Author Interview: Lee Hall
"Reading became an escape and eventually that turned to writing my own stuff for that escape."
Today’s author interview is with Lee Hall, who tells us how his writing journey began on a fateful Sunday afternoon while seated in front of a Windows 98 computer.
Hey Lee - tell me about yourself.
Thank you for the opportunity. My name is Lee Hall and I’m from the UK. By day and sometimes by night I work as a technician in the control room for a particle accelerator located in Oxfordshire England. In my spare time I’m an indie writer, blogger and content creator. I’ve always had a passion for stories and do my best to support fellow creatives like myself. This has brought me closer to so many wonderful people and a loyal social media following over the years.
When did your writing journey begin?
My inspiration to write came from some of the wonderful stories that were introduced to me at quite a young age. I was lucky enough to have a teacher who was passionate about Tolkien and this sparked something in me. Reading became an escape and eventually that turned to writing my own stuff for that escape. Growing up in the 90’s was a great time for cinema and television also and that shaped my ambitions further.
Eventually on a rainy Sunday afternoon I found myself faced with Windows 98 computer and that was when I began writing stories about robots in the future. That’s my beginning and I’ve never looked back.
Have you always wanted to be an author?
For as long as I can remember I’ve always wanted to be some kind of performer and telling stories kind of fed into that ambition. Through reading I found immersion and this turned into the desire to write and I have chased that ever since. It might feel like having homework for the rest of my life, but I’m cool with that!
How many novels have you completed so far?
Currently I have 7 fictional works available. Over the years I have released 5 in an occult thriller series and then a few more which are stand alone in different genres.
What are you working on right now?
Right now I’m focusing more with my regular content on Patreon and YouTube which is centred around sharing my experiences on social media and being published – from selling books to finding reviews and everything else a modern online savvy author/creative needs. In the longer term I am looking to publish my next book hopefully in 2024.
What's been your biggest challenge as a writer?
Marketing by far is my biggest challenge and lots of writers can relate to that. The unfortunate reality of releasing a book into this world and having a desire for it to be a success involves constant energy and work. I’ve got this far, so I’m convinced I can go further… That’s my mantra anyway.
Which online platforms help support your journey?
I’m active on both Twitter on Threads where there is a good spread of writers who make up an awesome community. Without that community, I probably would have given up a long time ago.
Where can people find you online?
You can catch me on Twitter and Threads most days and I have just launched a YouTube Channel.
My Hall of information blog turns 10 very soon also and has been a huge pillar for my content.
Do you have any big plans for the future?
My intention quite soon is to query that first ever book I wrote about robots in the future. I’ve spent many years shaping into a project I am incredibly proud of.
Finally, can you share a golden nugget of advice for any aspiring authors reading this?
Writing to me is a craft and only you can teach yourself to create a process for that. It will take hours, days, weeks, months, seasons and years to find your own way to tell stories or put down words in an orderly fashion and that’s all this is, one step or one word at a time and that time you spend is your best friend.
Plus, reading lots of books helps, it certainly helped me. Read beyond your genres and even taste because books can carry a lot of surprises and some might even help you get better.
Embracing fellow authors on the same journey as you will also help. Knowing there are others like me out there going through the same things is a huge boost for motivation sometimes.