JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Keith Kareem Williams, author of Death in the City
Death in the City is an anthology of intersecting stories that will give readers a raw, brutally honest and tragically beautiful view of urban life in the confines of a monstrous metropolis. On the pages of this book, you’ll read stories that feature characters that are sworn to protect and serve as well as protagonists who live far outside of the law. There are also chapters that feature working class residents of a corrupt city who are desperately trying to survive their trying circumstances.
Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the inspiration to write Death in the City?
Keith Kareem Williams: Death in the City is an adaptation of a screenplay I wrote a few years ago titled, Gun Worship. Finding the funds to actually make the film proved to be challenging (to put it mildly), so I decided to convert it into a novel. I loved the storyline so much that I was desperate to get it into the hands of my readers, one way or another.
JP: What sets Death in the City apart from other books in the same genre?
KKW: Death in the City is an Urban Thriller, but its trippy surrealism and wide spectrum of storylines make it unique. It reads like an exciting anthology, loaded with memorable characters, all struggling with different issues as they try to survive in a cruel city.
JP: As an author, what are the keys to your success that led to Death in the City getting out to the public?
KKW: For me, the key to getting my work out to the public has always been my ability to get out in the streets to promote my books. I’ve always taken a hands-on approach. Although it’s taken some time, I’m finally beginning to get the recognition for my work after years of pounding the pavement.
JP: As an author, what is your writing process? How long did it take you to start and finish Death in the City?
KKW: For Death in the City, my writing process quickly became more complicated than I expected. Although I had already laid the foundation for the overall plot in the screenplay version, adapting it into a novel was tricky. I actually added more storylines, and I worried about it all becoming confusing to the reader. After many sleepless nights and stressful writing sessions, I got it all to flow smoothly.
JP: What’s next for Keith Kareem Williams?
KKW: Next up, I plan to release a novel titled, Love in the City, written in the same style I used for Death in the City, but, as the title suggests, with a totally different theme. Readers will be excited to see some of their favorite characters from Death in the City appear once again on the pages of Love in the City.
http://reemafterdark.wixsite.com/reemafterdark
https://twitter.com/ReemAfterDark
https://www.facebook.com/keithkareemwilliams
https://plus.google.com/107187147376162217446
http://reemafterdark.blogspot.com/
“In interviews, one of the most difficult questions I’ve been asked is: What genre are your novels? Honestly, I never write with any particular style in mind. I enjoy blending styles and mashing different genres together in interesting ways.
Basically, I pen whatever is in my heart and soul. If I had to describe my style, I would use musical terms. I write Urban, Hip-Hop fiction with the rhythm of Reggae that crashed into Heavy Metal and then began to bleed Neo Soul. I write Alternative Urban Fiction.”
~ Keith Kareem Williams