RUSS KANE
- GUEST AUTHOR
& BROADCASTER -
G'day folks,
Today, I interview an interesting character from the UK who has had a very interesting career.
Welcome, Russ ...
1.
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT
YOURSELF AND YOUR WRITING JOURNEY.
My name’s Russ Kane & I live in London UK. I have four
kids and a dog. The dog is the centre of the universe. As Pete Townshend said,
the kids are alright.
2.
WHEN AND HOW DID YOU
BECOME A WRITER?
It’s all I ever wanted to do. My late father was a timber
importer supplying the TV and film studios. As a little kid I’d go with him and
wander over Kubrick’s ‘2001’ set or a James Bond set. I was asked if I’d like a
souvenir and I replied yes, a script. I got it and devoured it.
3.
WHAT TYPE OF PREPARATION DO YOU DO FOR A
MANUSCRIPT? DO YOU PLAN EVERYTHING FIRST OR JUST SHOOT FROM THE HIP?
I map it out in my head bit by bit. So, when I start I know
the beginning and the overall arc of the story, but I’m not clear about the
ending. If I see something that I think might be useful I make a note in my notebook.
But I don’t write a skeleton framework.
4.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST
ABOUT BEING A WRITER?
Watching the
words magically appear on the screen in front of me and thinking, where the
hell did that come from?
5.
WHAT IS THE HARDEST
THING ABOUT BEING A WRITER?
Every damn
thing! At the back of your mind you’re thinking “This is me. This is my
showcase to the world. I hope they like it”. Some days it flows and is a
pleasure and some days it feels like swimming through molasses.
6.
WHAT WERE YOU IN A
PAST LIFE, BEFORE YOU BECAME A WRITER?
I trained
as a lawyer, I became a speechwriter, then an advertising copywriter in New
York and London, then a scriptwriter.
7.
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST
WRITING ACHIEVEMENT?
Opening the package that contained the very first copy of
The Gatekeeper and freaking out. It was a fabulous moment.
8.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING
ON AT THE MOMENT?
Book two of
The Gatekeeper series. It’s called ‘Invasion’. It’s mapped out pretty much in
my mind. So all I need to do is, er… you know…. write it.
9.
WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
Everything
and anything. I have a voracious curiosity for life & people.
10.
WHAT GENRE DO YOU
WRITE?
That’s an interesting question. I’m really a comedy writer
but the publishers wanted the story much, much darker, so now I’m in the
horror, supernatural, thriller very dark humour area.
11.
DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS
FOR NEW WRITERS?
Yes. Marry someone wealthy. Failing that, make sure you
really love the genre that you are writing in. It’s a massive amount of work,
so you have to love your characters as you will be living with them for at
least 12 months.
12.
DO YOU SUFFER FROM
WRITER’S BLOCK?
No. Never. My career as an advertising copywriter & a
corporate scriptwriter meant I was always writing to a strict contractual
timetable. No time therefore for writer’s block. Ever!
13.
DO YOU HAVE A
PREFERRED WRITING SCHEDULE?
No. Not at
all. But I’ve always been a night owl so often write until 3 or 4 in the
morning.
14.
DO YOU HAVE A
FAVOURITE WRITING PLACE?
Indeed I
do. My kitchen table. Seriously.
15.
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST
JOY IN WRITING?
It’s who I
am. It’s what I do. I adore it. I am never happier than when I’m at the
keyboard. I have always been passionate about writing even when I was at
school.
16.
WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE
AUTHOR AND WHY?
Easy
question! Anthony Horowitz. Why? Because he’s a brilliant writer who grabs you
from page one and doesn’t let go until the last page. He’s also a very nice
guy.
17.
WHAT’S THE GREATEST
COMPLIMENT YOU EVER RECEIVED FROM A READER?
All the reviews so far
have been Five Star, so I feel very blessed. The fact that people often say ‘I
had to read it in two days’ or ‘I was gripped’ is tremendous to receive.
18.
WHAT WAS THE WORST
COMMENT FROM A READER?
An American
reviewer went on and on and on about a couple of typos.
19.
WRITERS ARE SOMETIMES
INFLUENCED BY THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN THEIR OWN LIVES. ARE YOU?
Yes. The initial germ of the idea of The Gatekeeper was
sparked by the death of my young wife. It grew from that.
20.
OTHER THAN WRITING,
WHAT ELSE DO YOU LOVE?
My dog.
Havana cigars (my only vice). Red wine. London. The River Thames. Cheese and
pickle sandwiches. Endless double espressos. The Theatre. Cabaret shows in
London. Impressionists (comedians, not the painters!) and classic cars from the
1950’s to the early 1970’s. Broadcasting on the radio. Performing my one-man
stans up show ‘Kaned Laughter’ in London and LA.
21.
