In this interview, I chat with Travis Kennedy about The Whyte Python World Tour, his inspiration for this book, creating Rikki Thunder, what surprised him as he wrote this one, screen adaptation plans, determining when during the Cold War to set the book, his research, and much more.
Travis's recommended reads are:
- The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne by Ron Currie Jr.
- Lorne: The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live by Susan Morrison
- The Boys of Riverside by Thomas Fuller
Looking for some great summer reads? Check out my printable 18-page Summer Reading Guide here for a tip of your choice or for a set price here via credit card with over 60 new titles vetted by me that will provide great entertainment this summer - books you will not see on other guides. I also include mystery series recommendations, new releases in a next-in-the-series section and fiction and nonfiction pairings.
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Want to know which new titles are publishing in June - October of 2025? Check out our fourth Literary Lookbook which contains a comprehensive but not exhaustive list all in one place so you can plan ahead.
The Whyte Python World Tour can be purchased at my Bookshop storefront.
Looking for something new to read? Here is my monthly Buzz Reads column with five new recommendations each month.
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Travis Kennedy
TRAVIS KENNEDY lives in Scarborough, Maine with his wife, Liv, and their two children, Ella and Cole. He has a long career in public service and policymaking, having worked for the Maine State Legislature for more than nine years and the United States Senate for five years. Since 2017, his day job is Director of Public Affairs for Cumberland County Government in Southern Maine.
His work has been featured in the Best New England Crime Stories and Best American Mystery Stories anthologies, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, and McSweeney’s Internet Tendency. He is the grand prize winner of Screencraft’s 2021 Cinematic Book Contest for “Sharks in the Valley,” to be published as Welcome to Redemption.
The Whyte Python World Tour is his debut novel. It will be published by Doubleday Books at Penguin Random House on June 24, 2025.
