Today’s interview is with a tenacious author who
wrote seven books before she received her first book contract, which was for a novella, Defending
Truth. This was bundled in one book with other authors called A Pioneer
Christmas Collection. Shannon’s also been a RITA nominee, writes regularly for
Colonial Quills, and is a member of ACFW and RWA.
What made
you decide to write that first novel?
I was
writing little stories from about third grade on … I don’t know, they were just
in me and had to come out. 😊 Same for my first novel
(still unpublished), that I started at age 15. The character came to life in my
head and demanded to be written.
What made
you choose the romance genre?
It was
romance because, well, really, what 15-year-old girl doesn’t dream of romance
of some kind? I fought the genre label for a long time, though, because so much
of what I’d read was either unrealistic (yes, I’m one of those readers, LOL) or
sappy or created personal discontent about my own life and marriage. But I do
love a romance done well, and it was through the writing of one of my
yet-unpublished novels that I came to grips with some aspects of my own life
story. So I have to say, I didn’t choose romance; romance chose me.
How long did
it take to write your first book? How many rewrites did you do on it?
Are we talking
the first unpublished or the first contracted one? That first unpublished took
about a year. I rewrote it nearly 20 times in as many years and drafted two
sequels (or segments of such) before starting something fresh.
My first
contracted novel was completed in about six months, maybe a little more,
including intensive research and one solid rewrite. Another layer of revision
happened after a critique partner looked at it, then came editorial revisions,
of course, and there were two rounds there. So, four rewrites total, if we
count all that? Not typical for everyone, I realize, but I do some tweaking as
I go along, and several decades of writing fiction and studying the craft has
to be good for something … 😊
Who
encourages you in your writing?
My family,
first and foremost. Several friends are also very kind and enthusiastic, especially
a wonderful tribe of close writing friends who I met at various conferences
and/or early critique group settings.
Are you
active with any writing critique groups?
I’m not
currently active in a critique group, officially, but I do critiques for a handful
of my writing friends, and they for me.
How did you
go about finding an agent or a publisher?
Years ago, when
it was the only option, I consulted Writer’s Market, printed out the entire
manuscript, mailed it to the editor with a cover letter, and waited. Sometimes
up to a year. I took a sabbatical from fiction writing when my older kids were
small; and by the time I came back, the internet completely changed the
submission process.
At that
point, I started attending conferences, meeting with editors and agents,
querying those I hadn’t yet met in person. Things happened for me rather
haphazardly and by accident, unless you believe in God opening doors (which I
do 😊), and through a rather strange but cool series of relationships.
I have to credit two of my dearest writing friends for giving me the push in
one situation and recommending me in another.
From the
point you were offered a contract on that first book, how long did it take to
make to print?
My first
contract was for a novella and was a year from contract offer to print. The
first full-length contract was about 14 months from official offer to print.
What is the
hardest part of writing for you?
Adequately
showing the character's goals and motivations! I’ve been dinged so many times in
contests and on critiques for not having enough tension or being clear on what
characters really want. In the process of writing itself, I think starting is
hardest, both a new story and each individual writing session.
What does
your editor remind you to do most often?
Make
character motivations clearer. 😊
What’s the
best encouragement you’ve had in your writing?
Early on? An
agent I highly respect told me that I was in a place where most writers give
up, and I hadn’t and commended me for that. Ironically it was still another
5-6 years before I’d see that first contract. But his words kept me going for a
long time!
More
recently, it’s hearing readers say I put them right in the situation and time
period, that they can feel the character’s emotions, and that I’ve given them
another side of an issue to think about.
We have all
experienced rejection. How have you learned to write past it?
I think the
hardest moment came after about the fifth rejection from the aforementioned
agent—he had commented in an earlier rejection on my talent but suggested a change
in genre to establish myself rather than trying to lead with fantasy, which was
a hard sell in the Christian market.
So, I did
that, changed genres and was actually working on projects in both historical
and contemporary, but with the historical unfinished, I was offering the
contemporary around, first in a short category romance form and later as a full
length. He turned down both of those.
The latter was probably the most
discouraging—it basically amounted to a “no, sorry” with no explanation, not that
he owed me one, but previous rejections had at least included crumbs. 😊 (Bear in mind at this point I’d had several conversations
with him over the years at conferences and such, and he was representing two of
my closest friends, so there was a bit of relationship by this time.)
I’d been
trying several other agents as well, but none of their rejections stung as
badly as this one. I decided I must either be really tenacious or
extraordinarily thick-headed (not that the two are mutually exclusive, LOL) to keep
trying, but … I had that historical to finish, at least, before I gave up
entirely. It was the toughest project ever (a Revolutionary War story told from
the British and loyalist side), but I’d already invested five years of study
and writing.
Once
finished, it would be something like my sixth completed novel-length manuscript
(I was still working on a segment of my fantasy saga at the same time, which
became my seventh). I didn’t feel like I could quit, even if it meant yet
another season of working hard and honing my craft, and so I basically tucked
in and kept going. And prayed. A lot. 😊
What do you
know now about writing you wished you had known sooner?
That being
published isn’t the pinnacle of success—merely a higher level of visibility,
and heavier responsibility. That what I’ve considered the story of my heart
isn’t necessarily market-worthy at this point. That it really is more about the
story overall than whether I can frame the perfect sentence or get all my
punctuation correct. (Says this die-hard grammar geek …)
What is the
best writing advice you’ve received or could give?
Read a TON …
write a TON. Keep pouring words onto the page and write more for the love of
story, because you are a writer, than for some nebulous market. Be patient,
work hard, and trust God, and if it’s meant to happen, the doors will open.
Are there
any other points about writing you would like to add?
I’ve heard
it said that if you can stop writing, you should. That the best writing happens
because you need to write—that it’s like a craving or an addiction. That
hasn’t felt far from the truth, over the years. Even when I set aside writing
fiction, that need came out in other ways.
Your latest
book, The Blue Cloak, veers away from the romance genre into true crime. Why
such a radical change in writing?
My editor at
Barbour approached me with the story concept and invited me to submit a
proposal for the True Colors series. After considering this setting and one
other that she suggested, I decided this was the one I could draw something
redemptive. And the fictional thread running alongside the true-crime storyline
does contain a romance—which yes, felt so jarring at times, but provided a
challenge I couldn’t deny. Overall, I realize I wanted a chance at spinning a
good story out of a wretched slice of history.
Can you give
my readers a short synopsis?
Here’s the
summary: Evil incarnate leaves a trail of destruction across the frontier …
Rachel
Taylor lives a rather mundane existence in 1797 at the way station her family
runs along the Wilderness Road in Tennessee. She attends her friend Sally
Rice’s wedding only to watch the marriage dissolve into horror as the groom,
Wiley Harpe, and his cousin, Micajah, become murderers on the run, who drag
their families along.
Declaring a
“war on all humanity,” the Harpes won’t be stopped, and Ben Langford is on
their trail to see if his own cousin was one of their latest victims.
How many
will die before peace can return to the frontier?
Sounds
riveting! If you’d like to learn more about Shannon’s books, here are some
links to get you started.
I neglected to comment when this posted, but thank you so much for having me on your blog! It was an honor and it's interesting to come back and see what I had to say even a couple of years ago. :-) Blessings!
ReplyDelete