DID YOU HAVE YOUR BOOK
/ BOOKS PROFESSIONALLY EDITED BEFORE PUBLICATION?
Not really. My literary agent read it about a thousand
times and was very hard core with me. I will employ a professional editor on
book two. I think it’s essential.
22.
DESCRIBE YOUR PERFECT
DAY.
Wake up. That’s always a good start. Espresso. Walk the dog
along the River Thames. Espresso. Write. Boadcast on the radio.Visit the Soho
Whisky Club, have a couple of drams of Single Malt and a Havana cigar. Go and
see a great cabaret at The Crazy Coqs in Town.
23.
IF YOU WERE STUCK ON A
DESERT ISLAND WITH ONE PERSON, WHO WOULD IT BE? WHY?
My idea of Hell. But if I have to be there I think maybe
Stephen Fry as he is such an interesting fellow. If Stephen’s busy, then Bruce
Springsteen so we could become best buds!
24.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IF
YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO SPEAK TO WORLD LEADERS?
“Get a f*****g grip you morons!”
25.
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS
FOR THE FUTURE?
If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.
26.
WHAT ARE YOUR VIEWS ON BOOK TRAILERS? DO THEY
SELL BOOKS?
I have no idea what this means.
27.
DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN
ANY OF YOUR CHARACTERS?
People very close to me can identify bits of my character
traits in some of the protagonists.
28.
DOES THE PUBLISHING
INDUSTRY FRUSTRATE YOU?
Yes. It sucks. Like the music industry it is always behind
the curve playing catch-up. I don’t think it’s populated by the nicest people
on the planet.
29.
DID YOU EVER THINK OF
QUITTING?
No
30.
WHAT WAS YOUR
FAVOURITE MANUSCRIPT TO WRITE? WHY?
The Gatekeeper. It was such an exciting adventure and a
thrill-ride to be on.
31.
HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE ‘SUCCESS’ AS A
WRITER.
What is success?
Finishing a book? Getting a book published? Having it turned into a TV series
or film? Being adored by the media? Success is a ridiculous word and completely
subjective. Having people enjoy your work is success.
32.
WHAT SHOULD READERS WALK AWAY FROM YOUR BOOKS KNOWING? HOW SHOULD THEY
FEEL?
Well, it’s
not an instruction manual. It’s up to the individual reader. It’s not for me to
dictate or prescribe how or what they feel.
33.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE YOUR BOOKS MADE INTO MOVIES? EVER WRITTEN A
SCREENPLAY?
I would LOVE The
Gatekeeper to be a six part Netflix / Amazon series or a movie. No, I’ve never
written a full-length movie screenplay. Nor do I want to.
34.
HOW MUCH THOUGHT GOES INTO DESIGNING A BOOK COVER?
You know the saying
‘Never judge a book by its cover’. That’s crap. Everyone judges a book
precisely like that! I had a variety of ideas for the cover, we worked them up
and I’m thrilled with the end result. A good cover is essential.
35.
WHAT’S YOUR ULTIMATE DREAM?
The one I can talk
about? Oh, OK. To have a top ten bestseller on The Sunday Times & New York
Times list and to have The Gatekeeper made into a TV series.
36.
WRITING IS ONE THING. WHAT ABOUT
MARKETING YOU, YOUR BOOKS AND YOUR BRAND? ANY THOUGHTS?
It’s 100% essential.
This is no area for shy wallflowers. You have to market the f*** out of the
book. Every day. Endlessly. Social media is vital. I created a full PR plan
& worked week after week pushing, pushing, pushing. It never ends.
37.
ARE YOUR BOOKS SELF-PUBLISHED?
So far.
38.
DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN FIVE WORDS.
Insomniac. Driven.
Creative. Gregarious. Passionate
39.
WHAT PISSES YOU OFF MOST?
Rudeness & bad
manners. Reality TV. Fake people. Liars. Fast food. WOKE snowflakes. People
being offended by every damn thing on the planet. Deafening music in stores. Politicians.
40.
WHAT IS THE TITLE OF THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? GOOD ONE?
The Adventures of
Sherlock Holmes. I’m obsessed with Holmes and Watson. Conan-Doyle was a genius.
41.
WHAT WOULD BE THE VERY LAST
SENTENCE YOU’D WRITE?
Hey, careful, that gun
might be loaded…
42.
WHAT WOULD MAKE YOU HAPPIER THAN
YOU ARE NOW? CARE TO SHARE?
Peace of mind. But that
ain’t ever gonna happen.
43.
ANYTHING YOU’D
LIKE TO ADD?
Hmm. If you find
something you love as a career then you’ll never work another day in your life.
In these horribly dark times, art is more essential than ever. Finally, never,
ever give up.
Clancy's comment: Go, Russ! Well done. Keep on keeping on.
I'm ...
Nice cover!
ReplyDeleteWell said, Tamian, but you'd know.
DeleteCT