On Saturday, February 15, 2020, from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm at Hidden Treasures Thrift Store in Chilliwack, author Shawn Gale will be reading from two of his books: The Stories That Make Us and World of Dawn: The Great Reach. Everyone is welcome to attend this free event, and Shawn is donating $5.00 from every book he sells during the reading to M2/W2 Association. Come on out this Saturday and support Shawn, Hidden Treasures, and M2/W2 Association.
In preparation for the event, we connected with Shawn to learn more about his writing, find out what inspires him, and see what’s he’s been up to at Hidden Treasures.
M2/W2 Association: How long have you been writing?
Shawn Gale: My writing journey started in 2010. I’d been an avid reader and role-play gamer through my younger years, and so writing stories came naturally to me. Since 2010, a week hasn’t gone by in which I haven’t worked on a story in some way.
M2/W2: In addition to your books, you’ve done some screenwriting. Can you describe the screenwriting projects you’ve worked on?
SG: From 2014 to 2017, I was a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s creative writing department with a focus on screenwriting. I completed a sci-fi TV script titled Majestic 13 and a feature film suspense script, Ghosts of Stalingrad. I received praise from my two professors for the work I did, as well as letters of reference. It was a first-rate experience at a prestigious university.
M2/W2: Have you done any other types of writing?
SG: I’ve written just about everything—poems, essays, articles, short stories, novels, scripts. With that said, novels are my biggest passion, so I spend most of my time working in the genre of long fiction.
M2/W2: Who are some of your favourite authors? Books?
SG: I have many favourite fiction authors. A few that really stand out are Joseph Conrad, Cormac McCarthy, Flannery O’Connor, Michael Ondaatje, and Margaret Atwood. For books, I would say Blood Meridian by McCarthy and Lord Jim by Conrad, although I recently read Plato’s The Republic, which I really enjoyed.
M2/W2: What inspired you to write science fiction?
SG: There are a few things. One is an experience I had at my grandparent’s cattle ranch, Copper Creek Ranch, near Cache Creek, when I was a boy. Two is the sci-fi books I’ve read and movies I’ve watched over the years. And three is the possibility of what’s in humanity’s past, in its future, and what awaits discovery in the universe beyond our solar system.
M2/W2: Can you describe your workflow a little?
SG: My stories usually start with subject matter that I’m curious about. I then ponder it for a while—characters, scenes, tension, events—before I begin to write an outline, and then I go on to a rough draft. Around this time, I will also create characters profiles, using a police profile template. From this point on, I lean hard into the project until I have completed a rough draft of the entire work. I usually spend a minimum of one hour a day writing, and sometimes as much as four.
M2/W2: For the World of Dawn series, how long did it take to write the first book? Were you planning a series from the outset?
SG: The entire outline of all four World of Dawn books was done over one year. The entire story arc was complete before I started writing book one, World of Dawn: Arise, which took about a year and a half. It was released in 2017 and went on to win awards and garner rave reviews. I planned to write a trilogy at first, but soon realized I needed a bigger canvas, so to speak, hence four books instead of three.
M2/W2: How did your short story collection come together?
SG: The Stories That Make Us was my first book. It was written over two years and used as my project while enrolled at Humber College’s School for Writers. I received praise from the school and was awarded a rare Letter of Distinction, which confirmed my instinct that I’d created a powerful work of art. It then garnered rave reviews and was selected as a top-three finalist for the Whistler Book Award in 2016.
M2/W2: How long have you been volunteering at Hidden Treasures?
SG: I started volunteering at Hidden Treasures Chilliwack in 2017. I’ve been a jack of all trades. I’ve cleaned, stocked shelves, organized merchandise, helped customers, all while enjoying great food, stories, and company. Most of all, I’ve been part of a special experience. While volunteering at Hidden Treasures, I’ve met all sorts of different people: from other volunteers to customers to those donating items to the store. It’s been fun, exciting, and memorable to interact with such a wide range of people.
M2/W2: Can you describe a memorable interaction that happened while you were at Hidden Treasures?
SG: I assisted an elderly woman loading items that she’d purchased into her car. She was beaming with gratitude, and it struck me right then and there—this is one of those moments that let me know why I’m here. The experience gave me a deeper sense of how brief, positive interactions can help strengthen the healthy web of community.
M2/W2: What do you have planned for the future?
SG: I’m currently working on the fourth book in my series, World of Dawn: Homeward. I’ve been promoting my books at events around Vancouver, and this will continue for the foreseeable future. Also, I’m developing my World of Dawn series into film, having completed book one’s screenplay adaptation. At the same time, I’m in the early stages of my next literary project. It’s a stand-alone novel titled Into the Caliphate. Oh, yes, I plan to continue to recite poetry any chance I get.
Thanks, Shawn, for taking the time to answer our questions! We’re looking forward to the reading this weekend.