On October 31, 2017 By Kuyperian In Books, Family and Children, Interviews 1

Author Interview: Remy Wilkins

So your novel Strays is available (for order) . What’s it about? What inspired the story?

It’s about a boy named Rodney who has to spend the summer at his weird uncle’s and gets caught up in a demonic invasion. The major influence is The Screwtape Letters, which is a book that never goes more than a couple of years without being pulled off my shelf. The other point of inspiration is Martin Luther, particularly his dealings with Satan. His legendary abuse of the devil has always tickled me. His hymn A Mighty Fortress is also a touchstone and I use its lyrics as chapter titles.

Canon Press, 2017

I love the title. Is it too much of a spoiler to ask what the name is about?

There are several characters to whom the title could apply and that’s part of the fun of the novel. Rodney has to determine who is trustworthy and even examine his own loyalties. Strays was an idea I’d had for years, which grew from a fairy tale I’d invented for my sons called Little Lost Demon. When that story was scaled into a full length novel a title change was necessary, especially since I find it very difficult to write without a satisfying title. Plus I was in need of a third act twist and Strays fit that need perfectly.

How long was the whole writing process of Strays? Were there any discouragements that you had to overcome as you were writing the book?

There were innumerable setbacks, the first being that I don’t have the ability to drop into a novel an hour here and there and write fruitfully. For me to write, at least in novel form, I need a stretch of days uncluttered by my day job. As a teacher I have a couple of months off, so after holding down a summer job for a number of years I finally decided to use the time to write. I began the first draft in the summer of 2012. Halfway through I realized that I had numerous plot problems so I shelved it until Christmas break. I ruminated on the problems and workshopped my solutions so that over the two week break I was able to rewrite and rework what I’d written. Then during the next summer I “finished” it. Put this way it doesn’t sound so bad, but trust me when I reached the end of the first summer and realized that I had half a broken novel it wasn’t the happiest of times. I’m also keeping an account of lost wages and holding it against the novel too. It’s my tiny act of revenge for all the suffering I went through.

When you are looking for character inspiration, where do you look? Are there people in your life that are secretly also characters in your fiction?

I do find that it’s easier to write a character when I have a visual, but I haven’t done that yet. I usually just take bits of people, someone’s walk, another’s laugh, and weave them into who I have in mind. For example, Rodney’s uncle is bristly bearded and full of chuckles, something that was helpfully crystallized by a couple of jolly bearded fellows I know. I do the same thing when I read to my boys. I’m much more consistent with the voices if I can tie them to an actor or (more commonly) a Muppet. When reading Harry Potter I used John Malkovich for Snape and a raspy Scooter for Ron Weasley.

Are there writers or books that Strays is interacting with or inspired by?

As I said above, The Screwtape Letters was the chief inspiration. I love the world CS Lewis created. It’s quite a sinister little book, but his depiction of the demons as petty, cruel and more than a little self-defeating is powerfully insightful. And the fun I had creating demon names was the most fun I’ve had during any project ever. I have a folder full of demon names that I didn’t use and more came well after I was finished writing. Here’s just a small sample of unused names: Scumwidget, Bilklog, Fog-jibbet, Ooze-rug, I could go on.

While you write, do you listen to music for inspiration?

Remy Wilkins is a teacher, poet and author. His first book StRays, a YA novel, is released by Canon Press on All Hallows’ Eve, 2017

author, canon press, canonball books, fiction, interview, new literature, remy wilkins, yafiction

About the Author / Kuyperian

Why Abraham Kuyper? Abraham Kuyper was a 19th century theological and political figure. His interests were broad. He was not merely satisfied with the intellectualization of ideas, but also the implementation of ideas. He was known as the “theologian of the people.” His time as a pastor gave him a unique sense of the needs of the people. Kuyper defended a localist vision. He knew that significant change did not begin at the top, but at the local level. Further, he opposed the vicious totalitarian tendencies of his culture. He even began his own political party as a way of combating these dangerous threats. Thus, in more ways than one, Kuyper represents a moral libertarian vision; a vision which is also compatible with traditional conservatism.