About Kedrick Rue:
Kedrick Rue was named after the street where he was born. He became interested in the paranormal at an early age when he witnessed a fairy wedding in the woods behind his house, an event which his mother still attributes to too much FD&C Red #40 in the Kool-Aid she served him for lunch. He currently resides at The Rectory, an abandoned film set located in Laurel Canyon.
A scholar interested in Forteana, the occult, and Dancing Waters shows, many of his books have been printed privately and distributed surreptitiously. THE SIRENS ARE SINGING is his first work of fiction for the public at large.
What inspires you to write?
A compulsive need to untangle knots. Sometimes the knots come undone, and sometimes they tangle further. I don’t know which is better. This particular project was at the suggestion of my friend and fellow writer, Theresa Snyder, who urged me to join the Twin Cities Series, which is a joint venture on the part of five different writers set in The Realms, the convergence point of all of the mythological worlds. It gave me a chance to feature sirens, vampires, djinn, and baby wombats all in one novella.
Tell us about your writing process.
Strictly on paper with a fountain pen. Slow going. Lots of torn up bits flying about the corner room at the top of the Rectory where I live. When the roof leaks, there is trouble, but not so much as if it leaked on a computer.
I work by the process of accretion. One bit of paper may be a character detail, another a plot detail. When the torn up bits of paper reach critical mass, I put them in order, then connect the dots. The hardest part is always coming up with something from nothing. The best part is editing that something into something better. When I’ve got something resembling a draft, I type it into the computer (which is downstairs, away from the leaks) and print out so I can edit all over again. I used Scrivener for this particular project.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I listen to my characters. I carry them with me like I might carry a photograph in my wallet. Charles from THE SIRENS ARE SINGING was asking me, over and over again, if it was enough to “not suck”. Meaning, was it enough to simply get through the day without harming anyone? This is the thought process of addicts and obsessives.
Sometimes my characters will do something which surprises me, and I have no choice but to follow along. Sometimes they lead me down blind alleys, and sometimes there’s a drainage pipe at the end of that alley which I have to attempt to squeeze through. I try to trust them. Usually they’re right.
What advice would you give other writers?
Don’t write what you know; write what you suspect. If there’s a knot in the corner of your mind or out in the world somewhere that needs untangling, go at it! Use scissors if you must. Too many writers don’t get themselves in trouble. Get yourself in trouble, and then get yourself out of trouble. Or don’t get yourself out of trouble. Your trouble will be more interesting than any other writer’s boring old oatmeal.
Like books that you don’t like! Books that make you uncomfortable. Books that are hard to read. What’s wrong with them, and what’s right with them? Pain means growth.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I have decided to publish THE SIRENS ARE SINGING on Amazon because that is the route the other authors of the Twin Cities Series are taking. My other books have been self-published and are difficult to find, and I like it that way. If I walk into a Barnes and Noble and there’s a wall full of the current best-seller I walk the other way. If I walk into a dusty old bookshop and find something that looks dangerous, that’s the one I want to read. All of my favorite authors are cult authors. I’d rather listen to Yoko Ono than the Beatles. I guess that makes me a rarity.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think even printed books will continue to thrive, but in an artisanal sense. There is nothing that can take the place of the tactile sensation of turning pages. Fiction has largely become the domain of television these days, but there will always be stories that television can’t or won’t touch. Best-sellers have become increasingly dumbed-down and boring because the publishers are running scared, but a few good ones make it through. There are still agents and editors out there fighting the good fight, and they are heroes. We need to support them by seeking out the book in the corner of the store that doesn’t have a cardboard display or a quote from Reese Witherspoon on the back.
What do you use?: Professional Cover Designer, Beta Readers
What genres do you write?: Fantasy
What formats are your books in?: eBook
Website(s)
Link To Kedrick Rue Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
Twitter
