Kevin Walker interview

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

When did your love of books begin?

I come from a humble background where there was not a lot of spare cash, so we didn’t have children’s books around. We did have two books in the sideboard in the front room that I was not allowed to get out on my own, mum or dad had to be with me. One was a novel called ‘When Charles I was King’, some of it was set around the villages where my mum was born, it was almost a holy book. The other was an encyclopaedia in one volume. It was old and bound in thin leather, the edges of the pages were gold which fascinated me. I loved looking through the pages and the subjects covered. We handled both books with such reverence, and it was such a treat to look at them.

When did you start to have the wish to become an author?

I am a very late starter. I have been a professional story teller for over twenty years. I have worked with children and families in many settings and the last ten years have been exclusively with adults. I decided to take a break from performance for a while and write collections of my stories, adding to them with new stories that I created. As a teller of stories, I had never written them down word for word, so it was a new skill to develop. So, I started writing at 66.

How have you found the process for becoming an author?

It has been an interesting journey so far. I spend a lot of time taking part in writing groups and workshops, especially online, in order to hone this new craft, but because I have been creating and then presenting my stories to live audiences for years, I already have my voice, how I tell stories. But I recognise I need writing tools too, especially as I am a queer writer.

Finding a publisher for my first collection of short stories was remarkably straightforward. I knew the publisher and what sort of collections they were interested in, and because it was an unusual collection with a very targeted audience, we connected quickly. Because the first collection was well received, they were very receptive to my second collection, even asking me to design the cover and create thirty illustrations in black and white. The development of both books was at times a bumpy ride, but they worked out well in the end.

I am working on my first novel at the moment, and I know that will be a different case, the current publisher does not publish novels, so I am going to have to find an agent or a publisher.

I also received a grant from someone as part of my first book. I thought initially I would be self-publishing and the money was there to go towards that, but when I swiftly got a publisher, the doner said to use it as a contract to work with a writing mentor and editor. That was so useful, once I had got over the shock of their comments!

What would you say to those wanting to become an author?

Just go for it. Carve out a journey for yourself. Make a physical space to work, attend writing courses and link to other writers in your genre or area, find some trusted friends who can read your work and feed back to you, enjoy what you are creating, develop your own writing routines, don’t worry about how others work, do it your way, take your time and be patient.

Tell us about your book/books:

The first book is a collection of 15 short stories, each one includes significant characters from the LBGTQ community and each story is folk tale based….that is, includes magic of some kind, or a journey, choices newly created. Queer Folk Tales.

The second book has over forty folk tales and they are all concerned with the Buddhist tradition. They are either re-tellings of ancient stories, traditional stories that reflect the Buddhist way, or newly created stories. I also designed the cover and created 30 black and white illustrations. Buddhist Folk Tales.

I am currently working on my first attempt at a novel. It is also based on folk tales and tells the life story of Oberon, the king of faery.

What do you love about the writing/reading community?

The writing community is incredibly welcoming and supportive. I enjoy networking with other authors…Twitter is good at this. There are so many writing communities, depending on what you are looking for, can offer or need. Be open.

If you could say anything to your readers what would it be?

Thank you so much for having faith in me that I can entertain you. Thank you for giving me courage. And thank you if you leave reviews, they are so helpful, insightful, humbling/infuriating!

Where can people connect with you?

I have a general website www.kevinwalker-storyteller.com

Or email  storyteller125@hotmail.com