[Interview] Shells Walter
Author, editor and publisher, Shells Walter has been published in places that include Micro Horror, Static Movement, The Shine Journal and Demon Minds.
She is also actively involved with Sonar4 Publications, a science fiction and horror publishing house she started in 2008.
In this interview, Shells Walter talks about her writing:
When did you start writing?
I started writing when I was 11 years old reading my first horror story by Edgar Allan Poe.
Poetry is where I started first, then short stories and eventually longer works. I chose to start wanting to get published in 2006. Up until then I wrote for the pleasure of it.
How would you describe the writing you are doing now?
Different and twisty.
I end up writing a lot of what I'm feeling at the time into my writing, of course what I find interesting or researched I put into it as well.
I don't have a target audience per se. Several people who like different genres have enjoyed some of my work. I think I tend to just write and hope people will enjoy my work.
Which authors would you say influenced you most?
Edgar Allan Poe, Stephen King and Philip K Dick have influenced me the most.
I think they had this influence because they went past the barriers that so-called genres allowed them to go. They allowed the readers to be able to feel their work instead of just reading it.
I want readers to be able to have their own sense of emotions when reading my stories.
What are your main concerns as a writer?
My main concerns as a writer is having something I thought was good turn out that it wasn't as good as I originally had hoped. My ways of dealing with this is having a good editor check over my work and possibly see the things I may have missed.
The biggest challenges at times is putting my stories into a specific category. Since my writing tends to fall in several different areas, people sometimes gets confused on where my stories may fit. I try explaining to them what the story is about and in hopes they understand it.
How have your personal experiences influenced your writing?
I was shy when I was younger and picked on in grade school. Writing had allowed me to focus my emotions and get them out.
Personal experiences to this day pull the direction of my writing, allow my emotions to run full force into the stories.
Do you write everyday?
I write when I can. I really don't have a set schedule as it depends on time that I have.
However, I often take writing breaks and that allows me to write on a daily basis and that can vary from an hour to three hours.
How many books have you written so far?
I have a horror novella called Bite This published in 2009 by Sonar4 Publications which deals with a Priest that gets bit by a vampire. He then questions his faith on why this happened to him.
Demon Alley, 10 short stories based on your favorite urban legends; a short story collection published by Sonar4 Publications in 2009.
And currently Justice Served, a horror novel published by Sonar4 Publications released in Nov 2009, which deals with a lawyer and the devil. He defends a case for the Devil and he loses it. He then becomes the Devil's personal attorney. His first case is defending the most notorious serial killer known. It is available in ebook and print from sonar4publications.com
Which were the most difficult aspects of the work you put into Justice Served
At times, it was making sure details were accurate and changing some. Since parts of the novel is based on actual events, I twisted some because it was a fictional piece.
I allowed myself not to worry too much and to just write the story. Any real issues were fixed later if I felt they caused a problem.
Also, having a great editor does wonders.
Which aspects of the work did you enjoy most?
Without giving too much away, writing on certain parts of the history in the novel on one of the characters. I have always been interested in learning about this specific person and it was fun including them in the story.
What sets Justice Served apart from other things you've written?
It has more twists and I believe it deals with more history, where others dealt more with just aspect of good vs evil.
In what way is it similar?
It has twists, something I enjoy putting into stories if they fit.
What will your next book be about?
There are a few projects coming out that I'm working on. One is called Dead Practices based on a Zombie Lawyer coming from Sonar4 Publications; a group collaboration of a zombie story published by Pill Hill Press; a group collaboration called The Gentlemen's Club, based on "The Secret Life of Hank Wilson", a short story of mine coming out in 2010 from Sonar4 Publications; and, Devil's Own, the sequel to Justice Served coming out from Sonar4 Publications in the future.
What would you say has been your most significant achievement as a writer?
To have someone say that my work has influenced in some way. Whether it be good or bad.
