Author Interview: Shane Blackheart
Shane is back to talk to us about their newest release - a collection of poetry and art!
Today we’ve got an author interview with Shane Blackheart. Their new book, Canvas of Scars, is a collection of poetry, short prose, and art following a number of dark themes.
Canvas of Scars has
⊚ illustrations
⊚ haunting prose
⊚ metaphors
Wandering alone late at night in the dark. Searching for meaning as your heart melts in your ribcage. A longing to be alive, but you're dead and staring through a veil to experience a semblance of life. Canvas of Scars is a collection of dark poetry, short prose, and art with themes of PTSD, depression, psychosis, and other dark subjects.
Thank you to Shane for taking the time to do this interview with us!
When did you first come up with the idea for Canvas of Scars?
I'd been writing poetry and drawing vent art for a while, but the idea of sharing it in a book didn't really cross my mind until a few years after I'd done most of the work. I never meant to show any of this to anyone, so the idea just sort of hit me at some point and I just went with it. It took me another year or so to work up the bravery to want to publish it, but I'd been working on an interior design for a bit that I was endlessly messing with until I decided it was just done. The title itself came from something I'd written once in my journal many years ago, although I'm not ready to talk about that particular thing yet. As a whole, the book became a very raw and honest look at what it was like to be in certain headspaces, such as PTSD depression, psychosis, and dissociation, so I decided not to edit it too heavily to not lose the original feeling of the writing. So really, the idea just fell together over several years as part of my work with mental health awareness.
Do you have a favourite line you'd like to share?
This one is from voidlust, and it just kept creeping into my head every time I thought about the collection: 'eyes like a / plague of insects...' The image it created in my head was so creepy, just a dark room filled with a ton of disembodied eyes that all opened together to stare at me. One of my symptoms is feeling like I'm being watched sometimes, so that definitely reflected how vulnerable I often feel, like something is watching me from every angle. It can feel threatening, so the 'plague of insects' metaphor really worked for me because it just sounded skin-crawling.
If you could pick one poem people would read, which one would it be?
It's really hard to pick between a few, but Keep digging is probably the one. I wrote it while I was intensely frustrated with becoming more and more chronically ill, and combined with my agoraphobia that also leaves me homebound, I felt like I was constantly trying to explain to others just how harrowing it is to have multiple health issues, mental and physical, that make you miss everything going on around you. At the time, an old friend died that had changed my life a lot, but we didn't talk much over the years and I mourned for the time that was lost. My illnesses and the depression especially make it so hard to stay in contact with others, and then things like that happen, and I fall into spirals of existentialism and frustration because I feel powerless. People kept suggesting the same things; go walking more, eat healthier, do this, do that, get out more. I couldn't. It all made me feel worse and exhausted me. At the time I wasn't yet formally diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome or POTS, and several people just wouldn't listen to me when I'd explain my limits. So, that poem was basically all of my frustration at always trying but noticing that people liked to point out what I wasn't doing, and on top of the personal struggles of watching time go by without me, it's just a good look at what it can be like to be very chronically ill and feeling more and more isolated by it.
Who would you recommend Canvas of Scars to?
I would definitely recommend it to anyone who doesn't struggle with mental illness or chronic illness, first and foremost. Those who don't get it—or struggle to—who may have a loved one who lives with some of these issues. My goal with it is to show those people something that might help them begin to finally understand. I do hope that trauma survivors and those who might empathize with the subject matter find solidarity in it of course, that's who I addressed the dedication to, but I really hope I can raise awareness with this for those who may not understand.
What is your favourite thing about this book? What's something that makes it special or interesting?
There's just something about it that feels more special than anything else I've published so far. From the cover to the interior design, I hand drew as much as I could, so it's all just very personal and a lot of work went into it. I wanted to create something unique so I just went with my gut and did what I felt was right. The art itself was especially difficult for me to share because I'm not really a part of the online art community and I generally am very insecure about my drawings, so this was a huge step for me as a creator.
Do you have a favourite part of the writing process?
As for this book, the poetry and prose just poured out of me honestly, so it was a very different process to what I usually do. I really liked that, just as I enjoy the first draft of anything because I discover what I'm writing as I go. It's very fulfilling and exciting for me that way. When it comes to writing fiction, I really enjoy the editing process. I get to see my story come alive and reach its full potential, and that's so fulfilling.
Do you know what your next project will be?
My ADHD tends to get in the way, so I have multiple works in progress at the moment. I can say though that I did finally finish the second draft of the third book in The Requiem Series, but that's still a little ways off from being ready. I am planning to release a more lighthearted and wholesome book for a change next, just for escapism and for feel-good vibes. I've got a lot of the design figured out already, I just have to grab some beta readers. As of now, it's called Nightdreams and it's a pretty spicy queer fantasy.
Have you always wanted to be an author? What inspired you to start?
Yeah! As early as elementary school I loved the idea of becoming an author someday, and that's always stuck with me. As for what inspired me, I can't really point out anything. I've just always been telling stories for as long as I can remember. While I was little and learning to write, I often told stories I made up to people in voice, but I would get very long-winded and wear people out I think. I remember freaking people out in a scouts group (the group was called 'brownies') because I made up a scary story about a reclusive old man and his murdery pet wolves. It's funny now, but horror was always my first love. Goosebumps and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark fueled that.
How long have you been writing?
Technically, since I learned how to write. My mom gave me my baby book a few years ago, and in it, she'd noted that I started writing stories when I was about seven. We've always said it's just in my blood. It's a part of me. I eventually started to improve my writing so I could publish when I was in my late twenties.
