About Shannon Pemrick:
Shannon Pemrick, for as long as she can remember, has always been in love with dragons, although she never liked the constant portrayal of dragons being inherently evil. In a quest to find more diverse characterizations of dragons, Shannon found her passion for reading Paranormal Romance, Fantasy, and Science Fiction. With a creative and imaginative mind following her around, it was no surprise her two passions collided and created her first published work, Destiny, book one in the Experimental Heart series.
What inspires you to write?
Most of the time, I tell people: Life. All different kinds of events gets my imagination out of control. But some events get me thinking more than others. Music is the biggest contributor. I play a few songs and my fingers carry me away on a wild ride–my mind taken over by the emotions. The other contributor….my shower. Life changing moments happen in there, including writing decisions.
Tell us about your writing process.
I’m the writer that has to do a LOT of planning before actually sitting down to write. My plotting does a lot of adding and then deleting and rewriting, so I don’t use any fancy tools. A simple word processor and a few physical sticky notes are my friends during this time.
I first start with a topic that came to me out of the blue (usually while I’m in the shower). This topic is usually a quick idea for a scene either in the beginning, end, or somewhere between. One I have the idea established, I craft up two main protagonists. I then write down a rough description (with name) and personality of these characters with the understanding some of it will change as I plot out the book. Plotting out how the book starts and ends is the next step for me, and then, I go about writing the plot to get me from the beginning to the end. My plotting is me writing out scenes as they come to mind and then piecing them together until they fit just right, like a puzzle with no final image to reference. During this loose plotting, my characters have a tendency to change, so I make sure I always keep my character notes up to date.
Sometimes my plotting isn’t done by the time I start writing the book, and sometimes it is. But no matter which of those happens, more often than not, my plot changes while I’m writing. Sometimes I go back to my plot document and rework it, and sometimes I let myself write without a new plot rework to see where the new ideas will take me. One thing that doesn’t normally change, is the planned beginning and ending.
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I listen and talk to them all the time! Full blow conversations take place sometimes. Some days I think I should check myself into a hospital, it gets that “bad”. Jokes aside, I do have mental conversations with my characters. It’s my way of getting into their heads so I know how they’d react to different situations. I’ve done this so often and for so long, it’s not something I think about anymore. I just do it.
What advice would you give other writers?
Learn to take criticism. Actually, learn to love and want it. There is so much you can learn from criticism and I see far too many people who are unable to see it as more than someone “being mean”.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
I’ve been writing for some time, but had never thought to publish until a few people got their hands on my writings and encouraged me. At the time, I had only known about traditional publishing, so when I had a book ready (the first in my current series in progress), I did all the research I could about agents and query letters. But after being rejected more times than I was willing to count after a while, I chose to look into other options and this is when I learned about self-publishing. Comparing the two options, the self-publishing appealed to me more, so I set down that road and never looked back.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
While, I don’t see us going to paperless reading as a whole for some time, I do believe there is going to be a bigger shift to digital, specifically towards audio. As convenient as ebooks are, with people on the move more and unable to sit down and read for long periods of time, audio books have become a nice way for readers to enjoy their favorite books. They’re also more accommodating for those who are reading or sight impaired, allowing for the push.
What do you use?: Professional Editor, Professional Cover Designer, Beta Readers
What genres do you write?: Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Shannon Pemrick Home Page Link
Link To Shannon Pemrick Page On Amazon
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
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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.
