Lee Hall is an accomplished indie author who has published works across multiple genres, from occult thrillers to paranormal romance. With a passion for storytelling that began in his childhood, Lee has honed his craft over the years, drawing inspiration from his own life experiences as well as the works of renowned authors like Michael Crichton, Stephen King, and Arthur Conan Doyle.
In addition to his novels, Lee is also a talented playwright, serving as the resident playwright for his local drama club. His fresh take on British pantomime has delighted audiences and earned him recognition within the community theater scene.
But Lee’s talents don’t stop there – he is also a prolific blogger and social media presence, using his platform to promote fellow indie authors and share his expertise on book marketing and blogging. His dedication to helping others succeed in the indie publishing world has earned him a loyal following and cemented his position as a respected figure within the community.
Today, we sit down with Lee to discuss his writing journey, the challenges and rewards of indie publishing, and what the future holds for this multi-faceted author.
Every Writer: What inspired you to start writing and when did you realize it was your passion?
Lee: Reading was a huge part of my childhood along with consuming any kind of immersive story through plenty of other mediums – television, theatre and of course cinema along with even the likes of live sport. This eventually inspired me to chase my own creativity in the pursuit of finding immersion through stories. Writing simply makes me feel good and over many years it has become part of who I am to the point where it’s now my passion.
Every Writer: Your works span across multiple genres, from occult thrillers to paranormal romance. How do you decide which genre to explore next?
Lee: To me and as a writer, genres are variable and they kind of blend in most of my works. Sometimes an idea or even a single plot thread that becomes a story won’t actually have a genre to begin with but there will always be something at stake or a subject I intend to write about that emerges first. Eventually, that will pull my writing towards a genre that basically hosts the whole thing.
Every Writer: You mention that your works carry deeper meanings that tribute events from real life. Can you share an example of how a real-life event has influenced one of your stories?
Lee: My debut book Open Evening is a semi-biographical account of my high school days so it’s basically a series of events and experiences I faced but with added fictional elements and creature feature horror. The moments, faces, feelings and even places I’ve put in that book tribute what was an awful school journey for me with the later realisation that I wasn’t like many in that crowd within those corridors and classrooms (which is okay). That feeling of being the only one, is the central theme in Open Evening for main character Luke Hartford who thinks the whole town in strange and it turns out he might be on to something. He also shares my initials among many other similar personality tropes of mine.
Every Writer: Being a resident playwright for your local drama club, how does writing for the stage differ from writing novels?
Lee: In recent times, writing for my local drama group has brought a level of satisfaction and pride that I cannot find anywhere else in my writing endeavours. The key difference for me is imagining these stories as physical stage productions instead of a world inside a book so they basically have to work in every practical sense. And by that I mean costumes, set, staging, run time and so much more. This gives me a kind of objective view of the writing and this way I’ll know whether or not it will work as a script needs to be practical enough to become a production. Books sit way more cinematically in my mind during the drafting process and all you really need to consume then is an imagination but my plays will require that and much more to work.
To hold a single idea and then pursue it to a fully written script is basically only really a portion of the mammoth task that is putting on a show with paying audience watching and living breathing performers on stage. So there comes a moment where I am simply a proud passenger on the journey also.
Every Writer: What challenges did you face when adapting pantomimes, and how did you put your fresh take on this British stage tradition?
Lee: My initial vision was to write a modern and contemporary version of Beauty and the Beast that was a tribute to both fairy tale and the modern cinema adaptation. As someone who was also established as a performer in the club, I also appreciated that only so many performers were being granted main roles as the previous scripts involved 10 to 12 parts. At the time, there were a lot of performers who deserved roles and so from the very start of my work in adapting this show, I had the performers in mind. My version of Beauty and the Beast had 18 roles and was regarded as one of the most successful shows the club performed in many years. There were standing ovations after one performance which is no small feat for a community drama group.
So the challenge remains now even after just finishing my 6th adaptation to keep up with the club I write for and ensure they are basically taken care of in regard to having a show that works for them while also retaining all the hallmarks of that first script. That is of course while also facing the challenges of presenting them with something that is funny, entertaining and a good experience to be in for audience and performer alike. It sounds like a massive undertaking and it can be, but also it’s something I truly love doing.
My ultimate ambition as a playwright is to see these scripts performed by other drama clubs – they are all available for licence to perform by the way…
Every Writer: With thousands of readers downloading your works, what do you believe is the key to attracting and maintaining a loyal readership?
Lee: Consistency in everything I do as a social media present creative and writer is the key. Whether it be that social media presence where every day I turn up to regular book releases and of course promotion. Everything I do to attract readers and maintain a loyal readership revolves around consistency while learning to move forward and grow from it. Turning up matters and creates opportunity eventually. My mantra is to simply never give up through the good and bad times.
Every Writer: How has your active social media presence helped you promote your works and engage with your audience?
Lee: Social media is a huge opportunity as it is so plugged in to many different people with all types of backgrounds and inputs who are readily available all the time. Over the years I’ve managed to learn how to grow and reach people in ways that encourages them to follow me and engage with my content through mainly conversation and being positive. Marketing to me is simply engaging with my audience in conversational ways and ensuring that the experiences I have with people is positive. People remember good experiences online and this eventually urges them to buy my works. This is also how I’ve gotten noticed by so many people over the years which has led to much of my success.
