Ask the Author: Jonathan Kent
Answered Questions (13)
Jonathan Kent
Hi Yacotu, great question! but really difficult to answer.....
I suppose like most authors, my inspiration comes from real life 'what if' moments. I then take that 'what if' and see where it goes from there.
'Homecoming' was inspired by a visit back to my old childhood home, something that always creeps me out a bit. I wondered 'what if' I was trapped in this house with an entity from another dimension. The story just blossomed from there and inspired me to explore the wider world of 'Shael' which I happened to stumble on.
'Meadowbank' followed on from there - 'what if' this alternate dimension had a gateway into our world and opened onto an idyllic Dorset village. Once I had the scenario, it was just a matter of weaving a story into it.
'The Waiting Room' was a little different. A few years ago, my wife and I had this idea that the afterlife was full of just the same red-tape and stuffiness as the real world. We had a story mapped out that really delved into this world and 'The Waiting Room' is just a short introduction to this. One day, I hope to go back to this world and maybe expand this into a full series - there are definitely lots of 'what if' moments in there!
My main inspiration is telling stories that I want to read myself. Adventure stories that are a blend of fantasy and horror, where real people in real life situations deal with the fantastical.
I hope this answers your question and I hope you enjoy the stories.
Happy reading...!
Jonathan
I suppose like most authors, my inspiration comes from real life 'what if' moments. I then take that 'what if' and see where it goes from there.
'Homecoming' was inspired by a visit back to my old childhood home, something that always creeps me out a bit. I wondered 'what if' I was trapped in this house with an entity from another dimension. The story just blossomed from there and inspired me to explore the wider world of 'Shael' which I happened to stumble on.
'Meadowbank' followed on from there - 'what if' this alternate dimension had a gateway into our world and opened onto an idyllic Dorset village. Once I had the scenario, it was just a matter of weaving a story into it.
'The Waiting Room' was a little different. A few years ago, my wife and I had this idea that the afterlife was full of just the same red-tape and stuffiness as the real world. We had a story mapped out that really delved into this world and 'The Waiting Room' is just a short introduction to this. One day, I hope to go back to this world and maybe expand this into a full series - there are definitely lots of 'what if' moments in there!
My main inspiration is telling stories that I want to read myself. Adventure stories that are a blend of fantasy and horror, where real people in real life situations deal with the fantastical.
I hope this answers your question and I hope you enjoy the stories.
Happy reading...!
Jonathan
Jonathan Kent
Hi there, thanks for the question. At this point it's hard to tell exactly how many books will be in the series. I would say there will be at least four. Book 3 - 'Nightfall' should be out towards the end of this year and the 4th book (as yet untitled) should be out in the summer of 2018.
As things stand, that should wrap of the 'Shael' chronicles, but who knows what twists and turns will come between now an then!!!!
Hope that answers your question and I'm glad you like the stories....
Happy reading
Jonathan
As things stand, that should wrap of the 'Shael' chronicles, but who knows what twists and turns will come between now an then!!!!
Hope that answers your question and I'm glad you like the stories....
Happy reading
Jonathan
Jonathan Kent
Great question! The correct answer should be 'from the deepest recesses of my twisted mind!', but in fact its probably a lot more straightforward than that....
I've always been fascinated by alternate realities, different dimensions and the ability to 'travel' between these worlds. Its no secret, but I am a huge fan of 'The Dark Tower' series by Stephen King, but also from such diverse sources as 'Silent Hill', 'Stargate' and 'I am legend'.
What really interested me was throwing everyday people into fantastical situations. I also liked the idea of the reader discovering these new worlds through the eyes of our main characters.
Believe me, there are plenty more strange worlds to come...
All the best
Jonathan...
I've always been fascinated by alternate realities, different dimensions and the ability to 'travel' between these worlds. Its no secret, but I am a huge fan of 'The Dark Tower' series by Stephen King, but also from such diverse sources as 'Silent Hill', 'Stargate' and 'I am legend'.
What really interested me was throwing everyday people into fantastical situations. I also liked the idea of the reader discovering these new worlds through the eyes of our main characters.
Believe me, there are plenty more strange worlds to come...
All the best
Jonathan...
Jonathan Kent
This answer contains spoilers…
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Jonathan Kent
Ha, ha! No enclosed spaces in my stories! And definitely no people being buried alive. I would say my books are more Fantasy than Horror - plenty of wide open spaces and fantastical lands...
All the best
Jonathan
All the best
Jonathan
Jonathan Kent
Hi Cindi,
That's a very good question and like the best politician I'm going to completely dodge it!!!!
I am just starting out on my writing career and wouldn't want to compare myself to anyone! I like the directness of James Herbert and Shaun Huston (but I am nowhere near as graphic as them!).
I like the ideas of Dean Koontz, Clive Barker and H.P. Lovecraft - but I wouldn't say my writing is quite as 'horror' as those.
My biggest influence is undoubtedly Stephen King and this goes right back to my childhood (I was give Salem's Lot for my 11th birthday!!). I am especially a big fan of his 'Dark Tower' series and the travelling between worlds is a big theme in my first novel 'Homecoming' and it's sequel 'Meadowbank' which I am hoping to have published in the next few weeks.
I hope you get a chance to check out some of my work and maybe let me know how it stacks up against other horror writers you have read.
All the best
Jonathan...
That's a very good question and like the best politician I'm going to completely dodge it!!!!
