Rather than my typical book review today, I am doing a sneak peek at a new feature on my blog. I am going to implement Saturday Spotlight. This will be posted every week or every other week…I hope. The aim of this is to bring some attention to some lesser-known indie authors. If I can help get their names out into the bookish world and even help them get one book sale, my mission is complete. 

Not only is this a sneak peek of Saturday Spotlight, but Freebie Friday! Every Friday I am going to post a book that I found via Amazon Kindle or Barnes & Noble nook that is free. This is my gift to my readers. It helps spread the word about those books and their authors…but honestly, who doesn’t love trying a new book for free?! I know I do. I have more books than I can keep track of because I have downloaded so many free ones. It is easy to get carried away.

I want to give back to some of these amazing authors. They work so hard to bring us great stories, the least I can do is give them some support in any way I am able. So…here goes out first ever Author Spotlight!

Today I am proud to introduce Kent Wayne. He recently had a website designed for his work, you can find it here. I follow his blog (Dirty Sci-Fi Buddha) and see him constantly promoting his novel. So naturally, I asked him if he would participate in my first ever author spotlight, which he enthusiastically agreed to! He was more than happy to answer any questions I had, so of course I made a list of interview questions, but first let me tell you a little about Kent.

About the Author

Here is what Kent has to say about himself on his website.

Hello everybody, my name is Kent Wayne. I’ve started getting requests for more personal info so I thought I’d put up this author page. I know it is commonly practiced social media etiquette to have lots of pictures and access to personal life available, but I tend to veer the other way. I like my privacy. Sorry if that offends you. I’m not trying to be rude.

I spent around ten years in the military. I was never a sex-nuts strong, roided-out Bin-laden-wasting-stud, nor was I a fat, whiny, high-and-tight (it’s the stereotypical military haircut) wearing pencil-pusher that lived to yell at people about uniform and haircut regulations because he was bullied in high school and couldn’t get a date (sorry about the bluntness, that’s the military for you). Within those two extremes, I fall somewhere in between. I’m not going to get specific about units or what branch I was in. That was a different person, and it doesn’t matter now anyways. I’m out and done with that stuff. While it definitely informs my writing, the chapter has closed on that part of my life.

I prefer not to be thanked for my service. Plenty of great articles out there that can express why better than I ever could.

My view on the military, just to try and give you some insight on my perspective (without waxing overly long): The military is a reflection of society. Of humanity. Within it, you can find behavior that is villainous, heroic, idiotic, and genius. The full spectrum. And just like life, one person can exhibit some of each. That’s pretty much always the case, too. Nobody is a badass 100% of the time. Nobody is a piece of shit 100% of the time. I find most portrayals of the military reductive in that it doesn’t recognize this basic fact: The military is made up of humans, and they are subject to human nature. When it becomes clear that shitbags can become amazing and heroes can become convicted of child molestation and end up as scum, then the folly of using a label to reduce somebody to hero, baby-killer, badass, or brainwashed becomes shortsighted and childish.

This is everywhere, not just the military. I’m resigned to the idea that humans love to turn something into an easy-to-get-riled about, simplistic point of view. But I have seen it get better as I get older, so I have hope. I think the internet and the increased ease of sharing information has a lot to do with it. The great lesson I learned from the military: Ideals are nice and soul-stirring, but people tend to get blinded by them. It is the ability to perceive the minutely relevant changes instance to instance, circumstance to circumstance, that will carry you. It is not comfortably reductive idealism, but all-inclusory awareness that will let you navigate not just life, but all of existence.

(Hops off the soapbox) I know that’s a poor bio, but I hope that through my obnoxiously grandiose statement you will find out more about me than if I were to list a chronological series of life events. And I hope it wasn’t too pretentiously poetic. As a character from one of my favorite authors said about a bunch of mentally masturbatory goth vampire wannabes: “Too much time on their hands. Leads to poetry.” (Just kidding. I love poetry. Some of it. Maybe.)

Thanks for checking out my works! To all you writers, I wish you inspired drafting and insightful editing!

Kent Wayne

From the first time I read one of Kent’s blog posts, I liked him. He is so open and honest…he does not change who he is to please others. This is what we need more of, those not afraid to be themselves. If you would like to follow Kent, you can do so at these locations:

Facebook

Twitter

Amazon

Goodreads

Kent’s Novels

Echo Volume 1: Approaching Shatter