An Interview with James McKenna: Author of October’s Journey, Winner of the 2023 SPR Book Awards

James McKenna is retired, living in southern Minnesota, and feels it is important for a person to keep active. That being said, he is an author whose style of writing is keenly reminiscent of that style made popular in the 19th century.

Tell us about your book.

My book is a tale about a young 19th century attorney who receives a strange birthday present from a family friend, Edgar Allan Poe, who convinces him to defend a woman and her two grown children who have been arrested for practicing witchcraft. The trial is to be held in an old Puritan town that has somehow fallen out of time, and the verdict of the case will determine the fate of many more than just the three souls on trial. Navigating as a stranger in an even stranger land, he must piece together the truth of the most bizarre case of his career.

Why did you want to write a book?

I was looking for something creative to do to help me pass the time. Since I’ve always had a love for words, my wife suggested that I write a book, so I did. I wrote An October’s Journey: Poe’s Final Gift without an outline. I had an idea about how I would start the book and I let the rest of book evolve as I wrote. The notes that I made were really nothing more than a list of the character’s names, which I had to keep straight. With six drafts, the book took me a tad over four months to write, but I didn’t write it expecting to ever have it published. Again, it was something to help me pass the time. That said, after my wife read it, she told me that it definitely should be published.

Why did you choose to self-publish?

As a new author, I thought it best to self-publish rather than send it out to a publishing house.

What tools or companies did you use, and what experience did you have?

In terms of tools, all I needed was Microsoft Word for writing the manuscript and Adobe Photoshop for creating my own book cover.

Would you self-publish again?

Yes, I would self-publish, but I wouldn’t be opposed to sending my next book to an interested agent or publishing house, if they contacted me.

What do you think are the main pitfalls for indie writers?

I self-edited, but it would be a good idea to have someone to edit your book. Also, you need someone to proofread the book. That was something that my wife excelled at. I would advise that they do not publish until the grammatical mistakes have been corrected. That’s a common pitfall for indie writers. Also, have some sort of marketing plan in mind.

What tips can you give other authors looking to self-publish?

They should bear in mind that’s it’s not just what you write, but how you write it that’s important! So they should pay attention to their writing style and keep it consistent throughout their work.

Also, every time you read what you’ve written ALWAYS read it from a reader’s perspective. Each time I re-read my work, I read it from the reader’s point of view and not my own. It was as if I were reading it for the very first time.

What was your steepest learning curve during the publishing process?

Self-publishing my book was done through Amazon. This required that everything was made as perfect as one could make it in order to meet their criteria. The uploading of the manuscript and the book covers were processes that had to be learned in order to make it all work. That, happily, was most excellently done by my wife.

As a writer, what is your schedule? How do you get the job done?

The book was so much fun to write that my schedule was this: I sat in my chair in my living room writing, while my wife was going about doing her things. I had the TV with the sound off and I typed away on my computer. I wrote 8 to 10 hours a day without a problem. As I said, it was fun to write and it didn’t feel like work to me, so the time passed quickly.

How do you deal with writer’s block?

I never suffered from writer’s block. The storyline of the book flowed without a hitch.

Tell us about the genre you wrote in, and why you chose to write this sort of book.

I’m an admirer of 19th-century literature and so I felt rather comfortable writing in that style. I wanted to reintroduce that style here in the 21st century. It’s a manner of writing where there is a fluid, natural flow and cadence to the sentences that would carry the reader gracefully forward through a novel. I termed it…poetic prose.

To be clear, all I did was to sit down in front of my computer and tell a story. The genre developed as I was writing. When I was finished…it was a literary fantasy.

Who are your biggest writing inspirations and why?

My greatest inspiration was the act of writing itself. It was a smooth and enjoyable experience. There was no pressure, no struggle…nothing of a bother. It was very much akin to a waking meditation.

How do your friends and family get involved with your writing? What do they think of your book?

My family and friends didn’t get involved in my writing. The only person, in any manner, involved with my writing was my wife. Oh, then there’s this: I’m my mother-in-law’s favorite author!

What are your plans now your book is published?

To see what I can do to bring my book to the public’s attention. Hopefully, I want to develop a readership – those who enjoy literary fiction.

Why did you write about this particular subject?

Not writing from an outline, I sat in front of my computer looking at the blank page in front of me, and the storyline and characters developed naturally as I wrote. There was no force driving my writing that led me to any particular genre. It just happened.

What did you learn on your journey as an author?

As I mentioned earlier, I learned that it was not just what you write, but how you write is important. Not being driven by a desire to become rich and famous, I wrote the novel just for the joy of writing. That said, I wanted to give anyone who happened to come across it, something special; something rather unique in terms of, not only a wonderfully unique storyline, but a “new modern” writing style as well.

What’s next for you as an author?

Now that I’ve become a writer, I recently started my next novel, which is about the world’s most unusual detective. It’s the first in a series of novels involving that character and will be written in my 19th-century style.