Kevin Brooks was born in Exeter, Devon, and he studied in Birmingham and London. He had a varied working life, with jobs in a crematorium, a zoo, a garage and a post office, before – happily – giving it all up to write books. Kevin is the author of seven critically acclaimed novels including Martyn Pig, Lucas, Kissing the Rain, Candy and The Road of the Dead. His last two books Being and Black Rabbit Summer are both published by Penguin. His latest novel is iBoy, out now. He now lives in North Yorkshire.

We have to ask – are you a bookgeek?

Yes, and proud of it!

Do you have an audience in mind when writing?

No, the only thing I have in mind when I’m writing is the story itself, and making sure that I write it as it’s supposed to be. I think that if you start trying to write for a particular reader/market/audience, you run the risk of not being true to yourself or the story.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever been given (and do you follow it?)

Stephen King in his book On Writing said:

Fiction writers, present company included, don’t understand very much about what they do – not why it works when it’s good, not why it doesn’t when it’s bad.

And he was absolutely right.

Where do you write?

In my room, at my desk (where I’m sitting right now). I can’t write anywhere else.

What are you working on at the moment?

I’m writing my next YA novel – working title The Boy They Called Billy the Kid – which is set in London in 1976 and tells the story of a girl who plays in a punk band and a boy who might, or might not, be involved with the IRA. I’m also editing my first adult crime novel – called A Dance of Ghosts – which will be published in Spring next year.

Which authors do you find most inspiring as a writer?

James Lee Burke, Cormac McCarthy, Jack Gantos, JD Salinger, Jack Kerouac, Raymond Chandler, Norman Mailer, John Steinbeck …

The main character in iBoy is, quite literally, hit on the head by technology, do you think technology is that forceful (and that invasive) in everyday life?

On one level, yes, in that most people now (myself included) would probably feel quite bereft and at a loss without the technological developments of the last decade or so. But on a deeper level, most of these developments (apart, perhaps, from the Internet) are not really all that revolutionary so much as evolutionary. They don’t allow us to do anything that we couldn’t do twenty years ago, they simply make things quicker and easier and more accessible, and they do so with technically advanced interfaces.

iBoy highlights the nearly innumerable ways that we communicate now: from social media, to texts, to news websites. Where do you think books fit into this global conversation?

Again, I don’t think that much has changed really. There are more means of communication, but the substance of that communication is still much the same. And more people talking means more people telling each other stuff – which, for books, as for anything, can’t be bad.

What draws you to young adult fiction?

All kinds of things, too numerous to mention. But I suppose one of the main attractions about writing about young people is that when you’re young, everything means so much, all the time. Your self, the people you know, the world around you … your feelings, your thoughts, your sense of being … it’s all so vital and intense. What else could a writer wish for?

Has your writing process changed over time?

The basic process – ie, how I think about, plan, structure, and eventually write a novel – hasn’t really changed all that much. I know a little bit more about the craft of writing now than I did when I first started, which gives me more options … although, oddly enough, that’s not always a good thing. But, in general, although I’m always learning more and more, every day, and I’m always pushing myself and trying different things, I have a basic process that works as a foundation for me, and I’m happy enough with that.

Have any experiences from your previous jobs made appearances in your novels?

Yes, occasionally, but I always make sure that I fictionalise them.

Additional questions by Jennie Blake.

1) We have to ask Are you a bookgeek?
Yes, and proud of it!
2) Do you have an audience in mind when writing?
No, the only thing I have in mind when I’m writing is the story itself, and making sure that I write it as it’s supposed to be. I think that if you start trying to write for a particular reader/market/audience, you run the risk of not being true to yourself or the story.
3) What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever been given (and do you follow it?)
Stephen King in his book ‘On Writing’ said: Fiction writers, present company included, don’t understand very much about what they do – not why it works when it’s good, not why it doesn’t when it’s bad.
And he was absolutely right.
4) Where do you write?
In my room, at my desk (where I’m sitting right now). I can’t write anywhere else.
5) What are you working on at the moment?
I’m writing my next YA novel – working title THE BOY THEY CALLED BILLY THE KID – which is set in London in 1976 and tells the story of a girl who plays in a punk band and a boy who might, or might not, be involved with the IRA. I’m also editing my first adult crime novel – called A DANCE OF GHOSTS – which will be published in Spring next year.
6) Which authors do you find most inspiring as a writer?
James Lee Burke, Cormac McCarthy, Jack Gantos, JD Salinger, Jack Kerouac, Raymond Chandler, Norman Mailer, John Steinbeck …
7) The main character in “iBoy” is, quite literally, hit on the head by technology, do you think technology is that forceful (and that invasive) in everyday life?
On one level, yes, in that most people now (myself included) would probably feel quite bereft and at a loss without the technological developments of the last decade or so. But on a deeper level, most of these developments (apart, perhaps, from the Internet) are not really all that revolutionary so much as evolutionary. They don’t allow us to do anything that we couldn’t do twenty years ago, they simply make things quicker and easier and more accessible, and they do so with technically advanced interfaces.
“iBoy” highlights the nearly innumerable ways that we communicate now: from social media, to texts, to news websites. Where do you think books fit into this global conversation?
Again, I don’t think that much has changed really. There are more means of communication, but the substance of that communication is still much the same. And more people talking means more people telling each other stuff – which, for books, as for anything, can’t be bad.
9) What draws you to young adult fiction?
All kinds of things, too numerous to mention. But I suppose one of the main attractions about writing about young people is that when you’re young, everything means so much, all the time. Your self, the people you know, the world around you … your feelings, your thoughts, your sense of being … it’s all so vital and intense. What else could a writer wish for?
10) Has your writing process changed over time?
The basic process – ie, how I think about, plan, structure, and eventually write a novel – hasn’t really changed all that much. I know a little bit more about the craft of writing now than I did when I first started, which gives me more options … although, oddly enough, that’s not always a good thing. But, in general, although I’m always learning more and more, every day, and I’m always pushing myself and trying different things, I have a basic process that works as a foundation for me, and I’m happy enough with that.
11) Have any experiences from your previous jobs made appearances in your novels?
Yes, occasionally, but I always make sure that I fictionalise them.

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