Kevin Kuhn lives in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, with his wife Melinda and their three children. He is a technology executive who enjoys sipping cheap bourbon, avoiding yard work, and living vicariously through his children's sports. While Kevin has no musical skill whatsoever, he appreciates a broad spectrum of artists from Pink Floyd to Prince and Radiohead to the Rolling Stones. His golf game is horrific with flashes of mediocrity. Kevin is proud to be an active member of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America.
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Interview with Kevin Kuhn
When did you first realize that you wanted to be a writer/ a storyteller?
When I was young, I read “The Hobbit” and then shortly after “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy. It made me fall in love with reading which I believe is the first step to becoming a writer. I attempted a novel in my thirties, but it dried up. When I hit fifty, I had a bit of a mid-life crisis. I began to think about what was important in my life and where I wanted to go as a person. That became the heart of my debut novel, “Do You Realize?” which became a bestseller and won five literary awards. I’ve been writing continuously since.How did you come up with the idea for your current story?
“Ten Tales of a Dark Tomorrow” is inspired by the original Twilight Zone TV Series. I loved the series as a child and I still enjoy the episodes to this day. I tried to capture the feel of that show, including the unsettling plots and unexpected endings. I also wanted to reproduce the variety of genre and themes. It’s a challenge to tell a complete tale in the short story format, but I’m proud of the finished book.Did any of your characters inherit some of your own quirks?
Yes. I pull characters from everywhere. Some inherit traits of my family, friends, and co-workers, but I think they all have pieces of me in them. I believe that’s one of the attractions of reading, the ability to get inside an author’s head and see how they tick. Deep down, we want to know how different or alike we are from others and a full novel puts us deep inside the writer's brain. It’s why reader’s value honest writing. We carefully guard and censure our personal conversations to build an image of how we want to be seen. An author who fully reveals themselves though their work is a powerful way to see another’s innermost thoughts. That’s what I tried to do with my debut novel.What is your most interesting writing quirk?
I do my best writing during walks in the woods. Something about walking and nature unlocks the create side of my brain. I can sit at my desk for hours and struggle to resolve a plot hole, but in five minutes of walking, the answers become obvious. It feels like magic or a superpower.What is the best piece of advice you have received, as a writer, till date?
Show, don’t tell. It’s common writing advice, but it’s so crucial. I love a book where the story comes alive in my mind. To achieve that magic, an author must show the story though the characters’ action and dialog. It’s temping and easier to tell parts of the story through narration, but this breaks the spell and reminds the reader that it’s just a story. It sounds like simple advice, but doing it well is the hardest part of writing.What is the best piece of advice you would give to someone that wants to get into writing?
Begin now! Writing is a muscle and the more you use it the stronger it becomes. If you’re not ready to author a short story, just journal your thoughts, observations, and insights. You will be able to tap into those ideas when you begin drafting stories. Also read! Reading will increase your vocabulary and expose you to different story telling techniques.Tell us three fun facts about yourself.
- I was once spit on by a beluga whale in Vancouver, Canada. I was told it was good luck.- I jumped solo at 3,500 feet from a perfectly good airplane. Never again.
- After a five-year courtship, I married the most beautiful woman in the world. It rained all day, but the sun emerged for thirty minutes while we spoke our vows. That was twenty-nine years ago and we’re still completely in love.
What do you have in store next for your readers?
I’m writing a full-length novel about an Irish immigrant that opens a pub in downtown Minneapolis during the late 1800’s. The story follows him and the Pub through to modern day. The research has been fun. The story examines immortality, alcoholism, and the surprising way that people find family in the most unlikely places.Is there anything else you’d like to share with your readers?
I’m excited and proud to announce that “Ten Tales of a Dark Tomorrow” has won three literary awards. It was a finalist in the National Indie Excellence Awards for Shot Stories, a silver medal winner in the Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards for Fiction – Short Stories and was awarded the gold medal in Foreword Indies Book Awards for Short Stories. It’s also reached #1 on the Amazon Bestseller list for Science Fiction – Short Stories.
Submitted for your approval—Ten Tales of a Dark Tomorrow, a collection of speculative fiction inspired by the original Twilight Zone series. In the spirit of that iconic, timeless show, these mysterious and gripping narratives explore parallel worlds, faraway planets, dystopian societies, and unsettling reality. Explore space and time—and confront humanity’s deepest fears—with Ten Tales of a Dark Tomorrow.
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