Guest Author
Does a Q&A
Now that Sean is done. Are you happy with the book? Anything you wish you had done or would change?
Wow, it’s hard to say. I always wish I could have written a better book, that it could have been deeper, bigger, more multilayered, better researched, etc, etc. But I did all I could with the time I had. The book is what it was destined to be. I can only hope people like it!
Do you ever read your novels after they hit the shelves? If so do you find you like them or just sit there and find fault with them all?
Read from start to finish, no. Sometimes I pick up one of my older books when I’m feeling exhausted and discouraged, just to remind myself that I actually AM capable of finishing something! And I like them pretty well. Same as I said before. I would like to grow, to do better. Particularly to be more aggressive about the research I do. Maybe that’s why I would love to do fantasy. I wouldn’t have to stress about the reasearch issue any more!
What’s up with the website? I swear I am going to email you monthly and do a what’s new with shan post *g*.
Oh, man, you have no mercy. The thing about websites and internet presence and all that stuff, is it’s a huge, huge time sucker. Any time I’ve let myself get involved in anything, it’s always ended up pulling me into a vortex. And doing a website and writing for it and blogging and all that, as you well know, is a creative act. Every page you write for a blog or website is a page you’re not writing on your wip, and I only have so many per day. I have counted minutes of work time in my day, for one reason or another . . . so if something has to give, it’s that.
Besides, what would I report? I did three loads of laundry today . . . my baby pooped in the tub . . . the supermarket was out of my favorite brand of yogurt . . . ? The minutie of my life just isn’t all that interesting, I’m afraid . . . I swear, when I have a completed book, I try to get the info to my webmistress and put out an excerpt, etc. etc.
And people will just keep giving me a hard time about it. (sigh) Oh well, I guess that means they care.
If you want to get updates from me, feel free! I like getting mail. Write me! I’ll always write back.
Do you have a favorite novel of your own? What about another author?
Favorite novel that I wrote, you mean? That would be BCD, hands down. It was the most unforced, the least afraid, because it was a shot in the dark, a totally new thing for me. Since then, I’ve been writing to my own formula a bit more, which makes the books stiffer, maybe. Or hell, I don’t know. It’s all so subjective.
Favorite book that someone else wrote–as I said in my TBR post, Diana Gabaldon, for sure! No contest. All of her books.
I had a Brava Bad Boy Week a while back and I noticed you have a new one coming out (with the fab EC Sheedy as one of the authors). What will your novella be about? Come on… tell us more than it is Mac’s little sis. And since we are talking about it, do you know who the other author is?
The other author is Kate Noble, and I look forward to meeting her! Here’s the back cover blurb for my novella:
ANYTIME, ANYWHERE by Shannon McKenna
For years, Robin MacNamara has been secretly in love with her big brother’s friend Jon Amendola, but the sexy cop has never seen her as anything but a kid. Until Robin follows him to an isolated cabin to prove she’s all grown up. Unfortunately, Jon’s last case isn’t quite closed—and someone wants payback…
I will not presume to put the cover copy for the other authors, since I don’t know if they’ve posted the info on their own websites yet or not. I certainly haven’t. (blush, gritting teeth)
A bad boy novella I would recommend . . . wow, the truth is, I don’t read many novellas at all. I’m the type that likes to sink her teeth into a long novel. I like writing them from time to time, but I’m really not the short format type.
Now it is your turn. Have a question for Shannon? Ask away… And don’t forget you have until 2am on 7/20 to post and enter for a copy of Edge of Midnight or All About Men.
Shannon, do you channel anybody you know in real life, when you write your heroes and heroines?
‘Cause if you do, I want to meet them! 😉
Shnannon, what are your favourite tv programs? I love Smallville – I’m a bit of a comic geek.
Hi Shannon,
Looking forward to reading your new book. I’m planning to visit Italy in the fall, what is your must see list of Italy?
Thanks in advance, Carol
Hi Shannon,
What would say is the most gratifying thing about writing for you?
Thanks!
~Lis
I love your books Shannon! I was so happy they combined 3 novella in All about Men. Are you going to continue to write link books with secondary characters getting they own books?
I am so looking forward to this release. Do you think you will continue to live in Italy?
I have read all your books and loved them. The McCloud brothers are great. What will your next book be about?
Shannon, you seem to be a risk-taker…quiting job and looking for love in Italy. Was that the riskiest thing you did in your life?
Is there anything special you do to get ideas for your book? Your books are great.
Your love scenes in your books are hot! Which I love! Do you think that being Italy inspires you?
Shannon, are you ever going to make it to RWA national, so I can finally meet you in person and get you to sign all your books for me?
🙂
Is there a genre you haven’t written in but would like to?
Hi Shannon,
You mentioned that Behind Closed Doors was the easiest book for you to write – which one did you find the most difficult?
BTW I’ve never found your writing to be “stiff” in any way… Well except for the places it really counts of course! 🙂
OK, that was a really crappy joke and I’ll be getting my mind out of the gutter now.
would u like to write for other publisher or harlequin>
Shannon,
Love your books. I’m so excited that Sean’s book is coming out, and Robin’s story is not too far away.
What kind of books do you like to read?
Hi, Karen and Gwen. Re: channelling–sometimes a character I see really inspires me. Or just the look. The way Benicio Del Toro, when I saw him in Traffic. I was just so enthralled by him. I knew he was perfect for Seth. And the other day, I FINALLY saw the new James Bond movie on DVD, Casino Royale, with the new blond Bond, and by the end of the movie, I was like, FINALLY an actor who is perfect for Davy. I could not think of ANYBODY for him. A mix of Brad Pitt and Heath Ledger do fine for me for Sean, and Micheal Biehn for Connor, but I could never ever think of anybody for Davy . . .
