“[I write] urban fantasy, emphasis on on urban. Bringing the truth of inner city poverty, homelessness, drug addiction, and more to the arcane forefront.”
— Ian Humphrey
A member of the Writers’ League since 2023, Ian lives in the Austin area.
Scribe: Welcome, writer! Tell us — what do you write?
Ian Humphrey: Urban fantasy, emphasis on on urban. Bringing the truth of inner city poverty, homelessness, drug addiction, and more to the arcane forefront.
Scribe: If you could choose one author to blurb your book, who would it be, and what would you want it to say?
IH: “I don’t dig fantasy, who cares about elves and dwarves when there’s real monsters around the corner… but this guy has seen those monsters, and they’re coming out of the page.” –James Ellroy
Scribe: You have one book you’re allowed to push onto all of your friends, and they’re forced to read it to remain your friend — which one would you choose?
IH: The Once and Future King. The evolution of our myths has ever been a pressing issue for the sanity and sanctity of our future. T.H. White took the barbarism and self-involved romance of the Middle Ages and tipped it towards wisdom, satire, and humility. He didn’t kick over the Jenga of Arthurian lore; he fashioned a new message of peace and public service within his love for Camelot.
Scribe: Tell us your WLT story.
IH: Had enough of hunting for fellow writers, much less agents, by ambushing anyone with a novel in a bar or coffee shop. When one poor victim recommended the WLT, I took the bait.
Scribe: Where do you see your writing taking you (or you taking it) in the future?
IH: I wanna tour the countryside in a pickup, sit outside used book shops for outlaw signings, and push copies into the hands of homeless kids. ‘Cause when I was on the street, boy did I ever need a good read.
Scribe: Here at the WLT, we love sharing book recommendations. What’s one book that has come out within the past few years that you couldn’t put down? (Bonus points if the book is Texas related!)
IH: We Own This City by Justin Fenton. I might not live in Baltimore anymore, but the trials of my hometown are ever present in my mind, especially the crime, corruption, and the citizen defiance of both. Fenton nailed it, read the book in one sitting.
Scribe: Is there anything else about you that you would like to share with the world? An opportunity for blatant self-promotion!
IH: Looking for an audio drama that hearkens to Philip Marlowe? “Under The Shroud,” a podcast, follows a demon cab driver through Charm City’s haunted streets. Each episode, some poor bastard winds up in Corin Black’s cab with a problem. Corin’s not out to save the day; just wants to survive and get high. But with every passing shit show, he gets a little closer to his greatest fear: hope. “Supernatural? We’re not super nothing. Just a little extra.”
