Kenny Styles
Meet The Authors
Meet some of the amazing authors I've had the privilege of collaborating with. In this interview series, I delve into their writing processes, influences, inspirations, techniques of worldbuilding, and the advice they have for aspiring writers.
Kenny Gould
'The more you can do to help a world come to life, the better the story will be!'
Kenny Gould is a writer and entrepreneur from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He holds a degree from Duke University, an MFA from Chatham University, and an MBA from NYU Stern.
Prior to writing fiction, Kenny covered food and beverage for Forbes, Men’s Health, Bon Appetit, and more. He’s also the founder of Hop Culture, an online magazine featuring stories from the craft beer industry.
To date, Kenny has written several fantasy fiction books, three of which have covers designed by Tom Edwards. If you want to see the works Kenny and Tom have done together, check out The Castle of 1,000 Doors, the first book in Kenny’s Toroth-Gol series. Kenny also recently published The Potionmaster, the first book in a new fantasy fiction series. You can keep in touch with Kenny on Instagram at @hopcultureken or join his email newsletter list here.
The Interview
Why did you choose Tom Edwards Design to create your cover?
Before I decided to start publishing my fiction, I spent a decade writing manuscripts and quietly burying them beneath the lint and unsharpened pencils in the bottom drawer of my desk.
At some point, I realized that was silly. Why write if I wouldn’t let anyone see my work? I’m a creative at heart, so I decided to go the self-publishing route, though I’m also a professional, and I wanted my books feel as much like a “real” book as possible.
This desire led me to Tom. From the very first work I saw in his portfolio, I knew he’d be able to convey the humor, action, and excitement of my series through the cover. And isn’t that the point of a cover? To set effective reader expectations?
Tom was my first choice for an artist and I’m so enamored with the work we’ve done together. I couldn’t recommend working with him more highly!
What was the best part of working with Tom to design your cover?
Prior to my career as a fiction writer, I started a digital magazine called Hop Culture, which threw beer festivals around the United States and had its own line of glassware and apparel. In that role, I worked with many awesome artists including Killer Acid, Sam Taylor, Yeye Weller, Pseudodudo, and Lauren Martin, to name a few.
Just like those artists, Tom is a professional. It doesn’t matter that he’s designing book covers while they designed festival posters or beer glasses—the best artists I’ve worked with were able to take my vision, combine it with their own, and create something greater than the sum of its parts.
You’ve had a really interesting pathway to writing fantasy fiction! How do you find yourself writing in this genre? And how do you navigate writing books in various distinct genres?
When I was seventeen, I went to a boarding school outside Boston, Massachusetts. It was an old school that dates back to 1778 and I’m pretty sure the insulation in my dorm hadn’t been updated since it was founded. At night, I liked to read in bed, but when I was done I’d have to get up, run across the frigid room, and turn out the lights.
I decided to solve this problem by buying a lamp. Only, when I went to the store, the only thing in stock was functionally a battery pack with a lightbulb. Still, it served my purposes. I brought it back to my room, stuck it to the ceiling with double-sided tape, and read from beneath the warm coziness of my comforter.
At around two in the morning, the tape failed and the whole thing dropped ten feet, where it shattered over my head. I don’t know if you’ve ever been woken up by two pounds of glass, plastic, and batteries smacking you in the face at 9.8 meters per second, but it’s quite unpleasant. After I got everything cleaned up, I couldn’t fall back asleep. I tossed and turned for about an hour, and just when I was about to fall asleep, I heard a voice: “We left for a reason.”
I’m a pretty grounded individual and I don’t believe in ghosts, spirits, or anything similar. Honestly, I think I was just tired and a little loopy from the blow to the head. But that night, I swear I heard a voice. I started to think: Who left? For what reason?
In the morning, I opened a new Word document on my computer and wrote, “We left for a reason.” And then I kept writing, trying to answer those other questions.
Sixty thousand words later, I had my first manuscript. I’ve always loved reading and I suppose it was only natural I’d make the transition to becoming a writer. For me, writing fiction and writing non-fiction are expressions of the same skill. I don’t see them as mutually exclusive. In my opinion, the goal of any story is to use the reader’s time in a way that he or she is happy they spent it with you and not one of another billion competitors for their attention. This applies to fiction and non-fiction just the same.
What role, if any, do maps play in your world-building process?
During my first year in college, I commissioned a French cartographer to design three maps: one of a world, one of a continent, and one of a city. Those are the places I write to this day!
In my opinion, anything that helps ground you better in a fantasy world is a service to the story, whether it’s models, character sketches, maps, etc. The more you can do to help a world come to life, the better the story will be!
Can you describe your typical writing routine?
I write best in the morning. I usually get up around 5:45 AM or 6:00 AM, walk the dog, tell my cats they’re very special, make coffee, and then I write until 9:00 AM, when I get ready for my day job as the VP of Sales at a tech company.
I have to write in the morning and I need coffee, or nothing works. I don’t think I’m unusual in that way.
What books, authors, or life experiences have had a significant impact on your writing style and the themes you explore in your work?
Some of my favorite authors include Stephen King, Brandon Sanderson, Annie Dillard, MFK Fisher, and Michael Chabon. I love the dark, dry humor of British fantasy authors like Roald Dahl, Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, and Mark Lawrence.
Is there anything you would’ve done differently when starting out?
There’s a great book by Austin Kleon called Show Your Work, which is all about exposing your process to the outside world—and following through on your projects to make sure those get seen, as well.
When I first started writing, I didn’t show my work. I wrote thousands of pages and put them in a drawer. I never let them see the light of day.
If I could’ve done anything differently, I would’ve let people read those stories. Maybe they were terrible, but the only way to grow is to get feedback. Think about this—by hiding my stories, I missed out on years of growth. Where would I be now if I’d had the courage to get feedback from the beginning? So now I’m making up for lost time!
Can you provide any insights into your upcoming projects?
On the book side, I’m slowly but surely working on the the fourth book in the Toroth-Gol series, and I have a few other projects coming out this year, including a cozy fantasy. The best way to stay up-to-date on those projects is to follow my personal Instagram at @hopcultureken or join my email newsletter list here.
Important Notice
All images copyright Tom Edwards, please see my Copyright Notice for more details.
No AI is used in my creation process 