Interview with Chris Kennedy

Jimbo’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Reviews: Welcome, once again to Interviews with Jimbo. Or sumfin’. Listen, I’ve done a few of these now and I’m starting to think I should have a name for them. I haven’t picked one out because I always the interview I’m writing will probably be the last one, but I always seem to be wrong. So, if you’ve got an idea for a good one, drop it in the comments. And look at me. I’m off topic already.

With us today is Chris Kennedy, author and owner of Chris Kennedy Publishing. Chris is one of the creators of the Four Horsemen Universe, so full disclosure: I am the Public Relations Officer for The Mercenary Guild: The Official Four Horsemen Universe Fan Association. I may be fanboying a bit here but, almost four hundred posts in, I’ve earned it. So let’s see if we can catch Chris off balance with a tough question up front. It’s an honor to have you, Chris. How are you today?

Chris Kennedy: I’m doing great. Thanks a lot for having me today, Jimbo.

JSFFR: Glad to hear it. I’m a little perplexed as to how to start this interview, so I guess I’ll just start here. I’ve read a whole freaking lot of authors in my life. I’ve been an avid reader since before I started kindergarten in <REDACTED>, and that was a long time ago. Offhand, I can think of like three who have started their own publishing companies. What made you decide to start yours?

CK: Like becoming an author, it just kind of happened. I published the first few books I wrote myself. They did pretty well, and a few people came up to me and said, “You look like you know what you’re doing. Would you publish mine, too?” I did, and after a (not really long) while, I had published fifteen books by other people. One morning I woke up and realized, “Holy cow! I’m a publisher!” With that realization, I started acting like a publisher and everything just kind of flowed from there. Now I have over 400 books published from other people, not counting all the ones I’ve done in German, French, and Spanish.

JSFFR: That’s awesome! So tell me a little bit about Chris Kennedy Publishing itself and whatever imprints you might have that are part of the company. What does each imprint specialize in? Drop a link to the website if you don’t mind.

CK: The main website is here: https://chriskennedypublishing.com/. Chris Kennedy Publishing focuses on fun, message-free science fiction and fantasy. It specializes in military scifi but can be found across the spectrum of both scifi and fantasy. There have been a few others in the past, but there are five imprints currently publishing:

Theogony Books: The umbrella imprint for most scifi like Salvage Title, The Last Marines, The Lunar Free State, and The Prince of Britannia.

Seventh Seal Press: The imprint for the Four Horsemen Universe.

New Mythology Press: The imprint for fantasy.

Blood Moon Press: The umbrella imprint for several post-apocalyptic series like “The Fallen World.”

Quillcraft Press: The imprint that helps novice authors build their craft and business.

All of these can be found on the main website. Readers can join the mailing list at https://chriskennedypublishing.com/newsletter-2/ to get a free short story in the Four Horsemen Universe and keep up with all the special sales and promotions.

JSFFR: Awesome! Thanks! I’ve always had a bit of trouble keeping that all straight. I know you probably can’t get to everybody, but who, other than yourself, are a few of your best-selling authors? 

CK: Wow, that’s tough. Where do I draw the line on that? Here are some of our best known, in no particular order: Kevin Steverson, Kevin Ikenberry, Mark Wandrey, William S. Frisbee Jr., Fred Hughes, Kacey Ezell, Marisa Wolf, Jon R. Osborne, Rob Howell, Nick Steverson, Melissa Olthoff, Casey Moores, and D.T. Read. If you’ve read all their books, let me know, and I’ll give you another group of names.

JSFFR: I know you’ve got some mega universes out there, and I frankly haven’t been able to keep up with all of them. Name a few, give me the titles of the first books in the series, and drop a buy link or two if you don’t mind. 

CK: Sure. We have four main shared universes. They are:

The Four Horsemen Universe, which starts with “Cartwright’s Cavaliers.”

https://chriskennedypublishing.com/product/cartwrights-cavaliers-ebook/

The Salvage Title Universe, which starts with “Salvage Title.”

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H8Q3HBV/

Murphy’s Lawless, which starts with “Shakes.”

https://chriskennedypublishing.com/product/shakes-ebook/

The Fallen World, which starts with “This Fallen World.”

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KHLG54J/ 

Of note, Salvage Title is also being made into a series of movies, which we’re really proud of.

