We’re still going! It’s Day 19 and we’ve got Jamison Shea!
Jamison Shea (they/them) is a dark fantasy and horror author, flautist, and linguist hailing from Buffalo, NY and now dwelling in the dark forests of Finland. When they’re not writing, they’re drinking milk tea or searching for eldritch horrors in uncanny places. I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me is their debut novel.
My Path to Publishing
I started writing stories as soon as I learned to write, just to pass the time between trips to the library with my mom when I ran out of books to read. It was fun, imagining people like me on adventures, surviving dramatic battles, and befriending monsters. Then one day I finished a story that felt like a real book—I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me—and submitted it to a mentorship program. Back then, it was Pitch Wars, but now there are others like Roundtable Mentor or We Need Diverse Books. There, a published author (Kylie Schachte) taught me how to fix up my story and get it published.
How I Got “The Deal”
I found my literary agent through Pitch Wars, and then we spent a few months fixing the book up. I didn’t realize at the time, but editors were fiending for a book like this, a supernatural horror book about a ballerina, a story about an angry girl who gets to be a little wicked. There were so many warnings, about how hard it was to sell a book, especially a Black book, that I didn’t have my hopes up. I expected it to take longer and got started on another story (which would become Roar of the Lambs), but instead it quickly turned into an auction situation, where editors were competing to win my debut.
The Inspiration
All my ideas come from changing expectations—what if Misty Copeland had an attitude problem and a vengeful streak? What if the “psychic” really can see the future, but she lies anyway? At the core of my stories are emotions and experiences a lot of us can understand: being looked down on, not being believed, everybody assuming you’re the aggressor when really you’re the victim. I just like to give those feelings a supernatural twist, something big and dramatic for us to live through and be victorious.
THE BUZZ
Publishers Weekly: Starred Review: Roar of the Lambs, “It’s a gripping gothic mystery and a mesmerizing story of teens discovering agency that offers fresh depictions of solidarity, resilience, and decision-making against seemingly insurmountable odds.” https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781250381736
NPR: 3 YA fantasy novels for summer that bring out the monsters within, “Laure’s transformation will speak to girls who have had enough of being dominated and knocked down.” https://www.npr.org/2023/06/28/1182656744/3-ya-fantasy-novels-for-summer-that-bring-out-the-monsters-within
Under the Radar
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- Tomi Oyemakinde’s latest novel We Are Hunted, about two Black teen brothers who get caught in a Jurassic Park-type situation with their dad. Out now!
- Sami Ellis’s upcoming book Funerals Are For the Living where a grieving girl in North Carolina finds herself pursued by a racist ghost from the past.
- Reading Death Card by Jasmine Smith made me 16-years-old again, wishing I was in a witch coven with my friends in New Orleans. Coming soon!
Contact
Find out more about Jamison at their website: jamisonshea.com and follow them on Instagram at @wickedjamison! (That’s a cool handle, right?)