Heather’s Bookshelf: Author Interview with WK Valentine

What inspired you to write “Future Furious”?

Valentine: I had the idea for the manuscript several years ago when I was trying to find a book in a similar vein to my favorite anime—Cowboy Bebop—and found myself on Reddit where other people were looking for the same thing. What I was looking for was a book with a combination of genres that led to it being a genre of its own, a vibrant and dangerous world, and lovably fallible characters with rich and heartbreaking with painful pasts that not only define them but keep coming back to slap them in the face.

There are a few books that share aspects with Cowboy Bebop. The Expanse and Tales from the Ketty Jay to name a few. While these are excellent series in their own right and are often suggested to readers looking for something similar to Cowboy Bebop, they are not specifically trying to emulate the vibrant world and whimsical nature of the characters or the overall feeling of the series. Unfortunately, after many years of scrounging around, I have yet to find anything that really itched the spot. I feel this equates to a gaping hole in current reading options. It became clear that if I wanted to read something similar, I would have to write it myself.

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

Valentine: Anyone who reads Future Furious will find that names are very important to this story. Each main character’s name has meaning and gives context into the character’s psyche and backstory… and at times references to great figures in literature. As for the process, I started with a character persona analysis then deconstructed the character to find their essence, what really made them tick. At that point, it took some trial and error to find what “fit” each character and their personality.

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

Valentine: I realized a while back that I’m not a person with distinct favorites. Whether we’re talking about food, stories, characters, etc… Well, I guess that’s not quite true. I would say my favorite is variety! But if I had to put my finger on something at the moment, I really enjoyed Pierce Brown’s Red Rising books and am looking forward to the next.

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

Valentine: I go for a walk. Being out in nature allows my mind to sort and process. I like to think of it as defragging my system. If it persists, I'll go back and do some editing and clean up the manuscript so I'm at least continuing to work.

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

Valentine: Don’t give up and remember you have not chosen the short road but a long one. Nothing about writing a novel and publishing it is immediate. Whether we’re talking about the actual creation or what happens after the last sentence has been proofed. However, you are attempting to do something that few attempt and even less complete. That has value in my eyes. Once accomplished, no one can take that away from you.

What are you working on next?

Valentine: After I finished Future Furious I wrote a companion short story, Cold Justice that delves into the lore of the book and is available for free on my website. Since then, I started on the second book in the Future Furious series and have a list of other ideas that seem to never stop growing.

Learn More About the Author and Future Furious here:

Website: wkvalentine.com

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

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56223510-future-furious

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