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Coming Soon
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Paranormalcy: Coming Soon
Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty: Yummy
Dreams in My Dreambook: Dreaming
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 Authors
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Interviews
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Gregory Kemp
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 The author The Legend Of Vinny Whiskers. I've really enjoyed talking to Greg and reading his amazing first novel.
Noel: Did you enjoy writing before you wrote The Legend of Vinny Whiskers?
If so, what is your past experience?
Greg: Before writing The Legend of Vinny Whiskers I was an engineer diver.
I traveled all over the world conducting underwater inspections of bridges
and piers. I wrote a lot of technical reports during this time. It wasn't
creative writing, but I enjoyed it. Part of the challenge was describing
underwater conditions to people who had never been underwater. I learned a
lot about efficiency of writing during this time.
Noel: Where did you get the inspiration or idea for The Legend of Vinny
Whiskers?
Greg: It's hard to say. I think it started with my tendency to give
animals, like our dog, a voice. It's not what you'd expect. Our nervous
little Italian greyhound talks tough. She's also interested in science and a
fan of William Shatner. My wife thinks it's pretty funny. I've given
voices and personalities to the squirrels in the yard, dogs on the street,
and animals in the zoo. When I decided to write a novel, an animal story
seemed natural. I just needed the right animal. I've always found prairie
dogs to be one of the most entertaining zoo animals. They are active. They
are social. Also, I felt the prairie dog deserved some attention. The
prairie dog has been an unrealized hero in animal stories.
Noel: How long did it take you to write?
Greg: From the basic idea to print: nearly five years. I spent a year on
my first draft, Monday through Friday, writing for about two hours in the
morning. My first draft was a monster-of-a-book and I knew I needed to
shorten it. So I started to revise. I went to several writing workshops.
I made four major revisions before finally submitting The Legend of Vinny
Whiskers to WEbook for publication. Once WEbook accepted the book, it took
a year to see it in print.
Noel: What is your favorite book of all time?
Greg: Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett. So many great characters. So
many captivating storylines. I don't know how he did it.
Noel: I absolutely loved this book. I think Punky is my favorite
character. Did anyone in your life inspire your characters?
Greg: I love the start of this question. It's okay with me if you start
all questions by saying you loved the book! Honestly, thanks for saying so.
Punky is one of my favorite characters also. There is a lot of my wife in
Punky, and every character in the book was influenced in some way by people
I've met or known.
Noel: Are you currently writing anything new?
Greg: I live in Vienna, Austria and I'm blogging about my experience in
Europe at gregorykemp.com. Lately, I've been writing about my travel
adventures and playing soccer for a local Austrian club. I also started my
next novel, a character driven sci-fi book for young adults. I'm having a
lot of fun with it.
Noel: I'm so excited for that! I know that it takes a lot of time and energy to write a book, not to mention finding the right publisher, making revisions, and the stress
of getting it out there. What is one, or a few, thing(s) that kept you
going through everything?
Greg: I believed in the story. I had the support of friends and family. I
also got acquainted with coffee, which really helped.
Noel: Random time! What is your favorite snack food?
Greg: Nabisco Reduced Fat Nilla Wafers. I know what you're thinking.
Reduced fat? Sure the regular Nillas are buttery good, but for me it's
about the texture and the Reduced Fat Nillas have real crunch.
Noel: How do you feel now that Vinny is out in the wild world and in the
hands of strangers?
Greg: It's thrilling. I've met a lot of wonderful people and I'm
reestablishing connections with old friends. It can't get any better.
Noel: If there is one thing you could say to your readers, what would it be?
Greg: I would love to hear from you. Contact me a gregorykemp.com or email
me at gvkemp@hotmail.com. I'd especially like to hear from kids who read
Vinny. And if you liked the book, please spread the word.
Noel: Any advice for the young and aspiring writers out there?
Greg: Don't overwrite. It doesn't have to be flowery, or poetic. Just
write a good, simple story and at the end of each page, ask yourself this:
why does the reader want to turn the page? To see if Billy wins the science
fair? To find out if Sheriff Shewter catches the bank robber? Something
must propel the reader forward.
Noel: Thank you so much for allowing me to review your book! It's been a
pleasure.
Greg: The pleasure's mine! YABookscentral.com is a wonderful site and I
appreciate you hosting me on my Virtual Book Tour. Thank you, Noel.
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