Shane Lee interview

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

A little introduction:

My name is Shane Lee. I live in Buffalo, NY, and yes, I love chicken wings. I've been an avid horror reader all my life, but I love fantasy as well, so naturally I decided to write dark fantasy novels. Magic: yes. Monsters: yes. It's all I've ever wanted! My wife Amy is the love of my life, as well as my business partner and best beta reader. We make good stuff happen together!

When did your love of books begin?

I think it really started with my parents. They always encouraged me to read. My dad was and is a huge Stephen King fan, and always had a bookshelf full of them. Naturally, I started reading those books as well. Back to back, sometimes over and over. But he made me start with Eyes of the Dragon before I got into anything particularly heavy! The Dark Tower was also one of the first things I read by King, and very formative for my love of dark fantasy. 

When did you start to have the wish to become an author?

It's been a long time. I'm 30 years old, which feels weird to say, and I've been writing since I was 11. Back then, I penned the most awful YA superhero story you could ever imagine on my family's first PC (Compaq, dial-up internet, the works), and then I wrote a slightly-better fantasy story in my young teen years. Lots of words and lots of time, because I knew it was something that just had to be a part of my life. I started writing seriously, editing and learning a bit more about craft, in my early 20s. But the dream has always been to see my books on a shelf.

How have you found the process for becoming an author?

It is the hardest thing I have ever done. I think both writers and people who don't write are equally intimidated by the process of writing. Most people can't even imagine writing a whole novel. In my experience, most writers are the same way! The difference is, we sit down in front of that blinking cursor and we wrestle with it, and we win most of the time. So yeah, it is a lot of hard work. Especially in the self-publishing realm, because you're the author, the marketer, the publisher, you find the editor/proofer/cover artist...it's a lot. But you craft something amazing from start to finish. 

What would you say to those wanting to become an author?

There's nothing else like it. I have written copy, I've written for content mills, I've done technical writing...nothing scratches the itch like penning a book. If this is something you want, I unequivocally say: go for it. And it may be overstated, but let me overstate it further: the most important part of being an author is the actual writing. If you wait to be in the mood, it's going to take a very long time to finish your story, because writing is work. The most important thing is consistency. Write every day, even if it's only a little. Those moments where you're writing and your characters take your story in a direction even your 1000-word outline didn't predict...it's worth all the hours before it.

Tell us about your book/books:

I've written three novels, all published through Amazon. I started writing pure horror, and that was my first novel: Black Forest. A medieval horror where a malevolent entity rips through a fearful village.

That was my debut novel and it was received really well. But after that story, I craved adventure. I wanted to write a series about a journey, and I wanted it to be some parts magical, some parts gruesome, and many parts dark and foreboding. That's my World of the Stone Maze series.

It follows Jost, an outcast who lives in a city in the labyrinth--a great stone maze that spans the continent, built to hide the cities from the monsters that overtook the land. Jost braves the labyrinth and finds magic, but this leads to the destruction of his home, forcing him to venture deeper into the maze than ever before to learn what happened to his world...and stop the ancient evil that started it all.

Book 1 is Labyrinth, and Book 2 is Inhumans (available Dec. 20, 2021!). Book 3 is being written right now and will be released in 2022. I really love this story, and I think it encapsulates the kind of story I want to write very well. I like a big adventure, and I like a scary world with glimmers of hope at the end of a very long and hellish road. I hope you do, too!

What do you love about the writing/reading community?

We all have a lot in common. You can say one character's name to someone you've never met, and all of a sudden, the two of you are having an hour-long conversation about a book series before you even know each other's names. It's just fun, and it's friendly. And writers are the same way--we're all readers, we love to gush and discuss and even criticize and poke fun at stories we love, and stories we don't. It's a universal thing. I've yet to meet someone in these circles who isn't great to talk with.

If you could say anything to your readers what would it be?

Can it be two things? The first is: thank you. I know you probably hear it a lot, but it's dead serious. I appreciate you! Reading a novel is an undertaking; it's a commitment. Just like writing one. So for you to go on that journey with me, without even really knowing me, since I'm pretty new to the shelves--thank you! Over the last year and a half, I've had so many wonderful interactions with people who have read my book, or people who just picked it up and tell me how excited they are. And then we talk about other books we both love. For real, you are the best, and thanks for lending me your time and your attention.

The second thing is, I love hearing from you! So chat me up any time! 

Where can people connect with you?

I am on Twitter @ShaneLeeBooks and on www.facebook.com/ShaneLeeBooks. I'm very active there, so say hi any time! You can also see what's going on with me at www.ShaneLeeBooks.com, where you can get a free story if you join your fellow readers on my newsletter. You also get pictures of my dog with the newsletter, which is a huge bonus. Come say hello!