About Gary Kidney:
I grew up in a small Iowa farm town where books contained the only available adventures. I wrote my first published short story in 7th grade and the second in 8th grade. I moved to Mesa, Arizona, for high school and college where I became enamored by the microcomputer revolution. I became a specialist in teaching with technology. During my career in higher education, I've taught and coached nearly 800 instructors in how to use technology to motivate and educate students, but it took me away from creative writing into the publish-or-perish world of academia. To try to reclaim some of that enjoyment, I enrolled in a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. Since then, I'm actively writing and enjoying everything about the process.
What inspires you to write?
Inspiration can come from anywhere. For The Eagle Scout Picture, the inspiration came from an old man sitting at a picnic table. His friends had run off to the water, so I sat with him and talked. Based upon his his age, I asked about World War II. The story he shared became the novel.
What authors do you read when you aren’t writing?
Over time, my reading interests have changed. Once addicted to science fiction and fantasy, I now find myself more in the thriller and mystery market. Ken Follett, Dan Brown, Steve Berry, and Harlan Coben are authors I buy whenever a new book is released.
Tell us about your writing process.
I do both he pantser and outliner approach. My writing always starts with am outline – let's call it the story arc. Then, I pnts each scene. I do not use character sketches.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I think writers must allow themselves to have a bit of Multiple Personality Disorder. My characters live inside my mind; telling me about their motivations; what they want to do; how they think, talk, behave. For example, the antagonist in The Eagle Scout Picture is a Gestapo officer. I had to willingly let myself become a Nazi to write him well. My wife told me of times I would wake from a nightmare yelling in German, a language I’ve never studied or spoken.
What advice would you give other writers?
Travel. On a trip to Germany, I took along Erik Larson's "In the Garden of Beasts." As I sat in Berlin's Tiergarten reading a scene from the book set in exactly that spot, the mixture of literature and location was overpowering. I grabbed my laptop and wrote the first scene for my book, The Eagle Scout Picture, set in that location. Since then, I've travelled to every location in my writing.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I chose to self-publish to keep creative control. The decision came after I got a rejection letter from what I thought was a very promising agent. She wrote, "We really liked your high-stakes plot and skill in writing. If you would just re-write with a female protagonist, we would be happy to represent you." I laughed at the absurdity because my protagonist is a radio and electronics expert in 1940 when women would never have had the chance to learn those skills. It wasn’t until the late 1950’s before June Cleaver learned to vacuum in pearls.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I am worried about the future of book publishing. It seems agents have too much control without wanting to do any work with the author. Also, we are in a cycle for women's literature. "Johnny can't read" because there is little that Johnny wants to read. Next, authors receive so little compensation in self-publishing.
What genres do you write?: Espionage Thriller
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Gary Kidney Home Page Link
Link To Gary Kidney Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
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All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.
