An Interview with Alex Kiefer from K.M. Tolan’s Knight of the Open Road

Author K.M. Tolan was gracious enough to give us an inside look at Alex Kiefer, his protagonist for his latest book Knight of the Open Road before he becomes a knight. Here’s what Alex had to say: 

Where are you from?

Near New Marshfield, Ohio.

 

What do you like about your home?

Not a whole hell of a lot, but at least folks won’t be bothering me out there now.

 

What do you dislike about your home?

Too damn many memories of Dad being a nutcase and all that railroad junk out there.

 

Where do you go for refuge?

Went in the Army but that didn’t work. Guess I’ll just hit the road once I sell this farm the parents left me.

 

What is it refuge from?

Dad talking crazy about some place called Hobohemia. Building a steam locomotive in the barn. That sort of thing.

 

What do you do to relax?

Just walk around the backwoods. Beer here and there.

 

What motivates you?

Doing something that counts. Makes a real difference. Precious little of that going around these days.

 

What’s your life’s dream?

(laughs) Not feeling like shit every time I think of my folks. Maybe finding out who killed them.

 

What would you do to make your dreams come true?

Put a bullet in whoever took my parents out.

 

What would it look like if you didn’t get that dream?

You mean like this? Hopping from one suck job to another and feeling useless?

 

What stands in your way of happiness right now?

Probably me. Hell, I don’t know what I’m doing other than living from day to day. Crap past and shit future.

 

If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be?

Go back and somehow make up with Dad and Mom.

 

What do you look for in a life partner?

Someone smarter than me.

 

Is there anyone you can trust?

Trusted my squad in the Army. Maybe Frank, Dad’s friend, though he’s crazy as a coot too about railroads.

What’s your life motto/philosophy, summed up in a sentence?

Rangers had this motto. Of their own accord. Means you keep going forward knowing damn well you’re stepping in some shit.

 

Lastly, are you happy with the person you are today? If not, in what ways would you like to change?

Hell, I’m not happy. Kind of obvious, right? I want to know who killed my parents. I want some pride back. More than that, I want to do something that means something. Thought it was the Army, but then so did a lot of people who ended up on the wrong end of that stick.