Really great 3Q’s today with the always awesome Paul Sheppard!

Paul continues to destroy his legion of fans with his dark fiction!

Super happy to have him stop by today!

Welcome Paul!

Steve: What does your process look like once you finish your first draft? Do you immediately dive back into it, or do you take some time away?

Paul: That depends on the story really, with novellas, I tend to dive straight into the edits. With full-length novels, I like to let them sit for a month or two before making any major changes. It’s worth mentioning that I write all my first drafts with pen and paper, then make some minor adjustments when I type them up. I enjoy writing by hand because it feels more creative, but the editing process is much easier on a computer screen.

Steve: Do you believe cryptozoological creatures exist? If so, which one do you think has the best chance of being proven to exist?

Paul: I want to believe. I think a lot of cryptid stories stem from sightings of unknown creatures or medical conditions that could be explained with modern science but were unexplainable at the time. I also think that there are a lot of places that have yet to be explored and could easily harbour fantastic creatures, especially in the deep oceans. I’m particularly fascinated by the once-human creatures that appear in multiple cultures across the globe, things like vampires and zombies. I think the crypto zoological creatures from the deep are most likely to be found and accepted as real. Maybe Megalodon or a giant kraken-like quid.

Steve: Of the books or stories you’ve released, which is your personal favorite and why?

Paul: 100% The Nightcrawler. I had the idea burning away in the back of my mind for a long time, but I was in a bit of a writing slump until I saw Aphotic Realm’s submission call with a rapidly approaching deadline. That deadline was the motivation I needed to step away from the problematic novel I was working on and write the shorter horror novella that had been distracting me.

I put a lot of myself into that book, and the people who know me well all say they can see it in a particular character. The interesting thing is that I self-inserted myself as a different character to the one everyone assumes is me. Even the old 4×4 in the story is based on the Land Rover I lived in for a while when I was travelling.

Steve: Bonus Fun Question – What was the best practical joke you’ve ever been involved in?

Paul: I once told my mountaineering friends that I couldn’t get the time off work to meet them in Poland for our next trip but explained that they should go without me. After planning the prank with one friend who promised not to tell the others, I booked a flight to get there a day before them. During the first night in the woods near Zakopane, I paid a visit to their campsite while playing bear noises on my phone. One of them was in on the prank, so I knew no one had a firearm, and confidently stomped around their hammocks for ten minutes before switching the soundtrack to the bare necessities song from the jungle book. Can you believe they swore at me?

Steve: Haha, that is fantastic! Love that!

Thank you so much, Paul!

To find more of his work, check the links!

Twitter: https://twitter.com/writingnomad999

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/P-A-Sheppard/author/B0BRJFL4GY

Website: https://paulsheppardwrites.wixsite.com/an-eye-for-knowledge