Every Writer: On your “Hall of Information” blog, you focus on promoting fellow authors through reviews. Why is it important for you to support other writers in the indie community?
Lee: As a huge fan of reading and being immersed in stories it’s really a natural fit for me to promote fellow Indies in the community. Plus I know exactly how hard it can be to find reviews and so it might be a drop in the ocean, but I am playing a part in filling that gap by reviewing fellow writers. I don’t consider myself a hero for it, more of a traveller looking for that next awesome story. Another huge thing about reviewing so many wonderful indie books is the amount of extra content it can create. As an active blogger, my Hall of Information blog needs material, so reviews are great for regular content.
Every Writer: What inspired you to create guides and tutorials on book marketing and blogging advice, and how have these resources been received by your followers?
Lee: Being open and honest about my results as an indie author is basically how I kind of fell into the idea of writing guides about the stuff I have learned. As far back as 2017 I shared my sales statistics online (both good and bad) – this became a surprising positive revelation that began to build social bridges with fellow authors. Soon enough I began to dabble with the idea of sharing more such as who I’ve advertised with and how exactly I have sold books into the thousands over years.
The majority of my followers are writers or creatives who are looking to find consumers for their work or to grow online and they have found me through the many guides and tutorials I’ve put out there over time so I’d like to believe it has been well received so far.
Every Writer: You’ve recently started a Patreon. What unique content can your patrons expect to find there?
Lee: All of my best and most exclusive guide based content can be found via my Patreon and I’ll happily boast that my content isn’t like anything else out there in terms of resources for indie creatives. I’m incredibly proud of the following I’ve grown on the platform as well as the sheer amount of resources available over there. Some wonderful patrons pay me a small fee monthly to put together mostly guide based content to help them grow on social media or through wider creative things. From finding book reviews to navigating twitter in detail to selling books plus so much more, my patreon is stacked with content and is continually growing.
If you are looking to grow as an indie author in the online world, then be sure to check it out. ( https://www.patreon.com/lhallwriter )
Every Writer: Among the television shows you draw inspiration from, which one has had the most significant impact on your writing and why?
Lee: Some of my original writing inspiration stemmed from watching the first run of Buffy the Vampire Slayer all the way back in the early 2000’s. The fusion of multiple genres booted with the concept of a powerful action hero (and Buffy really was to me) who could deal with whatever challenges life threw her. The show had a resounding effect on my young mind. It inspired me to eventually begin writing stories of my own, many of which are themed with the ordinary facing the extraordinary.
Every Writer: As an indie author, what has been the most challenging aspect of getting your books noticed in a crowded market?
Lee: Being seen is probably the biggest challenge for any author out there as hundreds of new books find their release each month but I have also learned that it is never too late to promote or find success with a book. The moment after release is bathed in continual opportunity to try new things with promotion and eventually succeed. Simply not giving up and doing my best to stand out on social media has helped me big time – this is where a lot of my motivation to put out guide based content has emerged from. If you can do something within reason that not many others are doing, it will eventually help you stand out. Paying for advertising helps also.
Every Writer: Conversely, what has been the most rewarding moment of your indie author journey so far?
Lee: There have been plenty of rewarding moments for me that kind of have equal measure but seeing two of my books reach Amazon Best Seller is very much on the top of my list. This is especially prevalent for my guide book Consistent Creative Content which is the only non-fiction book on my back list so far and has helped so many fellow authors. Of course, I am also proud of The Teleporter hitting that milestone also because in the early days after it was just released, I had huge doubts about it.
The real message here is the fact both of these works had been published for some years before hitting best seller, so keep going!
Every Writer: In your best-selling guide book, “Consistent Creative Content,” what key insights do you share with authors and bloggers navigating the social media age?
Lee: There are a lot of different messages within CCC that are all linked by positivity and finding happiness in what you have achieved no matter the size. Many of us get caught up in the journey of the ‘grind’ without just taking some time to realise how far we have come to get to now. Appreciating what we are capable of can propel us forward while also giving us all a deserved sense of pride in what we can achieve. That sense of pride is powerful and if we can unlock it, we’ll begin to enjoy our journey and that is how eventual progress is made.
Every Writer: As an author who has found success in both fiction and non-fiction, what advice would you give to aspiring writers who are unsure of which path to pursue?
Lee: If I can do this and find success then so can you. Writing and finishing a book is a huge achievement that only you can learn to do by simply doing. Embrace the challenge and your words because this path is yours and yours only. There will come times when a leap of faith is required for everyone pursuing success in writing. Of course, reach out to fellow writers and don’t be afraid to ask them. On social media, there is always someone who is facing similar challenges to you.
Every Writer: Lastly, what can readers expect from you in the future? Are there any new projects or genres you’re excited to explore?
Lee: Right now I am very much embracing the regular content creation aspect of my journey by putting out new guides and even video book reviews via Patreon/YouTube. You can catch me most days on Twitter and quite soon I am going to be exploring a possible new book release for later this year. Thank you for the opportunity to answer some wonderful questions.
Every Writer: Thank you.
Lee: Thank you for the opportunity.
You can visit Lee on social media or at his website listed below. Many of his books are available online for purchase.
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