From Music to Novels: The Creative Journey of Shawn Hart

Shawn Hart's creative journey is a testament to how passion can bloom in unexpected places. What began as a love for music—sparked by watching a classmate perform at a high school talent show—has now expanded into the literary world with his debut novel. Shawn's transition from guitarist to bassist to author reveals the beautiful interconnectedness of creative expressions.

During our conversation, Shawn shares how he picked up guitar in high school, then later found himself playing bass with local musicians after moving to New Braunfels. The musical tangent leads to a fascinating revelation: his novel emerged not from a lifelong desire to write, but from his experience recording audiobooks for others. The desire to narrate his own audiobook became the catalyst for creating a story worth telling.

Drawing from his four years working as an activity director in nursing homes, Shawn crafted a narrative centered on a college student named Olin who participates in an "adopt a grandparent" program and forms a relationship with a grumpy resident named Alf. The prologue Shawn reads during our conversation immediately hooks listeners with its suspenseful setup—the pair in a car with police lights flashing behind them, hinting at an adventure that takes them far beyond the nursing home walls.

What's particularly inspiring about Shawn's writing journey is its organic nature. With no formal training or previous aspirations as an author, he simply began writing during late-night sessions between midnight and 4 AM. He shares valuable advice about embracing what the Duplass brothers call "the vomit draft"—putting words on paper without self-criticism—and the serendipitous meeting with an editor that transformed his manuscript into the polished work now available on Amazon.

Whether you're a musician considering branching into new creative territories or someone with a story waiting to be told, Shawn's experience offers both motivation and practical insights into the self-publishing journey. Follow his musical performances and literary endeavors on Instagram @shawn__hart, and look for his novel "Real World" now available in digital and paperback formats.

Episode Notes
• Shawn began playing guitar in high school after being inspired by a classmate's performance
• Transitioned to bass guitar when playing with Zach's band, which improved his overall musicianship
• Worked as an activity director in nursing homes for four years, providing rich background for his novel
• Started writing his book after recording audiobooks for others and wanting to create his own to narrate
• Novel centers on a college student named Olin who befriends an elderly nursing home resident named Alf
• The writing process took about a year from concept to publication
• Found an editor by chance during a music tour who helped transform his manuscript
• Self-published through Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing rather than pursuing traditional publishing
• Currently working on recording the audiobook version himself
• Plans to continue writing with future projects potentially based on his experiences in the music world

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Transcript

Meeting Sean Hart: Musician & Author

Speaker 1 0:00

I put a blessing on it to real. This ain't metaphoric. We just put the I in iconic buzzing like I'm electronic. Ah yeah, I put a blessing on it. See me dripping in it 24-7 on it. I'm just being honest. Ah, holy water dripping, dripping from my neck to my creps. So I'm too stepping on it like.

Speaker 2 0:15

Hi, hello, hey everybody. This is Tiffany Foy. Welcome to the Rambling Gypsy podcast and go and go ahead. Tell them oh, hello, oh, we're fortunate to be fortunate. There we go everybody. This is sean hart and a musician friend of mine. Um, we met years ago.

Speaker 3 0:36

I was trying to think of that maybe with when I was with zach was it maybe probably back at did it used to be called the Vineyard at Green, what the villa is now.

Speaker 2 0:47

Yes.

Speaker 3 0:48

I think so.

Speaker 2 0:49

I forgot about the whole name change thing. Yeah, so that's a little wine bar.

Speaker 3 0:54

But yeah, that was probably like 2014 to 2015, somewhere in there.

Speaker 2 1:00

Yeah, because I started the Pumpkin Patch and then you played there.

Speaker 3 1:03

Yes, yep, that's always been lovely.

Speaker 2 1:06

Yeah, one of my OG musicians that started with me at the Patch and then here you are and blossoming and growing and playing and tell everybody what you're doing. Where are you at now?

Speaker 3 1:19

Well, yeah, still playing. Yes, I've been doing some more bass things. I started, you know, with Zach on the bass and then kind of ventured into solo things and then I've been starting to kind of do a little bit more bass stuff lately. So I've been, I play with Quincy Todd, who's like a rock and roll band, so that's kind of my main bass thing, but then filling in around there. I just recently started playing with Brackish, which is BJ Thibodeau and Leon Waddy and Austin Curtis and Bjorn Borg I wanted to say but that's not right Bjorn Johnson, I think Okay, still playing. And then this last year, a little over a year, I've been working on the novel. So some of the shows or some of my time has been more allocated toward writing.

Speaker 2 2:14

Toward writing.

Speaker 3 2:15

And, honestly, the editing and formatting and all that, but yeah, still playing.

Speaker 2 2:20

So music's been your. When did you start playing music?

Speaker 3 2:24

Oh, professionally or just in general where did that?

Speaker 2 2:28

where did that come from? I have a lot of musicians that have been on the show and we talk about that. I think that's just really important for people to understand. Where and what was your inspiration behind that? Is it 100 family? Where did it?

Speaker 3 2:40

so I got a guitar my like the summer before junior year of high school. I think it was in 06. And the reason that I wanted to get one was there we have this. They call it the review in high school. It's like a talent show, but there's no like judging and things like that and there was a gentleman named Alec White and he was two years older than me.

Speaker 3 3:05

And there was a gentleman named Alec White and he was two years older than me and he was up there with his band Well, sorry, they had a band called Fedora and they were like this cool rock and roll band and they played house shows, and stuff, completely digging the name.

Speaker 3 3:18

And then this year that I'm talking about, that inspired me. He was up there by himself and it was just him and a guitar and he was sitting sitting on the amp and he sang Gloria, the Doris song, and I was like, wow, I really want to do that.

Speaker 1 3:32

Yeah.

Speaker 3 3:33

So then I went and got an acoustic guitar in 06 and just kind of played in my room In college. I played in, just like you know, friends, dorms and things like that Right. And then when I moved down here it was actually Matt and Zach who kind of got me into playing music. So my dad and stepmom lived in New Braunfels and I lived in Austin at the time and they were like, come down and watch this show on a Wednesday night, and so I came down and Matt came and introduced himself and said oh, your dad says you play guitar, you should come play our break next week. So then I came down and Matt came and introduced himself and said oh, your dad says you play guitar, you should come play our break next week. So then I came to that and then I played their break for a bunch of, bunch of time.

