Recently, I had the pleasure of doing an interview with author (and basically comedian) M.E. Shao. He’s a renaissance man, having achieved some impressive personal and professional accomplishments. He was kind enough to share a little about himself, his writing style AND his adorable puppy Pipsqueak.

Thanks so much for sitting down with me today, can you tell us a little about yourself?

Thank’s so much for having me. Let’s see here. Well, I was born in Baltimore, MD but lived most of my life in a suburb outside Nashville, TN. While I always had this dream of becoming a writer tucked away in the back of my head, I imagine most people viewed me as just your run of the mill jock. My whole world basically revolved around schooling or baseball, and I ended up getting the opportunity to play with my brother at Vanderbilt University (which was super cool since staying teammates with a sibling is somewhat rare in college sports). I graduated in 2009 with a degree in Economics and Corporate Strategy, and spent about the next ten years as an insurance agent. 

Sadly, it took a severely traumatic event for me to finally muster the courage to explore my childhood dream and to finally start writing. My beloved mother passed away in August of 2015 after a years-long battle with rheumatoid arthritis and COPD, and being that it was always her who tried pushing me toward writing/general happiness against the somewhat “less enthusiastic” influences I got from my father, losing her was the spark I needed to ignite the fire underneath my writing pursuit. It’s a bittersweet testimony for an “about” section, I know, but the most important one nonetheless.

Oh, I also have a wonderful daughter as of last January. She’s a fluffy little Pekingese named Pipsqueak, who I named after my MCs pet space-dog, Squeak. She only goes by Pip though, unless of course she’s in trouble.

So, what type of material do you usually write?

As far as commercially marketable material, primarily narrative fiction. Namely sci-fi, but I’m also working on a political thriller right now about a girl who inadvertently changes how legislation is passed in America by developing an app that holds hypothetical votes on Congressional bills that the public can participate in. I also do the occasional business copy gig, mostly for acquaintances from my pre-writing career of being an insurance agent. Aside from that, I write a lot of poetry as a passion project. I’ve also had some short story work printed in newspapers and a column in my own local paper called “Millennials Making a Difference”.

I’m dying to know, what does your writing and revision process look like?

I have to use this term since I first heard it in the Wild Ink slack group and I love it. I’d say I’m a “plantser”, which I’ve learned is a mix between plotter and pantser. I start with a very basic, high-level bullet point outline of what each chapter is generally going to be about. After that, I lower the curtains, turn off the lights, and dive in headfirst. I’ve found that’s the best way for me to let my imagination be as free and open as possible while making sure it’s still moving the story along in a structured manner. For revision, I have a killer combo of being both OCD and ADD, so I probably way over-edit if I’m being honest. I use beta readers for that reason. I have a collection of about 10-15 awesome people I’m connected to on Facebook who reign me in when it comes to that. Sometimes I’ll ask for feedback on a forum like Reddit or the like if I’m feeling I need a more neutral, totally unbiased take on a piece.

Okay, M.E. what advice do you have for new debut authors?

Find. Your. Courage. Remember that sunscreen song from way back in the day? The one that teaches all those profound life lessons, then ends with “but if I had only one piece of advice, sunscreen would be it”? This is my sunscreen. Because amidst all the nuggets of knowledge a writer might obtain over the years, none of them matter if that very first, very daunting, obstacle is never overcome. I envy the ones who might not struggle with it, but I’d be willing to bet nearly all of us can attest to how difficult it can be to put yourself out there. Sure, outwardly we might appear to say, “have at it folks, hope you like it”. On the inside, however…it feels more like we just dropped a hydrogen bomb on our head as the mental anxiety waiting for feedback is telling us we need therapy ASAP.

So that’s my advice. If writing is your dream, don’t let it take the death of a loved one for you to start the fire. Save yourself that regret, be proactive, and create the kindling out of whatever you can.

Last, but not least, who is your personal favorite author? And what is your favorite book? 

At the risk of sounding cliché, I have to say it: JK Rowling is my favorite author. I have a good excuse, I promise! It’s not just her inexplicable talent as a writer, which is very much an obvious presence throughout everything she pens, it’s more for how I relate to her personal background. She lost her mother during her mid-twenties just as I did, and she openly discusses that despite how hard it was to not succumb to the depression, she took solace by leveraging the “wrecking ball to my life” and instead created something positive from the fallout. She often credits her mother’s loss as her inspiration behind the beautiful story arch that is Harry’s relationship with his late parents, and how that parental love and tenderness quite literally saved his life. This ability of hers to turn the pain of death into the joy of life, so to speak, is why I look up to her so much.

Oh, and my favorite book hands down is Lois Lowry’s The Giver. I read it when I was in fifth grade, and it totally changed my life in so many ways. It opened my mind in terms of how I view the structure of governments/societies, it helped me understand that we shouldn’t judge people based on stereotyped predispositions, and most it all, it was the book that made me want to become a writer. After finishing it I knew I wanted to give others the same feeling of awe and wonderment I was left with, something for which I’m so grateful to now spend every day trying to achieve. 

Thank you for this! And please thank your readers, too : )

Cheers!