Keith Thomas Walker Interview Published on: 31, Dec 2020

I grew up extremely poor. Most of the trouble I got into as a kid was poverty related. Unlike most of the children in my neighborhood who shoplifted toys and candy, me and my brother pilfered bologna and wieners – but we stole plenty of candy too!

My favorite memory from college was writing my first book. It was actually horribly written, but I shared it with my creative writing class as I wrote it, and they enjoyed it. I couldn’t get that book published at the time, but I later published it after I had a few books under my belt.

My favorite Stephen King novel as a child was Cujo. Granted, that book left me with a fright of dogs, big dogs in particular, but the psychological warfare the protagonist experienced while trapped in a car with her ailing child is writing at its finest!

For me, I think murder mysteries are the most challenging, because you have to weave a lot of things into the plot. But despite the challenges, these stories are the most fun and rewarding.

I began writing the Finley High series after observing the lack of depth in YA literature when my daughter was in high school. I remember reading Walter Dean Myers when I was her age. As we looked for books for her to read, I began wondering where were the stories with real people who looked like her? All we seemed to find were witchcraft and vampire stories, which are very popular, but I wanted her to have a YA experience similar to mine. So, as an author, I decided to create those stories for her.

Charles from Dripping Chocolate was (I’ve written more books since then, and I believe I have a new favorite) my favorite character because of his downtrodden redemption story. Charles had a rough life, ended up in prison, and had to claw his way back to the American dream. He struggled every step of the way, especially with the children he had to reconnect with. And when he finally made it, tragedy struck once again. His story is unique. He’s a classic tragic hero, in every sense of the word.

Lol. No, I don’t believe I relate to Daniel, other than his conniving. Daniel is a true hustler, and I do have a lot of that in me.

I wouldn’t say I had an inspiration for Jada, not in the basic sense. Rarely have I met someone who wowed me so much that I was inspired to create a whole character based on them. But I worked at a hospital for 14 years, and Jada is a collective of many caregivers I’ve known throughout the years. Nurses are among the most compassionate people in the world. Jada needed every bit of that compassion to heal Evan.

Variety is truly the spice of life. Including multiple genres in one story gives the readers the best of both (or multiple) worlds. For me, as long as the foundation is romance, you can add any other genre to the story and produce something special.

Lol. Well, I can’t say if I’m truly the “master” of any genre, but someone called me that early on, and I’ve clung to it. Hey, if you don’t believe in yourself, who will? Gotta speak it into existence!

I’ve written nearly three dozen novels. Over the years, my style has become more direct, without so many fillers. I still paint very beautiful pictures, but in most cases, less detail is better. My books flow a lot more succinctly nowadays. When writing action scenes, I need them to be fast-paced. Too many details slow you down.

I love to eat all types of food, so it’s hard to pick one restaurant. If I had to pick a favorite place, I guess I’d go with the Cheesecake Factory, because their menu is so extensive. No matter what I’m in the mood for, there’s a good chance I can find it there.

My next book will be the third and final installment for Asha and Boom. I haven’t started it yet, but I have most of the story mapped out in my head.

I’ve had a great experience with this platform. Being a self-published author is very tricky and time consuming. Having a partner like AllAuthor to share some of the load is extremely helpful.