Our Interview with Ken Scudero!

                                      

Bio

"Comfortably Awkward: is Kenny Scudero's debut self-published novel. He is a twenty-two year old author from New York City who looks forward to a bright future in writing. Kenny recently graduated from St. John's University where he majored in Sport Management. At St. John's, Kenny was Sports Editor for the University newspaper. After not being able to find a job after graduation, Kenny wrote "Comfortably Awkward" based off that frustration. He is currently working on his second novel which will be out in the fall of 2012. Visit kennyscudero.com for more information.
Bio provided by author

It was our pleasure to get an opportunity to interview an industrious young man who has written about his experience of being fresh out of college and looking for a job. So please get comfortable and grab a your favorite warm mug of beverage and please give a sincere welcome to Ken!

1. What makes for a good hook in your stories? Where does your inspiration come from?

A. What makes for a good hook in your stories? Where does your inspiration come from? I love writing ambiguously, especially at the end. I think that a cliff-hanger ending where you let the audience decide for themselves what happens at the end are the best kinds of endings. When I see something in everyday life that either bothers me, makes me laugh, or intrigues me, I like to write about it. I’m inspired by real things, and then I tweak the realness to create a funny yet meaningful story.

 

2. Are you an organized writer? Do you do things like take notes and make lists of characters? Or do you free write and work it out as you go?

A. Are you an organized writer? Do you do things like take notes and make lists of characters? Or do you free write and work it out as you go? I guess I do a little bit of both. Yes, I think I’m an organized writer when I begin an idea or a story. But once I have that idea in my head, I can sit down for five hours in a row on my laptop and just type away. I usually start with some sort of outline, but by the time I start writing, I pretty much write as I go.

3. What is your normal writing day like? Do you write when you are inspired or do you have a schedule?

A. What is your normal writing day like? Do you write when you are inspired or do you have a schedule? I would like to be able to have a writing schedule but it doesn’t always work that way. Some days, I can say to myself “Okay, I’m going to write 20 pages today” and I’ll be able to do it. Other days, I’ll have a tough time writing even one word. When I get writer’s block, I go out to a bar or a club or just walk around New York City and I come up with a lot of ideas.

4. Who is your favorite author and how did they inspire you to write?

A. Who is your favorite author and how did they inspire you to write? My favorite author is Hunter S. Thompson. He created gonzo journalism, kind of like creative nonfiction. I think that’s where I got some of my style of writing from. I see things and write about them in the first person while twisting the story to make it outrageous. The Rum Diary is one of my favorite books and I love the way Thompson writes in it.

5. It’s easy to see that you have a passion for writing but is there any part of it you don’t like?

A. It’s easy to see that you have a passion for writing but is there any part of it you don’t like? The only thing I don’t like is the formatting and marketing you have to do on your own as a self-published author. It would be a lot easier to just write and give it to my agent and publisher and let them do everything for me. If I could just write and not worry about formatting or marketing the book myself, I think I’d write about five books a year.

6. Do you make time to read and if you do what are you reading right now?

A.     Do you make time to read and if you do what are you reading right now? I don’t read as much as I’d like to but right now I’m reading Drive by James Sallis. I loved the movie so had to read the book.

7. How did you get into writing about humorous fiction? Is there personal life experience in the writing?

A. How did you get into writing about humorous fiction? Is there personal life experience in the writing? A lot of my favorite movies and TV shows are humorous with excellent writing. Larry David and Woody Allen are great writers who include a lot of dark comedy in their stories and they are two of my favorite writers. Life is just too short to be serious all the time and I’m thankful that I can usually find the humor in anything that happens to me. I don’t know about everyone else, but a lot of things that I experience are just too ironic to be coincidental. I think we are supposed to laugh at life.

8. Your books have been published with Amazon.com, Does this mean you see the publishing industry headed this way?

A. Your books have been published with Amazon.com, Does this mean you see the publishing industry headed this way? Yes, without a doubt. There are so many great writers out there who don’t get a chance to have an agent or a traditional publisher. Self-publishing allows anyone to put out their work and if it’s quality writing, it will find its way. The only problem is marketing your book and getting people to see it, because traditional publishers are experts at this. Hopefully it will eventually be easier for self-published authors like myself to get their work out there for people to see.

9. Do you have any online sites where others can read more of your writings?

A. Do you have any online sites where others can read more of your writings? My website is kennyscudero.com I have a blog on there where I write short stories and I write about pretty much anything that interests me. You can also read the first chapter of my novel on there.

10. Do you have any more stories in the works? What kinds of stories do you plan to write next?

A. Do you have any more stories in the works? What kinds of stories do you plan to write next? Yes, right now I’m working on another novel which isn’t going to be as humorous as Comfortably Awkward, it’s going to be more of a post-apocalyptic thriller. I’m also working on some short films I would like to put on YouTube and those will be more like Comfortably Awkward.

11. Who would be your first choice to play Albert Ferenzo from your book "Comfortably Awkward"?

A. Who would be your first choice to play Albert Ferenzo from your book "Comfortably Awkward"? I think Shia LaBeouf would make a great Albert Ferenzo. He’s got the charm and the softness that Albert has but he also has the conviction and courage to stand up for what he believes in, which I think makes Albert Ferenzo such a great character.

12. If you could meet anyone from any time who would it be and what would be your first question?

A. Rodney Dangerfield. I'd ask him how he was able to continue pursuing his dream even after he was rejected many times for over twenty years. Rodney tried being a comedian and entertainer for over twenty years before he finally got his big break on the Ed Sullivan Show. Then he became known to us as the funniest guy of all-time. It takes an incredible amount of patience and belief in oneself to do something like that.