Author Interview with Kevin Cady
ULM: What lead you to writing the Warren File series?
I loved movies when I was younger, the addition of books after college, but it was after I moved to Colorado that I thought about creating my own stories. Two ideas I wanted to explore struck me back in 2011, and I came up with the trilogy to communicate those ideas. I wanted to show how even the most twisted individual can be understood, and I wanted to show how a backroom decision can have very real, personal consequences, far separate from the decision’s incipience.
ULM: Were you always interested in being a writer?
In school, it was the thing in which I was most amenable, though I wasn’t always interested in being a writer. I squeaked by on an assignment one time with a five-page journal entry of, “I don’t know what to write…I don’t know what to write…” with the promise of “I won’t do it again.”
So it wasn’t exactly what you’d call an interest.
ULM: I noticed there will be a third novel. When will that be released?
I can’t wait to share the conclusion! The third novel, Truth’s Illusion, will be available this summer from Lulu Publishing.
ULM: What future books are you planning to write, if any?
A couple years ago, I decided I needed to be a novelist, and I needed to make a mental shift and commit myself to it more fully, as I felt—with the right circumstances, enough hard work, and I’m sure lots of luck—I could make it work. So in between writing The Warren Files books, I started some different projects I’m excited to pick back up!
These new stories are a bit different, but if you like my style of writing, you’ll really like these other books as well. And timeframe wise, they won’t be far behind!
ULM: How would you describe Crooked Principles (book 2) using only three words?
Chilling. Claustrophobic. Crooked.
ULM: What was it like creating the plot for Crooked Principles?
I was excited to get into a story much smaller in scope—compared to book one, and what I knew book three was going to be—so it was interesting thinking about how to make the story’s secrets unravel without the luxury of different locations. In A Solitary Awakening, the Poetic Murderer was all over the map with his brand of sick novelty, but this new killer is in a remote Alaskan town of less than a hundred people, and the whole town is snowed in for the winter. So I had to approach it completely differently. I really love the result!
ULM: What started you to write within this genre?
I’ve always loved mysteries because of how they can deceive. A great mystery writer is a magician. The secrets are unseen until the end, but, once revealed, can seem even obvious in reflection. I love the, “It was right in front of my eyes!” moment!
Murder/mystery was natural for The Warren Files, and I’ll certainly return to the exact genre (as I have all the characters’ histories I can write about!), but I have some other projects that, I think, completely fit into my writing universe; they’re just different. Two novels are a bit more in the horror genre. One is my ode to haunted house novels—and it’s likely next for completion, though, with the other being a twist on the western, no promises. I’m excited about both!
I’m really just excited to continue writing quality material, consistently, and hopefully in my own unique style for my growing readership.
ULM: How would you describe your main characters in Crooked Principles?
If you read A Solitary Awakening, you know Elijah and Aurelia are precocious and complicated, yet simple. You know they’re damaged and motivated, yet compassionate. But Crooked Principles finds them in an awkward, stagnant place, stranded in the mountains of Alaska.
Riff is back for some laughs and head-shakes.
The new killer is sick, and the residents of Grizzly are strangely removed, geographically and socially.
ULM: Do you read a lot of mysteries?
I read an odd assortment of books, generally found on obscure lists in the depths of Reddit or Goodreads, but I like things that have an edge. Peter Straub’s novels always have interesting mysteries driving the narrative forward, but they’re dark, edgy, non-traditional mysteries, I’d say, and I love that!
What I really seek out are books which push the envelope of what a mystery can be, like House of Leaves, by Mark Danielewski, or The Raw Shark Texts, by Steven Hall. Books that make you think differently, or sometimes even do things differently. That is so cool!
ULM: Where can readers find you and your books online?
My novels and I are online at http://www.lulu.com , http://www.amazon.com (though Amazon takes almost 80% from authors!), and http://www.kevincadyauthor.com, as well as local bookstores along the Front Range of Colorado.
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