Koos Verkaik was born in Holland, near Rotterdam. He worked as a copywriter. His first comics (three pages each week) were published in the magazine Sjors when he was 16 years of age. He wrote his first novel (SF) in a weekend, at the age of 18, and it was published by Civo The Hague. He’s written hundreds of comic scripts and published over 60 different books, both children’s books and urban fantasy novels.

Koos Verkaik on Amazon
Website: koosverkaik.com
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What motivates you to write and how did you get started?

The motivation is always there, every day. I never had a writer’s block in my life. I started writing stories at the age of seven. Note books full of text. I still have them. It is quite a pile. When someone asked me at that age what I wanted to be later, I always answered with one word: “Writer.” About one character I wrote hundreds of pages. At the age of sixteen I launched that character in a comic in a weekly; I was Europe’s youngest script writer. Three pages each week in that magazine, that is how I started. Then, at the age of eighteen, I wrote my first novel and it was published here in The Netherlands. Still remember walking past a book store and saw that book in the shop window. It made my heart beat faster.

What’s most rewarding about writing?

The writing itself! The entire process. That must be different for every writer. For me it starts with total chaos – chaos in my head, chaos on my desk and in my work room. Notations everywhere, open nonfiction books all around. I have hundreds of ideas and they all have to come together in one book. Always write the first page of a new manuscript on paper, with a fountain pen. Writing the words slowly, it makes me able to concentrate. After that first handwritten page I start working on a laptop. Only after I typed ‘The End’, the chaos has left. Gives me rest for a couple of weeks and then the entire process starts all over again. I wrote over sixty different books that way and intend to write many, many more.

What’s your favorite genre and why?

On the cover of many Dutch editions of my books is printed: Magic, Mystery & Adventure.

That is what I write for adults. I just call it “Koos Verkaik Books’ and always try to be as original as possible. My own style.

For children I write series full of adventure and humor. Saladin the Wonder Horse contains four different books. Alex and The Wolpertinger is a more extensive series. I am working on book fourteen now and intend to write at least thirty different titles.

Why I write this way? It comes natural. But I also worked hard to master my genres.

I have written countless scripts for comics, drawn by different artists. It is like writing a film script. You have to inform the artist about what he has to create and you have to come up with perfect dialogues. Then I also worked as a copywriter for a big Agency in the city of Rotterdam. There I learnt to explain myself short and to the point. Not a word too many. The combination script writer/copywriter is very helpful when I start writing my novels or the different series of children’s books.

Where do your characters come from?

Characters come to life while I am writing. Suddenly I can see them in my mind’s eye and then I know exactly how they behave, how they react, what they think, how they survive etc. I always make notes. Write down the name of the character, explain the looks and the peculiarities, the clothes he/she wears, the color of the hair and the eyes.

For every book I make a file called ‘Book Help’ and there I write about ideas, quotes, names, characters and everything I need in order to make no mistakes.

Who is an author who inspires you and why?

Always have admired Edgar Allan Poe. Not so long ago someone in The Netherlands asked me to tell all about that on a special website. This is the link: http://www.edgarallanpoe.nl/het-rendez-vous-met-koos-verkaik/ Unfortunately it is all in Dutch…

And then I am a big fan of the American science fiction writer Jack Vance. He had been very popular here in Europe, especially in France and The Netherlands.

What do you look for in other people’s books?

I read fiction just for fun and entertainment, like everybody else. Looking for nothing special, because I hold on to my own style. And then I have a couple of thousand books here in my workroom, mainly nonfiction. All possible subjects, history, facts, from science to alchemy, you name it – and I always know where to find the facts I need for a novel. I have a rather odd working brain, only remember things that really interest me. Nonfiction books are very important to me and I am always on the look for interesting works – both (very) old and new.

What are you writing now?

Book 14 in the series Alex and the Wolpertinger and a new novel. I always write different books at the same time. I discussed the idea of the novel with Karen Venable from Righter’s Mill Press in Princeton, USA.

Righter’s Mill Press will publish many of my books and their film company, Three Corners Entertainment, also in Princeton, USA, gave me a contract for ten different books. This year they will come up with two of my titles: First HIM, After the UFO Crash

And then Dance of The Jester.

I know president and publisher Mr. Al Longden for a long time and he asked me to sign up with his Righter’s Mill Press and Three Corners Entertainment. So this is an extremely important year for me. It all starts with “HIM, After the UFO Crash” and “Dance of The Jester”. This is such a great opportunity. I really mean that; I’m a Dutchman, far away from where it all happens (the USA) and call myself lucky that Al gives me these chances.

What kind of book would you like to be known for?

Maybe Dance of The Jester Mr. Bill Thompson, editor of Stephen King and John Grisham, was so excited about it that he invited me to come to his office in the Empire State Building in New York. So I took a flight to the USA and met him. That was my start in the USA. Dance of The Jester was published and now Righter’s Mill Press has the rights and will come up with perfect reprints.

What has writing taught you about yourself?

Oh, that’s a good one! It has taught me that I have no problem at all being alone in my workroom for a long, long time. I am always busy. Writing is a lonely activity and I love that. I am a happy man anyway and really enjoy the things I do.

How has your life experience influenced your writing?

You know what one says: a bad youth is a writer’s goldmine. Can’t say I had a nice youth, but I never cared about that. I am used to go my own way. Left home early and always worked as a writer, script writer, copywriter and editor. So as a matter of fact writing is my life…

What encouraging advice can you offer new writers?

It is not easy to start. You have to build up your career carefully. Best advice is: never ever imitate other authors, work on your own style. No publisher is waiting for something that has already been done better! And never give up. If you really believe in yourself, you will reach your goals.