I met L.A. Kendrick at an community event years ago. I was very interested in his work because of its sci-fi nature. I had not met an author that wrote sci-fi thrillers and fantasy. It was intriguing to me. I was glad to hear from him about his latest book Run Now Town.  I hope you enjoy our conversation. Make sure you check out his book.

Ujima: What inspired you to write this book?

Kendrick: Hey thanks for having me!  So I have a podcast called “Would You Dare,” I’ve been traveling all over the world pretty much trying to see if there really are spooky and creepy places, once there I document with video recordings and there really is some crazy stuff out there. I’ve been to Devils Tower WY, Roswell NM, Area 51 NV, The Sierra Nevadas CA,and recently Skin Walker Ranch UT, Puerto Rico the giant SETI dishes, the pyramids in Mexico Chichen itza down in the Yucatan Peninsula, Teotihuacan the Sun Temple and Moon Temple,even the Jungles of Costa Rica, I shared some of my scary travels on Linda Eastburn’s podcast, this is my 10th book, and I do everything from Adult Sci-fi to Kids Sci-fi, Comic Books, and we just finished an animated cartoon battle. All of the above inspired me to write this new work.

Ujima: Can you describe your writing process? How do you come up with book ideas?

Kendrick: My writing process comes from things of that 80’s timeline, it produced original stories in all genres, it forced us to imagine this world and the many things that make it go round, where we went outside got dirty and contemplated the what if’s, traveling also aids in the process.

Ujima: For someone who wants to write a book, can you share a little bit of your writing process?

Kendrick:  It depends on what they’re wanting to write about, because I cover so many genres the moods or inspirations are always different, but what I do is write something everyday when I start a project, always write even if it’s just a line or two you’ll be surprised how much you’ll get done, but make sure you’re in a quiet spot distractions will wreck your focus.

Ujima: Who are the authors you follow and how do they inspire your work? Who is your favorite horror author?

Kendrick: The writers that inspired me as far as horror none, when it comes to horror it was more about the movies, so John Carpenter (Halloween), Ridley Scott (Alien), Sophia Stewart (Terminator/The Matrix). Alien traumatized me so bad, I wanted to be an astronaut, but when I saw only the commercials of Alien, it changed my childhood projected career I thought if that’s out there I don’t want any part of it, Halloween was also spooky and to me is the best slasher horror movie, Michael Myers was the first indestructible villain that was not dead totally iconic characters, both of those movies had it all atmosphere, music, original concepts, now Terminator was also a game changer an unstoppable mechanical killer from a nuclear devastated future due to greedy corporations, if you look it’s kinda happening right now with AI. Actually all three were game changers, but Mike’s my favorite so John Carpenter would be my favorite horror film maker. He’s put out some real heat in the field of horror.

Ujima: Can you tell our readers what they will find in your new book “Run Now Town?” 

Kendrick: “Run Now Town” is about human trafficking, a young (black) female goes missing, her mother hires a private investigator to track her down because she can’t get any help from the local authorities. As statistics have shown when black women go missing they are the least covered in the media, and (extensive) searches are rarely done unless family does the looking. The P.I. goes missing as well, the mother then contacts a friend who is a female investigative (combat) journalist to locate her daughter based on the information provided by the P.I. who was last seen in a small town in Mississippi.  Based on intel he provided, what she then uncovers is far more horrifying than anything she thought possible as the sunsets on this unassuming town. This is some of the best work we’ve ever done. It’s my tenth book, first in (adult) horror, putting it down once you start will not be an option.

Ujima: Where can the Ujima Community purchase your new book, and your other books?

Kendrick:  You can purchase “Run Now Town” along with my recently released kids novel 10 and up “Wraith War.” It’s on the lines of Scooby Doo, Goosebumps. You can purchase my books at  Amazon, Barnes and Noble, & L.A. Kendrick books. Here are the links.

Wraith War

Run Now Town

Ujima: Is there anything else you would like to share about your book that was not asked?

Kendrick: Only that supporting good quality black work is a must, we saw how good “Get Out” by Jordan Peele was.  We sleep on a lot of black writers, so for black history month show some love to them, I let a few people I know read the first two pages and they were hooked asking me if the book was finished, also when you purchase please leave a review, my cartoon “The Battle for Stonehenge”, will be out April or May 2025 so be on the lookout, I have something for everybody.

Ujima: Where can our community follow you on social platforms?

Kendrick: You can find me on these platforms:

 Twitter@LAKendrick95, 

Instagram@L.A.Kendrick95, 

Youtube L.A. Kendrick95, 

Facebook L.A.Kendrick, 

Facebook Destiny VS CHAOS

I want to thank L.A. Kendrick for sharing his new book and his perspective on being an author. Make sure you go look at the Youtube video about the book Run Now Town. After seeing the video, you will run and get the book. 

Let us know in the comment section if you have read the book or other books by L.A. Kendrick.