Kyle Spencer Author Interview

A Monk’s Tail follows a monster hunting fox that must protect his friend from a fiendish warlord. What was your inspiration for the setup to this thrilling novel?

There really was no ‘inspiration’, per se. Writing for me started out (and still is) something I do to center myself after a long or stressful day. I would have a bunch of what-if situations and flesh them out a bit. The characters in the what-if that eventually became A Monk’s Tail really stuck with me, so I rolled with it.

The characters are all anthropomorphic animals that are multilayered characters. What choices went into what character would be which animal?

Basically the decision-making process was, “What animals do I like?” Red Pandas are my favorite so I just went with them for the main character. Although I did want Susi to be more diminutive to showcase her spunky, firecracker personality, so having her be a mouse was a more intentional decision.

I loved the dialogue throughout the story. What were some themes you wanted to capture in their conversations and relationships?

The main theme for my book is “fun”; if you’re entertained, I did my job. So the dialogue is injected with lots of humor that gives each character their own quirks. I also love languages (although I’m not the best at learning them), so I wanted to incorporate different languages and accents to give my world more depth.

What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?

I’ve got a few irons in the fire, but the most immediate work is a direct sequel to A Monk’s Tail. It’s a love letter to Japan that introduces a lot of folklore, monsters, and historical figures. Anyone who’s interested in the Sengoku period of Japan, yokai, or the culture in general will enjoy this book, which will be available during the second quarter of 2019.

Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Website

For Bow, a gun-toting, hard-drinking, foul-mouthed firefox monk, life as a monster-hunter is pretty straightforward. Until, that is, he runs afoul of a power-hungry warlord and gets himself imprisoned. There he helps a young maus named Susi escape, but in doing so unleashed nightmarish forces hellbent on capturing his new ward. Now, with the help of a giant bear alchemist and a violent nun, Bow must stay one step ahead of his perusers and certain death. But Susi is harboring a dark secret, one that could spell doom for them all.