Speaker 1 4:10

Right.

Speaker 3 4:11

And then started going on the road with them, just like I'm, like I'm free this weekend.

Speaker 2 4:15

Mm, hmm.

Speaker 3 4:16

You know, and so I would like help them set up and tear down and sell merch and things like that. And then their bass player was leaving the band. So I was like I know all y'all's songs. Right, I'll buy a bass and learn how to play it, and if you guys ever need someone to fill in, I can do that. And then eventually they were like hey, you want to come do a show?

Speaker 2 4:38

And then I was in the band there, so that's how it started. So a lot of people explain the difference in transitioning between acoustic guitar to playing bass.

Speaker 3 4:51

Okay, I think the transition was easy. I guess like to know, because I knew chords and things like that. I knew, like, root notes. I knew the notes, where they are. But I will say that playing the bass has made me a much better guitar player. I know the fretboard much, much better now that I've played the bass yeah um, the other thing is like the forearm, from this, the forearm muscles.

Speaker 3 5:19

It took a little while to get used to that sort of thing. Yeah, um, but yeah, I don't know it. It wasn't that difficult, I guess, to like at least know the notes and be able to do it. But then you know. Obviously you learn more.

Speaker 2 5:32

Do you find that there's a lot of musicians in and around that you've run into that can swap and play acoustic and bass? Is that a common thing?

Speaker 3 5:40

Yeah, guitar and bass, because it's the same fretboard Right Like anyone that knows the notes can hop on a bass and pluck along. Obviously, there's a ton of skill in the right hand. It's not just knowing the notes, and not everyone has the best rhythm or whatever they're used to playing lead, so they're whatever. But yeah, I think it does correlate pretty well.

Speaker 2 6:02

Well, that's interesting, see, because a lot of people don't know that bass and the drummer have a whole lot going on there.

Speaker 3 6:10

Yeah, a little relationship.

Speaker 2 6:11

They do, they do so. Yeah, and if you're not really familiar with how that works, so to speak, then and that can be tough.

Speaker 3 6:20

Yeah, I mean, there's a lot of controlling going on.

Speaker 2 6:22

there.

Speaker 3 6:23

You've got your lead, and then but if you can get the drummer and the bass player to lock in and just basically be one instrument themselves, then I think that's kind of what you're looking for in certain kind of music, Right, Other kinds it's like go ahead and show off.

Speaker 2 6:36

Out of the two, do you have a preference? Oh, between bass and guitar, yeah, I think you like being the lead and in control, or you like that relationship status with the guy in the back. I think. It doesn't have to be a guy, it can be a girl. Yeah, there's girls drummers, girls drummers, yeah.

Speaker 3 6:57

I think nowadays I prefer if I could just play the bass Like I think I would. I would prefer that nowadays. Yeah, but it's, it's still I don't know. I guess I I enjoy knowing how to play the guitar, because it's nice to be able to grab it and just right mess around a little bit, but I do love the bass well, that's awesome.

Speaker 2 7:16

Yeah, that's awesome. So now you have been on, been playing for for playing. Oh six.

Speaker 3 7:24

Yeah, Almost 20 years. I guess that's crazy.

Speaker 1 7:28

I'm old as hell. That doesn't feel.

Speaker 3 7:30

That made me feel old. Yeah.

Speaker 2 7:33

We have been doing it professionally since 2016.

Speaker 3 7:35

Full time.

Speaker 2 7:36

Full time Since 2016. And you're playing In one capacity or another. Tell everybody where they can find your music.

Speaker 3 7:42

Well, I do have an EP on, like Spotify and stuff Nice. It's called um. What's it called? It's called. It's called real world.

Speaker 2 7:53

There you go yeah.

Speaker 3 7:54

Sean Hart, real world and um. I also have a couple other songs on Spotify and stuff, but mostly uh, you know I play live shows a lot and people can come find me there and follow me on the socials to find all the dates and all that.

Speaker 2 8:11

So let's talk about this book you've got here Please. I'm so excited. What I mean? Have you always thought that? That's what is that? Sean Hart?

Speaker 3 8:24

I mean the writer, the novelist, not at all, no, no where in the hell did this come from?

Speaker 2 8:29

so if somebody would have said do you have any idea that sean's gonna is thinking about writing a book? I just said what yeah that'd been like somebody said tell me if I'm gonna write a book I think first of all, I don't sit down long enough.

Speaker 3 8:41

This is, this is hard enough, but at least I can bounce around and well, with the technology these days you can just like talk, walk around, drive around talking to your phone and have nick tries to get me to walk around and just do a little notebook to record things that I'm supposed to be doing during the day and I have to call her and go.

Speaker 2 8:57

What button do I freaking have to hit?

Speaker 3 8:59

to make this shit record and do yeah right, yeah sure, maybe so the initial like reason that I wanted to do a book is because I have engineered and recorded two people's audio books, ok, and I really enjoy the process of recording it and editing it and like all that I find it fascinating. But once I got done recording the second one, I was like I really want to record one myself, okay. So I was like I wonder whose book I can find to, like, you know, let me record it. And then I had the idea like I could just write a story, okay. And so then I started thinking about, like you know, what could I write about?

Speaker 3 9:40

yeah and I worked in nursing homes for a while, like four years, as an activity director. Really and so I wanted the story is set in a nursing home setting, yeah. And then I thought of an idea that would be worth like telling or people would enjoy reading.

Speaker 1 10:00

Right.

Speaker 3 10:00

And I just started writing and then it just kind of kept going and going going and all of a sudden I had you know, you know, all of a sudden there's 40 000 words on the computer and it's like okay, well, I guess we're, we're doing this, yeah, so then I just kind of kept going with it.

Musical Beginnings and Bass Journey

Speaker 3 10:18

And then, uh, in august of last year I met a woman, uh, when I was on tour with Alex Meixner and she's one of his students and lives in Wisconsin and comes out to shows and helps with merch and things like that and one of the other band guys she asked where I was and one of the other band guys was like oh, he's over there working on his book and she's like really, and she's like I was a book editor for 10 years, so how are you doing?

