Romance, burn-out and dragons
The writing life of Leanne Shawler
NGood afternoon, ramblers, readers and friends. I recorded this podcast with Leanne in the spring. With all the talk on Notes about serialisation, I recommend reading her Substack: she is a mistress of the art with the The Môrdreigiau Chronicles. However, our interview goes deeper than the current series. Leanne is an artist who has lived the writer’s dream - winning her book deal - and the writer’s nightmare: burn-out. In the interview below, we discuss her love of romance, sea dragons, and unpredictable characters.
Author Interview: Leanne Shawler
“Never give up on your dreams. It took me ten years to get published and another 14 for me to start writing my current series (The Môrdreigiau Chronicles).”
Audio Highlights
(00:01) Computing, competitions and Regency romances
(11:15) Leanne’s writing process and creative journey
(16:31) What you need to know to manage multi-platform projects
(22:39) With the benefit of hindsight: character development and plotting techniques
(27:37) Nat’s Mr Darcy moment.
Mentioned Links
Project Starfish - Leanne on Instagram
Soul Vlog - Leanne’s Youtube Channel
The Wild Forgotten - Natalie Eslick
The Juicy Details…
Join me and Leanne for a dive into the life of a multi-passionate (and multi-project) artist. Leanne started life as a conputer scientist and discovered love the same way (before Tinder and Match.com!) She tells us about her involvement with the Romance Writers of America and the hurdles she faced in getting her first romance novel published, followed by life on the publishing midlists and a 14-year hiatus.
After that, we dive into The Môrdreigiau Chronicles, an epic alternate history and romance series on Substack. Leanne has four books planned across an ever-evolving storyline. We find out how she keeps it straight—both in editing and for her readers online.
That’s not the only thing Leanne is doing. She posts on multiple platforms, which blends her love for Arthurian Britain with her artistic pursuits. Leanne combines YouTube for creative vlogs with Substack, simultaneously reaching several audiences. It’s also time-consuming, and we hear first-hand her tips and tricks for juggling projects. This isn’t just a story: it’s a chronicle of a writer’s life in the trenches.
Notes and transcripts were produced with the help of Podium. Recorded with Riverside FM.