Featured Interview With Kevin Keely
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I grew up in a working class family in Dublin, we weren’t poor and we weren’t rich, but we were pretty happy. That’s all I ever wanted once I grew up. Just get a nice house and be happy , somewhere in the country, So we moved to the North west and bought a house in the sticks. We’re not rich or poor but we’re pretty happy most of the time. Yeh, I like dogs, I’ve always had one. I like loyalty. Don’t give it unless you mean it and once you give it – its permanent, that’s what I like about dogs. Its also why I don’t trust cats. They’re okay but I don’t trust them……and I’m also allergic. I like spiders too, ugly as hell and don’t owe nothin to no one. Wish I could say the same for myself.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
Can’t remember, I was young. Alan Garner and the Weirdstone of Brizingamen got me hooked. I dont read enough. I’m a slow reader, going back over bits just to make sure I got it all. I like Cormac mc Carthy, there’s a brutality to his prose that talks to the soul. Reading is a human thing, one of the most human things. Sharing ourselves with our fellow man. Even people who don’t believe in god, believe in the spirituality of books. No other animal can transfer part of their soul to an inanimate object like a page. It’s a miracle and once it’s on paper, it’s immortal.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Cormac Mc Carthy is great, I love his storytelling. Tolkien, what a genius, created a whole universe out of nothing and gave it to us all. I like stories told with conviction , characters that bleed and love and die and tell us what’s in their hearts. I flit from book to book I read anything that grabs my attention. I’ve always been inspired by anyone who can tell a good story and make us want to be better than we are. On the other end of the spectrum I admire Chomsky, he’s brave, he’s intelligent and he’s got a singular vision of justice that should be bottled and handed out at political summits. This world would be a better place.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
A Fistful of salt.. its just a story. That’s what I set out to do; entertain people and give them something to escape into. Really flawed characters with perfect ideals in an brutal world. Not afraid of the truth, not afraid to die for it , or even kill for it. Revenge, love and loyalty , all the best old-fashioned principles wrapped up in a gutsy tale. There’s nothing new in there, but I took what I thought was the best of everything we love, as humans, as people, and served it up hot and fast. Not pulling the punches. Lots of melodrama too, I like melodrama. People say that’s wrong, I say if it’s wrong then how come it feels so good ? I wanted it to be like a trip to the movies. I think I pulled it off.
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