Chris McKinney

Chris McKinney was born and raised in Hawaiʻi, on the island of Oahu. He has written nine novels, including The Tattoo and The Queen of Tears, a coauthored memoir, and the screenplays for two feature films and two short films. He is the winner of the Elliott Cades Award and seven Kapalapala Poʻokela Awards and has been appointed Visiting Distinguished Writer at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

McKinney's new novel is Sunset, Water City, Book 3 of the Water City Trilogy.

My Q&A with the author:

How much work does your title do to take readers into the story?

When my editor and I discussed title options, we both agreed that it’s better to be direct and simple as opposed to trying to be clever. “Water City” indicates to the reader that a significant portion of the novel is set in an underwater city. “Sunset” suggests that this is the last book in a trilogy.

But I’m also hinting at something thematic. Walking backwards is a motif in these books, and the sequence of titles move backwards as well, from “Midnight” (book one), to “Eventide” (book two), to “Sunset” (book three). The idea is that as we advance technologically, we devolve in significant, terrifying ways.

What's in a name?

Two major characters in this book have the same name: “Ascalon.” This is a risk. The last thing a writer wants is confused readers. However, why write and not take chances? That seems boring. Besides, the reason they share the name makes sense. It was, at one time, the most popular name in this world because it was the name of the weapon that saved humanity (The Ascalon Project). The name also has religious and mythical implications because it’s the name of the spear that Saint George used to slay a dragon. Religion and myth figure largely in this book.

How surprised would your teenage reader self be by your novel?

While the teenage me would be surprised that I became a writer, he would not be surprised by the content of this and other books I wrote. Every writer has that first book that shook them, and mine was Animal Farm in the sixth grade. Orwell had an enormous impact in how I look at literature and imagine what it can say.

Do you find it harder to write beginnings or endings? Which do you change more?

For me, the ending is harder. I always have a beginning in mind before I start writing a book, and I usually stick with it. It’s through writing the first draft of a novel that an ending is discovered. In this book, I discovered the end about a quarter into draft one, when the genetically engineered mythical creatures first appear. I only found an end by navigating the self-created maze in which it hid.

Do you see much of yourself in your characters? Do they have any connection to your personality, or are they a world apart?

Some of these characters share my cynicism. One in particular shares my habit of liking to have a drink or ten and using foul language. Other than that, these characters are very different than I am. I don’t think of myself as manipulative, and a few of the major characters in this book are master manipulators. Writing characters most unlike me are the most fun to create.

What non-literary inspirations have influenced your writing?

Watching movies and even gaming has influenced me. Blade Runner, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and The Road Warrior stained me for life. I have always really liked the anime aesthetic as well. As far as games go, I spent an embarrassing amount of hours playing Everquest and World of Warcraft. The Mass Effect trilogy and Red Dead Redemption 1 and 2 are among my all-time favorites, too.

Visit Chris McKinney's website.

The Page 69 Test: Sunset, Water City.

--Marshal Zeringue