JSFFR: Awesome. With a big series it’s important to know where to start. I bought a few books in the middle of a series when I was a kid and hadn’t learned any better yet. But help me out here: I know you and Mark Wandrey created the Four Horsemen Universe. Tell us all how that came to happen.

CK: Like all good author deals, this one started in a bar. Mark and I were at a convention in Indianapolis one year, and he approached me with an idea for the series, for which he already had the first book mostly written. I liked the idea so much, I wrote the second book before he’d even completed the first. Everything just kind of exploded from there, and we’re now approaching 100 books in the series. It’s so much fun as a universe that lots of authors have wanted to play in it.

JSFFR: Sounds like fun! So, I know you’re just starting to sell your own work instead of strictly on Amazon. Help me out here. What’s the link to your store? Will all or only some of your titles be featured? I know a lot of CKP fans buy your titles on Kindle Unlimited. Will they still be available there? And, since I just looked and this part of the site isn’t up yet, when will books be available to purchase at chriskennedypublishing.com?

CK: Due to the way Kindle Unlimited works, if you’re in it, you CAN’T sell books anywhere else. So, when I sell a book on the website, I have to pull it out of KU first. Typically, that’s why we’re starting with a lot of the back catalogue that doesn’t get a lot of love on KU, but all are great books that are worth a read. The benefit of the shop is that it gives us the ability to run great sales that aren’t permitted on KU and sell signed copies of the books people want, as well as swag.

The shop is now live. You can find it here: https://chriskennedypublishing.com/shop/. 

JSSFR: I saw you mention something about a coming swag shop on your website. I know it’s not up yet, but what are you looking at offering there? Any idea when it will be open? No pressure, but it’s almost Christmas. Also, I know there are some Four Horsemen Universe pieces available for purchase already. Where can I find those?

CK: We’re still deciding, but we’re looking at selling a variety of patches, shirts, art, coins, and other things. All of these will be brought in as we can get them sourced.

JSFFR: Cool beans. That’s enough of the publisher Chris Kennedy. Let’s talk to the author Chris Kennedy for a minute. It looks like (assuming I’m remember correctly) your most recent work to be published in English is To Challenge Heaven with David Weber. Tell us a bit about the book, about the Out of the Dark series and let us know how it was working with David Weber. Drop a link.

CK: Actually, my most recent series is the Uplink Squadron series of books. In order to stop an alien invasion, we develop the ability to plug into your space fighter and control it merely by thinking about what you want it to do. There are, however, accidents that occur, and shenanigans result. I really love this series and am really proud of it. You can find it here:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09X4W1R6T/

As far as writing with David goes, I’ve written two books with him, “Into the Light” and “To Challenge Heaven.” Writing with David is awesome—as you might expect—and I learned a lot as a writer doing it.

JSFFR: We’ve talked a bit about the 4HU up to this point, but tell us about some of your other works. I know I’ve reviewed some of your books here but I don’t think I’ve gotten to all of them. If you drop a link, people are more likely to buy. I’m just sayin’. 

CK: Uplink Squadron, for sure. I also have the Occupied Seattle series, which starts out with “Red Tide” (which is available on the web site here: https://chriskennedypublishing.com/product/red-tide-ebook/) and has “Occupied Seattle,” Janissaries,” and eight more books after it. My most recent books in the 4HU are “The Lyons’ Pride” and “World Enders.” “Pride” can be read without reading the previous books and is available here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B96JZB1B/. 

JSFFR: Awesome. I don’t want to hold you up too badly, so we’ll skip to the last question. This is something I ask everyone I interview on the blog. What question did I not ask that you wish I would have, and how would you have answered it?

CK: One of the things I get asked about all the time is, “Do your anthologies have open spots for new authors?” The answer is, “yes.” We always try to save four slots for new authors to compete for so that they can get a leg up. I got into an anthology I probably didn’t deserve to be in when I was just starting out, and this is my attempt to pay it forward. New authors (and anyone else for that matter) can join the mailing list at https://chriskennedypublishing.com/newsletter-2/ to find out about upcoming opportunities. Readers also get the free short story mentioned above and info on all the great upcoming sales and promotions.

JSFFR: That’s all I’ve got for today. Thanks for taking the time, Chris. It means a lot to me and the rest of your fans. Enjoy your holidays, and know you’re always welcome here at Jimbo’s!