Featured Interview With S. K. Keogh
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
When I won an elementary school writing contest and a trip to a regional young writers conference, I hadn’t realized that experience was the beginning of a love affair with words. I was raised in a large family where reading was encouraged. Through my mother’s interest in history, I grew to admire such authors as Michael Shaara and Bruce Catton, a fellow Michigan writer who focused on the American Civil War. So it was no wonder that my first writing credit was a featured article in the magazine “America’s Civil War.” My particular interest in the Civil War led me into re-enacting for several years as a field musician. But my interest in history went to various eras, not just the Civil War, including the late 17th century, the era for my Jack Mallory trilogy, a time when piracy on the high seas thrived.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I’ve always been an avid reader, especially of historical fiction. I remember as far back as elementary school when one of the things I looked forward to the most were the book sales. I was a big fan of horse-related stories (and as an adult I became a horse owner and trainer). Even in elementary school, I was already writing stories, as I mentioned earlier in this interview. One of my brothers and I even wrote and drew comic books about our own original characters.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
I read historical fiction mostly, though I also read other genres. My favorite author is definitely Patrick O’Brian. I have read his Aubrey/Maturin series multiple times. He inspires me the most as a writer and has had the biggest influence on my style and prose.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
My latest novel is “The Fortune,” which is the third book in my Jack Mallory series, preceded by “The Prodigal” and “The Alliance.” Though a trilogy, each book can be read as a stand-alone. The stories follow Jack Mallory, an upstanding young man who turns pirate in order to track down the man who kidnapped his mother. What starts out as a simple tale of rescue and revenge turns into a saga filled with many colorful characters, all with their own agendas, some who will help Jack in his quest and some who will attempt to stop him, stories on both land and sea, filled with action and intrigue.
It took me several years to write the trilogy because of the amount of research I did in order to make the stories authentic, accurate, and filled with a flavor of the era in which I write.
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