I’m have a philosophical fixation, or maybe I’m obsessed, with the usefulness of story as a lens to understand the human experience.
Kevin Hincker – 25 June 2026
The Back Flap
An irreverent, suspenseful, profoundly original novel about a group of science fiction writers hired to gameplan an alien invasion, led by Larry Palczewski, a struggling novelist who can’t perceive time.
What starts for Larry as a desperately needed source of free lunches turns sinister and inconvenient when the alien snails the group is fictionalizing actually launch an invasion, and begin taking over humanity’s novels. Then it is up to Larry, unlikeliest of protagonists, to author a new ending before humankind is eaten by the ultimate bad story: his own.
About the book
What is the book about?
The Story Eaters of Yamm is a book about a book in which a group of misfit science fiction writers are hired to game-plan an invasion of the Earth by mind eating snails, and then to write a book about it. These writers are led by Larry Palczewski, a struggling novelist afflicted by an inability to perceive time and a distrust of other humans, who only joined for the free lunches. But the project turns sinister, and Larry’s lunches less frequent, when the mind eating snails really do begin invading — through the pages of humanity’s novels.
When did you start writing the book?
About 3 years ago, so 2023.
How long did it take you to write it?
First draft maybe 8 months doing nothing else. Another 8 months redrafting, but working on other things at the same time. Call it a year.
Where did you get the idea from?
I’m have a philosophical fixation, or maybe I’m obsessed, with the usefulness of story as a lens to understand the human experience. I think story is our fundamental cognitive unit, like numbers for a calculator. In many ways, great and small, we register the world as story and controlling our own stories or having them taken from us is a very timely concern. So I wrote a story.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
Meta fiction needs a light touch or it can be suffocating, it can drown a story, but it also has to have a consistent presence and purpose, or it feels grafted on. Much of my redrafting for this project was striking the right balance there.
What came easily?
The absurdity. Welcome to the inside of my head, BTW. I’ve been told this material is unique by people who mean it in a good way, but these just seem like normal human science fiction writers dealing with the world in a pretty straightforward way. This is how I see the world.
Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
If our basic cognitive unit is story, if everything inside us is processed as a story, then every character is entirely fictitious. This is part of the thematic thrust of the book. And now I wish Larry had had a chance to do one of these interviews, because it would have been a fantastic way to see his thinking.
We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?
The first writing I ever did, and what I did most of for many years, was as a playwright. And the first and most influential writer I ever met was Shakespeare. From him I learned economy of scene, setting and character.
Do you have a target reader?
A lover of rhythm and pacing in language and story. Someone who naturally laughs out loud when reading, who has empathy, who is a risk taker.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
I grow an outline in my mind for as long as I can, until I feel like I can’t hold that structure together without writing it all down. I can hold a lot of it in my mind at once, however, so this step can look like months of me chewing absently and staring at a wall. After I write it all down I break it into some pieces and fine tune character arcs and fix whoever’s broken (inevitably not what was really broken) then drink a lot of coffee every day and sit and write. Depending on the project I’ll often have a loose word count.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences? Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?
Both.
Did you hire a professional editor?
At least 1. Often more.
Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?
Always. I listen to what the characters would listen to.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to Agents?
I have.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?
It’s the perfect time for this. The quality of indie work is so high these days, and the way it lets you connect with readers is the reason for doing it at all. I love indie publishing.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
My son is an artist. he helped me on this one.
Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?
This time I have a PR team, Books Forward, it’s been amazing working with them.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?
Don’t ask permission. Don’t ask if you’re doing it correctly. Don’t ask if it’s good. Just write.
End of Interview:
Get your copy of The Story Eaters of Yamm from Amazon US or Amazon UK.
