Kyle Kotas
Hello, everyone, and welcome to another installment of “Meet the Editors.” Today we feature Kyle Kotas, who is one of the Poetry Editors on the Jet Fuel Review. Kyle is a senior at Lewis University, studying History as his major and working hard to complete his senior thesis. This is his second semester working for the Jet Fuel Review. In his free time he enjoys reenactments, reading, writing, and playing video games. Kyle enjoys finding the exciting ways people use the English language in their writings. If he could have any super power, he would want the ability to walk into a shadow and teleport out of another. Would he use his powers for good, evil, or just to get the fridge faster? The world would have to wait and see.
We asked Kyle some questions, which were developed by Melissa Carrington, and here’s what he had to say.
1. Who are you and what is your role in the Jet Fuel Review?
I am Kyle Kotas and I am one of the Poetry Editors for Jet Fuel Review.
2. What book might we find on your nightstand right now?
Right now I have a few books that I’m waiting to read. Some books on my waiting list include A Crown for Kings by George R.R. Martin, The Minority Council by Kate Griffin, and Sandman Volume 2: The Doll House by Neil Gaiman. I’m currently reading Life, the Universe, and Everything by Douglas Adams.
3. If you had the chance to co-write with one author, who would you choose? Why?
The first person to come to mind that I would love to co-write a story with would be Richard Kadrey. His Sandman Slim series is one of my favorite series. I would love to work with him and develop my first person narrative so it could be similar to his. Kadrey’s style was one of the most engaging that I have read in the past few years.
4. Describe your perfect reading atmosphere.
I can read almost anywhere, but if I had to choose a specific atmosphere to read it would be on my bed with music playing in the background. I love being comfortable when I read.
5. What might your personal library look like?
I have recently come to the realization that I need a book case to hold all my books. Right now I use my nightstand, under my bed and random floor space to hold my books. The majority of my books are fantasy. Book series that I own include the Harry Potter books (minus Order of the Phoenix) by J. K. Rowling, The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, The Night Angel Trilogy by Bret Weeks, Urban Magic novels by Kate Griffin, and the Sandman Slim series.
6. If you could “re-make” a poorly written movie that was based on a book, what movie would it be?
Does The Last Airbender movie count? It was a horrible adaptation of an amazing anime. Although, if I had to redo a book movie gone wrong, I would remake Eragon. It’s been a long time since I have read the book or seen the film, but I remember sitting in the movie theater cringing at the inaccuracies of the film and how the movie ruined the book.
7. What piece of literature can you reread over and over again?
I use to reread the Harry Potter books all the time, but with school, work, and a backlog of books I have to get through, I haven’t had the time to reread books in a long time. I could probably reread any of the books I own if I was in the mood.
8. Give us a quote from your favorite (or any) book/movie.
Of course, ask the hard question, there are so many and when you try to think of any, none ever come to mind. One of the best lines that I have come across is from Gandalf in J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. It’s one of the nicest well wishes I have come across.
“May the wind on your wings bear you where the sun sails and the moon walks.” – The Hobbit
8. If you were invited to have coffee with any fictional character, who would you most like to meet? Why?
I would want to get tea with Mathew Swift from the Urban Magic series because magic. Also, for the fact that he lives in a modern world parallel to ours and magic exists within it. I would want to have a chat with him to explain how his world works. A quote from him that has stuck with me is “Life is magic.” It’s a simple phrase but has so much to it. Wherever there is life, there is some form of magic that can be found.
9. Share your top five favorite pieces of writing (anything included)
These favorite things are so hard to choose, so here is a list of 5 (in no particular order) pieces of writing I really enjoy
- Night Angel series by Bret Weeks
- Scott Pilgrim vs. the World graphic novels by Bryan Lee O’Malley
- Sandman Slim Series by Richard Kadrey
- A Modern Faerie Tale series by Holly Black
- Watchman graphic novel by Alan Moore
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There you have it! I hope you enjoyed getting to know Kyle! We should have another one of these posts for you soon. In the meantime, you can check out our previous question-and-answer sessions right here.
– Jet Fuel Blog Editor, Mary Egan