I am just starting out on my writing career and wouldn't want to compare myself to anyone! I like the directness of James Herbert and Shaun Huston (but I am nowhere near as graphic as them!).
I like the ideas of Dean Koontz, Clive Barker and H.P. Lovecraft - but I wouldn't say my writing is quite as 'horror' as those.
My biggest influence is undoubtedly Stephen King and this goes right back to my childhood (I was give Salem's Lot for my 11th birthday!!). I am especially a big fan of his 'Dark Tower' series and the travelling between worlds is a big theme in my first novel 'Homecoming' and it's sequel 'Meadowbank' which I am hoping to have published in the next few weeks.
I hope you get a chance to check out some of my work and maybe let me know how it stacks up against other horror writers you have read.
All the best
Jonathan...
Jonathan Kent
Hi Mark,
Thanks for checking out the website. Glad you liked it.
It wasn't professionally done, I used www.wordpress.com to design a pretty basic site. They have hundreds of different layouts to choose from and combined with a few photos I had, it took me about three days to put together.
There are plenty of tutorials that help you if you get stuck and I particularly like the 'widget' function and the way you can link your Facebook account. I am still tweaking, but on a day-to-day basis it's really simple to post blogs to keep readers up to date.
It's also entirely free! Which is a real bonus.
All the best.
Jonathan...
Thanks for checking out the website. Glad you liked it.
It wasn't professionally done, I used www.wordpress.com to design a pretty basic site. They have hundreds of different layouts to choose from and combined with a few photos I had, it took me about three days to put together.
There are plenty of tutorials that help you if you get stuck and I particularly like the 'widget' function and the way you can link your Facebook account. I am still tweaking, but on a day-to-day basis it's really simple to post blogs to keep readers up to date.
It's also entirely free! Which is a real bonus.
All the best.
Jonathan...
Jonathan Kent
My head is buzzing with ideas ( sometimes too many) and there are times when I am desperate to get them written. The majority of my ideas come to me late at night when I am falling asleep, which can keep me up as I try to get the ideas into some form of narrative.
Sometimes for the better of the story, good ideas have to be dropped. This is frustrating but it's not always necessary to include EVERYTHING.
At the moment I find it easy to get inspired to write as I am at the early stages of my career. I find the problem can be my writing catching up with my mind. I'm already thinking of books 3 & 4 whilst only two thirds into the second one...
Sometimes for the better of the story, good ideas have to be dropped. This is frustrating but it's not always necessary to include EVERYTHING.
At the moment I find it easy to get inspired to write as I am at the early stages of my career. I find the problem can be my writing catching up with my mind. I'm already thinking of books 3 & 4 whilst only two thirds into the second one...
Jonathan Kent
My most recent novel 'Homecoming' was actually inspired by a real event followed by a 'what if' moment.
My parents regularly go away on cruises for 2-3 weeks (probably twice a year) and they always ask me to pop round their house a few times to make sure the place is alright and to clear the post from their porch. It's always quite eerie going back to the old place and the story kind of blossomed from there.
I have always been fascinated by fantasy fiction and the possibility of travelling between dimensions and I liked the idea of quite a traumatic childhood being affected by this 'other world'
My parents regularly go away on cruises for 2-3 weeks (probably twice a year) and they always ask me to pop round their house a few times to make sure the place is alright and to clear the post from their porch. It's always quite eerie going back to the old place and the story kind of blossomed from there.
I have always been fascinated by fantasy fiction and the possibility of travelling between dimensions and I liked the idea of quite a traumatic childhood being affected by this 'other world'
Jonathan Kent
My first novel 'Homecoming' was originally intended as a stand-alone story. But as I neared the finishing post I realised there were a great deal more stories I wanted to tell about the world I had created called 'Shael'. I am currently working on the second novel in the 'Shael' chronicles called 'Meadowbank'. It's a much longer tale. Told in the same real-time vein as 'Homecoming' and involving a lot more characters. We will also get to learn a little more of the shady organisation that came into play towards the end of the first novel.
Work is going really well and I am hoping to have it out in the spring...
Work is going really well and I am hoping to have it out in the spring...
Jonathan Kent
I still consider myself an aspiring writer!!!! My one piece of advice is to just do it. Get that idea in your head onto paper. There is no better feeling when you type 'The End' at the end of your manuscript. Sure, there is still a lot of work to do, but the simple act of actually getting YOUR story finished is extremely satisfying.
Jonathan Kent
As a fiction writer - especially Fantasy fiction - there really are no boundaries. I love the fact that I can begin a writing session with a blank page and 2-3 hours later have come up with a piece of work that hadn't previously existed. I can have a basic outline in my mind as to where I want to go, but generally the pages I write take a completely different direction.
Jonathan Kent
I have been quite lucky so far and haven't suffered too much from writers block. I have some fantastic cliff walks very near to where I live and two very keen dogs. If I ever get stuck on a plot point I find a brisk sixty minute walk can iron out any story issues. I think it's best just to get your head away from your work for an hour or so and think round the corners.
My problem is procrastination and forcing myself to sit and write. It's amazing how many distractions there are around the home. What I should be doing is writing for a minimum of one hour every day without fail. Too often though I will find myself spending WAY too much time on something I really can put off until tomorrow......
My problem is procrastination and forcing myself to sit and write. It's amazing how many distractions there are around the home. What I should be doing is writing for a minimum of one hour every day without fail. Too often though I will find myself spending WAY too much time on something I really can put off until tomorrow......
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