Our next author in the Summer of Indie lineup
is Leigh M. Lane, who enjoys writing "dark speculative
fiction that often contains strong social and political commentary."
We interviewed author Leigh M. Lane, author of novels Myths of Gods and World-Mart and a short collection Of Mind and Matter, to find out more about her and the inspirations for her writing.
The first
book she shared with us was her dystopian novel, World-Mart.
George Irwin remembers a time before the Big
Climate Change, back when the airlines were still in business and people still
drove their own cars. The world has changed much over his lifetime, but he
still believes in the American Dream. When an alleged terrorist act lands his
wife in the hospital, however, George stumbles upon a Corporate secret that
could mean the end of all civilization.
Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/World-Mart-ebook/dp/B005VTN1OC/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2
Author
Leigh M. Lane also spoke about her inspiration for writing World-Mart:
"I began writing World-Mart when, as a manager at
a large-chain corporation, I became disillusioned by the disparity I saw
between the high-end corporate overseers and the low-end workers. I remember
the sense of epiphany that hit me when one day at a manager’s meeting, we
learned the company had decided to spend ten million dollars on
nationwide logo changes, while capping lower management pay at a mere ten
dollars an hour. It just didn’t make sense to me. Moreover, I found the
bureaucracy and ever-changing policies to be mind-blowing and hypocritical, and
I knew there was a dystopia to be written somewhere amidst it all."
Next, we asked about her novel Myths of Gods, a dark fantasy satire that offers a critical look at religion.
"I wrote Myths of Gods as a personal exploration
of existential angst, coupled with long-standing issues of being an estranged
minister’s daughter. Religion can be a touchy subject to write about, but it
was something I needed to do. The question of what God might think collectively
about religion ate away at me for many years, so I finally broke down and wrote
a book to explore that question. The result was haphazard at first, and it took
several years for me to transform the book into a cohesive work that suited my
original expectations."
The last novel that Leigh M. Lane shared
with us was entitled Finding Poe. She
described it as very different from her previous novels, but noted that "It too came as a pang of inspiration that gnawed at me
until I finally wrote the novel. I believe it is my best work to date—and
definitely the scariest."
Follow the final days
before Poe's death, journeying through his musings, both brilliant and mad, in
search of the truth behind his unfinished work, "The Lighthouse,"
while unraveling the mystery behind the elusive woman desperately seeking the
author for answers behind her husband's haunted death.
After finding out about her work, we asked Leigh M. Lane more about her as an author:
Q: When did you start writing?
A: I began writing when I was seven or eight. I was a
voracious reader, but felt unsatisfied with simply reading—I wanted to be like
my favorite authors at the time, creating stories for others to enjoy. I found
myself taken by writing even more than reading, and it became my primary hobby.
I started writing short stories, but by the time I was a teenager, I had
graduated to screenplays and novels. When I discovered speculative fiction
through authors such as Stephen King, Isaac Asimov, and Kurt Vonnegut, I knew I
had found my calling.
Q: What motivated you to publish now?
A: I took a serious look at the current state of the world
and the trends, and I knew the timing was finally right. When, not even a year
after publishing World-Mart, Occupy Wall Street occurred, I knew I had
made the right decision.
Q: Where can people get your book?
A: All of my full-length novels are available in both
Kindle and paperback and are listed on my Amazon Author Page.
Q: In your book, who is your favorite character?
A: In World-Mart, my favorite character is Kurt.
Even though he is a fearful and whiny seven-year-old boy, he stands for
something very important (which I’m not going to spoon-feed readers). I would
love feedback from those who think they’ve figured it out.
Q: What's your favorite indie book that you've read
recently?
A: I've been doing a lot of Indy reading these days, and I
have to say the overall quality I’ve encountered is very high. I don’t think I
can narrow down my favorite to just one book, but instead would like to
recommend a few great Indy authors I’ve recently discovered: Robert S. Wilson,
Bryan Hall, Armand Rosamilia, Trent Zelazny, and Jeffery Anderson.
Q: What's your favorite book of all time?
A: This is another tough one, but if I had to choose just
one book, I think it would be Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s Cat’s Cradle. No other
book has haunted me the way that one has. There are so many other books I’d
love to mention (all by the authors listed below), but I’ll refrain for the
sake of time and space.
Q: Who are some of your favorite authors?
A: I’ll try to keep this short: Stephen King, Kurt
Vonnegut Jr., George Orwell, H.G. Wells, Isaac Asimov, Olaf Stapledon, Joseph
Conrad, Clive Barker, and Anne Rice.
Q: Do you have any advice for new writers?
A: I think the greatest piece of advice I can offer
(hoping I don’t sound too cliché here) is write, write, write. You’ll think the
first draft of your first novel is the greatest work of literature to grace
mankind, but chances are it’s crap. Do yourself a favor and refrain from
shopping it (you’ll thank me later). Put it aside for a year or two. If you
haven’t already, get an English degree. Learn, through critical analysis, what
makes great books great. Learn proper grammar and punctuation. Write another
book, then another one, and then go back to the piece of crap you first wrote
and make it better. Write another book, then another one, and then go back to
the redraft of book number one and make it great.
Q: What's next for you (in your writing)?
A: I’m between projects right now, but I am entertaining
some vague ideas I hope to develop into something more concrete. The muses work
in strange ways, and sometimes it takes a while to make sense of what they want
of me.
Q: Name 3 things readers probably couldn't guess about
you (but you'd like them to know)?
A:
1. I’m an avid comic book fan, with a collection of
several hundred works under a number of imprints.
2. I’m a singer and musician, and have not only sang
for three bands (one blues, one alternative, and one rock and roll), but have
also sang the "Star Spangled Banner" for the opening of a Dodgers
game.
3. I write erotic horror and science fiction romance
under a different name.
You can find novels by Leigh M. Lane at her Amazon Author Page:
You can also find her online on Facebook and her website, where she also hosts a blog.
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