Heather’s Bookshelf: Author Interview with Martin Kearns

What inspired you to write “Beneath the Veil”?

Kearns: I began thinking of Beneath the Veil nearly twenty years ago as I sat in traffic on the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge. The simple thought of, "Could any of us make it if this rickety thing we're on takes a dive into the river?" passed through my mind and there it was. The story unfolded from there over time. I've started and stopped writing The Valor of Valhalla series a few times, but 2020 afforded me the time to truly flush out the story. I just didn't have the whole picture before and I'm glad I waited. The story parallels our growth into adulthood in many ways; it seems simple at first, but a closer look reveals a reality of deep complexity.

How did you come up with the names of your main characters?

Kearns: David’s name is very much alluding to the biblical David and he stays true to that form for a good portion of the first book--a righteous boy willing to stand in the shadows of giants.

Rose was and is more enigmatic and giving more meaning to readers regarding her name will spoil some aspects of the story, so I'll keep those details close to the chest, but one aspect I may delve into has to do with her personality. She's beautiful, striking, and rather willing to defend herself should her thorns be grasped.

Jacob is another biblical allusion and anyone with knowledge of Jacob’s ladder will understand his pseudonym and true name pretty quickly. There’s quite a few easter eggs like that in this novel.

Is there anything that you want readers to know about you, your writing process or your book?

Kearns: I had been working remotely during the drafting process of Beneath the Veil. For some, this meant more rest and solace, and I did enjoy an altered sleep schedule, but I was heavily invested in delivering a quality education to our alternative/special education high school students, so nearly all of my waking time was at the computer. Our colleague, Mike, rallied some of us into a coalition of the willing to draw on our strengths and come up with a plan to make sure we didn't leave a single kid behind. My charge was to craft the lessons in an approachable format for kids who aren't easily able to troubleshoot a Chromebook. We instructed, called homes, and made material from eight in the morning until well into the evenings and, after I spent some time with my beautiful wife and boys, I'd jump back on the laptop and write--sometimes until two in the morning. It was manageable because I could sleep until seven instead of five thirty or so.

Penning this novel came somewhat easily after the first chapter, which I revised twice as much as the rest of the novel. It was as simple as putting on the headphones and drowning out all the white noise of the pandemic, school, parenthood, and just exploring this world I'd created in my head from the perspective of when I was a naive boy like David.

Detective Dodd: Nonso Anozie would be a great fit and not solely for his stature. The man is able to draw out the character from a script like few others.

Asmodeus: The first thought was Alexander Skarsgard, but I didn’t really jive with what he brought to King’s Randall Flagg in the NBC reboot of The Stand. I think Liam Hemsworth would knock this out of the park, to be honest.

Lilith: Charlize Theron showed she has an inner villain in Prometheus and she’d likely provide the depth of character Lilith has with the limited screen time the character would be allotted.

Jacob: Ryan Gosling because I don’t care what anyone says, I want Ryan Gosling.

Are there any tips that you would like to share with other aspiring authors?

Kearns: I would just say that you have to commit. Commit to the story and commit to yourself. You can do this if you respect the craft enough to learn and grow.

When you encounter writer’s block, what do you do to break yourself out of it?

Kearns: I don’t really get writer’s block. I have so many ideas and so little time, the writing just flows when I finally get to the keyboard.

 What is your favorite genre, book, and/or author?

Kearns: I don’t write in one genre, so it is difficult for me to state just one. I’m an avid reader of horror and weird fiction. Laird Barron, Gemma Files, SA Cosby, Stephen Graham Jones, Victor LaValle, John Langan, and Nathan Ballingrud have captivated me in recent years thanks mostly to Ellen Datlow, editor of The Best Horror of the Year anthologies. Before this horror deep dive, I was enamored with the fantasy works of Gaiman and King.

What are you working on next?

Kearns: I am roughly three-quarters of the way through the first draft of The Sands of Akhirah, the second book in The Valor of Valhalla series. I plan to deliver a short story collection after publishing book two of VoV and that will largely focus on the happenings around the Hudson Valley when Lilith released her children from beneath the veil. I have started eight of those stories and can’t wait to switch gears soon.

Learn More About the Author and Beneath the Veil here:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authormartinkearns

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@martinkearns_writes?

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/readkearns/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/martinkearns20?lang=en

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Martin-Kearns/e/B0983VVZ2R?ref_=dbs_p_pbk_r00_abau_000000

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6468039.Martin_Kearns

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