An Interview with Kyle Fox: Author of Grimdark

Kyle Fox is an American-born author, currently living in Southeast Asia. He has written several stories, under numerous genres, including Grimdark and its soon-to-be-released sequel Of Prophets and Pinioned Angels.

He publicly asked Stephen King to adopt him. Yet so far, sadly and surprisingly, has not received any birthday cards or baseball mitts from Bangor, Maine… What a jerk.

Why did you want to write a book?

A passion for Swords & Sorcery but also things of a more occult or hermetic nature. I have a reasonable ability to read esoteric texts. I’ve been learning for a few years now, and they’ve always fascinated me. It’s something I want to gradually introduce as the series progresses. But hopefully, I can bring a bit of alchemy to light in the stories, alongside an exciting and thought-provoking adventure.

Would you self-publish again?

Definitely!

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

Get an editor. Save your soul.

What was your steepest learning curve during the publishing process?

Taming the schizophrenic deluge of my ideas into a marketable product. I’m still working on that, I think. My editor might say it was my ponderously prolific use of commas.

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

Seven days a week for now, but I’m hoping to pull that back to six.

How do you deal with writer’s block?

Luckily, I haven’t had to deal with that too much. Insomnia has always been my main issue. But I think, in general, if you get stuck, research and exploration is the best option. The better you know what you’re dealing with, the more naturally it’ll come.

Who are your biggest writing inspirations and why?

I’ve always been a fan of the Weird Tales group (Lovecraft, Howard, Smith). To me, they were the grunge era of literature. Died too soon, too much suicide – but were all very progressive and inspired with a deep respect for the oldies. And also Kafka, Nabokov, Dickens, Dostoevsky, Orwell, Lewis Carroll.

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

My father reads a lot of my work and offers much-appreciated feedback, but haven’t talked to my mother in many, many years. My girlfriend Thuy has been very supportive in myriads of ways, and her sister even bought one of the first copies of my book (thank you, Van!). But so far as friends, I’m not particularly social, so I assume you mean the imaginary ones. They’re a bunch of &#*@ critics!

What are your plans now your book is published?

Tales of Exile is planned to be 12 tales in total, with three more on the horizon. But I have other fantasy works ahead, then some more metaphysical literary ones too.

Why did you write about this particular subject?

There were a few that interested me. But fantasy was one with a particularly popular market, so I decided to start there. Plus, the other ideas were more experimental and risky.