About Shannon Barczak:
I was born and bred in the great state of Maine, but I now live just outside the steamy southern city of Charleston, SC. I have a gorgeous husband and three great children who all put up with my craziness as I navigate this relatively new journey of being a professional writer.
It took me almost twenty years to gather up the courage to finally start writing and I haven’t looked back since. I have written over a dozen books now and the sheer joy hasn’t worn off since the day I sat down to type out the first chapter of my first book.
Now on to the good stuff, not the back of the book bio everyone writes.
I also like Pina Coladas and getting caught in the rain. I’m not into yoga, I am into champagne…
Yes, I have a sense of humor. I also swear like a sailor when my kids aren’t around (Okay, sometimes they are, but whatever). I love to cook and bake…mostly because I love to eat. I see nothing wrong with reading several books at the same time and in one of DC Comics alternate universes, I am convinced I am Batman/ Bruce Wayne’s one true love.
What inspires you to write?
I think what inspires me to write is that I have this pressing need to share my stories with readers like me. I mostly write paranormal romance and I wanted to infuse a sense of realism into an unrealistic genre. I enjoy asking myself questions as I write, like how would I respond if this happened or what would my friends say if they found out vampires or faeries were real. Sometimes a simple picture can plunge my brain into overdrive and just like that, a story is born in my mind.
Tell us about your writing process.
I am a big supporter of outlines. The first step I take in writing is that I sit down and write a one to two page synopsis. I then like to do chapter outlines. I don’t always follow them and I usually go back to add certain aspects of the story that have come about organically as I write, but it is a must for me.
When I’m done with my outlines, I like to sit down and daydream about my story. It may sound weird, but my family has found me many of times sitting in the dark late at night with my headphones on, staring off into space. I basically imagine my story as a live action movie, complete with a soundtrack!
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I love the process of getting to know my characters the more I write a story. I can start off with imagining my character one way and then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, a new facet to the character’s personality can emerge and it changes certain aspects of the story.
You absolutely have to have a connection to your characters. It is important to listen to them and talk to them as you write. I think even if you are writing a character so vile that they make you sick, you still must tap into their mind so you can have some kind of understanding into their psyche.
What advice would you give other writers?
I’m not big on giving advice to other writers. I think we’re all different and we all go about our writing process in different ways. The one thing I will say is keep on writing, no matter what. You may have a bad day or even a bad month when you can’t seem to make any sense as you pound away on the keyboard, but try to remember why you started writing and have the confidence to keep going.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I decided to self-publish for a few reasons. The biggest reason was that I was scared to death to send my work off into the unknown. I also didn’t want to wait months or years to have an answer or a contract. I love self-publishing because I can retain control over every aspect of my work. It’s not easy being the writer, publisher, book cover artist, e-book format expert, and promoter, but it does give one a remarkable sense of achievement. Self-publisher also allows you to work at your own pace. There are no deadlines to be met and you maintain complete control.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
I think we are in quite a book publishing revolution right now. We have more writers going the self-publishing route and the days of big publishing houses are not as prevalent or intimidating as they once were. There will always be a place for publishing houses, but I do believe that they are starting to take us self-publishing authors more seriously, especially when you look at the numbers as we are massively dipping into their profits.
What do you use?: Professional Editor
What genres do you write?: Romance, Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Contemporary Romance.
What formats are your books in?: eBook
Website(s)
Shannon Barczak Home Page Link
Link To Shannon Barczak Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.