Don’t watch too much TV, since I don’t have the time and besides, it’s all in ITalian, which I understand, but it’s always an active struggle to comprehend. I can never just veg. I liked catching Prison Break and Alias, though the heroine of Alias made me feel dumpy and incompetent. And I would love to commit to the fun cable serials like Sopranos, Deadwood, Battlestar Galactica, 6 Feet Under, but I never get the chance. Besides, when rough stuff from cable airs in Italy, it’s always after midnight, and I’m dead in the water.
Truth is, I catch a lot of Dora The Explorer and Barbie movies. (sigh)
Carol, lucky you, going to Italy in the fall is perfect!~
I unfortunately never get a chance to do the tourist thing here. It’s like living in NYC and never seeing the Statue of Liberty. Which part of Italy are you going to? North, middle, south? You really can’t go wrong, there’s unbelievably gorgeous stuff everywhere. The Amalfi Coast is spectacular, near Naples, though Naples is a dangerous, troubled, dirty, fascinating city. If you like more orderly cities, stay in Central Italy and move up from there! If you’re a museum buff, I saw stuff in the Uffizi in Florence that made my eyes bug out, the big Botticelli paintings, Birth of Venus, Primavera,etc. Food is unbelievably good everywhere you go. Tuscany is exquisite. They tell me Venice and Siena are amazing, though I’ve never been. You could spend a hundred vacations and never see it all.
Sorry, guess I’m not much help!
Have a fabulous vacation.
Lis – the most gratifying thing about writing, hm.. well, it’s really wonderful when I almost get the feeling that I’m reading a book, not writing it. When I can’t wait to see what happens. In the middle of all that, it’s like shoveling compost or laying pipe, but every now and then you get that excited feeling, and it makes it all worthwhile!
Lisa,
I LOVE linking books, just love it. Because I get to know the characters better over a bigger arc of time, and I love the connections between them and the support they give each other, and the hell, too. It makes it more real for me, like the books are rooted deeper in the reality of my imagination.
Oh, yes, Lisa. For now, I definitely plan to stay in Italy. Moving continents takes a HUGE amount of energy. I cant imagine doing it with a family! Oy!
Debora, glad you like the McClouds! First, I have Nick’s story, EXTREME DANGER, but the one I’ll be writing next, well . . . I don’t really want to say, because I might spoil it for people. I just bet that if you read EOM, you will be able to guess exactly what my next project will be. I challenge you. Then email me, and I’ll tell you if you’re right.
Shuck Ying,
Risk taker? Gosh, I guess I am, though most of the time I feel like a total wuss. Moving to Italy was by far the scariest thing I’ve ever done! But sometimes you do things because you feel like you have to, you feel compelled. So I don’t know if that qualifies as taking a risk . . . or maybe it does. Hmm. Will have to dwell on that.
Julia,
A special way to get ideas? I wish I had one. I’m more character driven rather than idea driven. If I have two characters that interest me, and a starting situation, I just go from there. It’s all very mysterious. The ideas come as I go along.
Randy–glad you like the love scenes! I don’t know if Italy itself inspires me–it’s a fascinating place, and very sensual, but I know its wackiness and it’s frustrating stubborn ridiculousness and its soft white underbelly too well by now to get turned on by Italy! But I do think that being here and getting out of the temping-in-New York with no benefits trap freed me up to write, in general.
Jami,
You bet i’m going to National–some day! I was hoping for next year, but if not, the year after that. Where is it going to be in 2009, do you know? I love San Fran. And you are going to have to sign all your books for me, too, you know!
Amy,
You bet. I would love to write romantic fantasy adventure. I went on about that at great length in my other blog posts. It would be great. I love that genre.
Josie,
You know, I think I found them all equally difficult. When I’m in the middle of a project, I always think it’s the weakest and the worst and it’s the one that will break me and everyone will know the Awful Truth, that I Suck, etc, etc, yada yada. And then I slog to the finish and send it out, and realize that it was, well . . . OK. At the very least.
Oh, and Josie,
I liked your pun!
Hi, Kim.
I have no idea where the future will take me in terms of publishers, although I’m having a very fine time at Kensington, and have a fabulous editor whom I love and trust, so I’m in no hurry to leave. I doubt I’ll write for Harlequin, because I thought at the time that was the only way to break into romance publishing. I tried sending stuff to them but they were having none of me. So I’m very grateful to have found another path.
Jess, thanks for your enthusiasm! I’m hoping you will enjoy them!
And Kimmy, thanks for your interest in my reading list–I love everything, though I don’t have time for anything. See my TBR blog post, in which I go on at garrolous length about my fave books.
And hugs and kisses to all! It’s been lovely hanging out with you.
Best,
Shannon
Hi Shannon! Glad to see you here!
Do you feel that living in Italy has affected in any way your writing or your career?
Julia,
Only in the sense that, if I hadn’t broken out of the mindless temping trap I was in in NYC, I would never have started writing at all. It was having the time that made the difference. I know other writers have been able to squeeze stuff out around a day job, but I always came home too tired to do anything but may be read a book, or watch TV.
But I don’t write about Italy itself. I think Italy would be like an obtrusive character, that might take over the book, like a mother-in-law with strong opinions who’s all over everybody’s case, muddying up the plot. If that makes any sense. Italy is so strange, and wacky, and antique in its bizarre notions. It’s hard to describe. There is a whole genre of books in which people try to describe it, with more or less success!
Anyhow,
Thanks for asking!
Best,
Shannon