Interview with Author – Ron Shaw

About Ron Shaw:
Ron Shaw isan Atlanta, Georgia, native who currently resides in Gwinnett County, Georgia,with his wife and daughter. He attended Roosevelt High School in Atlanta andcontinued his education at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia for two years.Ron met his future wife in Atlanta after his second year at Mercer andtransferred his junior year to Georgia State University.
In 1973,with new responsibilities, he became an Atlanta Police Officer while attendingcollege full time. Ron attained a BA degree in English Literature from GeorgiaState University in 1974. He retired from the Atlanta Police Department in 1996after a very fulfilling and personally satisfying career.
Ron is anaward-winning cover designer, best-selling and prolific author, writing in awide variety of genres. His novels are; Seven Fish Tree, The Yellow Bus Boys,Transmutation: The Life of a twisted Cop, RED, The Yellow Bus Boys Go BlueCanada Bound. He co-authored a novel with Texas author, D.A. Grady entitledAround The Campfire: Two Badge Toters’ Tales. Ron has three novellas and ashort story in his paranormal/historical romance Cramped Quarters series,consisting of Mary’s Trunk, Mary’s Journey Begins, Mary’s Journey Continues,and Paul’s Story. His published short story, The Dead and the Dying, alsoappears in the horror anthology, Dark Tales. Another of Ron’s published shortstories, J, also appears in the anthology, Short & Fun Stories. He has twobooks of poetry and superb photography (courtesy of his brother-in-law, J.Robert Sosby) Without From Within: Poems by Ron Shaw (available in English andFrench) and TraVerses: Poems by Ron Shaw. His latest works are a novelette,Christmas Past: An Angel’s Story, apoetry collection, Southern Brewed Poetry, a novelette, The Rebooted, a book of photography, Photography by J. Robert Sosby, and a novelette, Thanks Giving.

What inspires you to write?
The list of things that inspire me to write continues to grow. Sometimes, it’s a dream that ignites a story or a nightmare that refuses to dissipate.
A deja vu moment can nudge me into a story or a childhood memory or fear can start the muses whispering in my head.
An aroma, sunrise, tree, flower, or sunset have been known to kick my pen into action.
Writing inspiration for me is as varied as the genres I write.

Tell us about your writing process.
My process is quite simple. When the words must flow, there’s no clock or any other external distraction to stop it.
Basically, hitting my laptop, a new novel, poem, novella, novelette, or short story is launched in MS Word, and I just start writing the words demanding to flow.
I fly by the seat of my pants. I’m certainly no storyboard kind of writer. When a project begins percolating in my brain, I’ll wait until all of the safe tumblers have aligned themselves, and the work gushes forth.
There is no daily regiment or minimum or maximum word count thing with me. I’d stop writing if there were.

For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
Definitely! Most of the time, my characters are writing their own stories. In fact, they can be quite pushy about it.
Many of my characters do take on a birth and life of their own.
At times, the choice to off one comes from the level of their intrusive nature.

What advice would you give other writers?
Persevere. Let nobody deter you from your passion for writing.
Listen to constructive criticism and adapt if needed.
It’s always your story. Never forget that fact.
Forget about money, royalties, fame, fortune, or misfortune. The reward lies within the writing, and you’ll understand this fully when you first begin to hear feedback from readers. It’s almost magical when you discover there are fans of your work(s). Even a bad review from a reader means they read your work or at least, attempted to.
Grow in your writing skills.
Discover your writing voice, embrace it, tap into it, and let it scream in everything you write.

How did you decide how to publish your books?
By far, this process has been the most bothersome aspect of writing to be published.
Mine has been a journey of wrong turns, but from the trial and tribulations of hunting for a reputable publisher, my Indie spirit was born.
I’m perfectly comfortable with the writing DIY, Indie life.
As writers, we can control our own destinies in publishing. The tools, resources, and help from other fine authors are available to me and you.
We can own the success or failure that comes with the business of publishing and selling books.

What do you think about the future of book publishing?
Well, that’s easy. The Big 10 (publishers) has become the Sickly 5, and the Soon to Vanish 4 because they are incapable of change.
The ability to do what they have done exclusively for many decades has doomed them. They need to adapt in a hurry if they wish to survive.

What do you use?: Dictated and got transcribed, Co-writer, Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer, Beta Readers

What genres do you write?: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Nonfiction, Romance, Historical Romance, Erotica, Poetry, Comin of Age, Humor, Paranormal, Horror, Travel, Family Situations, Satire, Comedy, Holidays, Ghosts, Supernatural, Crime, True Crime, Young Adult, Religion, Philosophy, Spirituality, and more

What formats are your books in?: eBook, Print, Both eBook and Print, Audiobook

Website(s)
Ron Shaw Home Page Link
Link To Ron Shaw Page On Amazon
Link to Author Page on other site

Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
LinkedIn

All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.