Speaker 3 10:50

yeah, so like we chatted about it. Sometimes timing is everything I know it's, it's, it's so wild that's so crazy and so we talked about it and she's like I would be honored to like help you make this into a, you know, a reality, and like thank god she did, because I was ready to put it out in last october right sorry, august, and then she took over, or you know like yeah gave it a few looksies and if I would have put it out last august it would have been so unprofessional and like there was still so many errors even though we've been through it so many times like.

Speaker 3 11:26

So she really kind of made this book into, like you know, an actual like book, which is pretty cool what is the book?

Speaker 2 11:34

okay, so you said it. It's about being in working in the nursing home, is it no?

Speaker 3 11:40

I just wanted that as the setting okay, okay, because it's like a world that I know intimately and I know old people Like, I love old people.

Speaker 1 11:47

Yeah.

Speaker 3 11:48

It's a story of a kid in college.

Speaker 2 11:52

What's the kid's name?

Speaker 3 11:53

Olin.

Speaker 2 11:54

Olin.

Speaker 3 11:54

Olin Sloan.

Speaker 2 11:56

Where did that name come from?

Speaker 3 11:58

Well, I can't.

Speaker 2 12:03

Tell me.

Speaker 3 12:04

Yeah.

Speaker 2 12:05

Why.

Speaker 3 12:07

Don't make me Look.

Speaker 2 12:08

I've cried on my podcast several times, don't make me cry.

Speaker 3 12:10

No, no, no, it's not like that. We'll give your podcast listeners a little scoop. Okay, a little tiny scoop Like a little taste at the ice cream shop the name came from, if one was so inclined to go on the internet and look up the meanings of these names that are in the book, one would learn extra information about the book.

Speaker 2 12:38

Okay, I guess I'll say that. So we're dangling carrots now. I like it.

Speaker 3 12:44

But you have to be ready for maybe potentially a slight uh, spoiler. Okay, because there's a bit of a suspenseful, there's a. I tell people there's a dash of suspense okay suspense in this book and I don't you know yeah I don't. I don't know if I want to.

Speaker 2 13:02

I don't want to give it away no, don't what I no, everybody needs to dive into this thing, okay.

Speaker 3 13:08

So we're in the nursing home, so Olin's in college Olin Okay and he's doing. You know he's got pressure from his friends and his mom. His mom's a single mother and she raised him by himself and she's like you know you've never really had grandparents around. I think it'd be good for you to have a relationship with. You know some of these older people, right, and so he does it and he gets paired with this kind of grumpy old man at the nursing home.

Speaker 2 13:38

Oh, harold, what's his name, harold?

Speaker 3 13:40

Wow.

Speaker 2 13:42

That's my dad's name. There is a Harold in the book.

Speaker 3 13:44

Okay, look at him just making a piece in the book that's so funny so it gets matched with Alf and Alf Ainsley and the book is kind of about their relationship and about learning about each other and learning about themselves through each other, and you know about their journey. That's so fun and it's a heartwarming tale It'll make you. There's definitely some points that people have cried at.

Speaker 2 14:13

Uh-huh.

Speaker 1 14:14

Which is that's good yeah it's flattering there's nothing wrong with shared emotions?

Speaker 2 14:20

I'm an all over the board, very emotional person, so I'll be the first one my eyes will leak. Yeah, my horns will come out. Yeah, I mean, sometimes it happens at the same time.

Speaker 3 14:30

yeah, right, right, yeah, I get that. Well, you have to let me know if, if any of the books parts make you. Yeah yeah, yeah, a little sniffly, yep but yeah, it's um, there's some of, and so the book. So I did an adopt a grandparent program in college.

Speaker 3 14:47

So that was like the main conceit of the idea, where I was like you know, I can tell this story, and then I was like what can, what can happen here? Basically, I wanted to get, I wanted them to do this program, and then I wanted to get Alf and Olin out of the nursing home.

Speaker 1 15:02

Okay.

Speaker 3 15:06

Like on some, and initially I think it was I I wanted to do like he was going to take him away for like a weekend camping trip or something.

Speaker 2 15:10

Is that what you wanted to do with your adopt a grandparent? Did you no look I'm not taking you, george. You're staying in here.

Speaker 3 15:16

You know what's so funny is, like our my guy, like I wrote it in like the back of the book, but um, the only thing that I really remember about this guy his name was otto okay he was like just a big guy, quiet, you know, whatever. I don't remember ever what we talked about or anything, but I remember one day I came to his room, knock, knock, knocked. He was like come on in.

Speaker 3 15:37

And he's in there on one of those, uh like a commode yeah like a bedside commode and I was like oh, I'm so sorry I can come back, and he's like no, you're fine, and we talked for like however long it was half an hour hour and he's just literally pants down sitting on this commode the whole time. That's my only memory of the guy.

Speaker 2 15:55

I mean you might be a little disappointed, but I mean at least you got something out there.

Speaker 3 16:01

Oh my God. But yeah, the story is basically I just wanted to use that thing that I knew and then go from there and get him out of there. So actually the first thing in the book is like they're. Can I read it for you?

Speaker 2 16:22

Yes, I would love that.

Speaker 3 16:23

Okay, I'll do it on here. Okay, then we don't have to move the book, the promotional material.

Speaker 2 16:28

There you go.

Speaker 3 16:31

And it's funny because this is the first, like the literal. First thing that I wrote for this book is what I'm about to read you.

Speaker 1 16:39

Okay, and then kind of found ways to tie that in to where we needed to go.

Speaker 3 16:43

Goodness gracious, okay here. We needed to go, goodness gracious, okay here we go.

Speaker 2 16:50

I'm so ready.

Speaker 3 16:52

I should have just grabbed the book. It would have been so much faster. But it's nice to have technology and have all these things all over the place, right?

Speaker 2 16:58

It's mind-boggling to me that you're just opening up a little thingy, ipad, little thingy.

Speaker 3 17:03

Opening the thingy.

Speaker 2 17:05

Yep.

Speaker 3 17:06

I'm so sorry. You're fine. I thought this would be so much quicker. All right, we're getting the book. All right, it was all the way at the end of the book. I couldn't bring it back.

