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September 27th sees the publication of Trevor Kennedy’s Short Sharp Shocks! Crown Of Thorns. Dean and Trevor have known each other a few years now and have worked together on several projects. Trevor is a super busy man with his writing, his publishing, his radio show and his acting! A man of many talents. Trevor spared some time in his busy schedule recently to talk about his upcoming release:
DEMAIN PUBLISHING: Hey Trevor, thanks for talking with us today. Time is precious, so let’s get down to it. Can you tell us a little about yourself and how (and why) you became a writer? TREVOR KENNEDY: Hi there. My name’s Trevor Kennedy, a 42-year-old independent writer / editor / publisher from Belfast, Northern Ireland. I’ve always been quite a big reader and used to write horror stories when I was a kid. As I got older and into my late teens and twenties, let’s just say life got in the way and I pretty much abandoned my creative interests, although I always still read and watched horror / sci-fi / fantasy films and TV shows. In my early-to-mid-thirties I began dabbling again with writing and other things such as acting and it has all just really progressed from there. I’m finally now doing the sort of work I really enjoy and have a huge passion for. DP: Fair play to you Trevor, from a personal point of view I think you’re really knocking it out of the park with your Gruesome Grotesques anthologies as well as your magazine Phantasmagoria – so well done on that. With regards to Crown Of Thorns, what is it about? TK: It is based, in part, on the real life witchcraft trials in Islandmagee, here in Northern Ireland in the early eighteenth century. My story is set in the late 1980s, however, and also concerns a demonic entity, toads and an ice-cream van. DP: I love the ice-cream van (and thanks to Adrian Baldwin for his cover!). So who are your protagonists? TK: Tommy and Jim are two thirteen-year-old lads. They’re at an age where they’re experimenting in things like underage drinking, smoking and the viewing of certain sleazy publications. They swear a lot, all in the name of bravado and trying to appear like ‘big lads’. In short, they’re assholes, but likeable ones at that (I hope), and vulnerable too. They’re based, partly, on myself and my friends when we that age and typical of a lot of teenage boys. DP: We’re definitely on the same page when it comes to likeable (and often loveable) assholes. I did enjoy reading about Tommy and Jim and reminded me a little of my youth (spent of misspent I’m not entirely sure). When you wrote Crown Of Thorns, did you have to do much research? TK: I researched the Islandmagee witchcraft trials after discussing it with a very knowledgeable friend of mine, Sally Cochran, who knows her local history very well and is a bit like a wise old Jedi Master to me, a female Obi-Wan Kenobi of sorts, haha. The character of Mr Needlesticks is an idea I had a couple of years or so ago, wrote down, but never used, until now. Other aspects of the story include little bits of my own life mixed with the fictional. DP: I won’t say too much right now but I hope we see more of Mr Needlesticks in the future! Were any of the scenes hard to write? TK: I find writing in general very daunting. I’m intimidated by the very thought of it. I’m not very confident in my work, but I’m getting there. I would never, ever want to write anything which I would consider to be average or below par, so I always give it my 100% very best effort. It’s the only ‘job’ I have ever taken seriously in my entire life. It is very hard work too, of course, but there is such a buzz to be felt when looking back over a completed work. DP: Totally agree, totally agree. So creatively (thus far anyway!) what would you say was your biggest success? TK: Writing / publishing / editing-wise it would without doubt have to be Phantasmagoria Magazine, which continues to grow in ways that have surprised even myself. On the acting side of things, I have also appeared in several stage plays, including the professional productions, 1932: The People of Gallagher Street and Letters From the Front. My radio show for www.bighitsradio.uk, Sunday Service, a comedy / chat / music show, also continues to evolve and I always really enjoy doing it. DP: As I said in my intro, a man of many talents. Keep up the good work but don’t overdo it! Who would you say influenced you as a writer... TK: I grew up reading the likes of Stephen King, Roald Dahl, Fighting Fantasy gamebooks and all sorts of other weird fiction, so they will always hold a special place in my heart. I’ve always been a big fan of many of the classics too, from literary giants such as Lovecraft, Poe, Stoker, Orwell, M. R. James, Borges and Mark Twain. I love the gritty realism of Irvine