Today we’d like to introduce you to Randall Lane.
Hi Randall, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
Absolutely. Sure thing. So growing up, I was always kind of bent towards anything creepy or unexplained. My family tells me my nickname as a toddler was “Monk-Monk” because I would go around pointing under the beds and couches saying “Monk-Monk.” They say “Monk-Monk” was my word for monster at the time and that I was trying to tell them a monster was hiding beneath the bed and couches. I loved watching scary movies and shows and was a massive fan of RL Stine’s Goosebumps. I also enjoyed watching Sylvia Browne anytime she was on the Montel Williams show talking about ghosts and other things related to the paranormal or supernatural. Most of my family are horror fans as well, so we were always watching a creepy movie, or Tales from the Crypt, The Twilight Zone, you name it. My aunt is a huge horror fan herself, and as I was growing up, she lived in Key West but would visit us once or twice a year in South Carolina. Our ritual was to pick her up from the airport, grab some good Mexican food, and make a Blockbuster run for some scary movies. So, as you can see, the horror genre is something I’ve sort of grown up with and is a big part of who I am. It wasn’t until my sophomore year of college that I began writing fiction of my own. I was in a poetry course which happened to be an elective. I remember it was a fall semester because it was around Halloween, and our professor had us reading a lot of Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Dickens, and Robert Frost. For two weeks in October, he had us focus primarily on writing horror and mystery themed poems. It was during this time that I had my first taste of creating those creepy, atmospheric settings, and is where I learned to really make the words flow so they become like candy to the ears. It wasn’t until three years later after a cross-country road trip to Northern California that I found myself inspired to give my first attempt at writing a novel. It was at this point, I felt a fire ignite within me that continued to burn hotter with each passing day. While writing my first novel, I took a deep dive into the craft of writing and began devouring every horror, mystery, and suspense novel I could get my hands on. I also read countless writing books, watched hundreds of YouTube videos, attended numerous writing conferences, and joined several writing groups. By then, I had fallen completely in love with the writing process as a whole. Seven years later, the fire still burns hot, and I can proudly say I am the author of four novels, one novella, and over three dozen short stories. That’s not to mention the three-inch binder full of notes for over thirty story titles, plots, and characters I am constantly adding to each week. I continue to be a student of the craft and am an avid reader myself. Writing is my passion, and I am excited to see where the journey leads.
Please talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned. Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not by a long shot. Haha. There have definitely been some ups and downs along the way. I just try to enjoy the journey and continue writing what I love. A big struggle I faced early on in my writing career though was feeling the need to be perfect with everything I wrote. I learned I am the most creative when I release myself from the trap of perfection. I’ve learned that my first draft doesn’t have to be perfect, but it does need to be written. This means you can’t edit a blank page. It’s amazing how fast the creative juices begin to flow when you allow yourself to write freely without the chains of perfection. The 2nd and 3rd drafts are where I’ll begin to clean things up, but the first draft is simply just me getting my ideas and the images in my head down to the page. It’s the 2nd and 3rd drafts where things start to take shape and it looks like I knew what I was doing.
Thanks for sharing that. So, you could tell us a bit more about your work.
So, as I mentioned, I’m an author of all things Horror, Mystery, and Suspense. I write Novels, Novellas, and Short Stories. I’m known for being able to craft creepy atmospheres and eerie settings with interesting characters commonly based in small, rural towns. I am most proud of my ability to write characters that people can connect with and relate to. I enjoy writing blue-collar, underdog type characters going about their daily lives before being stopped in their tracks and tossed up against impossible odds. That also goes along with what sets me apart. I grew up in the South and deeply understand how small towns operate. I can easily envision an array of unique personality types that are often fodder for the southern type characters I tend to write about.
Let’s end by discussing what matters most to you and why.
My hope is that people will connect with my books on a deeply personal level. I want them to feel the emotions my characters feel. I want them to find themselves in my stories and feel like they are part of the cast of characters. I want my stories and characters to stick with my readers long after they’ve finished the books. My ultimate goal is that people can escape for a little bit from the chaos of life and allow their minds to go on a mini vacation each time they open one of my books. I want my books to positively impact humanity and for each reader to grow as humans so they can honestly say their lives are better off for having read my work. That’s the kind of legacy I want to leave behind.
Pricing:
- 9.99 A Christmas Spirit (A Modern Day take of A Christmas Carol)
- 9.99 Whispering Winds (10 Creepy & Mysterious Short Stories)
- 10.99 Omah (Novel)
- 12.99 Devil’s Den (Novel)
- 12.99 The Reaping (Novel)
- 14.99 Night Terrors (A Collection of 25 Creepy & Mysterious Tales)
Contact Info:
- Instagram: randall_lane31
- Facebook: Randall Lane Fiction
- Youtube: Randall Lane Fiction
- Amazon: Randall Lane Fiction
- Email: randalllanefiction@gmail.com
