Featured Interview With Author Kent Priore
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I'm an author of dark literature from upstate New York. I was raised in a town called Cornwall, NY but now I live in Hudson, NY. I have a BA in the Written Arts from Bard College, and I'm a proud voice in the neurodivergent community, and many of my stories mirror that. Collectively with my partner, I have a black British Labrador named Poe (yes, after Edgar Allan Poe!), whom I share often on social media, but also tortoise shell cat, named Yakutia. They are both a bit crazy but fill our home with so much love and vibrant energy.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I've always been fascinated with storytelling in general, from such a young age that I can remember a specific age. But, growing up neurodivergent, as bipolar, came with a lot of difficulties back then. So, the yearning for escapism was strong. And it was through that coping mechanism that I discovered how amazing stories are; they help us learn and grow, they teach us empathy and compassion for ourselves and others. They enrich our minds and show us better ways to live. An invaluable resource, to be sure.
I started writing about ten years ago and since then I've written four books and a handful of short stories and poems.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
Oh, so I have so many favorites: Edgar Allan Poe, Sylvia Plath, Joseph O'Neill, Karl Ove Knausgaard, Natsuo Kirino, Haruki Murakami.
And while my debut novel and many other stories I've written are genre fiction, they are literary genre. So to that point, while I have and do read the genres I write in, my favorite genre is literary fiction. Though I like to use genre as a way to convey metaphor and symbolism.
Most of my inspiration doesn't come from others, but from within. From my emotions to introspective philosophizing any given subject or concept that I become so interested in that I feel compelled to turn it into a story. But sometimes, yes, external events do inspire. For example, I was recently in a car accident, which has triggered the makings of a short story in my mind. So, silver lining!
Tell us a little about your latest book?
My debut novel, THE MONSTERS AMONG US, out this September 9th, is a fantasy horror novel that operates within those genres but actively defying genre at every turn. It has a complex magic system that all ties into the novel's deep world-building, which goes back to before the beginning of time.
I spent six years writing it, which included writing the book in its entirety twice, polishing it thoroughly through more than a dozen passes of edits. I even went to college specifically to ensure this story was written as well I as it possibly could be. So, all in all, a lot of love and time went into making this book a reality.
Here's a blurb:
Seth’s life until now has been a product of a diabolical, evil Truman Show, his entire upbringing a façade orchestrated for malevolent purposes. After his beloved dies, he undergoes a demonic metamorphosis, which causes the world’s fictitious walls to crumble.
As he tries to piece a semblance of his life back together and move on, he meets friends who inspire, but even more harsh truths are revealed, perhaps too difficult to cope with.
The very existence of life and reality is exposed as a machination of grotesque gods. And to defeat them, Seth will have to fill his emptiness, for which there’s only two options… Bring the world to ruin, or learn to transmute his pain into strength.
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