Welsh’s stuff and the existentialist heaviness of William Peter Blatty’s work. Thomas Harris’s Hannibal Lecter novels too. There’s loads more, of course, especially within the British Fantasy Society circles and the indie scene (Russell Holbrook, Dean M. Drinkel [thank you!] etc). As a kid, I would have read lots of UK-based genre publications like FEAR and the BFS material and they inspired me in great ways, so for me now to be working alongside some of the writers and artists whom I have always held in the highest regard is the greatest of honours. I’ve been reading quite a lot of Stephen Jones anthologies lately and they never disappoint, especially as they regularly feature masters of the craft like Neil Gaiman, Ramsey Campbell and Robert Shearman, whose short stories are usually very dark, very weird and very brilliant. I’m a big film buff also and directors / writers such as David Lynch, Martin Scorsese, Stanley Kubrick, Clive Barker and Quentin Tarantino have had a huge influence on me over the years. I’m also a big fan of the television work of people like Rod Serling, Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat. DP: A man of great taste too! So Trevor, what does ‘horror’ mean to you? TK: For me, there are three types of horror. Firstly, there is the more over-the-top, gratuitous, fun stuff, like werewolves, vampires, zombies, those sorts of things, which are pure escapism and a little bit silly, but I love them anyway. Then there is the more serious horror, the sort of material that makes you think and can leave a lifelong imprint on your psyche. Guys like William Peter Blatty and David Lynch are masters of this. In fact, anything that deals with issues relating to God / Satan / religion / existence etc will always have a profound effect on me. It’s something I’ve been pretty much obsessed with since my earliest days and it terrifies me more than anything. The Exorcist (novel and film) and The Omen would be perfect examples of this. Lastly, there are the real life horrors of the world we live in, and these are much scarier, of course, for obvious reasons. DP: Indeed. Any books or films you’re currently looking forward to? TK: The Lighthouse, the new film by Robert Eggers who directed the brilliant The Witch from a few years ago and Joker starring Joaquin Phoenix, which looks like it’s going to be darkly brilliant. The film version of Doctor Sleep looks to be interesting too. DP: Can’t wait for Joker and from what we’ve seen, Joaquin deserves all the plaudits. Anything scare you? TK: The dark side of humanity and the concepts of God /Satan / demons etc. They pop up frequently in my works in some shape or form. DP: Creatively Trevor, what haven’t you achieved? TK: I’d love to write a professional stage play at some point and also make some films. I have a few ideas, but I would also want to wait until the right time and not rush things either. DP: Marvel or DC? TK: I’ve never really been big into superhero stories and even as a small child the types of comics I would have read would have been The Beano and The Dandy and not anything relating to superheroes. I did love the Tim Burton Batman films and Christopher Reeve Superman films back then though. I’ve only ever watched one of the more recent Marvel films, Captain Marvel, and feel that there is a massive overload of superhero films currently. That said, they are hugely popular, so who am I to argue? To answer your question, however, I’d have to say DC, especially the brooding darkness of the Batman universe and its superb rogues gallery. DP: That I definitely subscribe too. I’ve always wanted to write a very very dark Captain Atom film and have Leonardo Dicaprio play the Cap. I’ve always had it on the backburner as I never thought that kind of film would / could be made BUT what with the Dark Knight films, Joker as well as perhaps Watchmen and DC Titans as well as where they are taking Doctor Strange...it might just be possible. I’ll have to dust the script off and give it another polish. It would definitely be a ‘fun’ movie to make especially in today’s climate...I’ll have to see if I still have Leo’s number...anyway, back to you – can you tell your readers something surprising about you? TK: After leaving school prematurely at the age of 16/17, I eventually got myself an A Level qualification in Film Studies in my early thirties. One day, I hope to go on and study this subject as a degree. Thank you so much Trevor for your time. I enjoyed talking with you and wish you every success! If you would like to connect with Trevor direct: Website: https://www.facebook.com/PhantasmagoriaMagazine/ Twitter: @TKBossPhantasm Any other social media links: Insta: TK_Pulp_Phantasmagoria
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CategoriesArchives
November 2023
AuthorDean M. Drinkel |