I had the opportunity to read and review Keith Robinson’s Island of Fog (Read my review here.) and interview him as well.

1. What was your inspiration for writing Island of Fog?

The quick and decidedly silly answer is that I looked out of the window one morning, saw thick fog, and thought, “Coo, imagine if it were foggy all the time!” But the longer, more serious answer is that I moved to the USA from England in 2001, working as a self-employed website designer, and had lots of time alone at home in a strange new land. I started missing Ol’ Blighty a bit, and started writing “seriously” — something I had been threatening to do all my life. Island of Fog probably came out of a feeling of isolation!

2. How did you come up with such distinct personalities for all of the children? Are they based on people you know?

They’re not based on anyone I know, at least not consciously. It actually helped that I took so long writing the book (about six years, on and off) because I got to know the characters long before I’d finished that first draft. I feel like I know them very well now, of course, but in the early days I just fleshed them out as I went along. This sounds cliched, but they kind of “came to life” as I wrote.

3. Bullying is a huge issue, what did you hope to convey with Fenton bullying his classmates?

If I was trying to convey anything, it seems that those who bully are often victims themselves in some way, rather than just being “born mean”; bullying is usually a way to combat or deflect their own personal childhood angst. Fenton’s parents are always arguing; in the normal world they would have divorced long ago, but they’re stuck on the island along with everyone else and trying to get along. I don’t go into a lot of detail about this in the book, but Fenton’s classmates are aware of it. And there’s a kinship between the group of children that is probably stronger than it would be in the normal world, because they’re literally all that’s left.

4. How did you go about creating such a suspenseful story?

A lot of work! The first third of the book changed four or five times, and only one or two scenes made it through to the final cut. Once I was on the right track, the middle section went through a few revisions, and then, years later, I wrote the last third. Even then I went back and cut, cut, cut. The first chapter was ultra-important, of course, so I kept cutting off bits from the beginning until the boys were right there in the thick of the woods, about to make an amazing discovery. It’s staggering what you can trim when you put your mind to it. There were lots of scenes I loved, but they just slowed things down or seemed pointless, so they were dropped.

Many say that ISLAND OF FOG would make a great movie, and my previous agent pitched it to a number of directors and producers. The manuscript even made its way to the Sundance Festival and was going to be pitched to Joel Silver, producer of Die Hard and The Matrix… but it never happened. *Sigh* Anyway, I tend to visualize scenes as they might play out in a movie, and perhaps that’s why the book seems very “movie-like.”

5. How much research went into the creatures they shape shifted into?

A bit. I wouldn’t be writing about these types of creatures if I wasn’t already a big fan of them! Some of the creatures were “easy” in that almost no research was needed, but others — like the naga, and the manticore — needed just a little extra something. I already knew what they were, but sometimes it’s worth digging deeper, looking at the origins and trying to find a little more than what’s normally presented. I like changing things up. One thing I discovered, or perhaps rediscovered, is that certain legends as we know them have evolved into entire species — like the harpies, who were originally just three sisters in Greek mythology and nowadays show up everywhere in some form or another! Later in my series you’ll meet male harpies, too; if there’s an entire species of harpies, they can’t all be females!

6. Was it difficult to get your work published? What was the process? And do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

I publish my own work, and self-publishing can range from extremely easy to very fiddly, depending on your level of technical expertise. You can pay thousands of dollars and have it all done for you, or you can do it yourself for almost no cost. I like doing everything myself. I would advise starting out with CreateSpace.com (cheapest option) or Lulu.com (marginally quicker and easier), and publish your work almost for free. Do your own covers if you can, and format your own books. But if you can’t, then either learn how to do it or pay someone to do it for you. I would advise NOT to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars to publishing companies; from what I know of them, and after speaking to several authors who have used them, in the long run you’ll regret it.

I eventually moved on from CreateSpace to Lightning Source, who produce top-quality books at a better rate — but Lightning Source is not for the beginner. Learn the ropes first, and consider Lightning Source later on. One thing Lightning Source excels at is distribution — far better than CreateSpace or Lulu. Oh, and buy/use your own ISBNs if you can, otherwise you’ll end up with multiple editions of your books as you move around trying different services. As for electronic editions… again, I create my own ebooks for Kindle and Nook, but there are services that can convert your books for you.

Of course, before you publish, you have to actually write and finish the book. PLEASE don’t rush this process. Use proofreaders, preferably professionals. Your best buddy may heap praise on your book, but when it comes to polishing that manuscript, you don’t need your best buddy — you need someone with an excellent grasp of the English language and who is not afraid to point out major problems. Writing a book is a lot of fun during the first draft, but then it becomes hard work during the editing… and when it comes to publishing, it’s pure business.

Thanks Keith!!! Visit his site here http://www.unearthlytales.com