A.P. Stephens grew up in the suburb of Mesquite, to the east of Dallas, TX. He attended West Mesquite High School and then went on to the University of North Texas to study English. From a young age, he has always shown the wanting to create his own stories and characters, starting off with the desire to make video games.
After reading The Lord of the Rings in middle school, he turned his focus to fantasy and began laying the ground work for many of the ideas featured in his current works, as well as all future works. With backgrounds in both martial arts and the theatrical arts he brings a heavy dose of action into his literary works where he enjoys putting new twists on the staples of fantasy lit stereotypes.
His first novel, The Stolen Moon of Londor, Book I in The White Shadow Saga, was released in October of 2009 and went on to be named one of the Top Books of 2009 by Fantasy Book Critic, as well as being recognized as one of the Top 50 Books of the Year by Conversations Live! radio. The novel was also nominated for the 2010 Parsec Award for Best Speculative Fiction.
The second book in the Saga, Shameless Wonders, published in October 2010 is his latest work and promises to be an even bigger and badder story than the first installment.
A.P. Stephens has been a guest at a few cons where he has sat on panels to discuss world building, the fantasy genre, as well as leading some panels on Self Publishing, (Fanda Books is his own indie label bringing The White Shadow Saga to the great readers of the world.)
He is currently writing the third and final book of The White Shadow Saga trilogy and is also developing his first indie action rpg video game under Fanda Studios. Stay tuned for more updates about Book III, the video game, and much more.
After reading The Lord of the Rings in middle school, he turned his focus to fantasy and began laying the ground work for many of the ideas featured in his current works, as well as all future works. With backgrounds in both martial arts and the theatrical arts he brings a heavy dose of action into his literary works where he enjoys putting new twists on the staples of fantasy lit stereotypes.
His first novel, The Stolen Moon of Londor, Book I in The White Shadow Saga, was released in October of 2009 and went on to be named one of the Top Books of 2009 by Fantasy Book Critic, as well as being recognized as one of the Top 50 Books of the Year by Conversations Live! radio. The novel was also nominated for the 2010 Parsec Award for Best Speculative Fiction.
The second book in the Saga, Shameless Wonders, published in October 2010 is his latest work and promises to be an even bigger and badder story than the first installment.
A.P. Stephens has been a guest at a few cons where he has sat on panels to discuss world building, the fantasy genre, as well as leading some panels on Self Publishing, (Fanda Books is his own indie label bringing The White Shadow Saga to the great readers of the world.)
He is currently writing the third and final book of The White Shadow Saga trilogy and is also developing his first indie action rpg video game under Fanda Studios. Stay tuned for more updates about Book III, the video game, and much more.
Now, dont go that way. Never go that way. If you keep going that way it'll lead you straight to the castle.
6 Questions with A.P. Stephens:
1. What are your favorite and your least favorite sounds?
"My favorite sounds are my wife's voice and her laughter. That always makes me feel better and drives me forward in wanting to succeed for her, myself, and my family. I also enjoy music, which is a big inspiration for my creativity. I really prefer to listen to old RPG soundtracks from the Super Nintendo and Playstation 1, back when I was formulating most of my stories.
My least favorite sound is my alarm clock in the morning. It would be great one day to be a full-time writer and set my own hours. I get really creative when the sun goes down. So I would like to be able to stay up all night and sleep during the daytime."
2. What turns you on creatively, spiritually, emotionally?
"Creatively, I would have to say music turns me on. Lyrics and the way instruments move through songs can really strike a chord with me, be it to progress a story or character I am working on, or be a song that motivates me to keep going strong and do the best I can."
3. What decision in your career are you most grateful for?
"Deciding to self-publish my books. After playing the agent hunting game on and off for a couple of years, I took it upon myself to get my works to the readers. I have always been told growing up that if you want something done, you have to do it yourself. You cannot wait around and wait for it to happen. I believe that publishing your own work can potentially build you a fanbase and give you the needed stats if you desire to pursue an agent or publisher at a later date. But if you do self-publish, you have to be twice the professional that the regular publishers are. You need to have your book edited by a pro, you need a pro type-setter, artist for your cover, etc. Do your homework and act as a professional, and your self-published book can go far."
"Deciding to self-publish my books. After playing the agent hunting game on and off for a couple of years, I took it upon myself to get my works to the readers. I have always been told growing up that if you want something done, you have to do it yourself. You cannot wait around and wait for it to happen. I believe that publishing your own work can potentially build you a fanbase and give you the needed stats if you desire to pursue an agent or publisher at a later date. But if you do self-publish, you have to be twice the professional that the regular publishers are. You need to have your book edited by a pro, you need a pro type-setter, artist for your cover, etc. Do your homework and act as a professional, and your self-published book can go far."
4. What is the closest you have ever come to giving up your craft?
"I never have thought about quitting. The only thing that really holds me back is laziness. When I am at work during the day, I think about all of the things I want to write about when I get home. But when I get home, I usually want to rest or watch tv, play a video game, etc. But once I get over the hurdle of not wanting to do the work, I get going big time and go full force into the book, etc until it is done. It's just the first nudge of that boulder sitting at the top of the hill that is the hardest.
"I never have thought about quitting. The only thing that really holds me back is laziness. When I am at work during the day, I think about all of the things I want to write about when I get home. But when I get home, I usually want to rest or watch tv, play a video game, etc. But once I get over the hurdle of not wanting to do the work, I get going big time and go full force into the book, etc until it is done. It's just the first nudge of that boulder sitting at the top of the hill that is the hardest.
I don't want to give up. I was motivated as a young man to be a writer and I want to pass it along to today's young people, or anyone for that matter, to be creative or to go for their own goals."
5. What is the most fun you have ever had?
"My wife and I had a great time in Seattle a couple of years. It's my favorite city, so any time I can get to Seattle, it is a great time.
As for writing, my favorite times are at book signings and book club meetings. It is always great to talk to readers and talk about books and to those who are curious about the writing process."
"My wife and I had a great time in Seattle a couple of years. It's my favorite city, so any time I can get to Seattle, it is a great time.
As for writing, my favorite times are at book signings and book club meetings. It is always great to talk to readers and talk about books and to those who are curious about the writing process."
6. Assuming heaven exists, what would you like to hear God (or Allah or Yahweh or Odin. Generally the Supreme Being of your choice.) say when you arrive at the pearly gates?
"The arcade is down and to the left."
"The arcade is down and to the left."
Awesome. Here's hoping they've got Dragon's Lair. I used to love that game! For more information about A.P. Stephens, or if you would like to drop him a line to discuss literature, leave feedback about the books, or to set up an appearance, interview (written. podcast, or radio), please feel free to email him at: contact@apstephens.com
Thanks to A.P. for the fantastic interview and thanks to you for reading! If you enjoyed this one wait till tomorrow! Author, podcaster, Tony Deuce!
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