How much does your own life influence your work?
100%. I struggle to get into something I'm writing if I can't relate to it, with the exception of one story that I wrote years ago for fun that may be published one day. Writing was always my way of coping with pretty much anything in life too, so I'm really just writing for myself. Eventually, I got really interested in mental health awareness activism, and what I was already writing fit that kind of thing, so I just leaned into it. I think it's safe to say there are a fair few secrets weaved into my stories about me, intended and unintended. As for poetry though, that's all just raw honesty. I don't plan that kind of writing and it's very in-the-moment feelings.
Is there anything you'd like to share about yourself? A little author fun fact, perhaps?
I don't really have anything super interesting, but I can only write when I'm inspired. I can't force it. I ignore all of that writing advice you hear about having to write every day or all that nonsense. I've tried to force myself to write even when I didn't want to, and what resulted was awful, boring, and nothing I cared about. It was writing for the sake of writing, which I really dislike. I've always viewed writing as a form of art, and it should be treated like a form of art. You should be passionate about (or really excited about) what you're writing, otherwise it just feels a bit pointless. Content for the sake of content, I guess? I like the way Charles Bukowski put it; 'you don't try, you wait. If nothing happens, you wait. It's like a bug on the wall, you wait for it to come to you, and you either slap it away or if you like it, you make a pet out of it.' It's a little weird of an analogy, but I felt it.
What made you decide to self-publish?
I wanted full control over my work. I'm very stubborn. When I have a specific vision for a book, that includes a cover idea and interior and the overall vibes I want it to have. I want to bring that out in the way that feels right to me, although I don't forego the important parts of the process. My books go through multiple edits and I get beta readers and I make sure it's as good as it can be, but I have the freedom to choose people who understand what I'm going for. I've tried submitting and going into the 'query trenches' as the writing community calls it, and it was draining and discouraging. I fell into awful depressions. I got rejected several times before I decided to not put myself through that anymore. It was destroying my mental health and I seriously started to doubt myself as a writer. Then I self-published, and I found out that people do like what I write, and I didn't need permission from a publisher to put my work out there.
Who was your biggest influence as an author?
Anne Rice, for fiction. She meant a lot to me as a young goth who loved vampire fiction and philosophy, and her death really hit me hard. I cherish the signed copy of Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis I have. I loved how she felt everyone had a story to tell, and she was always so supportive of the writing community and encouraged writers to go for it.
Do you have any favourite poets?
Charles Baudelaire and Emily Dickinson. Emily Dickinson was one I couldn't really appreciate until after I got out of high school, mostly because we studied a few of her more positive and lighter poems. We did cover a couple of her poems about death, and those were the ones that made me want to seek out her work. I have an old copy of a Borders edition of her collected poems. As for Charles Baudelaire, he's exactly what I love about the classic, controversial writers. His poems were dark, sometimes disturbing, and six of his poems from Flowers of Evil were once banned for 'offending public decency and morality.' Always read banned books. Always. They have the best gems.
If you could recommend one book aside from your own, what would it be?
One book that's stuck with me for years is Ghost River by Chad Ryan. It's a long one, but for a debut horror novel, it's one of the best books I've read in a long time. It's gritty, offensive, and inspiring in spite of all the horrors happening. It's also part dark fantasy. It's just so unique and I've not read anything else like it when it comes to horror. As long as you've got a strong stomach and an open mind, it's well worth the read.
What advice would you give to other writers? Is there anything you wish someone had told you?
For new marginalized writers, don't make the same mistake I did and think an agent or a publisher's word is the final one. No matter how many rejections you may get, that is not a reflection of you as a writer, that's their personal preferences not matching with yours. Your writing might need work, of course, but it doesn't mean that's where you should quit, or that your story isn't good or worth telling. The publishing world tends to favor cis/white/het/abled stories, so it's a lot harder for marginalized folks to make it in because it's just historically not welcoming to us. Self-publishing is not a lesser path, and it's where some of the most transformative and original stories come from.
Anything else you would like to add?
Just a thank you for having me!
Thanks so much to Shane for joining us today, and for answering our questions! It’s been great to have you here and learn more about your book!
About the Author
Shane is a disabled agender (they/them) author of dark queer fiction. They have been writing since they were seven years old, and they haven’t stopped since. Writing quickly became a way to escape from reality while dealing with early trauma, and it has helped them understand and cope with several mental illnesses they were diagnosed with throughout life. They’ve since used their writing to help raise awareness for misunderstood and stigmatized mental illnesses, but they also enjoy writing stories that make people think differently about societal norms we’re often raised with, such as gender, sexuality, and spirituality. They want to spread the message that it’s okay to be different.
Content Warnings
✘ PTSD
✘ depression
✘ depersonalisation/derealisation
✘ self-harm
✘ suicide
✘ existentialism
✘ death and dying
✘ sexual assault
✘ childhood sexual abuse
✘ general abuse
Follow Shane Blackheart!
Blog ✏ BlueSky ✏ Cara ✏ Instagram ✏ Threads ✏ TikTok ✏ website ✏ YouTube
Find Canvas of Scars!
Store links!
Amazon ✏ Lulu
(coming to more stores soon!)
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Contact Quiet Writers!
join the map ✏ join the QW team ✏ request an Instagram tour ✏
request an interview ✏ request a review ✏ submit a piece ✏ general enquiry
Thank you for being open and honest about your struggles and your process! I'd love for you to come on my blog. I have a short form interview format, just three questions, tailored to each author.
Thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate it 💜