Jeff R. Kelland is a 64-year-old native of Newfoundland who now makes his home on the banks of the Miramichi. Jeff is a talented, experienced writer of two novels and a prequel novella, innumerable essays, magazine articles, editorials, poetry, and prose that have appeared in a variety of publications over the years. He holds a first-class honours B.A. in philosophy and German, and a Master of Science in Community Health. Jeff is also a sought-after public speaker for various causes and conferences, a visual artist, and a veteran singer-songwriter and entertainer for over 40 years.
What inspired your first original story? Did you share the tale with anyone?
My love of literature inspired my first original story, written when I was around ten years old. Knowing I was only a novice writer, and aware as I was of the quality of the writing in the books I was reading, I was loath to share it with anyone else. The experience of writing it, however – choosing a storyline, coming up with characters, descriptions, and dialogue – I found thrilling, and I was hooked.
Do you remember the first book you read? Were you influenced by any teacher or English class to pursue writing?
I can honestly say I don’t remember the first book I read, probably because it is lost in the memories of the many books that immediately followed. The single greatest influence on my writing by a teacher was my 8th-grade English teacher. At the beginning of the year, he asked the students in the class to write an original aphorism, and the winner would have her/his saying written on the board for the whole year. He selected mine: “Some men die in wars; some wars die in men.” Seeing my words written on the board all year long gave me more confidence in my writing than anything else in my childhood.
How do you see the future of writing evolving in the next decade?
It is very hard to speculate about the future of writing, for the next decade and beyond. We are seeing socio-political divisions deepening globally; truth itself is under assault from all sides, whether it be people’s wilful ignorance or the many tech phenomena (deepfakes, AI, etc.). All forms of art and creative expression must suffer in such a world, and I’m afraid we will be suffering right along with it if we can’t slow down this disturbing trend and change our direction.
Do you ever worry about how your work may be received by readers who might find the content too controversial?
I cannot worry about how readers will receive controversial content in my books. I am only concerned with how well-written it is or how well the writing achieves what I intend. My approach to writing books is straightforward – find a major topic that needs a light shone on it, thoroughly research that subject, then write a fictional story that conveys what readers need to know about it, especially what they may not know about it. And in the foreword, or in a reader advisory as with The Dying Party, I will give my readers a heads-up so that they can be prepared for what they are about to read, or maybe even decide not to read it. After that, I’m concerned with the writing alone. In any case, it makes no sense for me to seek out the most crucial subject to which I need to bring awareness (which is usually controversial by nature), only to pull punches or shrink from the task in any way.
How do you approach creating complex and flawed characters, and what kind of research do you do to make sure the scenes in your novel, Grace Ungiven, are portrayed accurately and sensitively?
It really depends on the story I am writing. For example, with my first novel Grace Ungiven, which is about shining a light on the clerical child sexual abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Church and the plight of these children, my research included interviews with 100+ Catholics from all walks of life. From these I gleaned a wide range of personal observations, experiences, and perspectives which I used to extrapolate and fill out the existential thoughts and realities of my characters. This was crucial to accurately portraying what is going on in the church (not just the abuse), and how it is impacting everyday Catholics. My research strongly indicated that it is the many patriarchal ways that church leaders exercise so much power and control over the faithful that made the ongoing abuse scandal not only possible but inevitable, and I needed to create a set of characters that could get all this across to my readers. Creating and defining characters is one of the most enjoyable tasks when I’m writing a book of fiction.
I’ve always wondered: How do you know when a story is truly finished and ready to be released into the world?
A story I have written is finished and ready to be released when I am satisfied that a) it is written as well as my talents will allow, and b) it has been edited by a trusted professional or two; and c) it has succeeded in translating my research into an entertaining and informative story.
Are there any particular authors or books that have influenced your writing style in the suspense genre?
I’m not sure if there are any particular authors that have influenced my writing style in terms of suspense, but I will say that my approach and style of writing generally has been greatly influenced by the great writers I have enjoyed over the years, and none more than Robertson Davies and Leon Uris. I have read every word these two literary giants ever published and, taken together, their works have given me more inspiration and have influenced me more than any other authors’ works.
Do you typically plan out your stories ahead of time or do you let the plot develop organically as you write?
I always have a rough but complete outline of the plot of the story from beginning to end before I start writing, as well as vague outlines of the characters. The organic development comes in the writing, in the filling out of the characters, and in the connectivity, consistency, and flow of the plot. This is when I revel in my imagination and writing abilities and have the most fun.
How do you balance the need to keep readers on edge with the need to provide resolution and closure in your stories?
As a writer, with my approach, I do not see the need to balance keeping my readers on edge with the provision of resolution and closure in my stories. First, it is with the slow and progressive release of plot and character details that I keep my readers on edge and looking forward for more, and by making the end of each chapter a bit of a cliff-hanger. Second, the resolution of and closure in my stories may or may not even be important. In The Dying Party, for instance, it is precisely the lack of resolution and closure for humanity in the face of unstoppable climate change that is the essence of the story.
What are you currently working on? When can we expect a new book?
Currently I am working on a non-fiction audiobook book of my best essays, editorials, and aphoristic observations, which I intend to give voice to myself. This will take some time, as the essays will have to be chosen, then edited, and then compiled in an ordered way; then there is the process of recording my reading of them. Given that, in the end, it will be a collection that has captured my personal reactions to a wide variety of important events and topics, it will be titled If It Happens Out There, It Happens In Here.
Finally, please tell us why your book is only available in digital formats.
Thanks for asking! I explain my reasons in the book’s Afterword:
The research also brought me face to face with something those of us in the literary world have been slow to acknowledge: a small forest is sacrificed for every book published in print form. Given that deforestation is one of the primary causes of climate change, I have decided to release this novel and all future works in eBook form only. My research tells me that climate change is all too real, and we are perilously close to the tipping point. I want to do what I can and make sure I am no longer part of the problem. And I’m not stopping there.
As the old Chinese saw goes, for the whole forest to be green each tree must be green. If the science is right, we each must do our part. As an author who cares deeply about the future of the planet and my fellow inhabitants, especially my grandchildren, my humble contribution to solving the crisis is threefold: 1) writing and independent publishing The Dying Party; 2) to offer this and all my future books in eBook format only; and 3) after the costs of independently publishing The Dying Party and my first novel, Grace Ungiven, have both been covered with proceeds from the sales of both books, I will be donating all further proceeds from both books to the Climate Emergency Fund (CED). I feel that strongly about it.
Here is a universal link from Draft2Digital that takes you to all the platforms that have the book up for sale: https://books2read.com/u/4ENE6E
And here’s a link to my author website:
