Meet Paul Slavonik | Author of the Legacy Drive series

We had the good fortune of connecting with Paul Slavonik and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Paul, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I’ve always been one who enjoys falling into the depths of my own imagination. Some call it a safe space or even an escape, but I call it a natural habitat for creatives. At the heart of what I desire to do is storytelling. This comes in many various facets but at the core of it all is expressing the human experience. I love the idea of creating a storyline for characters who don’t exist, building a world around them and then slowly constructing this imaginary world until it exists in our own. For me, this is more than just a way of expressing my own creativity but also a way of what can be construed as mentally exhaling. I vent through my writing. Not in a mindless manner akin to one standing on a soap box and spouting babble in order to gain attention. For me, I use writing to express the stories I’ve lived through and experienced with the hope of encouraging others. This comes out in the characters I build. Why did I pursue a creative career? I could argue that I didn’t have a choice in the matter. I was both a willing passenger and also taken against my will the moment the first idea for a story hit my mind.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m the author of Legacy Drive, a fictional ,multi-generational motorsport series which follows a family through their various trials and tribulations over the years. Although the tale features plenty of fast cars and winding race tracks, the true story behind the saga is the human element of overcoming obstacles, dealing with failure and loss, all while rising to stand for what you believe in and how you want to be remembered. Being a multi-generational series, my inspiration behind it was how our passions in life often carry from one generation to the next. Motorsport is a great example of this.

When I look at people like NASCAR Hall of Fame team owner Jack Roush, he’s the father of a multi-time race winning driver, Jack Roush Jr. who now has his own son who’s beginning to work his way up the motorsport ladder. There’s other prominent examples in racing such as Dale Earnhardt, Michael Schumacher and even Aryton Senna who’s nephew Bruno has also made a mark in motorsport. For these drivers, racing is their legacy but it hasn’t always been sunshine and rainbows. With Legacy Drive, I wanted to capture a story which showed true perseverance while also putting the reader directly into the driver’s seat. It’s a story that will take on a journey where you’ll want to cheer from the stands but also offer a hug to the characters.

I started off my writing career covering races and special motorsport events for companies such as Motorsport.com, iRacing and even a brief stint with Racer.com. This is where I learned to tell racing stories and how to craft a motorsport-related narrative.

It wasn’t a smooth journey by any means as I made my fair share of mistakes along the way. Still, I always tried to maintain a student mindset and learn from those around me. The lessons I learned mostly stemmed from failure and how we deal with it. I firmly believe that failure is the greatest of teachers. You’ll either wilt under the pressure of it or take its lessons to new heights. These lessons are what helped me to craft the stories behind Legacy Drive and it’s what I feel helps to set the story apart.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
The Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex is where I call home and there’s no shortage of things to do around here. If you were coming into town and wanting an experience that would last a lifetime, however, I’d take you just outside of town to a place called Eagles Canyon Raceway. From there, I’d recommend you climb into the passenger seats as one of the instructors takes you for a ride you’ll never forget. Long straights, hard braking zones, sweeping corners…you’ll either be screaming for more or begging for it to stop.

Either way, you’ll never forget it!

Afterwards, you’ll need to replenish the food you probably threw up in the car so I’d take you to Texas de Brazil. This steakhouse will give you a healthy dose of Texas with the vibes and culture of Brazilian churrasco cooking.

If the speed of Eagles Canyon wasn’t enough, I’d take you on a road trip down south to Austin where we’d visit the Circuit of the Americas, the only permanent Formula 1 track in the United States. It’s definitely a sight to behold! If you’re not afraid of heights, take the elevator up the 251 foot tall observation tower to see the sprawling track from a unique vantage point.

Of course, a trip to Texas wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Buc-ee’s. Yes, it’s just a gas station but don’t call it that lest you invoke the wrath of the beaver.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for Darth Bane. You’ll either be laughing or scratching your head at that (or possibly calling the people in the white lab coats) but Bane was the fictional character that initially led me down this path. When I first picked up the Star Wars novel titled Darth Bane: Path of Destruction by Drew Karpyshyn, I didn’t know that it would change the course of my life. Karpyshyn’s writing style was descriptive but easy to understand. He’s not the kind of writer who takes a page to describe a pencil. He gives you enough information so you can form the image in your mind and then he moves on. After reading the eventual Darth Bane trilogy by Karpyshyn, I found myself with a sudden desire to tell a story as well. Although Darth Bane and the original protagonist in the Legacy Drive series, Bill Watson, have little in common, the descriptive writing style I learned from one gave rise to the other.

Website: https://www.dmgunited.net/

Instagram: instagram.com/paul_slavonik

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pslavonik/

Facebook: facebook.com/PSlavonik

Youtube: youtube.com/@PaulSlavonik

Other: Link to the Legacy Drive series on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3TvqQlD Newsletter signup: https://linktr.ee/pslavonik