The Journey of a Storyteller: Shawn Spencer's Path to Literary Success

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED | DE MODE OF LITERATURE SEP 2025 GLOBAL

Article Published on: 05TH OCT 2025 | www.demodemagazine.com

"The Wordless Book" - By Author Shawn Spencer

The Wordless Book is a chilling, suspenseful, and imaginative story that will grip readers from teen horror fans to seasoned supernatural thriller enthusiasts. It blends eerie camp legends, mysterious artifacts, and characters who must confront forces beyond their understanding. The story moves from the rustic cabins and dense woods of Camp Wolf Creek to the terrifying world hidden within a sinister book, where every shadow and whisper is alive. The Wordless Book is the first in a planned series exploring fear, courage, and the boundaries between reality and the impossible.

A haunting adventure begins… On one crisp Fall afternoon, several counselors and dozens of teenagers arrive at the newly remodeled Camp Wolf Creek, infamous for the ominous Wordless Book said to haunt its halls. If you listen closely, some claim the book calls out to you, luring the unwary into its sinister presence. The counselors are excited but cautious, unaware that what they face will test the limits of courage, trust, and sanity.

As the first night falls over Camp Wolf Creek, it becomes clear the Wordless Book is only the beginning. Within its faux leather cover lies the Impossible—a merciless, dead world ruled by the fearsome death reaper. Shadows move where they shouldn’t, whispers echo from nowhere, and the boundary between the camp and the book’s world begins to blur, ensnaring everyone in its nightmarish grip. The reapers are unleashed, leaving terror in their wake, and not all will survive. As the camp’s dark history emerges, the remaining counselors must confront their deepest fears, relying on courage, ingenuity, and unity to banish the reapers once and for all.

The Wordless Book is the start of a thrilling supernatural saga about fear, survival, and the hidden dangers in places we think we know. Both terrifying and deeply human, it explores facing unimaginable horrors while discovering strength in unexpected alliances, keeping readers questioning what lies just beyond the page.

DIRECT LINK TO BUY 'The Wordless Book' - CLICK HERE 

JOURNEY OF THE AUTHOR SHAWN SPENCER

Shawn Spencer’s path to authorship is one of resilience, reinvention, and unwavering vision. What began in 2008 as an ambitious concept for a video game script soon became the seed of a larger creative journey that refused to let him go. He envisioned an immersive, interactive world, researched tirelessly, and even launched a Kickstarter campaign. The dream faltered when costs proved overwhelming and the fundraiser brought in only fifty-nine dollars. Still, Spencer refused to abandon the idea entirely, carrying it quietly until the time was right to return with renewed purpose.

That moment came in January 2020, when Spencer revisited the project with a new perspective and determination. Rather than chase a game that felt unattainable, he began transforming the script into a novel that could capture the same spirit of wonder in a new form. The shift required starting from scratch—studying craft, watching tutorials, and embracing the long, often solitary process of writing. With every late night, every revision, and every wrestle with self-doubt, the story deepened and the author behind it grew stronger. It was no longer just an idea, but a calling that asked everything of him.

Over the course of five and a half years, Spencer honed the manuscript, collaborating with editors and artists to shape it into its fullest form. What once looked like failure gradually revealed itself as opportunity, and what began as frustration turned into focus. The project that once stumbled as a crowdfunded dream matured into a novel forged by persistence and sharpened by creative passion. Through countless drafts, the characters and their world came alive, proving that patience and determination could turn a setback into a breakthrough worth waiting for.

Now, with The Wordless Book complete, Spencer holds more than a finished manuscript in his hands—he holds evidence of transformation and triumph. His journey illustrates that detours need not end a dream but can redirect it into something even greater, richer, and more meaningful. More than anything, he has proven that some stories cannot remain silent; they wait, grow, and eventually demand to be told. With his debut, Spencer offers readers not just a novel but the culmination of a dream that refused to fade and a voice that refused to be lost.

FOLLOW THE AUTHOR ON INSTAGRAM -  thewordless_book

OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE AUTHOR - thewordlessbook.com

INTERVIEW OF AUTHOR SHAWN SPENCER WITH DE MODE

Q: How has your journey from soldier to storyteller shaped your voice?

A. I believe my experiences overseas gave me first hand experience on writing some of the combat and law-enforcement scenes more accurately.

Q: How has writing helped you process your military experience?

A. There is a scene in The Wordless Book at a shooting range and that particular moment brought back those memories at the hanger bay on boat I was on.

Q: How do you balance action with emotional depth in your work?

A. I try to make sure the action always serves the story. Explosions and battles mean very little if readers don’t care about who’s in danger. I layer in emotional stakes—loss, hope, fear—so that when the action happens, it resonates on a deeper level.

Q: What impact has training under Kyoshi Frank had on your creativity?

A. Training under Kyoshi Frank taught me discipline, focus, and respect for process. Martial arts isn’t just about movement—it’s about rhythm, flow, and intention. Those same principles carry into my writing, shaping the way I pace scenes and build tension.

Q: What challenge has most tested your discipline or perseverance?

A. The biggest test was rewriting my game script into a novel. It meant starting over, teaching myself an entirely new craft, and pushing through years of doubt. Five and a half years of editing, researching, and revising tested me daily—but it also built me into the writer I am now.

Q: Does your work in a school setting inspire your storytelling in any way?

A. Absolutely. Working with students keeps me close to young voices, their humor, their struggles, their resilience. That authenticity helps me write characters who feel grounded, even when they’re facing supernatural horrors.

Q: How does your family life influence your themes or tone?

A. Family has always been my anchor. The themes of protection, legacy, and love—woven throughout The Wordless Book—are drawn directly from what family means to me.

Q: Are your characters drawn from real-life figures you’ve known?

A. Yes, in pieces. I don’t copy people, but I borrow traits—courage, flaws, quirks—from those around me. That blend of reality and imagination makes the characters feel alive.

Q: What parallels do you see between martial arts and writing?

A. Both require patience, repetition, and endurance. In martial arts, every form is practiced until it becomes second nature. Writing is similar—you draft, refine, and repeat until the story flows naturally.

Q: What truths or emotions do you hope readers take away?

A. I hope readers see that even in the darkest battles, courage matters. That love, loyalty, and perseverance can outshine fear. And that every choice we make carries weight.

Q: What advice would you give your younger, pre-service self?

A. Don’t give up when the doors close. The setbacks are actually shaping you. Every delay, every failure is preparing you to tell the story only you can tell.

Q: How do you see your storytelling evolving in the future?

A. I want to keep blending cinematic action with layered emotional journeys. My future stories will expand worlds, deepen characters, and hopefully spark conversations about courage, consequences, and what it means to be human.