Rising Stars: Meet Kevin Cady

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kevin Cady.

Hi Kevin, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Thirteen years ago I moved to Colorado for grad school after being a climbing instructor for a couple of years after college. The move was life-changing, and it was near immediately that I realized this was where I needed and wanted to be.

By 2010 I had started working as an English teacher at a budding charter school, and I realized my interest in writing novels was a proclivity I couldn’t ignore. I’ve always loved the development of stories, be it in film, music, or in literature, and I had a fairly large-scale idea I wanted to create. This idea is what turned into The Elijah Warren Files, a trilogy I self-published and released in 2015 (A Solitary Awakening), 2016 (Crooked Principles), and 2017 (Truth’s Illusion).

From the idea’s incipience, I knew it needed to be a trilogy, so I spent time writing and perfecting the three books in the years 2011 and 2012, eventually finding the confidence to release them into the world.

Since then, I’ve had various side-projects, including a short horror/science fiction story featured by The Modbo Art Gallery in downtown Colorado Springs, where the piece was narrated by a local talent named Ishhod Collins, and illustrated by another local talent, Hunter Chambers. It was an amazing opportunity, to combine the world of writing, theater, and visual art.

Just this past year I published my most recent novel, Depths of Dante, which won a Book Excellence Award in the horror genre.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
The road toward any creative success is certainly not smooth, but I believe persistence is the major thing I can control.

By self-publishing my books, I am faced with a plethora of challenges, including a lack of funding for marketing, the full responsibility for the product released, keeping up with technology to ensure images and files are as perfect as can be, and the necessity to work and excel in a full-time job simultaneously. Not necessarily unique challenges to an author, but challenges nonetheless.

While working tirelessly to create my brand of dark mystery, I can recognize very little happens in monstrous waves of success. Therefore, with each book release or day adding to a narrative, I am hopefully one step closer to my books becoming more recognized.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I write dark mysteries, and my novels stand out from many on the shelf. My work generally has a loose connection to the murder mystery genre, but with added elements that cultivate this “dark” moniker.

An unbiased review company, Foreword Clarion, called Truth’s Illusion, “A sinister masterpiece that conjures visceral emotions and stomach-churning images. Cady’s stylized prose penetrates the darkest crevices of the imagination.”

Book Excellence said, regarding Depths of Dante, “The overall plot line is original and compelling from the start with Cady’s writing as descriptive, articulate and well-paced as ever. The world-building and vivid imagery bring a dark complexity to the story—a feature that sets this book apart from others in its genre. The book offers new perspectives on the grim and dire aspects of humanity today with unexpected twists and turns readers won’t soon forget.”

Hearing and reading feedback on my novels, both positive and negative, remain some of the most enlightening moments in my writing career. I want to talk about the ideas in the books. I want to discuss the layers. I want to hear how the novels have pulled you in or affected you, or what maybe you didn’t appreciate as a reader. I place significant value in feedback, and I’ll always strive for the next dark mystery to be better than the last.

We love surprises, fun facts, and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
People might think, because I write dark mysteries and I kind of revel in dark ideas and aesthetics, that my personality is wholly that. But I think darkness may at times reveal what might be light, or positive. People that actually know me I think recognize me as kind and thoughtful (hopefully…). Maybe soft when it comes to people’s emotions? Like, I can’t stand seeing people hurt or upset, despite crafting some visceral agony in the books. Haha.

But I don’t know. I certainly try to exude those things in my relationships, be it in my classroom, with my wife, or with my friends. I try really hard to be a positive factor in people’s lives, even though I create some pretty dark mysteries for readers to experience.

Maybe a surprising reveal is that I watch The Bachelorette…

Well…now that’s out there… Haha.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kevincadyauthor.com
• Instagram: @kevincadytheauthor
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/people/Kevin-Cady-Author/100009350129305