Author Spotlight: Shawn Winchell

I grew up on Goosebumps, Stephen King, and The X Files and I think that is pretty obvious to the people who read my books. When I’m not busy raising my 5 kids, I write paranormal suspense and horror stories.

Author Links:

@authorshawnwinchell on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads

www.shawnwinchell.com (eBook and paperback versions of all my books are available to purchase from my website, though I’m currently only able to ship physical copies to US readers. I’m hoping to be able to change that in the future. Until then, anyone in a different country can find my books on Amazon or most major retailers)

We’re here to spotlight your body of work, which includes 7 books available in eBook, paperback, and a couple in hardback! What draws you to write horror, and how many subgenres and aspects of the genre have you tried so far? Do you find yourself returning to certain things?

I always wanted to write noir (think Raymond Chandler). I never actually planned on writing horror, but when I write, those are the stories that come out. One great thing about horror is that the genre is such a broad spectrum that there is something for everyone. I like to think that my work represents that – I’ve written all over the genre, from ghost stories to psychological to sci-fi horror and demonic possession.

If you had to highlight 2-3 themes in your body of work, what would they be, and how have you expressed them in the books? Do you find yourself expressing or even returning to these themes consciously, unconsciously, or a mix? 

One recurring theme in a lot of my writing is the concept of an unreliable narrator. I absolutely love them. I think an unreliable narrator gives a story an added layer that can’t exist any other way. Plus, they’re a lot of fun to write.

Another thing that I find myself returning to from book to book is the dichotomy between skeptics and believers – whether that is in regards to ghosts or aliens or anything really. I believe having that contrast is important.

Tell us a little bit about your writing process and style – have you found yourself developing or changing up how you write between your first book and your latest book? 

My writing process has stayed mostly the same except for one major change. I wrote the entire first draft of my debut by hand. It was such a fun experience to put pen to paper and watch as the pages piled up.

Since then, I’ve had quite a few medical issues that have made using my hands difficult on a good day and impossible on bad ones. As a result, I’ve had to give up the handwritten draft.

The rest of my process is still the same, though. I map out between twenty and thirty scenes on index cards and then I start writing. As I’m writing, I try to let the story go wherever it wants to, but if I get too far off track, I use the note cards to redirect myself. And I make a point to never read what I’ve written until I have a finished draft to keep myself from getting stuck tinkering instead of actually writing.

Let’s spotlight some characters! Pick 2-3 protagonists from your any of books, and share what makes them tick, and why you enjoyed developing them. 

It’s funny, my favorite characters to write almost always end up being side characters. Tommy and Ms. Evelyn in Birdseye were a ton of fun, as was Madame Ethelinda from Eliza (who is actually the only character I’ve ever written that was solely based off of a real person – an old boss of mine from when I used to work at Barnes and Noble).

My favorite protagonist would have to be Lucy, the nine-year-old narrator from Birdseye. She’s socially awkward on top of being at an age where she is still finding herself. She’s confident and smart and knows how to trust herself, even when maybe she shouldn’t. She’s also kind and compassionate despite someone (me) putting her through some really awful experiences.

Let’s zoom in on your favourite antagonists to write. Tell us how these characters/entities came about, and what your process was for developing them as you wrote their stories. 

I had a lot of fun with Eliza in my first book. The idea for her came about as an amalgamation of a ghost story from an old asylum near where I live and a Native American legend about what they call “Stick Indians.”

My favorite antagonist that I’ve written so far is Gus from Liminal. I’m not going to say much about him other than if you read the book, I think you’ll see why I like him so much.

As an indie author, what have been the main challenges for you in terms of publication? What have you learned over the course of 7 books?

The biggest challenge for me is and always has been social media. I very rarely used it before publishing my first book and it is still a struggle for me. But, over the course of releasing more books and starting to build a bit of a following, I’ve learned that it is absolutely necessary. And thankfully, for the most part, the people that aren’t interested in what you have to say usually just scroll by.

Can you tell us about your future publication plans? What can we look out for next?

For 2025, I have two books planned for release – Googly Eye (a possession/occult horror novel) in April, and the first book in a new series called The Many Terrors of Creekbed Hollow that will be published in October.

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