kevinklehr

[kevinklehr]

As an author, how are you perceived?

Several things happened recently which made me reevaluate. I had an email conversation with one of the staff of our local queer book store. In his last reply he encouraged me to submit manuscripts to certain publishers. But they were all Romance publishers. My books are rarely in their store while self published friend’s novels often are. The relationship I’ve had with their staff has been odd in…

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How long does it take to write a novel?

This is a tale of two novels. One I started five years ago and is still a work in progress. It’s set in the 90s around the gay scene of Sydney’s Oxford Street. Eight drafts have been written, but after it failed to spark interest, I had it assessed. I found the State Library research I had done, browsing the gay street press of that decade, worked well in shaping the novel because the assessor…

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Writing to a deadline

I have a deadline. A novel I’m writing needs to be published in five to six months. I usually take years on my manuscripts, working on a draft, then putting it aside for a few months. When I pick it up again, I’ll see what needs work, fix, then put it aside for another few months. I’ll continue on a different book in the meantime, using the same method. When I return to a draft and find only…

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So, you've lost interest in that book you're reading.

I admit, it takes me a long time to ditch a book. I always get into a story, admiring the prose, until there may be a point three quarters in where I lose interest. But at least I’ve given that novel a decent read. Sometimes I’m still keen to know the ending and skip to the final chapter. Other times the story simply stalls, or I don’t care what happens any more. Recently I put down a book I was…

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Author News Update – 6 April, 2025

Welcome to my second author update. Today’s blog features several videos, some sad news about copyright theft, and a new interview. First off, I’ve been doing a couple of courses lately updating my manuscript submission skills. During that time I’ve met many writers still trying to land their first publishing deal. So I recorded a vlog about my own long running saga about getting my first deal,…

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The best queer country festival!

Today’s blog is not about books or writing. Instead, I want to share news about our time in Daylesford for the Chill Out Festival, a queer event in rural Victoria which has been running for twenty-eight years. We attended this year. It’s one of several such festivals which follow the Sydney Mardi Gras in March, so tourists can continue to party elsewhere in Australia. A friend went two years ago…

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Author News Update - 24 February, 2025

This is something new I’ll be doing from time to time. My social media is full of announcements, as is my newsletter, but I thought it was time to share the same news to my blog readers. The main purpose of today’s update is to let you know that my novella, Winter Masquerade, is discounted for a few days. This special deal is brought to you by my publisher, NineStar Press, and the IASFA…

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Killing my darlings!

I have a conundrum. There’s a lovely scene in a current work in progress which takes place at a Marriage Equality rally which actually took place during the 90s. Me and my husband were there, never believing for a minute this proposal would be even seriously considered in our lifetime. In this chapter, a former lover catches up with one of the main characters, seeing how each other’s lives have…

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Book Review - Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates

I could tell you the whole plot in one paragraph. Yet instead of a light tale stretched over the length of a novel, Revolutionary Road is a deep study of its characters. The story revolves around Frank and April Wheeler, a young married couple who believe they are more clever than they actually are. Frank does as little as he can at work because it is the early sixties, a time when men could fill…

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Books that changed me

There was a recent challenge on BlueSky. Over twenty days we had to post covers of books which stayed with us, or influenced us, without saying why. I completed the challenge then thought, why not blog about the reasons why. So, I’ve picked three from that list. 1. Tilda Is Visable by Jane Tara This novel explores how women feel unseen as they age using an Urban Fantasy plot. I read this leading…

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When reviewers have sex issues.

Something odd happened. A review came out for The Midnight Man which complained about the graphic sexual content. I was confused as the opening chapter has the only sex scene. It’s not a scene which titillates because its purpose is to show the reader how unhappy the main character is in his relationship. There are no descriptions of what bits go where. And the few sensual scenes which follow are…

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Are you sure your novel is ready?

A couple of books I’ve read lately inspired this blog. And what’s interesting about their flaws is it made me reflect on advice I received when my first novel was published. This was way before self publishing was a thing. Back then the first thing I was told was to have my manuscript assessed. My assessor worked with me over three consecutive drafts. I expanded the plot, got rid of two…

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Changing my writing process

I was selling my books at a local author event. On the table next to me was science fiction writer, H.G. Ahedi. It was a very rainy Friday night so not many potential readers showed up, leaving me and H.G. with plenty of time to talk. After chatting about cover artists, the difference between being self or traditionally published, and the lack of visitors to our event, she mentioned The Snowflake…

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Random thoughts which improve my plot

I’m at an interesting stage with my WiP. I revised around two-thirds of the story after creating an excel spreadsheet with details of the changes needed to each scene. Then I read the revised chapters and realised before I continued, the characters needed to be deeper. They were already demanding extra plot twists, telling me they wanted messier lives. I listened and for the second time with any…

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Book Review - Poof by J.M. Tolcher

This is not a book for the faint-hearted. When I first began reading this I was reminded of Alanis Morissette’s brilliant song, ‘You Oughta Know’. The author takes us back to when he was bullied in school, spitting venom at his tormentors in the same manner as Morissette attacked her ex. As a homosexual, I found this extremely refreshing. It’s what many of us have shied away from, leaving those…

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Book Review - Dublin Bay by John Patrick

This novel would make an excellent film. It has all the elements of a box office smash or a highly streamed miniseries. Period drama. Likeable characters. Sneaky dealings. A love story. Two teenage boys meet one evening just before the second world war. James is Irish and from a very poor family. Otto is the privileged son of a German diplomat stationed in Dublin. Otto engages James and his…

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To hell with my outline!

Apologies for not posting for a while. My time has been dominated by listening to, and preparing promotional materials for, a new audiobook. But today’s blog is a follow on from my last where I mentioned I’ve been panstering for a while, rather than sticking to my refreshed outline. And on the days I haven’t been writing, newer plot twists have come to mind. This means I’m making rewrites on my…