Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written a grand total of…(drum roll)…One!
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures is a book with poems, pr (umm, I guess it’s all in the title). I never thought of myself as a writer, but certain events in my life made writing a necessity. Along with songwriting and composing, it was a way for me to organize my thoughts and make sense of it all. I’m happy to say that it did.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I do some of my best writing when I am running or hurting. Often, that is the same time…
Ideas come to me when I’m running or cycling. I suppose it’s the way that exercising relaxes the mind and gets the creativity flowing. A lot of my poems have an environment/nature theme, so when I’m out, I’m looking around and taking in all the beauty and ugliness in the world.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I grew up reading early Sci-Fi books, Verne, Asimov, Bradbury, Niven, to name a few. Then came Tolkien, Lewis, Orwell, Huxley, Wyndham, and Vonnegut.
What are you working on now?
My first book: Lines by Leon: Poems, Prose, and Pictures is in it’s final production phase and should be available in January 2020. I did take some of the works from that book and created a free eBook, so that readers could get an idea of what I’m all about (psst…it’s on my website). Some of the poems deal with loss and struggle, others with ego and human nature. Observations of places and the environment are included, and then some of my illustrations with very short stories round out the book. A lot of it has a humorous tone, and I admit I do have an odd sense of humor.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m totally new at this so it’s been quite the challenge as a new author to reach readers who hopefully will want to read what I have written. I started with a website, then LinkedIn, Goodreads, AllAuthor, and the like. I think the main thing is to participate in some of the great discussions out there.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Being a new author myself, I would say just do it. If you think what you have written has merit and people will enjoy reading it, then publishing your book in any way is worth it.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I read this in a Bear Grylls book and it stuck with me:
“Commitment is doing what you said you would do, long after the mood that you said it in has gone.”
What are you reading now?
I just finished re-reading Ready Player One (Ernest Cline) and starting to read some of Greg Bear’s novels.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I am currently working on a series of short stories in the style of early Science Fiction, when imagination was king and not overshadowed or disproved by technological facts. I’m also including some post-apocalyptic tales. Can’t have enough of those…
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?
There are a few books that I have read many times:
Klondike: Pierre Burton
Alive: Piers Paul Read
The Chronicles of Narnia: C.S. Lewis
Does the entire collection of Calvin and Hobbes count as one?
Author Websites and Profiles
Leon Stevens Website
Leon Stevens’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Account