Another authonomist published: Luke Keioskie's story

When Luke Keioskie created a writer’s profile on authonomy, he had no idea of what it would lead to. Now he’s just published his second novel, Dead America, and he couldn’t have done it without authonomy.



Tell us about DEAD AMERICA
Dead America is part detective noir, part horror, and all satire.

Private Investigator Jon Faraday thought finding a runaway girl would be easy money. But when the girl turns up dead - the first American in decades who hasn’t relived as a zombie - Faraday must hit the streets to find her killer.

Standing in his way are undead gangbangers, a police force rife with bigotry and lifism, and the zombie crime lord of Harlem. But with the help of a necrophilic pathologist, a severed head named Dorothy, and a reporter that would literally give her right arm for a story, Faraday must discover why the dead girl didn’t come back to life. And he better be quick before the animosity between the living and the dead sparks a riot that could burn New York City to the ground.

Welcome to Dead America. Land of the dead and home of the grave.

How did authonomy help you get published?
I’m a big fan of the site. authonomy allowed me to establish an online presence for myself and my unpublished novel. Having the ability to create a profile page, upload samples of my writing, discuss my favourite genres in forums and network with other writers was invaluable.

Being a writer is one of the toughest jobs in the world, due to the inherent isolation; but authonomy combats this isolation and reminds a writer that you’re aren’t alone, that there are other people struggling with their art and the industry just as much as you are.

Would you recommend authonomy to other writers?
Definitely. authonomy offers a fantastic ‘service’ to both published and amateur writers – it’s like Facebook for writers. authonomy lets you showcase your work in a free flowing forum, a place where writers, publishers and readers can sample fiction work they wouldn’t normally be able to access. The site opens up new avenues for promotion, while also allowing a writer to taste what other writers are doing in their genre.

How important is an online presence to a writer?
An online presence is crucial in the 21st Century. Publishing is like any industry, it’s evolving before our eyes, and the internet is a huge part of that evolution. An online presence lets a writer connect directly to their audience, bringing them down from the proverbial mountain and letting fans – both old and new – get to know the writer and the writing more intimately.

For Dead America, I established both a website (www.deadamerica.info) and a blog (www.deadamerica.info/deadlettercentre) to help promote the novel while it was unpublished, which, along with my profile on authonomy, helped me to secure Severed Press as my publisher. Given the publishing industry is getting harder and harder to break into, online is the equivalent of a foot in the door for emerging and developing writers.

Tell us about yourself
I’ve been a professional writer since the year 2000, having worked as a journalist, copywriter and web editor in Australia and the UK. In 2009 I graduated from the University of the Sunshine Coast with a Doctor of Creative Arts, which involved the writing and critical examination of a novel. I’ve lectured in Creative Writing, given book talks alongside Isobelle Carmody and Sonya Hartnett at the Melbourne Writer’s Festival, and been mentored by award-winning author Gary Crew. I live in Coffs Harbour and spend far too much time at the beach.

Where can you get Dead America?
The novel is currently available on Amazon and I’m hopeful it will be picked up for distribution in the next month.

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