Ken Preston … Awesome friend, amazing writer, all around great guy. I met Ken on Facebook, like many of my Spotlight Authors. We hit it off from the start. He’s witty, fun to chat with, friendly, kind and like I said, an awesome friend. Ken writes horror (vampire and gore), young adult and romance books. I have yet to read Ken’s YA books, and his romance books, but if they are great like his horror is … I am in for a real treat, and can’t wait to dig into them.
I have read JOE COFFIN SEASONS 1 & 2
In Season 1 we meet Joe as he is getting out of jail. He was there for assaulting a person. While Joe was in jail, sadly his wife and young son were savagely murdered. Joe is out for revenge. As we follow Joe on his path of revenge, we learn with him, things are not as they seem, and in the city, vampires are hiding. We also learn, the Mrs. may or may not be as dead as we thought. Brilliant Read!!
JOE COFFIN Season 1 is only $2.99 for Kindle.
In Season 2 ( possible SPOILERS if you have not read Season 1 yet), we find out what became of Joe’s wife and young son. He find out who killed them, and how Joe gets his revenge. We meet more vampires, more wild characters, shady characters and some who have their own agenda against Joe. More mayhem, more killings, more gore! It’s Joe and the mob against the Vampires. Who will win?!? Joe still has the help of Emma, whom he meets in Season 1.
JOE COFFIN Season 2 is only $2.99 for Kindle
Ken is on Facebook … be sure to follow him there to get updates on his book … https://www.facebook.com/ken.preston.370
Ken is also on twitter … @KenPreston100
Ken’s webpage http://kenpreston.co.uk/ … Ken is giving away a copy of JOE COFFIN Season 1 to one lucky winner .. check out his page and enter to win an amazing book!!
Ken took time out of his busy busy schedule to answer a few questions …..
ENJOY ………..
1. Did you read a lot as a kid?
Absolutely. I was kind of a quiet child, and I loved my books and
comics, too. When I was very young I had trouble learning my words, and I was put at the back of the class, and left to my own devices.
Fortunately my parents got involved, and my father took me to the lo
cal library, borrowed some of his favourite childhood books and started teaching me himself. Once I got into reading, suddenly there was no stopping me!
2. Did you have a favorite childhood book?
Not one particular book, no. I loved The Lord of the Rings, and
The Phantom Tollbooth. Also Kidnapped, Journey to the Centre of the Earth, anything that was exciting or fantastical to be honest.
3. Do you have a favorite author?
I suppose if I had to choose one, it would be Stephen King. That man
is a phenomenon, a huge talent who towers over modern, popular fiction. I have been reading King since I was about thirteen years
old, and The Shining and Salem’s Lot scared the living daylights out of me!
4. Do you have a favorite book?
Yes, and it is To Kill a Mockingbird. That book is so precious to
me I hardly ever read it, for fear of becoming overly familiar with its story. It has been a long time since I last read it, so maybe I will pull my ancient paperback copy off the bookshelf and read it again soon.
5. Did you always want to be an author?
To be honest I never knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. But I was always writing stories, and drawing my own comic books, so I suppose in a way I did. There are some days now when I think I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up!
6. If you weren’t an author, what do you think you would be doing?
Going slowly crazy, probably. My other passion when I was younger was comics, and I wanted to be a comic book artist for quite a long while. This idea kind of got derailed when I started studying art seriously at university, and by that point I had decided I was going to become a starving artist and
produce masterpieces that would find fame and fortune long after my death. I very quickly went off that idea after leaving college and entering the real world!
7. How do you think the Classics influence today’s authors?
Hmm, I don’t know. For myself I read a lot of Robert Louis Stevenson, H G Wells and Jules Verne when I was a child, and that kind of fast paced, action and fantasy element very much seeps into my work now. Often I find themes and subtexts that run through my work, but I write primarily to
entertain. This, for me, means a fast moving plot, great characters and lots of suspenseful action. Oh, and plenty of cliff-hangers too!
8. Main Stream vs. Indie Author. One better than the other?
Absolutely not, no. Everyone has to choose their own path, find ou
t what works best for them. I am traditionally published and self-published, and have found rewards in both avenues. For myself
though, I think I prefer indie-publishing at the moment, because of
the level of control I have over my work.
9. Who are your writing influences?
I absolutely love Stephen King, so by pure osmosis I’m guessing he is one of my writing influences. But when I wrote my very first novel, (forever to remain unseen) I very deliberately copied On the Beach by Nevil Shute. This might sound strange, but I was trying to do what novelist Harry Crews did
when he wrote his first book. Mystified by the writing process, he decided to take his favourite novel, The End of the Affair by Graham Greene, and took it apart, breaking it down into numbers. The book had this many
characters, this many chapters and scenes, so many scenes in hotel rooms, so many lines of dialogue, etc. And then he wrote his own novel, but to the exact same template that he had drawn up from The End of the Affair.
