Interview - K.N. Gould

A renowned author with contributions in both anthologies as well as in solo works, K.N. Gould has worked to build a solid collection of work to his name within the industry. Now, in honor of the release of his latest novel, "Path of Totality," by Crystal Lake Entertainment, I talk with him about his early interest in the genre, his inspiration for the book, and some upcoming projects.

Me: Hello and thank you for taking the time to do this. First off, when did you get into horror in general? What films specifically got you into watching horror movies?

K.N. Gould: Thank you for inviting me.

I was drawn to the horror genre at an early age. I vividly remember watching certain scenes from Halloween (1978), Evil Dead, Dark Night of the Scarecrow, and several others when I was probably way too young to be watching such things. I blame my older siblings for that. I was only a little older when Paul’s campfire monologue from Part 2 made me a Friday the 13th guy to this day, and A Nightmare on Elm Street had me convinced that, if I died in my dreams, I died for real.

Me: Who were some of your favorite writers growing up? Do you try to take influences from their style with your own voice in your work?

KNG: Growing up, I remember reading Tolkien’s The Hobbit and Moorcock’s Elric. Mostly sci-fi and fantasy, like The Tripod Trilogy by John Christopher, while my movie tastes leaned toward horror. Later, maybe early middle school, came Stephen King. I’d been a fan of his movie adaptations for quite some time, but I hadn’t given any of his actual writing a chance until then. A couple of years after that, I discovered Tom Clancy and couldn’t get enough of his Cold War spy novels.

I don’t consciously try to take influence from these or any other writers when I’m writing, but I know they do influence me. They have to. King and Robert McCammon immediately come to mind when I think of who has had an effect on me the most. I know what works for me as a reader, and I’d like to think that helps me get through to others as a writer. Certain things, like Clancy’s detailed technical descriptions or Tolkien’s prose, I couldn’t duplicate even if I tried.

I write things I would like to read. For the most part, that writing is dark, unsettling, and at times (hopefully) scary.

Me: What was the starting point of becoming a writer? Were you always into writing growing up?

KNG: I was always into writing growing up. I still have an unfinished Choose-Your-Own-Adventure story I started when I was about eleven. It needs some heavy editing, for sure. I really should finish that someday. I had several teachers who encouraged me in that regard, and one who didn’t, but it’s a good thing I don’t hold a grudge:)

As far as writing with the intent of being published, that didn’t come until about ten years ago. Although I’d thought about it quite a bit, I still put off writing. When I did finally get serious about it, I decided I simply wanted to write a single short story and get it published, preferably in a print anthology, just so I could say I’d done it. After I’d done that, I decided to do it again, and again. And now here I am doing an interview regarding my novel that just came out.

I do wish I had started sooner. You don’t get that time back.

Me: Having contributed to several anthologies early in your career, what tools and skills did you acquire working on those that transferred to future projects?

KNG: Patience. Patience. Patience. I’ve had rejections take eight months and acceptances take three days. I’ve had publishers go out of business after agreeing to publish my work, and I’ve had publishers never even respond to my submission. I’ve had condescending rejections, and I’ve had publishers not follow through with the terms of a signed contract.

Be patient. Keep on keepin’ on. Submit the thing somewhere else and start the new thing while you’re waiting to hear back. Your writing might not be for everyone, but you’re only waiting for one who “gets it.”

Me: What is the general process for getting involved in these projects?

KNG: I decided early on in my writing that I shouldn’t write a story for a specific publisher or submission call. I wanted to write the story I wanted to write at the time, whether it be 2,000 or 7,000 or 30,000 words, whether it had witches or werewolves or time travel, then search for the right home for it. Once again, that usually meant practicing patience because there was a good chance my finished story might not have a home right at that moment. Especially if it was about a retired pro-wrestler turned mall Santa who fights a Christmas demon on his way home from work (for example).

I can only think of a couple of times I wrote a brand-new story for a specific themed anthology. Those both worked out pretty ok, so maybe I should do it more often.

