INTRODUCING
MAGNUS SHACKLETON
AKA M. F. KERR
1) Where do you live?
I split my time between New Mexico, Massachusetts, and Silicon Valley
2) What is the first thing you remember writing?
My first attempt at fiction was a fantasy story called Adventure in the Land of No Return. It starred a boy named Kargd (I got his name by randomly mashing the typewriter keyboard) who went with a fairy to rescue a princess. It was rife with violence and sexuality, which shocked my parents (I was ten years old), but won me the Young Author's Contest.
3) Why do you write?
It feels bad not to. I feel relief after a good writing session. The best analogy I can think of is like taking a long overdue dump. Sorry for the imagery.
Also, in the back of my mind I hold out some hope that I'm leaving a more permanent record of my existence. And that, maybe someday, they'll reconstruct what I was like from what I left behind and make me the Lord Ruler of the Future.
4) Have you published any of your work?
No, I chickened out and threw my first three novels up on Amazon. At the time, I felt I was preserving my artistic integrity. Now I think I just was afraid of rejection.
I’m hoping to grow a backbone before finishing my next novel.
5) What are you currently writing?
Just a few things:
A short children’s book that involves a lot of screaming.
A middle-grade book in the vein of Roald Dahl that also teaches science concepts.
An epic YA fantasy series.
A fantasy/historical fiction novel.
6) Are you currently querying?
Not yet. I don’t have a completely finished product (and I really don’t know how)!
7) Finish this sentence (three lines or less):
IT WAS A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT…
As many nights were, and people both rich and poor huddled indoors as they always had, but this night was different in one important way: it was the end.
The end of everything.
8) Which activities do you like to participate in, in the Twitter writing community (VSS365, etc.)?
I haven't done any of these yet.
However, I do my own thing from time to time. I do a lot of "Comment below and I'll…" and create a personalized thing for anyone who responds.
I've written people's backstories, drawn them coats of arms, given them secret service code names. It's fun.
And a lot of work.
9) Do you have any formal training/education for writing?
I have a bachelor's degree in literature, another in creative writing, and I minored in journalism. I have a master's in professional writing.
Sometimes I fantasize about getting a PhD so I can tell people "I'm DOCTOR Kagle."
10) Do the people in your life know that you write?
Yes. I often ask them for feedback. More often I specifically ask them for no feedback because I take their criticism too personally.
11) Where do you wish your writing to take you?
I've always wanted a movie made of one of my works. Hollywood has always intrigued me.
Barring that, something small like immortality, fame, riches.
12) What did you expect when you joined the Twitter writing community? Did it turn out as expected?
I had no expectations, which worked out great.
13) Where do you write?
I work at a Peet's Coffee.
If I write at home, I end up working out, showering, cleaning the house, napping. And then I grouse about not getting anything done.
At Peet's I have everything a writer needs to get motivated: caffeine, a comfortable chair, crappy wifi, and an endless line of people frowning at me because I've taken the good chair for three hours.
14) How much time do you dedicate to writing, weekly?
About 6-10 hours. I always plan for more, but then…
Well, something always comes up.
15) Do you have other talents?
I've worked in the game industry as a designer.
I've taught at the college level.
I have a remarkable memory for useless information.
16) CHOOSE ONE:
- I do not mind when other writers ask for advice.
- I’d rather keep to myself!
A
Matthew Kagle grew up in Las Vegas, the son of a bartender and a dealer who met while working in the MGM Grand in the late 60s.
With that kind of pedigree, and being raised (literally) in the shadow of the Luxor Casino, you'd think he'd have had a more interesting life.
However, other than a stress fracture during Coast Guard Basic Training (forcing him to drop out) and three curtain calls for playing Tevye in "Fiddler on the Roof," things have been pretty dull for Matthew. Which is just how he likes it.
Matthew Kagle resides in Sante Fe, New Mexico. Both his husband (Joseph) and his Rottweiler (Winslow) appear in his novels.
YOU CAN FIND MATTHEW'S BOOKS HERE:
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