I did that with On the Beach, and for me the same as Crews, it was a learning journey. THIS is how you write a novel. Of course, that isn’t how you write a novel, not really. But it was a useful lesson. Lawrence Block has also been an influence on my writing.
10. What is your favorite part of being an author?
Being able to go to work every morning in my dressing gown.
11. How many books do you have available?
Hang on. *Counts fingers* Two books in the Joe Coffin series (and a third one on the way), a collection of short stories, one YA pirate adventure, and four romance books. Yes, I write romance, don’t judge me.
12. You write in many genres. Do you like one genre over
another?
I like anything that’s fast paced, and with plenty of depth of characterisation. So no, not really. I read all sorts of books, and I suppose that’s why I write all sorts too.
13. With JOE COFFIN, you titled the books as Seasons, and Episodes. Why?
Just before I started work on Joe Coffin I had been binge watching Breaking Bad and Dexter. I loved the idea of trying write a series of novels in the same way. Something that you would want to binge read!
14. Corpse’s speech pattern is different. Kind of remin
ds me of JAR JAR BINKS from the Star Wars movies. I kept looking at Stump for a translation. How did you come up with his own style of talking?
I write Corpse’s sentences out in straightforward English first. No matter how nonsensical his speech patterns, he is actually saying something, and I don’t want to lose that. Also, I want the reader to be able to understand what he is saying, even if it takes a couple of read throughs. Or maybe when
Stump translates, as she sometimes does, the reader can look back at what he said, and go Oh yes, I see it now. So, for example, when Corpse is telling Tom Mills to calm down, and not be stressed, he says he should look after his heart, but he calls it a tickerthumper.
15. What does a typical day of writing look like?
I get up early before the rest of the family and write. Then it’s time to get the kids up and ready for school. After that it’s back to the writing, all of it fuelled by coffee of course.
16. How much of “you” is in the character Joe Coffin?
Me and Joe Coffin?
None at all! Joe gets things done. Me, I’m a dreadful procrastinator!
17. When you write, do you like music or silence in the background?
Generally silence, but sometimes music. I never play anything new when I am writing because I like to listen to the lyrics. So it has to be something that I am very familiar with, and then it becomes background noise.
18. Do you have a favorite swear word?
Yes. But I don’t swear in front of ladies.
19. What are you currently reading?
The Highway, by CJ Box. A friend of mine says it is a very good thriller, and so far he isn’t wrong. After that it might be some non-fiction for a while, research for Joe Coffin.
20. What are you currently writing?
Joe Coffin Season Three!
21. Any new releases soon?
A YA adventure featuring three teenagers battling time-travelling dinosaurs. Yes, really. It’s called Planet of the Dinosaurs and will hopefully be out before the end of the year. After that it is another YA, a supernatural Victorian thriller, The Sigil of Semjasa. That one has definitely got crossover potential into the adult audience. In fact, when it was previously published, one reviewer described it as Indiana Jones plays Sherlock Holmes, while chasing Jack the Ripper through Oliver Twist’s London, with just a bit of horror thrown in for good measure. Oh and there is also another romance book, Lethal Injection, about a woman trying to prove her
brother’s innocence only days before his date with Death Row. And then of course, Joe Coffin Season Three.
22. What is your favorite thing to do in your free time?
What free time? Well, there’s family, and I love to read. I also love running on the trails near my house, but I don’t get much opportunity for that at the moment.
23. Any hints on what the future holds for Joe Coffin (Season 3)?
As soon as Joe tells me, I’ll let you know. 😉
24. If you don’t mind sharing, A favorite family memory?
Well, there was that time my father chased my mother around the house with an axe. She had just tried to murder him, mind. Okay, that’s not true.
Hmm, a favourite family memory . . .Nope. Let’s move on, shall we?
25. Name 1 thing we would be surprised to know about you.
I once had a job that involved singing and acting on the streets in a city centre. Last summer, while on holiday, on impulse I took all my clothes off and ran naked along the beach.
There you go, that’s two.
26. Any advice for future writers?
Crime writer Lawrence Block was once asked, How do you write a novel? His answer was, One word at a time. Best advice ever.
Thank you for having me on your blog, Tina! I enjoyed answering your questions.
Pleasure was all mine Ken. Thank You for taking time out of your busy day to talk with me. I’m so honored to know you, to call you FRIEND. You sharing your words with me, brings me such joy (and heart racing fun). I look forward to reading your books, your posts and seeing your pictures on facebook / twitter … you are truly a treasure. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You rock!!
~TMB~
Tina's Bookcase 
I’ve read Joe Coffin Season One and am currently reading Season Two. I really enjoy them .I don’t know why but when reading them I keep picturing Joe as Coffey from Stephen Kings “The Green Mile” just in build not colour or personality but in stature. Thanks for posting this Tina, I really enjoy reading about the author as well reading their books.
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I’m so glad you are enjoying the books Joan. Ken is a brilliant writer and his books are gory and spectacular.
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