Speaker 2 17:17

Look at all of that going on in there.

Speaker 3 17:19

This is my copy I put out at my book signing.

Speaker 1 17:21

I love that For like book release party yeah, and had everyone sign it.

Speaker 3 17:25

Okay, so I'm going to read you here the prologue.

Speaker 1 17:27

Okay.

Speaker 3 17:30

And it's Saturday, april 21st 2012. I was sitting behind the wheel of the 2003 Toyota Corolla my mom had gifted me Hazard lights, flashing Windows, down Hands at 10 and 2. Waiting, waiting for what was next, waiting for some answers, waiting for this day to end. I was in my head, maybe meditating, not present at that moment, thinking about what had just happened. My life would never be the same. This night would change everything.

Speaker 3 18:00

I snapped back to reality and focused on what was around us the red and blue lights illuminating the countryside like a silent rural rave. I suddenly remembered what mom had said when she had given me this car Don't use this to get into any trouble. Olin Whoops. I saw a field, a few trees, a long stretch of telephone poles and a little white stone house. I couldn't help but wonder if people inside the house were awake, or awakened by the flashing lights, or if they were watching out the window to see what the disturbance was. We were in a big stretch of nothing. I can't imagine they saw much action out here.

Speaker 3 18:35

I glanced in the rearview, too bright to focus. The light from the state trooper's vehicle was blinding. There was going to be lots of questions. Who are you? Who is he? Where are you headed tonight? What's in the back seat?

Speaker 3 18:48

I didn't know how to answer these questions. I probably shouldn't answer. Probably I should wait till I could call my lawyer. That's what they always did in the movies. Yeah, that's what I would do In the movies. The lawyer always knew what to say or who to get on the phone. They always got their clients out of trouble. They made everything okay. I wished I had a lawyer. My body felt numb again, like I had fallen off a building and was waiting for the ground. Better call Saul. I snapped out of my daze when I heard a car door shut behind us and noticed a flashlight beam bouncing in the side view mirror toward the passenger side of the car. I could feel my heart beating double time in my neck. I couldn't control my breathing. I thought I might pass out. This was it. This was exactly what I feared when I first heard this 74-year-old man's plan. I glanced to my right as the trooper was stepping to the window and there was Alf in the passenger seat looking at me, smiling.

Speaker 2 19:40

Wow.

Speaker 3 19:41

So there you go.

Speaker 2 19:43

There's a little snippet of their journey. Snippet. This is so exciting. Yes, how long did this whole process take? I mean from that part I started in.

Speaker 3 19:55

October of 23. So a little over a year.

Speaker 2 20:00

Right.

Speaker 3 20:01

And I finished in like January of getting like all of the formatting done because you can't just like, you can't just write a word document right and like send it there, has to.

Speaker 3 20:13

You have to do this whole editing process. That's like so that when it's on kindle and things that can, people can change the font and like do all those things. So it's like way more involved than I ever like knew. So it took a little longer, I guess that part, but the writing of it took from October 23 till right about May of 24, like to actually write the story, just get it all out on paper.

Speaker 2 20:41

Do you have? I've had another gentleman on the podcast that we've done. He has now written three.

Speaker 3 20:48

The Jungle, guy Jungle. Yeah, I listened to all three of them.

Speaker 2 20:50

Such an interesting human. This man is. Yeah, I just feel like I can never learn enough about him, so I don't know that I've really met anyone that has ever written books or novels, or how did you meet him?

Speaker 3 21:09

through mutual friends no kidding, yeah, he was an interesting fellow he really is.

Speaker 2 21:14

He is and, yeah, we've become really good friends and it's, but he, he has a certain setting that he will set himself into and that's when he just says he just starts flowing.

Speaker 3 21:27

Right.

From Nursing Home Work to Novel Inspiration

Speaker 2 21:27

Did you have that type or do you have that type of a setting? It's almost like a songwriter type deal. I mean there's, is it the same? I mean his.

Speaker 3 21:37

His books are smaller, they're um short stories yeah, yeah right I mean you got a full-on it's a novel, it's 300 pages, yeah, um, but yeah, so I think you know, if I think maybe what you know like a flow state is what he's talking about, where it just is kind of coming out and you're not almost feel like you're not doing anything right and yes, there is definitely. There have been times where, even when writing music, playing music um, and writing this book where you know I would you, it wasn't necessarily a setting for me that I needed to be here or here.

Speaker 3 22:16

It was just more of being able to open a mental state, the mind, to let the things just start flowing, because that is how it feels sometimes, right, even I've had songs like that where it's like I, I don't feel like I wrote this at all, like it's yeah, it's. I don't know where any of this came from.

Speaker 2 22:31

I was just wondering if I mean to each their own and everybody is different, but like ko's song that he just put out. I mean he started that song a long, long time ago and I don't. I't think he said like 10, 12 years or whatever nine years. Don't quote me completely on that, but it was a long-ass time that he chunked it and it just sat down and then boom, here it is number one on the charts, but it was nine, 10 years later.

Speaker 3 22:57

Was that one that he kept coming back to, or kind of sat on the shelf for nine years or whatever, but he kept working on it for that whole time.

Speaker 2 23:03

No, he had messed with it and just was never really happy with it and kind of picked it back up and then boom.

Speaker 3 23:09

I think that's.

Speaker 2 23:10

It just kind of all came together.

Speaker 3 23:11

I guess at that point it's like a fresh set of eyes, you know 10 years later, you've got a brand new set of eyes on it and your whole mental. Everything in your life is different. It's different, it's different, that song kind of. Maybe it struck him a different way so then he had a different emotional attachment to it.

Speaker 2 23:29

I was just wondering, like in a novel with, I mean, 300 pages, that's a lot Is it one of those things? Or for you, if you're, a lot of people will pick up a book like that and they can't put it down until they're done and they will power right through it. But then I know so many people that will not stop until they are from beginning to end because, they're that into?

Speaker 2 23:48

is that how you felt with? Because to me, when you're explaining the timeline on putting this together, it doesn't seem very long considering I mean a year.

Speaker 3 23:58

That's really honestly, for writing a novel, in my opinion, is nothing yeah, it's, it went quick, so I my did you just get so involved in the story and putting everything together where you just couldn't put it down, to where you felt like it was just yeah, I I definitely was very like intent on my all of my time, right, my free time, or you know, even like think I'm going to head home and just go write, but like for me, my, my productive time is like midnight to 4am, like no matter what I'm doing, and so like that was helpful to have no distractions, so I would just kind of write. Most most of it was written in that timeframe, probably Um, but then editing wise, I just really I really really wanted to do this and so I just it didn't ever feel like work, it was just like sweet, I get to go work on the book and make it more of a book.

Speaker 2 24:55

How was the editing process for you? I mean, that's constructive criticism and was that difficult? Was that? Were there times where you just felt like beat down, or was it? Was there any part where you were?

Speaker 3 25:09

Yeah, definitely so my, I get my feelings hurt.

Speaker 2 25:12

Yeah. I could just be like what do you mean?

Speaker 3 25:19

So the first round of edits came from my former high school teacher, high school English teacher Okay nice. I reached out to her and I was like hey, would you mind you know reading this and there was a lot of things you know, a lot of commas and periods.

Speaker 2 25:32

I thought I taught you better than this, sean. Yeah, exactly, were you absent, were you not listening that day?

Speaker 3 25:39

Exactly so. I was like all of that didn't hurt my feelings at all because it was just like, oh yeah, like I just don't remember this stuff. So it was like thank goodness I have this and I was able to go change it.

Speaker 3 25:50

And then the only there was one time where I was like a little defeated and it was when Fran got on board the editor lady uh, we last year at worst fest she came down and we met and and talked about it and I think I, mentally, I was in such a place where this book was like ready to go yes and we sat down.

Speaker 2 26:13

She came, sat down and tore it apart and I knew that I knew that she was gonna have a lot of edits and stuff.

Speaker 3 26:17

But I was like we'll do this edit and then like I'll change everything and it'll be good, it'll be fine and the 10th edit, but she.

Speaker 3 26:26

So we sat down and she said like, uh, you know, this is the first run through of a few and I'm like yeah, I was like I thought this was like so close to being done but that was the other thing is I didn't like tell people that I was doing it right, because I didn't ever. I didn't want to have that pressure put on it. So then I think at that time I had started telling a couple people. I was like man, this baby's done it's ready to go, and then Fran showed up.

Speaker 3 26:52

Then like six, seven months later I'm like it's actually out now, yeah, wow. Yeah, and it's been super exciting.

Speaker 2 27:00

That is really epic.

Speaker 3 27:01

It's been super exciting. That is really epic and I can't believe it's tomorrow. I don't know when this will drop, but tomorrow, the 23rd, wait what's? Tomorrow, the 26th? Thank you, it will be live on Amazon.

Speaker 2 27:14

Nice, the.

Speaker 3 27:14

Kindle version and then the 28th it'll be live on Amazon. Someone can go buy a paperback.

Speaker 2 27:22

Yeah, we will share that and put all the links and do all the things and tell everybody about it. Thank you, yeah, so you did a book signing.

Speaker 3 27:32

Yeah, I hesitate to call it. It's more of a pickup party Because I did my own.

Speaker 2 27:37

Tell me all about that.

Speaker 3 27:39

I did my own.

Speaker 2 27:39

I just the whole thing is just so. I'm so proud of you for this whole experience and it's just really it's amazing. And then just a book signing, like wait what?

Speaker 3 27:50

Well, that's why I called it a pickup party.

Speaker 2 27:53

Okay, because I did my own pre-order.

Speaker 3 27:57

Okay, I found a company online that you know you print your books, so I did a pre-order and like, then had a bunch of books that people most of the people were in the area. So I was like, let's do this party so that you know these people can come pick them up and I don't have to right deliver them all okay, which has? Been. It has been fun to deliver books too yeah um. So I was like we're just gonna do it at vino yeah you know in verde, you know six to eight no big deal.

Speaker 3 28:23

I thought people were just gonna like pop in, pop out yeah and people were hanging out the whole time. Um, there was it. It's crazy to say, but like from 5, 45 to 7 30, there was like a solid line of people like waiting to pick up their book please tell me you got pictures, or somebody got

Speaker 1 28:41

yeah.

Speaker 3 28:41

Yeah, there's nice pictures. Good, yeah, it was. It was a whirlwind and I haven't really experienced a night like that.

Speaker 2 28:49

Yeah, it was about you.

Speaker 3 28:51

Uh, huh and like just Sean you know, because the shows that I play in town like are not 100 percent original music.

Speaker 2 28:58

Right.

Speaker 3 29:01

And so like when people like oh, that's great. I'm like thank you, but it's like you know that's Tyler Childress song Right right. So like this was like really kind of special because it was like something that I completely created and everything that's your baby.

Speaker 3 29:13

Yeah, so we did the book signing. I guess you'll call it. Yeah, delivered books the next day all around the area and then went to Wisconsin, which is where I'm from and where my mom lives and brother live with his family. And so I went up there and delivered books on the way, because I had some stops on the way and then did another like book release, book pickup party in my hometown, which is very special as well.

Speaker 2 29:44

That is so epic, yes.

Speaker 3 29:47

And then I've been mailing out the books this last week. I spent a lot of time at the post office the last few days but I think all the books are sent out now, which is exciting, and then with the Amazon, stuff is exciting.

Speaker 2 30:01

It's just all coming together. I love it.

Speaker 3 30:04

And I also want to mention that the cover yes. So that was designed by a friend of mine, local artist and lovely person, charlie Brandenberger, and she's like, she does like tattoo, makeup and facial stuff and all this stuff. But she also like, plays the violin, she writes songs, she can draw and all this thing so one big ball of talent yeah.

Speaker 3 30:33

So I reached out to her to see if she could. You know, I sent her a picture of those are the, the trees from the big ass trees in landa, um. So I sent her that picture and I said this is what I want for my cover. And that was literally the first thing she sent me. She's like I can change anything. I was like it's literally perfect. That's awesome yeah, so it's that's been, that's been a great process as well that was really good, and my friend dana dairyberry with with love.

Speaker 2 30:59

Dana, she did my your photos, photos. Yeah, we've done some, some shoots with her she went, we were with andy, and yeah, she's a blast and her style is so great.

Speaker 3 31:10

Yeah, she's a blast she's a good time for sure. What do we call that boho?

Speaker 2 31:14

oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, she's cool, she's she's really cool.

Speaker 3 31:19

So, yeah, there's. I've had. I've been lucky enough to have a lot of talented people that have jumped on board and, you know, helped me really make this book a reality.

Speaker 2 31:29

Yeah. So what's next for Sean Hart?

Speaker 3 31:33

We got some more books coming out. What are we doing? Who knows what's next for Sean Hart? What are you?

Speaker 2 31:37

doing yeah, this is so cool.

Speaker 3 31:40

I could be doing anything, I guess yeah.

Speaker 2 31:43

This is so cool, I could be doing anything.

Writing Process and Book Development

Speaker 3 31:44

I guess I want to continue to write. So I have a couple things that I've been working on. Yeah, I thought it would be cool to kind of be able to use my experience in the music world as the backdrop for a story. So there's something in there that I've been working on. I really want I think it would be fun and I think it would be something I would enjoy is writing like a romance, like kind of a spicy romance thing. So that might be something in the future as well.

Speaker 3 32:17

I don't know, I guess keep your eyes peeled.

Speaker 2 32:19

Yeah, your eyes and ears and all the things Actually literally what's next is sorry, I've completely forgot.

Speaker 3 32:27

Um is tomorrow night. I'll be going to um a friend's cabin in blanco okay and I'm recording the audiobook for that guy nice yeah which is the the reason that I wanted to write the book yeah, to do the audio book.

Speaker 2 32:43

To do the audio book so.

Speaker 3 32:44

I'm super excited to finally get the opportunity to do it.

Speaker 2 32:49

What is the process in doing all of that I?

Speaker 3 32:52

mean, is it literally just you?

Speaker 2 32:54

sitting in, yeah.

Speaker 3 32:56

You know you try to make relatively sound. You know, as an independent person, you're trying to make it soundproof and you know, put up some mattresses or something. But, yeah, basically just record it, like we're doing, except into the computer. And then I was happy with how the reading of the prologue went. I was like man if I could knock out that long. It's not going to take very long to do Right.

Speaker 3 33:19

Yeah, so just do it, and then, once you have everything in all the tracks, then just editing, like if you know there's a long space where you're breathing or whatever, just making it.

Speaker 1 33:28

And that's the part that I like it's kind of like a puzzle.

Speaker 3 33:31

Yeah, to where you're listening, you're like oh, that was just a little bit too fast of a response and gotcha back it up. Yeah, so that part takes a while, the editing right but uh, I really enjoy it, so can't wait but go ahead, go ahead. I was I'm going to plan on narrating it, but my ultimate dream would be to like voice, act it and be able to do all the different voices for different people so I'm.

Speaker 2 34:01

We'll see how that goes okay, I think I'm just gonna narrate it. We got some good accents gonna come out of there or what I don't know I don't know what's gonna come out of there yeah, sorry I cut you out, no worries.

Speaker 2 34:12

What was I gonna say? Oh, I know um growing a novel, a book, like you do in the music industry. I mean, there's a whole process on how you take from playing one song, writing a song and getting it to the top. Is it similar to getting a book to be a New York bestseller? What is do you? I mean?

Speaker 2 34:35

well, I know that first of all, you've never written a book before. And boom, here we are. I mean, there's a 300 page novel that fran at worst fast. And new bronfels came up, probably with the sausage on a stick or a pork chop and sat down and all of a sudden, boom, here you are, you've got a book out. I mean, you do, who's hell, who's going? Okay, sean, we got a plan. This is how this is going to go. What do you do? What do you do with this thing?

Speaker 3 35:01

I'm the only one with the plan you know, I love it and so this I guess, if you wanted to, you need to sell 5 000 copies, I think, a week to be new york times bestseller. And so, like, I think, if you want to achieve that, then you need to go traditional publishing and you know, obviously there's rightions, but this book, to me, was such a personal endeavor.

Speaker 2 35:25

Yeah.

Speaker 3 35:26

And like the things in the story. A lot of like the background stuff that's happening is things that come from my life and things like that. So it's such a personal thing and I was so happy with the story as it is. I was not interested in shopping it around and having someone be like we really like it. But could you change this? I was not in a place where I wanted to change anything, so that's why I just went ahead and did the self-publishing route. Now, as far as trying to grow that, you know I'm doing what I can when I've been. You know I've asked ChatGPT.

Speaker 2 36:00

You're right. How can I what's a good strategy? You have a bestie too. I've asked chat GPT. How can I what's a?

Speaker 3 36:04

good strategy. So, like you know, I'm trying to look at things and see how that goes. I think, it'll be interesting to see how things go, you know tomorrow when it goes live. You know I've had just a couple of pre-orders on it now.

Speaker 1 36:27

But also I'm just to me it's already a success. Oh, absolutely, because it's because it's here, yeah, and I that's huge, because I was able to get the story out that I wanted to.

Speaker 3 36:34

Yeah, I, to me it's, it's already, I don't care it's already done what it's needed to do.

Speaker 2 36:40

You know it'd be great if it yeah sold a bunch or whatever. Right, but I don't really care about that.

Speaker 3 36:48

I'm more just. This one was more for me and if I do stories in the future, then I'll be going the more traditional, like I'm going to write this in order to get it published.

Speaker 2 36:56

I didn't really realize that you could do this without having Like a self-published thing yeah. That's really really, really cool.

Speaker 3 37:06

Yeah, they make it super easy. You know, you can there's a ton of websites where you can get your books printed right, but I don't know when it started, but they have um. Amazon has KDP, which is Kindle direct publishing, and so anyone can publish on there you know they have standards and all that, right, but as long as you follow the directions and all that Gotcha. They make it super simple for anyone to upload their material and they'll even give you. So. Books have an ISBN number, which is like an identifier.

Speaker 2 37:38

Okay, like a serial number Basically. Yeah, basically yeah, okay. Okay, like a serial number Basically. Yeah, basically Okay.

Speaker 3 37:42

And so with KDP, you can even, if you choose to, you can get a free one of those from them.

Speaker 1 37:49

Gotcha.

Speaker 3 37:49

Then your book's a little more restricted and they come up as the publisher if you buy it through them.

Speaker 1 37:54

Okay.

Speaker 3 37:55

But if you want to go like, I have a story, I just want to put it on Amazon you can do that for free.

Speaker 2 38:04

That's really interesting. I bet there's a lot of people out there that are sitting on the edge that had no clue that that is even a process, or yeah, I hope so. Yeah, yeah, advice that you could give to anyone that has ever thought about writing a book that is the what was your learning? What was the one thing that I mean you wish you would have known then, what you know now?

Speaker 3 38:31

Well I I have a handful of people, since I've done this, have come up to me like I'm working on a book, or I've always wanted to do a book and to me, the number one thing was just to do it, and I know that's maybe not the best advice, but literally, if you feel like I'm not feeling creative today, or I'm mad, or I'm this or I'm, that, what made you remove that fear from you, to take that step?

Speaker 3 39:02

I didn't. I never thought about doing it until I was like I want to do this audio book. So, like to me, I didn't, I wasn't scared to do it. I just like thought of doing it, thought of something that would be worthwhile writing, and then just started.

Speaker 2 39:19

Let it go.

Speaker 3 39:20

And I think that was just starting, and not being critical of the early writing. I listened to this book by the Duplass brothers, who are directors and writers and all that, and they called the first draft the vomit draft, where you're literally just putting words on the paper. You don't necessarily.

Speaker 2 39:41

Jungle said something kind of similar to that, where he would literally just yeah.

Speaker 3 39:45

Yeah, Like even in there there would be points where it was like Olin says, and then I would, I didn't, couldn't think of what he was going to say or didn't want to spend time on that, so just like put in parentheses or whatever, like say some sweet shit or whatever, and then just keep moving on with the rest of it and just get the idea out, because then when you go back every time you go back and read, then with the editing process you can really be like take it one sentence at a time or one word

Speaker 3 40:11

at a time and just be like is this what I wanted to say? Is this what I meant? Because if you have it written down on the paper, paper, you can kind of see what you were at least trying to do, and then, when you can go back and edit, you can kind of fine-tune all that. So I think the most important thing is just write your thoughts like, don't worry about if they make sense to you. That's not going to be the final draft. I don't know that there's ever been a, you know, a first draft book that went out.

Speaker 3 40:37

So, and I guess that would be, I never thought about that like to where it's, like you don't need to, just you're not going to have a book, just in one thing. So just get the ideas out there, just start going, let your brain go, don't be, don't be critical of yourself. I think would be the main advice I guess in all of that.

Speaker 2 40:56

I think in doing this it would be um in the editing process or whatever what you're ever you're writing about in real life. We all make mistakes, we all make choices. We all do things that we think, oh, that was really fucking stupid. You really shouldn't have taken that left turn and you should have stayed on the road or whatever.

Editing Adventures and Publishing Choices

Speaker 2 41:22

When we make edits in our life, those become choices. If you don't make the edits that you think that you should do, those become and they're constant and they're the same thing over and over, then those are mistakes right did you feel like when you were editing the ends or the beginning or the middle of the story?

Speaker 2 41:49

is that do you feel like? Is that relatable in your personal life? Did you feel like man, I think I'm gonna have olin do this because I wish I would have edited that in my personal life. Sure, I see what you're saying I got you.

Speaker 3 42:04

Uh, let's see. Well, the first thing that came to mind and I can try and think of more, but it's just a small one. But in college, my roommate who olin's roommate, they're based off that relationship right she. She could hear me like I was playing the guitar. She could hear it through the wall and like tried to text our other roommate and accidentally text me about the. You know my noise and so, like in the book, Olin is very like, considerate about the noise and all that.

Speaker 2 42:40

Right.

Speaker 3 42:40

Based on my inconsiderateness.

Speaker 2 42:43

Okay.

Speaker 3 42:44

But let's see things. There's so much of the main story is not based on my life, so I'm trying to think if there's anything, I know what you're saying.

Speaker 2 43:04

Yeah, and.

Speaker 3 43:05

I think that in small ways I did that. I can't think of anything super big where I'm like if only I'd done this and then so I made Olin do that.

Speaker 2 43:15

Right.

Speaker 3 43:16

I don't think so, but in the small ways. See, that's how that's.

Speaker 2 43:21

I was sitting here just thinking, listening to you talk and I was thinking, you know if I was writing up whatever a story or going along, and because my life is such a freaking whirlwind all the time, and I'm always getting into things and doing awkward things and stupid shit and whatever, but that's why we call you the tornado yeah, exactly, yeah, I could just see me just having so much fun with a book, making it just wild and obnoxious and crazy, and yeah, and I think.

Speaker 3 43:56

I think if I wrote, you know if I finished whatever I'm working on now with that music book. I think that one would be something where I would want to make my characters or at least one or whatever it is going to be like my aspirational.

Speaker 2 44:13

Almost like your avatar.

Speaker 3 44:14

Yeah, living out.

Speaker 2 44:15

Yes 100%. See, I think that would be fun for me to do.

Speaker 3 44:20

A hundred percent, you know.

Speaker 2 44:22

Like if you're playing your bass and all of a sudden you just want to jump off into the crowd, into the mosh pit or whatever and whatever, and you know that you're never going to do that in real life.

Speaker 1 44:29

Yep.

Speaker 3 44:30

Your next character needs to be jumping out in the crowd and just having them spin you all around or whatever. Yeah, exactly, yeah, spin you all around or whatever. Yeah, exactly, yeah, I mean just things like that you know, I'm thinking 100 you know, there's because then you're kind of living yeah you're living through your book?

Speaker 2 44:43

yes, exactly like your avatar.

Speaker 3 44:46

Yeah, maybe that's a good way for you to get like motivated to write your book then yeah, look at nick's head going sean, shut the hell up.

Speaker 2 44:55

Yeah, there's no fucking way, I can't even get. Yeah, no, I'm good just finding where my little sticky note is to keep my notes, and what have you?

Speaker 3 45:02

All right, that's fair enough. We don't all have to write the books?

Speaker 2 45:05

No, you, I am just so proud of you. This is so epic, and it's how. I mean, when I heard about this I was like wait, what a book a full ass book, wow yeah, a 300 pager, yup, yeah and there's not even any pictures no, winnie the Pooh, no, nothing, no that's just too cool that's really cool and at the end of the book there's a reference guide that's kind of like some of the things in the book.

Speaker 3 45:35

It'll tell you like oh, this came from this in my life, or whatever, or like that's why I use the term or whatever it is yeah um, so I guess there's a little bit of a little bit in there, a little bit, yeah, but it's mostly the like, the filling out of the story. Those details are coming from from things in my life I guess awesome I got to. So this nursing home that's in there is based off of a nursing home that the first nursing home I worked at in Cedar Park.

Speaker 2 46:05

Okay.

Speaker 3 46:05

And last summer I went up there and like talked to the administrator. I was, like you know, kind of walk around just to have a glimpse, just to get a. I used to work here.

Speaker 1 46:13

Yeah.

Speaker 3 46:14

And it was so wild to walk through that nursing home and like I felt, like I could feel the book Like when I looked at the dining room like. I could see the residents like laid out for their little meeting and like walked by this living room and could see like Alf and Olin yeah Hanging out. Dude, it was so crazy.

Speaker 2 46:35

That is so cool I can, so I can absolutely see that happening. Yeah, I was so fortunate. That is so cool I can, so I can absolutely see that happening.

Speaker 3 46:39

Yeah, I was so fortunate to like do that. And and memories from when I worked there, like it was things I hadn't thought about since, like 2012. And all of a sudden they're just like I would see one little thing and it was like boom all these memories come back and it was cool I got to add a couple of the like names of residents that like were special to me right you know there's everyone's special and you treat everyone nicely, but inevitably there's going to be like a certain few that are yeah you know, like grandparents, and so got to add a few of those folks in there, which was that's so cool nice, you know love for their families.

Speaker 2 47:19

And you did that visit in between or before.

Speaker 3 47:23

It was like after I'd written the whole story.

Speaker 2 47:25

Really.

Speaker 3 47:26

Yeah.

Speaker 2 47:28

You didn't want to go in there before and just like smell it and see the couch again and see that toilet seat one more time before you. That's funny.

Speaker 3 47:37

I think you're right. I think I drove by. Do you do Like when I more time before you? That's funny. I think you're right. I think I did I drove by.

Speaker 2 47:40

Do you do Like when I?

Speaker 3 47:41

first started or before.

Speaker 2 47:42

You thought this is the one.

Speaker 3 47:44

Well, I knew it was going to be the one.

Speaker 2 47:45

Yeah.

Speaker 3 47:45

Because I love that nursing home.

Speaker 2 47:46

Yeah.

Speaker 3 47:47

And I was the fifth employee hired, so we worked there for like a month before we had any residents or anything, wow, anything, wow. So it was like felt like a home you know for, like our home right. Like hang out in the administrator's office on the floor doing our work and stuff, like it's very cool and I got to meet and form relationships with every resident, like one at a time as they moved in, so was it a bigger facility it was standard size like a hundred and something beds so yeah, yeah, that's, but it was brand new.

Speaker 3 48:17

Yeah, it was so nice, it was scorpions everywhere.

Speaker 2 48:20

Oh, my lord Sounds like my she shed. This place is so incredible. Thank you.

Speaker 3 48:30

I don't know how we're Running on time.

Speaker 2 48:33

Let's tell everybody where we can find the book. So we've got it. It's coming out on Amazon. Yes, amazon on the 23rd.

Speaker 3 48:39

It should all be available. Now I would imagine where we can find the book where. So we've got it coming out on Amazon. Yes, Amazon, on the 23rd it should all be available now Perfect, I would imagine yeah, okay. And then we can look forward to March 26th.

Speaker 1 48:47

Okay.

Speaker 3 48:49

The hardcover will be available on Amazon.

Speaker 2 48:51

There we go.

Speaker 3 48:51

That's a little scoop for you, yeah, and then, if you guys know me personally, I have a stash of books you can reach out and I can get them signed and whatnot, for you personalized.

Speaker 2 49:02

And we do. We'll put a link on there and you guys can always reach out to me and Nick and we'll make sure and put them in contact with you or we'll get them the books or whatever we can do. Yeah, that would be awesome and they can follow me on. Instagram.

Speaker 3 49:15

Sean, underscore, underscore, heart. Or there's my author page, s Raymond Hart, on Gmail.

Speaker 2 49:24

Okay, no, what's?

Speaker 1 49:26

it called Instagram.

Speaker 3 49:29

You can get me on Gmail too.

Book Release and Future Writing Plans

Speaker 2 49:31

Yeah, you can hit me up on there if you want to. And then he's got an OnlyFans account you can hit him up on too. We'll hide that one. It's a little paid subscription.

Speaker 1 49:42

That's S Raymond Hart's, you yeah.

Speaker 2 49:49

But it's H-A-R-T, not the other one, but yeah.

Speaker 3 49:52

And thank you so much for having me on this program. I'm so glad you were here. I am so proud of you. It's been such a pleasure.

Speaker 1 49:57

Thank you, I am so proud of you.

Speaker 2 49:57

It's been such a pleasure. Thank you, I'm so proud of you. I can't wait for the next one. I can't wait to read through this whole thing.

Speaker 3 50:01

Yeah Well, later this week I'll throw you out a copy. Chuck it up to you. Chuck it yeah.

Speaker 2 50:07

Send me the launch.

Speaker 3 50:08

Hit me in the head, knock some sense into me or something. Get a potato launcher kind of deal.

Speaker 2 50:16

It was my pleasure. We're going to have you back on and follow your journey.

Speaker 3 50:20

Let's do it. Maybe we can talk in the middle of writing the next one and we can see how that's going.

Speaker 2 50:25

That's going to be good. Thanks, brother.

Speaker 3 50:27

Thank you so much. Thank you so much Good job. I appreciate it.

Speaker 1 50:30

That is so cool and cut.