Ive read some great ones recently and this one sounds really unique!

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  9. Kevin - taking the book up to my vastly populated Mormon community this summer in Overgaard, AZ. Will be interested in their reactions: ) So good to see you and I will spread the word to purchase a copy! Be well, my friend. Pennee Nichols

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  10. I wanna win but sounds like it'll scare me! LOL

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  11. Where or how do we find out who won? :) Thanks!

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    1. I will announce it on the blog whenever the winner who Rafflecopter chooses responds. Sometimes it takes a few winners to get a reply. :-)

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You are going to put words in my box?! *squeezes you* Now I shall stalk YOUR blog!