Bio | Jason Shannon

ABOUT ME

I was born in Belleville, Ontario, a town now known throughout the province as “Bellvegas”, despite its utter lack of brothels, casinos and Elvis impersonators (although the real Elvis lives in hiding just north of Belleville, in Tweed), and what happens in Belleville only stays in Belleville because the stories aren’t worth retelling. Perhaps that’s why I write.

I began writing seriously in ninth grade, and went through various experimental attempts before completing a novel after high school. This novel I edited an re-edited again and again until I could no longer stand to read it, and entered the market trying to solicit agents and publishers, a challenge I pursued with that book for many years. It was a post-apocalyptic science fiction tale that dealt with mercenaries, assassins, freedom fighters, and nefarious villains, and was ultimately a kick-ass ride through desolate landscapes with fun and sexy characters, with the (one of many) grand overarching theme of idealism versus pragmatism. That novel remains unpublished to this day.

In 2013, after many failed attempts at breaking into traditional publishing, I self-published my first novel, The Zimmer Insurgency, and have been on the indie route ever since. I moved to the Oshawa area in twelfth grade, and went to Sir Sandford Fleming College in Lindsay in 2006, where I obtained a trade certificate in heavy equipment operation. I have worked in the construction industry ever since, in the Greater Toronto Area. In 2018, I rescued brother and sister feral kittens born on my construction site, who I named Aybars (trans. Moon Panther, named after my third book, The Moon Panther) and Tumelun (named after a still unpublished novel, The Ballad of Tumelun Tombs, currently on its eighth draft). They went from being bandit cats, eating anything and everything they could get their paws on, to being completely domesticated beggars that spend their days sleeping on my pillow, atop my bed. I have an interest in history, philosophy, and linguistics.

In addition to writing, he hosts The Jason Shannon Podcast, a podcast on indie writing.

Published works:

The Zimmer Insurgency, 2013

The Hounds of Harujin, 2017

The Moon Panther, 2019

Rain’s Agenda, 2019

The Rise and Fall of Chaz Oregano, 2023

Attila the Valley Girl, 2024

Tiger Blues, 2025

Links

Website – www.jasonmshannon.com

Linktree - https://linktr.ee/harujinshounds