{"id":155407,"date":"2025-07-15T03:53:39","date_gmt":"2025-07-15T03:53:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/?p=155407"},"modified":"2025-07-15T09:52:17","modified_gmt":"2025-07-15T09:52:17","slug":"alumni-interview-kingsley-pearson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/alumni-interview-kingsley-pearson\/","title":{"rendered":"Alumni Interview: Kingsley Pearson"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alumni Interview: Kingsley Pearson<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"Alumni<\/a><\/p>\n

The author is a graduate of Pembroke College Cambridge University United Kingdom.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

We caught up with Kingsley Pearson, author of\u00a0Flat 401<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and a graduate of Faber Academy\u2019s\u00a0Kickstart Your Novel<\/a>\u00a0course, to discuss his writing journey, how his background as a clinical psychologist informs his writing and\u00a0his top tips for maintaining tension in a narrative.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"flat_401\"<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

You previously studied on our\u00a0Kickstart Your Novel<\/a>\u00a0course. How valuable was the course to the writing of your novel?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Incredibly valuable. I came to the course with the seed of an idea and some early chapters, but little knowledge about how to develop it into something novel-length. The structure, exercises and feedback helped me find my voice, shape my protagonist and build a story in a way that would work for readers. It also introduced me to some good books and authors which influenced my own writing, such as Kiley Reid\u2019s\u00a0Such A Fun Age<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and Jane Harper\u2019s\u00a0The Lost Man<\/a><\/em>\u00a0(both of which have brilliant openings, of very different styles).<\/span><\/p>\n

Did you make writing friends during your Faber Academy course? How important has peer feedback been to your process?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, and I\u2019m really grateful for that. Writing can be a solitary process, so having a supportive group to exchange work with \u2013 both on courses like Faber\u2019s but also from peers I\u2019ve met in other ways such as online or at crime writing festivals \u2013 helps both to develop your craft but also to motivate you. Peer feedback helps me see things I\u2019m too close to notice, allowing me to maximise the chances of the manuscript communicating the nature of the plot and characters, and to have the emotional impact, I want it to.<\/span><\/p>\n

Flat 401<\/em><\/a>\u00a0has been described as \u2018a tense, character-driven thriller.\u2019 Could you tell us a little bit more about the novel? What gave you the inspiration for it?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Flat 401<\/em><\/a>\u00a0is about Jay, a man trying to rebuild his life after being in prison for a crime he didn\u2019t commit \u2013 while hiding the fact that he did commit a different one. When he receives a blackmail note that threatens \u2018Everyone is going to know what you\u00a0really<\/u>\u00a0did\u2019, his already precarious life starts to unravel.<\/span><\/p>\n

The inspiration came during the pandemic (which is when I first started writing). I felt the collective sense of being \u2018shut in\u2019 and cut off from the outside world. As a clinical psychologist, I wondered if, when it was all over, we\u2019d feel like we\u2019d been \u2018released\u2019 from prison. Also, I live in London, and I imagined witnessing a crime in one of the flats opposite \u2013 very\u00a0Rear Window\u00a0<\/em>(another recommendation from a peer on the Faber course!). Those ideas, of imprisonment (literal and psychological) and voyeurism, became central to the story.<\/span><\/p>\n

Can you share your journey to getting published?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

My journey to publication (from inception to publication) took about four years.<\/span><\/p>\n

Writing the Book:<\/strong><\/span>
\nThe first draft of\u00a0Flat 401<\/em><\/a>\u00a0was completed over a couple of months, including the time I participated in\u00a0Kickstart Your Novel<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Editing:<\/strong><\/span>
\nAfter completing the first draft, I embarked on several rounds of revisions. I sought feedback from peers, both from courses and also my local critique group. I spent around a day per week for a year on this part.<\/span><\/p>\n

Querying:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I researched agents who represented psychological thrillers and tailored each query letter to the specific agent, highlighting aspects of\u00a0Flat 401<\/em><\/a>\u00a0that aligned with their interests. This took around nine months in total, across three batches of around a dozen queries. Between each batch, I edited the manuscript and pitch further, based on feedback received either from agents or from different competitions and prizes I also entered.\u200b<\/span><\/p>\n

Securing Representation and Publication:<\/strong><\/span>
\nEventually, I connected with an agent who saw the story\u2019s potential. After signing with her, we worked together on final edits for around five months before submitting the manuscript to publishers. This collaborative effort culminated in a two-book deal with Orion. Further edits with Orion were relatively light compared to the edits I\u2019d done up until this point (although the gap between acquisition and publication will be around a year and nine months); there was also a reasonable amount of input from me into things like cover design and marketing.<\/span><\/p>\n

What are your top tips for maintaining tension in a narrative?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n