If you haven't read Shaun's work yet you don't know what you're missing.
1. When
and why did you decide to become an Indie writer?
I guess
I became a fully-fledged Indie Writer when I got fed up of the
burning hoops you have to jump through where traditional publishing
is concerned. You can only get burned so many times. That combined
with not being paid on time and lack of support from certain
publishers put the nail in the proverbial coffin. Going the Indie
route I am in total control. In the words of He-Man, ‘I have
the power’.
2.
What genre do you write in and what genre do you prefer to read?
Most of
my work is dark in nature (but then growing up in a house in a
cemetery, I doubt it was ever going to be anything else), so I tend
to steer towards horror and thrillers. But I don’t like to
label myself with any particular genre, as most of my books are
multi-genre, comprising elements of horror, thriller, mystery, action
and suspense. In that way I hope to cater to everyone’s tastes.
When I’m reading, I find that I primarily read thriller books
at the moment.
3.
Where do you sell most books, USA or UK, Amazon or Barnes and Noble?
Definitely
in the USA through Amazon. God Bless America.
4.
During your childhood who was your biggest influence?
As a
child I guess my main influences were my parents. So they’re to
blame.
5.
Are you fortunate enough to write full-time?
Unfortunately
not. I’d soon starve if that was the case. But even if I had
the chance to write full-time, I don’t know whether I would.
Writing is something I do for fun. If it was my job then it might
take the fun out of it.
6.
If Hollywood came knocking who would you want to play your main
character?
Well
Hollywood didn’t come knocking, but I was fortunate enough that
my novel The Kult has already been filmed by an independent
production company. The actors are not international stars but they
all did an excellent job and they gave it 100%. The film is still
awaiting release, but I’m hoping that it won’t be too
much longer before it’s out in one format or another. There’s
a trailer on youtube, but I believe there’s been a lot more
editing since that was released: http://youtu.be/KS-ZF67cEiI
7. Name
6 people, dead or alive, you’d love to have as guests seated
around your dinner-table.
Albert
Einstein.
Jonathan
Ross
Leonardo
da Vinci.
Audrey
Hepburn.
Bruce
Lee
Marilyn
Monroe
8.
What one piece of advice have you found the most important in your
writing career?
Nobody
has ever given me any advice. Perhaps that’s where I’ve
been going wrong. But if I had to heed any advice, it’s
something Bruce Lee said in the film, Enter the Dragon: “Don't
think. Feel. It is like a finger pointing a way to the moon. Don't
concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that heavenly glory.”
I think that quote can be applied to so many things, and writing is
one of them. Writing is all about feeling, or more exactly, evoking a
feeling. And if you concentrate on the miniscule, you miss the big
picture.
9.
What are your plans for the coming year?
To stop
procrastinating and to write more. I’ll start eventually.
10.
And finally, if you were stranded on a desert island what 3 books
would you choose to have with you?
The SAS
Survival Handbook.
A good
cook book that gave simple recipes that you can make with basic food
sources.
The
Playboy Book.