Me: So, that brings us to your new novel, “Path of Totality.” What can you tell us about the book? How did you settle on the plot for it?

KNG: Path of Totality is the story of Tucker Gibsen, an ordinary, average guy who has a very traumatic experience as a child. He narrowly avoids becoming the next victim of a mass murderer. Before dying, the killer says to him, “This world is a cruel and arbitrary place…” As an adult, Tucker encounters another man, this one accused of a different kind of heinous crime, who repeats those very same words, all these years later. After that, Tucker’s world is turned upside down as he now finds himself caught between two modern-day witches with a decades-old grudge. Maybe some secrets are better left buried.

The idea for the story came about slowly over time. Reading about old witch trials and colonial era protections against witchcraft got the wheels turning. I wrote a short story a while back called Maleficium that appeared in Weirdbook #36. That story is directly connected to Path of Totality (although you should read Totality first). After that, it was mainly asking and answering my own story-related questions. What if a person was framed for a crime they didn’t commit by someone with supernatural powers? Why would someone do that in the first place? How would anyone even know if that happened? I managed to answer enough of those questions and ended up with a novel.

Me: What was your writing process? How do you stay focused on writing?

KNG: The biggest thing about the writing process for me is to develop a routine and get words on the page every day, especially with a larger project. I’m not the most prolific writer. I’m not the guy who can sit down and knock out a few thousand words in a day. But if I can get at least a few hundred, that’s progress. It took Andy Dufresne twenty-plus years to tunnel out of Shawshank, one handful of debris at a time. If you can do even three hundred words a day, you can have a first draft of a book in one.

Me: Was there any special significance to making the characters become embroiled in occultism and dark magic?

KNG: One of the things that got the ball rolling for Path of Totality was when I read about an ancestor of mine who presided over a witch trial in the 1600s. It was a brief proceeding before the case was moved along to a different “court” and the accused was eventually exonerated, but it got me to wondering, what if there was a witch, accused and then exonerated, who was actually guilty and not just a victim of colonial satanic panic? What would such a person be motivated by? How might that person pass along their knowledge to any descendants or disciples? That idea was one of several that ultimately all came together to form the completed story.

Me: Was there any part of your real personality injected into the characters?

KNG: Maybe a little. Off the top of my head, I know that the main protagonist of Totality, Tucker, gets his skeptical I’ll believe it when I see it sort of world view from me. Ghosts, UFOs, Bigfoot, Shadow People, etc., are all fascinating, but until I see one for myself, I will remain firmly on the fence. This helped me as I was trying to imagine how Tucker might struggle coming around to believing the unbelievable.

Me: Once it was finally written, what was the process for having it published?

KNG: Once I’d finally written “The End” on Path of Totality, I began the editing. Going through it page by page before handing them over, twenty or so at a time, to my wife for her to look over. Then, to a couple of beta readers whom I trusted to give me their honest opinion. After all that, I took a deep breath a started sending it to potential publishers. Totality was originally picked up by Wicked House Publishing, but after a few months and some inter-publisher collaboration, Crystal Lake Publishing acquired the rights (with my permission). Then, it was a matter of patience once again.

Crystal Lake has been great to work with. Their staff has been dialed in with the cover art, editing, and marketing in the months leading up to and the weeks since the release of the book on May 23. Honestly, I’m just trying to keep up with them.

Me: What do you do to keep your creative energy flowing?

KNG: Read, mostly. A really good book is the best way to get me motivated to write. Movies can do it too. Either old reliables I’ve seen a dozen times or new ones if they’re done well. The right music is also essential if I’m going to sit down at my desk and be productive.

Me: Lastly, what else are you working on that you'd like to share with our readers? Thank you again for your time!

KNG: Right now, I’m a couple of chapters into a couple of different things. In addition, one thing I’d like to do is have a collection of my own published. Maybe something 50-50 previously published material, along with new stuff. Short stories are how I discovered some of my favorite writers. Really, I just need to focus, pick a project, and see it through. Don’t half-ass three things, whole-ass one thing.

Thank you again for having me.