We sat down with author David Kettlehake and got some details on his books and what he has coming up. Make sure to join us for our Instagram live on April 27th at 7 pm cst when David will be in the house with us and announce the contest winner live.
For contest details, follow us on Instagram.
WHAT MAKES THE BOOK SPECIAL?
The trilogy revolves around Scout, a 16-year-old girl. This is her story as she learns to survive in what is truly a horrible world, growing into herself more with each day.
The story was described like this in a Kirkus review: "Kettlehake refrains from filling each chapter with gory scenes reminiscent of World War Z, instead of showing Scout, Lord, and their cohorts in a distinctly human light... A stylish and compassionate tale..."
And no, it’s not a zombie novel…
WHAT WAS THE HARDEST PART ABOUT WRITING THE BOOK?
Being very careful not to sound like a 60-year-old guy writing in the voice of a 16-year-old girl. I had to employ my daughter and others to proofread and make sure to remove any sense of “dad-ness” in the writing and dialogue.
WHAT DID YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT WRITING THE BOOK?
Starting my journey with these characters with great excitement and trepidation - and then being overjoyed when the excitement trounced the trepidation. I was concerned in the beginning about writing in the correct tone and manner of a 16-year-old girl, as well as the mechanics of writing in the present tense, first-person. I hadn’t done that before. Also, I really loved jumping into the second book and not having to recreate the entire “world” again. There’s a real sense of liberation in that. Scout has always been protected by others - first her parents, and then her brother after the Storm hit. When he is gone and she is on her own, she must learn how to survive by herself. Readers will find themselves rooting for her all the way. In the beginning, Scout is rather quiet, something of a bookworm. She would rather have her nose in a book and be transported to anywhere but where she is now - something many of us can relate to in these crazy times. A little more about this amazing Author:
David Kettlehake’s fascination with reading began at a very young age. Even though his father was a minister and his mother was a social worker and money was tight, his parents never said no to books. He still vividly remembers reading under the covers at night with a flashlight, while listening for the footfalls of his parents telling him (for the last time!) to go to sleep.
The first book he ever checked out of a library was Robert A. Heinlein’s Rocket Ship Galileo, back in elementary school. But as often as not, he could be found reading an Alistair MacClean thriller, or horror short stories from H.P. Lovecraft. Other science fiction and fantasy novels came later, and even now the books he picks up are from genres all across the board.
For the most part, his protagonists are average people caught up in events outside their control, forcing them to overcome their own fears and shortcomings in order to succeed…or survive.
He deeply believes that reading should be fun and pleasurable and that when you finish one of his books you breathe a deep, satisfied sigh, and wish there were just a few more pages.
David and his wonderful wife Lisa have three terrific kids, Nikki, Aaron, and Ian. and three awesome granddaughters. He and his wife live in the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio. They love traveling here and abroad and seeing the world, which is why his stories tend to gravitate outside of the U.S