Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born in the UK in 1978 and have lived my whole life in the north east of England. I’m married with two wonderful children and we have several pets which include a dog (our third child), a corn snake, three goldfish and two hamsters (one of which we think has mental health problems as it keeps doing backflips in its cage!)
I fell in love with books at a young age because I was drawn to book covers through my love of art rather than writing. I was especially attracted to horror and mystery books and would spend hours copying any cover that showed a haunted house or a misty graveyard or a ghostly figure. As I grew up my collection of novels increased to the point where I actually started reading them and soon became inspired to write rather than draw – which was a problem considering that I qualified as a graphic designer. Thankfully, it’s all worked out in the end seeing as how I now design my own book covers. To date, as well as having several short stories published in magazines and websites, I have self-published four books on the Kindle platform.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I recently published two books on the same day back in October 2015. One was a collection of short stories that had originally been written for the stage. The other was a novella called THE DARKEST NIGHT OF THE YEAR which was a supernatural tale with a Halloween setting. I have no idea where the story came from (I’m never really sure where ANY of my ideas come from) but I had always wanted to write a story based around Halloween – which is my second favourite time of year, behind Christmas.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I wouldn’t say unusual – I’m hardly Roald Dahl writing on a desk in his shed. I can’t write in absolute silence and I can’t write with too much noise. I like writing with the television on with the sound very low. I don’t like to look up from my computer when I hit a wall and have nothing but the walls to look at.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Being a horror author, people assume you want to be the next Stephen King. I like a lot of Stephen King but he was never a big influence on me (which is good, because I don’t have his talent…) When I started reading a lot I started with collections of short stories and so I guess I was inspired by too many authors to mention. However, during my late teens, the three authors I read more than any others were James Herbert, Shaun Hutson and Richard Laymon.
What are you working on now?
Being an Indie author means that I have the luxury of creating my own schedule, so I’m often working on several things at the same time because I have no deadlines to meet. Right now I’m writing a Christmas short story to help promote one of my novels MEMENTO MORI which is a traditional Victorian ghost story and I am also working through a rough draft of my next novel which I hope to publish by June/July 2016.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Promotion is probably the weakest of my skills. There are authors out there who are great at it; they’re active on Facebook and Twitter and they blog and stuff. I’m not really comfortable trying to promote my books by turning myself into a brand but unfortunately that’s exactly what you have to do as an author if you want success. For the time being I have a Facebook page and a twitter account and the help of various websites (AWESOMEGANG being one!) that I contact to help spread news of a new release. Being a Kindle author I can also schedule days to give away certain books for free to increase the chance of gaining reviews and obviously Amazon do their part by promoting my books to people who have bought similar stuff. Most of my sales come from those wonderful people who take a chance on me, read my stories and then tell others. Word of mouth sales may not make me a bestseller but the reward of knowing a reader has recommended me to others is a great feeling non the less.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Keep going and don’t get disappointed when things aren’t going well – be that in terms of sales or in terms of the actual writing process. If you want to be a writer then write! Remember that as long as you keep writing you can never be called a failed writer. You only become a failed writer when you give up because of lack of success.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
The best advice is the same advice that’s been around for years, and that is to read a lot and write a lot. We are now living in a time where ANYONE can publish stories FOR FREE and hopefully have people read them. You might never become rich through writing or even make a living at it, but you have a lot more chance of achieving those dreams if you read a lot and write a lot and keep learning about writing.
What are you reading now?
I’m always reading several different things. I have my Kindle where I usually browse the horror section and take a chance on authors I don’t know anything about. I also hit the charity shops to pick up older books that may be out of print. Then I have my collection of stuff that I sometimes dip in and out of. I have books by my bed, books in the living room and, of course, books in the smallest room of the house.
That’s the toilet, by the way…
What’s next for you as a writer?
To keep going! As long as ideas keep popping into my head then eventually I’ll have to write them down. My next novel is in the early stages and I’m not sure where it’s heading yet – which keeps it interesting. Let’s just say that the premise is that two petty criminals break into a house and find more than they expected. I can’t say anymore than that because I don’t know anymore than that at the minute. Sorry…
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I have many collections of short stories and so I would take a couple of those (I’ve always had a soft spot for shorter fiction). Novels? The three I keep coming back to are THE EXORCIST, THE SHINING and THE DA-VINCI CODE.
On second thoughts, maybe I should take a book about how to survive on a desert island…
Author Websites and Profiles
Lee Stevens Amazon Profile
Lee Stevens’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile