Shane Wilson: Realistic Fantasy with a Sharp Edge and a Big Heart
Shane Wilson is a storyteller. No matter the medium, the emphasis of his work is on the magical act of storytelling and how it immortalizes us while giving voice to the abstractions of human experience. His first two contemporary fantasy novels, set in his World of Muses universe, are currently available.
Born in Alabama and raised in Georgia, Shane is a child of the southeastern United States where he feels simultaneously at-home and out-of-place. He graduated from Valdosta State University in south Georgia with a Masters in English. He taught college English in Georgia for four years before moving to North Carolina in 2013.
Shane plays guitar and writes songs with his two-man-band, Sequoia Rising. He writes songs as he writes stories--with an emphasis on the magic of human experience. He tends to chase the day with a whiskey (Wild Turkey 101) and a re-run of The Office.
Shane's novels are A Year Since the Rain (Snow Leopard Publishing, 2016) and The Smoke in His Eyes (GenZ Publishing, 2018). The Smoke in His Eyes placed 2nd in Contemporary Fantasy and 3rd in Coming-of-Age Literary Fiction at The Spring 2022 BookFest Book Awards. Shane's short story, "The Boy Who Kissed the Rain" was the winner of the 2017 Rilla Askew Short Fiction Prize. His third novel, The Woman with a Thousand Faces, is forthcoming from GenZ Publishing (Fall 2022).
Shane is currently at work on a new novel.
As seen/ heard on
The Smoke in His Eyes Wins Big at The BookFest Spring 2022 Book Awards!
The Smoke in His Eyes has placed in two categories in the Spring 2022 edition of The BookFest's Book Awards.
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2nd Prize Award, Contemporary Fantasy
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3rd Prize Award, Coming-of-Age Literary Fiction
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About The Smoke in His Eyes:
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When TJ—a musical prodigy—witnesses a traumatic event as a child, his senses are overrun with intense hallucinations. Over the years, his visions increase in frequency and intensity, but he hides them from those he is closest to, including his best friend and musical partner, Lila, who challenges TJ to reject formulaic creation in order to create something beautiful and unique. But when Lila signs a record deal, TJ feels left behind and alone with his art and his visions.
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That’s when TJ meets an artist named Muna. In his eyes and visions, Muna is made of smoke, and as this magical woman helps him learn how to manage his visions and how to translate what he sees and hears into music and lyrics, she begins to disappear. His journey into Muna’s past is a journey to discover where inspiration originates and what happens to an artist when that inspiration is gone.​
Praise for The Smoke in His Eyes
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"Skillfully written with a fine sense of cadence, this is an impressive book by an author of authority – a successful entry into the world of magical realism attuned to music!"
- Grady Harp, Top Shelf Magazine
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"A breathtaking, expertly written, and emotionally-driven read, author Shane Wilson’s “The Smoke in His Eyes” is a must-read novel. An evenly-paced read that explores the complexities and emotions that often come from a musician’s journey to find inspiration and love, the author has crafted intimate and engaging narrative readers and fans of the magical realism genre will not want to miss." 10/10
-Anthony Avina, author of Nightmare Academy
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