His Words of Wrath: Kody Boye’s Journey into Dark Worlds
I had the pleasure of doing an interview with Kody Boye, an author with an impressive collection of titles under his belt. His stories center on supernatural and enigmatic beings, but also with a heaping dose of action and a flavoring of the erotic.
Tell our readers a little about yourself and the books you write.
My name is Kody Boye. I’m a horror and dark fantasy writer that lives in the greater Dallas/Fort Worth area of Texas. As of recent, I’ve been writing urban fantasy (ala The Kaldr Chronicles and the forthcoming Scarlet Jane series.) I also provide freelance copyediting and book formatting services to self-published authors and small presses, as well as blog about my struggles with HIV and mental illness.
Do you remember how you first got the inspiration for the Kaldr?
I got the inspiration for them when I was fourteen when I was actively submitting work to publishers in the hopes of being traditionally published. I wrote a short story entitled His Touch Is Of Ice (about a young man who meets a mysterious and enigmatic supernatural creature) that later became a full-length novel of the same name. I decided to rewrite it once I was older and more experienced and built the mythology around the Kaldr during this time.
The world of the Kaldr seems familiar and very well fleshed out. How did you create the world for your characters?
The world the Kaldr inhabit in the central/North Texas area was inspired by my time in Texas. I lived in the capital (Austin) for five years (from 2010 to 2015) and I wanted to give tribute to my experience(s) in said city while writing about an area that I knew.
What was it like to write about a threesome rather than just a couple?
It was interesting, to say the least. I know/have known a few people who have been in polyamorous relationships and I wanted to reflect how normal it could be through Jason, Aerick and Guy’s relationship in the third Kaldr Chronicles novel His Words of Wrath. It was refreshing to bring another romance into a preexisting mix, especially considering that Aerick is so different from either Guy or Jason.
Does music help or hinder when you’re writing?
Music without lyrics tends to help me concentrate more when I’m struggling to get into the zone. Sometimes when I can’t get into what I’m writing, I throw a soundtrack on to block out the world. That seems to help more often than not.
If you could spend a day with just one character, which one would it be and why?
I don’t think I’d want to spend a day with any of them, to be perfectly honest. The world I’ve established in The Kaldr Chronicles and the upcoming Scarlet Jane universe, while similar to ours, is far more dangerous once you start delving into the paranormal underbelly of it. If I was forced to choose, it would probably be Scarlet.
Since you’re working on wrapping up the current series, are you okay with giving hints about any upcoming projects?
Blood Night, the first in the Scarlet Jane series of novels, is my current work-in-progress. It tells the story of what happens to a young black woman after she returns home from a sports game to find that her mother has been murdered by a monster, and her eventual search for revenge against it.
Who are some of your favorite authors?
Stephen King, Poppy Z. Brite, Christopher Rice, Jennifer Haigh and Tristan Egolf (rest in peace) are some of my favorite authors. Some of my favorite books include Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Dead Spots by Rhiannon Frater and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.
If you could change any one thing about a popular story, book, or movie, what would it be?
I’m not sure I’ve ever read a story where I’ve wanted to change anything that happens, to be perfectly honest. The favorites I’ve read have been perfect in their own right. If I’ve ever wanted to change anything about a book, it would have been the things that have made me put them down (though most books I set down tend to be out of boredom or a general dislike of the subject matter.)
Is there anything about the characters which people might not know, but you’d like them to?
Everything about Scarlet Jane, whom I love quite dearly, will be revealed in the next few Scarlet Jane novels. Blood Night, the first, is one I hope to release in early 2017.
I know you love video games. Which ones are your favorites?
I love massive-multiplayer online games such as Guild Wars and Black Desert Online, but I also love games such as Borderlands, The Sims, the Mass Effect, Dragon Age and Fallout series, and many more.
Do any particular themes keep popping up in your stories? If so, do you know why?
The theme of tragedy tends to come up in my stories quite often, as does mental illness. The former I attribute to my rough childhood. The latter I know comes from my own struggles with Bipolar Disorder, PTSD and Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
You can find Kody Boye on Twitter, Facebook, and on his Website.
