Kerry ONeal Author Bio:
My first two books were illustrated children’s books published by Lifevest Publishing in 2006. I wrote a short story in 2013 after my Mother succumbed to Alzheimer’s to commemorate her memory, which I completed in two days. Deciding to continue writing, I wrote another short story in one day. I finished eleven stories before publishing a book of 13 short stories, What If – An Anthology of 13 Short Stories, through Xlibris in Indiana. My Father was an author, concert pianist, artist, and dance instructor, and he always encouraged me to write until he died in 2003. Since then, I’ve written 15 books and haven’t stopped. My greatest influential authors are Micheal Crichton, Ann Rice, Stephen King, and Dean Koonce, with my favorite novel being All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque.
I was invited to the Spooky Empire Convention in 2018 and 2019, consecutively, as a guest speaker for Q&A sessions. I did several book signing tours before relocating to Illinois, where my family lives. I was interviewed by Kate Delaney in 2020 about my What If book and my latest novel, Nightmare, which has recently received three 5-star reviews from Reader’s Favorites. I published my book, Fractured Suture – Revelations of a Serial Killer, in 2023 for e-readers, soft covers, and hardback, in audiobook using a narrator from audible books. It received a 5-star review from Reader’s Favorites, as well. I was interviewed on a local FM radio station, Fox News from Rockford, IL. and CBS News out of Champaign. They are both available online for review. I’ve completed and published two more novels in late 2023 and 2024, Death is an Escape & Doppelganger, which received a 5-star review from Rader’s Favorites. Currently, I’m writing a science fiction thriller called Hoarder. The most important aspect of writing stories is constantly marketing your books and yourself because tens of thousands of books are published daily. I’ve written in almost every genre because my ultimate goal is to acquire as many readers as possible to enjoy reading my mind.
What inspires you to write?
My father was an artist, writer, dance and piano instructor, and concert pianist who inspired me at a young age to walk in his footsteps, starting with dancing and art lessons. After he died in 2003 choking to death after defeating cancer, I completed my first books, children's illustrated stories utilizing oil pastels and black ink. When my mother succumbed to Alzhiemer complications in 2013, I wrote a short story about a terminally ill woman wanting to complete her bucket list before her death and finished it in one day. Feeling exhilarated, I wrote another story in two days, and then within a year I'd written a total of 13 short stories and published my 3rd book. What If – An Anthology of 13 Short stories. Since than, I haven't stopped.
Tell us about your writing process.
First I create a story using a one page outline with a working title, introduction, body, characters, and what is the story really about. Second, I design a book cover and print it to be placed on my home computer desk for inspiration while writing. After a few pages or chapters, I write the ending and then fill in the middle toward my destin ation, like a map.
Being a lover of writer's like Stephen King, Dean Koonce, and Ann Rice, my inspiration for each story begins with questions in my mind on mysteries, the unexplained, and the paranormal. My greatest goal is to leave the reader with a complex, unexpected ending, and overall to enjoy reading my mind.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
With each of my main characters and others who cross their paths during the story, I literally live through their eyes and ears feeling and seeing what confronts them.
Who are your favorite authors?
Stephen King, Ann Rice, Dean Koonce, Michael Crichton, and similar authors, but my favorite book is All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque.
What genres do you write?
Childrens, ghosts, paranormal, unexplained, gothic horror, science fiction horror, psychological horror, inspirational, supernatural
How did you choose the genre(s) you write?
I've always wanted to write stories in every genre so I'd have a topic of interest for every reader.
What three things are on your writing desk at any given moment?
I'm usually writing on two or three stories simultaneously so if I get writer's block on one story, I simply go to another and return later on the story., For example, I'm currently writing a science fiction thriller that will have between 250 and 300 pages, but I also have an outline for a ghost story and a love story.
What hobbies do you have when you need a break from writing?
I enjoy landscaping projects within my privacy fence in my backyard and lawn work. Being an avid lover of nature, walking through the woods is extremely therapeutic, if not inspiration basis for another story.
What formats are your books in?
eBook, Print, Audiobook
Website(s)
Home Page Link
Follow On Amazon
Link to Author Page on LinkedIn
Author’s Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
All information is provided by the author and is presented as it was submitted so you the reader get to hear the author’s own “voice” in their interview.
