Author Bio:
Kenyon has lived a life learning from mistakes, and then starting over and learning again. He has a frolicking dog, Huckleberry, who appeared one day at the Ojai Humane Society after a series of violent episodes and changed ownerships. The dog reversed his ill ways after intensive sessions of belly-rubs, beef snacks, and the chasing of screaming, delighted children, which appears to have benefited all parties.
What inspires you to write?
I am the quintessential person who, after being verbally humiliated by someone, says, “What I SHOULD have said is…” It is the sad fact that I can never deliver a clever retort in a heated moment that causes me to write. It also gets me kicked off a lot of Internet forums…
Tell us about your writing process.
Many people believe that if you, yourself, don’t know what is going to happen next in your story, that your reader will also be kept on edge. I subscribe to that theory. I enjoy writing by the seat of my pants. I also have loads of unfinished work piling up like old chicken bones and newspapers because of it. My one remaining goal in life* is to do an outline, and then write a story in an organized manner.
*My list wasn’t all that big.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I’m not like writers who say, “Ooh, Since I started writing, I don’t even know who I am anymore!” I’m enraged by those fools. I won’t go on a judgmental rant here, so, on to the question: Yes, I listen to them. They carry on their dialogues in my head; WHILE I’M WRITING. Not while I’m paused in my truck at a busy crosswalk, watching loads of tourists walking by, and the psycho character in my story is telling me to mow them down.
Sometimes, I can see them looking at me while they are wandering amid some lost. foggy area. They depend upon me for life, and so I need to complete each project, so they may live. For NEW writers, know your characters. They will tell you all you need to know in order to move the story along.
What advice would you give other writers?
Hey! I’m not Tolstoy, but read this:
1. Don’t use cutesy words, and especially not in dialogue. People don’t want to see words like “‘cuz…” for because, or “‘kay…instead of “Okay.”
If you say, “Well, THAT’S HOW THE CHARACTER TALKS!” That’s fine. If you have created your character to be true to themselves, then people will read “‘kay” when your character says “Okay,” and so on.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I’m a dummy. I have a smart friend. He has smashed the point of self-publishing into my head. I have finally done it. To new authors I would say, listen to your smart friends. Just because you are creative, does not mean you are smart. More important, don’t listen to your negative friends, even if they’re smart. Know that you are great. Even if you are not great, know that there are tons of lousy writers that have become rich because they didn’t listen to people telling them they were not good enough.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
It’s the wild west right now. Bodies are scattered everywhere. Will be thrilling to see where it leads.
What genres do you write?
Fiction, non-fiction-song writing
What formats are your books in?
eBook
Website(s)
Kenyon Ledford Home Page Link
Link To Kenyon Ledford Page On Amazon
Link to Author Page on other site
Your Social Media Links
http://www.kenyonledford
