Author Interview: Brian McKinley

Welcome Brian McKinley to Author Fever. 

He is on the first leg of his Ancient Blood Blog tour.

What do you do when you aren’t writing?

I read a lot; I also watch Game of Thrones, Dexter, Boardwalk Empire, Walking Dead, Being Human, and True Blood. I spend way too much time on Facebook!

If you had to choose an all-time favorite book, what would it be?

Red Dragon by Thomas Harris.

What inspired you to start writing?

I’ve been writing ever since I was old enough to put words together. I think I’ve always had a desire to tell stories for others to enjoy. I used to write little stories to show my grandparents, then later I would show friends and join school newspapers to publish my stories there. I’ve never really had a doubt about what I wanted to do.

What is your favorite genre to write?

My favorite genre now is paranormal, but I stared off writing sci-fi, so there’s always that lurking in the back of my head.

Do you have a set writing schedule, or do you do it when the fancy strikes.

Unfortunately, I don’t write as often as I should. I try to set a schedule, but then I’ll miss a day or two and shoot the whole thing down. Sometimes, I can force myself to work and actually get stuff done, but mostly I’d say it’s when the fancy strikes.

Do you outline or write as you go (describe your writing process)?

Yes, I’m a compulsive outliner. I feel that I’m better with characters, description, and dialogue than with plot, so I will outline a project as thoroughly as possible in order to satisfy myself that the plot and pacing are as strong as I can make them. If I try to pants it, I just sit and stare at the screen because I’m too scared to write anything. I need a roadmap before I feel ready to start. Once I begin, however, I have no problem deviating from the outline because I always know where I’m trying to get back to.

What inspires you?

I’d say that all kinds of things inspire me, but the main things are history and other people’s stories. Reading other authors’ work and watching TV and movies makes me want to create my own stories. I sometimes imagine paths that a show or movie didn’t take and sometimes that will inspire me to create a similar situation in my own work. As for history, I love learning about how events happened and odd little trivia, so sometimes a character (or a scene) will generate because I want to use something I learned about a specific time period (vampires are great vehicles for bringing history to life).

Are the people in your life supportive of your writing?

Some are, but mostly the writers I meet and exchange critiques with. Sadly, my family aren’t big readers, so while they wish me luck, they don’t really get how important writing is to me.

Is music a part of your writing process?

Yes! I always try to listen to music while I write if I can and often have different playlists for different stories or characters.

Share with us a dream cast of your novel.

Well, I have this posted up on my website complete with pictures. www.brianpatrickmckinley.webs.com

Tell us about your current work in progress.

I just finished a novel set in the same universe as ANCIENT BLOOD about a gangster in the 1930s who becomes a vampire and sets out to take over New York. It’s quite a ride! My next project, that I’m outlining now, is about a pack of Native American werewolves who hunt the vampires of The Order.

Where can our readers find more about you? [Add bios, links, anything else you’d like to.]

I’m on Facebook at brianmckinley13 and my official website is www.brianpatrickmckinley.webs.com.

Extras:

If you could have one super power, what would it be and why?

Mind control like Professor X. That would be the ultimate ability because there’s almost nothing you couldn’t get done if you can literally change people’s minds. Fix the government, become rich, solve world hunger, and open people’s minds socially—it’s all possible!

Is the glass half-empty or half-full?

Technically, the glass is always half-full because the other half is air.

If money were no option, where would you live?

Not sure. I’d probably have multiple houses in different places.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

A writer or a movie star.

What is your all-time favorite movie?

That’s hard to say because I love movies, different movies for different reasons. I’ll give a few categorical answers. Vampire movie: Interview with the Vampire, thriller: Silence of the Lambs, comedy: Young Frankenstein, superhero/comic book: The Dark Knight, drama: Goodfellas, fantasy: The Princess Bride.

If you could have a dinner party with five people [living or dead], who would you choose and why?

Stephen King, Joss Whedon, Christopher Walken, Sir Anthony Hopkins, and Brent Spiner. Just because they’re all heroes of mine and people I would love to meet.

Where YOU can find Brian:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BUVI3SE
BnN: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ancient-blood-brian-patrick-mckinley/1113006782?ean=2940016357225
Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Ancient-Blood-A-Novel-Hegemony/book-bSrZaqF1MkOXQnkAj-b7yw/page1.html?s=3zsQ0_a2LkittpWz9CYsCA&r=1

Brians pages: brianpatrickmckinley.webs.com
https://www.facebook.com/brian.mckinley.13
MHP Pages: http://www.midnighthourpublishing.org/https://www.facebook.com/MidnightHourPublishing