Possibly related books:
,,
Related articles:
She is also actively involved with Sonar4 Publications, a science fiction and horror publishing house she started in 2008.
In this interview, Shells Walter talks about her writing:
When did you start writing?
I started writing when I was 11 years old reading my first horror story by Edgar Allan Poe.
Poetry is where I started first, then short stories and eventually longer works. I chose to start wanting to get published in 2006. Up until then I wrote for the pleasure of it.
How would you describe the writing you are doing now?
Different and twisty.
I end up writing a lot of what I'm feeling at the time into my writing, of course what I find interesting or researched I put into it as well.
I don't have a target audience per se. Several people who like different genres have enjoyed some of my work. I think I tend to just write and hope people will enjoy my work.
Which authors would you say influenced you most?
Edgar Allan Poe, Stephen King and Philip K Dick have influenced me the most.
I think they had this influence because they went past the barriers that so-called genres allowed them to go. They allowed the readers to be able to feel their work instead of just reading it.
I want readers to be able to have their own sense of emotions when reading my stories.
What are your main concerns as a writer?
My main concerns as a writer is having something I thought was good turn out that it wasn't as good as I originally had hoped. My ways of dealing with this is having a good editor check over my work and possibly see the things I may have missed.
The biggest challenges at times is putting my stories into a specific category. Since my writing tends to fall in several different areas, people sometimes gets confused on where my stories may fit. I try explaining to them what the story is about and in hopes they understand it.
How have your personal experiences influenced your writing?
I was shy when I was younger and picked on in grade school. Writing had allowed me to focus my emotions and get them out.
Personal experiences to this day pull the direction of my writing, allow my emotions to run full force into the stories.
Do you write everyday?
I write when I can. I really don't have a set schedule as it depends on time that I have.
However, I often take writing breaks and that allows me to write on a daily basis and that can vary from an hour to three hours.
How many books have you written so far?
I have a horror novella called Bite This published in 2009 by Sonar4 Publications which deals with a Priest that gets bit by a vampire. He then questions his faith on why this happened to him.
Demon Alley, 10 short stories based on your favorite urban legends; a short story collection published by Sonar4 Publications in 2009.
And currently Justice Served, a horror novel published by Sonar4 Publications released in Nov 2009, which deals with a lawyer and the devil. He defends a case for the Devil and he loses it. He then becomes the Devil's personal attorney. His first case is defending the most notorious serial killer known. It is available in ebook and print from sonar4publications.com
Which were the most difficult aspects of the work you put into Justice Served
At times, it was making sure details were accurate and changing some. Since parts of the novel is based on actual events, I twisted some because it was a fictional piece.
I allowed myself not to worry too much and to just write the story. Any real issues were fixed later if I felt they caused a problem.
Also, having a great editor does wonders.
Which aspects of the work did you enjoy most?
Without giving too much away, writing on certain parts of the history in the novel on one of the characters. I have always been interested in learning about this specific person and it was fun including them in the story.
What sets Justice Served apart from other things you've written?
It has more twists and I believe it deals with more history, where others dealt more with just aspect of good vs evil.
In what way is it similar?
It has twists, something I enjoy putting into stories if they fit.
What will your next book be about?
There are a few projects coming out that I'm working on. One is called Dead Practices based on a Zombie Lawyer coming from Sonar4 Publications; a group collaboration of a zombie story published by Pill Hill Press; a group collaboration called The Gentlemen's Club, based on "The Secret Life of Hank Wilson", a short story of mine coming out in 2010 from Sonar4 Publications; and, Devil's Own, the sequel to Justice Served coming out from Sonar4 Publications in the future.
What would you say has been your most significant achievement as a writer?
To have someone say that my work has influenced in some way. Whether it be good or bad.
Possibly related books:
,,
Related articles:
- [Interview: Part 1 of 5] John Miller, Conversations with Writers, August 31, 2009
- Shells Walter Interview, House of Horror, Accessed on March 18, 2010
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