Today we’d like to introduce you to Harrison Kayne.
Hi Harrison, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started writing when I was around ten years old. I needed to write a short poem for a homework assignment due early the following day. Like all good procrastinating creatives, I waited until the last moment to finish the assignment. I was in full panic, lamenting the fact that I had to write an entire poem before I went to bed. While I was an avid reader and daydreamer, the idea of writing down my stories sounded like an awful lot of work. So, I wandered around the house, whining and complaining, as children often do, until my mom had enough. She pointed out that I liked daydreaming and loved reading, and writing wasn’t so different. She convinced me to at least try. So, I wrote a poem about fairies, fell in love, and decided that I wanted to be a writer. My dad then took that information and ran with it. Once I told him I wanted to be a writer, he said, “Okay, you’re a writer,” and never doubted me. I kept writing. I moved from Florida to Missouri, started working various customer service jobs, and one day decided, under extreme duress from family and friends, that I needed to submit something. Then, in 2018, I published “White Lily” in the fantastic Anthea Sharp’s Feyland Tales anthology. Suddenly, I wasn’t only a writer but a published author. In 2021, I published “Death’s Tinkerer” in New Exterus. I couldn’t believe it. I hadn’t only gotten published once, but twice, and I did it with one of my odd little death stories. It was an incredible feeling.
I returned to college and took as many literature and creative writing classes as possible. I read and read and read some more. I kept writing and learned to share my work with my peers. I discovered so much about the craft and found my voice.
Now, I’m co-authoring SHADOW HUNTER with KJ Fieler and have a new story, “Adalyn’s Call,” in Anthea Sharp’s The Feyland Tales Omnibus.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My entire journey has been fueled by love and support from everyone around me, making my experiences easier. However, while most of my journey has been blessedly smooth, I have dealt with some bumps along the way. I’m dyslexic, which is a learning disability that affects how I read and write. As a child, I struggled to learn how to read, even with additional help, until one day, I found the book I was destined to fall in love with. Then, my reading took off. It’s part of why I’m so passionate about children’s literature; in many cases, a passion for reading starts in childhood. For writing, though, I had more trouble, but it predominantly came from my insecurity. I struggled with spelling, and it made me self-conscious about my writing. It fed my Imposter Syndrome and caused me to question whether I was really capable of writing stories that could be published and enjoyed. Even now, I will catch myself wondering if I will be able to overcome my dyslexia. For years, I wouldn’t mention my learning disorder to people in the writing world because I worried people might doubt me. It was bad enough that I didn’t think of myself as competent enough to write; I couldn’t let anyone believe that.
After I published my short story, I realized that I could do it, and that’s when I stopped trying to hide it from everyone. I’ve been able to overcome the dyslexia to follow my dreams, and while it sometimes makes the process a little more difficult, it’s always been worth it for me in the end.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a fantasy author who loves to write descriptions. To me, descriptions of settings and characters help pull the reader into the story because they offer vivid details of how everything looks. I have spent endless hours practicing my descriptions, and it’s now my favorite part of writing. I especially enjoy describing characters. People in the real world are so beautifully complex, and I try to incorporate that complexity into my writing. It’s important for my characters to feel real within the story, and careful descriptions help me achieve that. The only downside is I’ve become a chronic people watcher and often must remind myself that it’s rude to stare at people you don’t know. I have also been an avid fantasy reader for as long as I can remember, so it seemed natural to start writing it, too. I enjoy creating depictions of vast, magical worlds and filling them with fantastical creatures. Dragons are my particular favorite; I will always root for the dragon. For me, fantasy nourishes readers’ imagination and expands their thinking. When I was a new reader, the allure of fairies, dragons, and magic encouraged me to keep reading, creating the devoted reader I am today. Now, I hope to contribute to the genre and lure even more readers into falling in love with fantasy.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I’ve never really considered the role luck has played in my writing journey before. I’ve always said that writing takes hard work and a determination so intense that it borders on blind stubbornness. I wholeheartedly believe, however, that I am fortunate to have so many amazing people in my life. My incredible support system has encouraged me tirelessly throughout my writing journey. I never once felt like I couldn’t follow my dreams of becoming a published author because no one ever tried to tell me I couldn’t. My parents fed my unruly imagination and worked to make sure I always had the tools I needed. My siblings consistently suffered through my brainstorming sessions while my friends read seemingly endless versions of the same story. I don’t believe I would be where I am today without them. My support system has always believed in me, even when I couldn’t, and I will forever be grateful for that. Writing is hard and often lonely work, yet I never felt truly alone, and it helped me push myself to hone my craft.
One particular example of this support came after I published “White Lily” in Anthea Sharp’s Feyland anthology. The story had just been published, and I kept asking my family how they liked it. Everything was still so new to me, and I felt very unsure of myself. My sister surprised me by saying she “shipped” the two main characters. She wanted them to get together and thoroughly believed that other readers would too. Her comment not only meant so much to me, but it changed everything. It made me realize that I had written characters that readers could fall in love with. Characters that readers would think about even after the story ended. I felt legitimate. I felt like a writer. Since then, whenever I start to doubt myself or get frustrated with my characters, I think back to what she said and realize I can do it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.harrisonkayne.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Harrison-Kayne-Writer-100063881957298/?_rdr
- Other: Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07KPRBDRQ
Image Credits
“Shadow Hunter” image courtesy of KJ Fieler “Feyland Tales” and “Feyland Tales Omnibus” images courtesy of Anthea Sharp “Exterus” image courtesy of G. Owen Wears
