Shanda Sharlow Interview

Please Welcome Shanda Sharlow to Immortyl Revolution!

Shanda, toward what age group is your book geared?

SS: To about ages fifteen and up. There's a few graphically violent scenes that would be disturbing to anyone younger, but the book itself was written when I was fifteen, so I think that's a pretty good point.

Into which genre would you say your work falls and why?

SS: It definitely falls into classic Fantasy. It's set in pseudo-medieval times, with castles and princesses and wars and 'magic'...although there are a few elements which take it away from traditional Fantasy, as well.

Tell us a little about your book.

SS: Well, The Psyonic is something of a Traditional Fantasy book, following the life of a young man named Hale, with the unfortunate fate to be born a 'Psyonic', a race of people who are capable of telepathy, telekinesis, empathy, and precognition. Unlike many sages and magicians in most Fantasy stories, Psyonics are feared and hated, and to be born one is a promise of banishment, death, or worse. The story follows the struggles and the troubles that Hale gets into as he pretends to be a normal person and is dragged into palace politics.

Who is your favorite character in your book and why?

SS: Oddly enough, Collis. He's just a minor character, but I really grew fond of him as I wrote him. He's normal and quiet, he's got a healthy sense of humor, and unlike most people in the world of the Pysonic, he worries more about the who than the what about a person.

What other writers would you say have influenced your work and why? What are some of your favorite books in the genre?

SS: I'd say...most of the other writers I've read growing up influenced my writing...but especially C. S. Lewis and Robert Jordan. In the genre, I find my favorites are the Wheel of Time series, the Narnia series, and the Riftwar Saga...though it's rare that I've come across a Fantasy book I actually dislike.

What is your writing process like?

SS: Generally speaking, I need a general idea, and then to ramble about it for awhile until I get a general idea of what I'm going to do. Maybe pick out a climactic moment or decision the characters have to make, and then...just start. Outlines and clouds and the like just don't work for me. I've got to be a part of the adventure as much as the reader or it gets a bit boring for me. Going out to a different place and writing there also helps, because it removes me from my home environment and the distractions associated with it as well.

Do you have any advice for young or beginning writers?

SS: Just that the best thing to do for writing is to write, and keep on writing. Don't fuss too much about planning or what you're going to do with your work when you're done or how you'll end it or how you'll deal with something in the book coming up...most of the time it'll actually just come to you when you arrive, probably in a way that makes more sense than if you'd just planned it up ahead of time.

Where are your books available?

SS: You can find my books on Amazon, primarily, specifically right here:
















What is your website and/or blog where readers can learn more? Can they friend you on Facebook or other sites?

SS: My website is http://www.wix.com/yusagi2003/thepsyonicbook

Author Bio:


Shanda Sharlow began writing short stories from the time she could hold a pencil. Through the years, she's scribbled down thousands of pages of random stories and unfinished novels that were eventually abandoned or forgotten about. In 2005, she set down to finish a full fantasy novel in the form of the Psyonic, which she managed in a few months. For awhile, she shelved the book without any way to get it realistically published. After Amazon Kindle came out, she found the opportunity to release the Psyonic to the public, and is now working on another full novel. Currently, she lives in Vancouver WA with her father and brother, and edits novels for other people when she's not writing.

The Psyonic:

Hale lived his entire life in hiding, traveling through slums and nondescript villages, never staying anywhere long enough for the people there to recognize his face. Never staying long enough for anyone to ferret out his secret.

When he comes across a woman who recognizes him, he becomes the confidante of a Princess. Yet the hallsof the palace hold far more danger than that of the streets, for within its shadows lurk dark mysteries andmurderous intent. Desperate to remain hidden from those who hunt him, Hale must unravel the hidden machinations of the gathered royal families before it's too late, or it will be more than his life that he loses.