MEET KEVIN VOGLINO: AUTHOR TIMES SQUARE KISS

What or who inspired you to start writing? Reading was my inspiration for writing.
As a child, my Grandmother would read stories to me about rhyming cats with hats, magical wardrobes that would transport characters to new worlds and holiday tales of European countries. I was so excited and engrossed to hear her read I started to write my own stories and plays. Words were power to me. They had to be to make me feel such strong emotions with just one sentence of a tale.

How did you come up with your idea for Times Square Kiss?
The idea stemmed from my thesis at Wilkes University, then it grew into a larger writing project. I was writing a short story on American icons and photographs and had always had a certain affinity to Victor Jorgenson’s kiss of the sailor kissing the nurse in Times Square. Then, the “what if?” question presented itself as it so often does in writing. I knew where the story would end, and my goal was to write the story and get my characters to it. It changed many times along the way but ended in a way I love.

What expertise did you bring to your writing?
I had many mentors in my writing life. My mentor in graduate school at Wilkes University and still is today is David Poyer—novelist of over thirty military books. I had to choose a mentor in my graduate program and I bemused the idea of writing gay literature from the discipline of a military writer. It sounds contradictory, but it was the best choice I made with the program. It worked out splendidly. David’s mentor was John Gardner—an expert in fiction writing. Not only did I learn from Poyer but I also was learning from Gardner as well. I learned from the best. Some of my expertise comes from reading. I have read hundreds of books on writing and novels that are specific to what I want to write, such as description or dialogue. I need to read certain books while I’m writing to keep with the style I’m after for my project. Other times, I just need to write.

What would you want your readers to know about you that might not be in your bio?
I love sushi and don’t watch television and secretly love French men. Most weekends, late at night, after a good day of writing, I go dancing at New York’s’ premier gay clubs.

As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans?
I write almost everyday. If I’m not working on a book project or magazine article, then I am researching and reading. I plan to have my next book, Tea Time Boys, out within a year and keep producing novels after that. I am a fan of the romance genre and it seems all my stories have a romantic theme.

If you could be one of the characters from this book, who would it be and why?
I usually get the question of, which character am I in the book? It turns out that I am none of the characters in the book. Now, certain emotions, perhaps some of my personal experience absolutely contributes to the personalities I create with my characters, but they can never be me. If my character tastes something awful, then I use my experiences of what tastes terrible and give it to my character. If I had to choose, I would want to be Christian. I am a big sap for romance and do desire those perfect kisses—and I get them too. Christian came from a smaller town in Maryland, then ran away to London. I never ran away, but as a kid I thought about running away with Brad Pitt or Ricky Martin dozens of times. Remember Brad’s debut in Thelma and Louise? I so wanted to be there in that convertible. Instead, at 18 I moved to Philadelphia, then eventually to New York. Race has certain endurance attributes that I can relate to as well.

What is the best and worst advice you ever received? (regarding writing or publishing)
Some of the greatest advice I’ve received in my writing life is to persevere. It is a tough business to spend hours writing and editing alone, then getting rejection slips or crazy reviews, but it is part of the business and I do write because it is part of me and my stories need to come out. If someone wants to write, then write. That one-step makes them a writer. Do not let anyone tell you differently. If that writing project becomes a publishable book, then send it out, edit, and send it out again. Repeat all steps hundreds of times. I cannot stress how important it is to research when writing. I spend fifty percent of my time researching. By research, I mean in libraries, online, magazines and on-site trips, newspapers, interviews, and phone calls. For Times Square Kiss I spent time with the Amish culture. I actually met someone with some of Samuel’s characteristics. He was quite hot too, but his Rumspringa had been over. I also found myself dancing in some drag shows—not in drag. I also cannot produce an accurate description of what an Amish meal tastes like until I eat it. I do find myself in such insane situations sometimes-stay away from Chitlins—oh my, but these life experiences add to my writing. Most importantly, find a partner who supports your writing or your writing and relationship will not make it. I am very lucky to have full support from my partner. I know I can be a cranky bitch at times or just so caught up in my writing that when dinner is ready and when I come to the table the meal is cold. My dear partner heats it up and then learns to call me a half an hour before the meal is actually served. He’s so brilliant.

Do you outline your books or just start writing?
I do outline my book projects. In fact, I have three others outlined and my next book; tentatively titled Tea Time Boys has been outlined with a first draft that should be completed by September. Now, outlines are not hieroglyphics, they can be altered. For instance, my first outline’s chapter one can end up in chapter ten or deleted. It gives me a place to start, then I can create my world.

Anything else you might want to add?
Writing is my life and you will see how important it is to me in my book with humor, sensitivity, descriptions, and research. Please email me, facebook me, follow me on TWITTER to get to know me even more.