Author Keven Newsome is the second author in my series of rising authors. He has recently published his third book: “Winter” that has received numerous acclaim by critics. (Photo by Keven Newsome.)
By: Jacob Elyachar
My series on Rising Authors continues as I sat down with New Orleans-based author Keven Newsome. In addition to his responsibilities as a graduate student at the New Orleans Baptists Theological Seminary, he founded and is the administrator for the New Authors’ Fellowship and creates multimedia pieces for Newsome Creative. Recently, he has published his first book: Winter. The novel has already won April’s Clash of the Titles and is a finalist for the Grace Awards. During our correspondence, we talked about his decision to become an author, Winter and what advice he would give to aspiring writers.
Jacob Elyachar: When did you decide that you wanted to become an author?
Keven Newsome: I first started writing in the fifth grade and I knew I enjoyed it by junior high. But I didn’t really know I wanted to write a book until high school. I tried but my attention span would not suffer it. It wasn’t until after college that I finally finished my first, very bad, novel. I’m currently rewriting that novel for Digital Dragon Magazine. I promise, it’s a lot better now.
JE: What is your fixation with the supernatural world?
KN: It’s not just my fixation, but it is society’s fixation. Everywhere you look there is some sort of supernatural television show, documentary, novel, or movie coming out. As a Christian, my beliefs are rooted in the supernatural. My Bible talks about supernatural things. I believe it is my duty to provide answers to the supernatural to a society that is asking questions. So that’s why I am studying it. It’s not easy and it’s not simple but there are answers to be had.
JE: What is the difference between writing short stories and a full-length novel?
KN: There’s no real comparison. They are two completely different animals with completely different rules. I find the planning and writing of a full-length novel much easier and enjoyable. I struggle with short stories, even though they are faster to write. A novel should tell you everything about the whole event, not just one scene.
JE: Could you describe what your novel: “Winter” is about?
KN: Winter is the story of Winter Maessen, a Goth girl who is a new Christian. As she begins her freshman year of college she discovers she has the gift of prophecy. The story is told with two timelines. In the primary story, we see her adjusting to a new life in Christ and trying to figure out what her gift means. Her dark past and prophetic gift makes her uniquely qualified to take on a Satanic priest. In the secondary story, we see her first year of high school as she deals with the slow death of her mother and learning to live with her estranged father. Here we see her decline into the Goth subculture and experimentation with witchcraft. At the heart of Winter is the theme that no life is too broken to be used by God. All he requires is a willing vessel, not a perfect vessel.
JE: What advice would you give to writers that want to get published?
KN: Stop talking about writing and write. Who cares if it’s crap? You have to write. If you want to be a writer then shut up and do it. More than that, FINISH what you started and when you’re not writing, read the things like what you want to write. Read your favorite authors and books. Learn from them. Always learn, always grow, and keep writing. Let it be ugly and then go fix it. It’s a discipline and it’s work. If you’re not disciplined enough to finish something, then you’ll never be a writer. If you’re not willing to work hard enough to learn how to fix the word vomit you just finished, then you’ll never be a writer. But if you can do those things, it’s totally worth it.
To learn more about Keven Newsome and his other books, visit his Website: http://kevennewsome.com/
