Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am in my early twenties with a degree in Graphic and Multimedia Design, I’m an avid gamer, and I’m new to the published writer scene with only having one published book that was released this past December.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest book, the first in its Urban Science Fantasy series is Experimental Heart: Pieces. The idea for the series came from a project we had to do in my Science fiction and Fantasy themed English class which was to create our own Hero’s Journey. The project required us to create a hero, helper, and monster (typical for a hero’s journey) and then we had to flesh them out with back story and even a picture. This process ended up getting me attached to my three characters and want to flesh them out into a real world.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Sometimes I need my oldest cat to be sitting on my lap to think. Sounds weird, but it relaxes me and that helps me clear my head enough to think right.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
It’s hard to pick out just a few. I’ve loved science fiction and fantasy since I was young (I swoon over dragons and squeal over Star Wars) and like a typical women I’ve had a fondness for romance but if I had to pick someone (or some people), I’d say Garth Nix, Vivian Vande Velde, Lora Leigh, and Deborah Cooke have had the largest influences on me when it comes to my current published book and the planned ones.
What are you working on now?
Right now I’m working on the sequel to Experimental Heart: Pieces and a paranormal romance that has just begun taking shape.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
So far, Goodreads has been a major help with getting people interested. Once I joined that and started getting involved I’ve made connections and conversations that have lead to exposure. I’ve also popped in on some blogs that I think have been helpful. Other than that, I’ve been using word of mouth which has been the most powerful method.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Make sure your cover is good. Even though we say “don’t judge a book by it’s cover” we (readers) still do so take the time/money to hire a good artist. If you’re serious about being a writer, hire an editor or even two. I’m not kidding. I hired an editor and he found a lot of mistakes and we went back and forth and back and forth to the point I thought I was going to be okay. Well, had I brought in one last beta reader, I would have found out I wasn’t as fine as I thought and wouldn’t have had to do some mad scrambling to fix errors after releasing the book and selling a dozen copies.
Also, don’t give up. It’s not easy getting noticed. It’s actually really hard. So you’re going to get to the point where you don’t feel like you’re going anywhere. You’ll get t the point where you think you’re a failure. Don’t let yourself fall into that trap. Just keep trying and put out more than one book. The more good books you have, the more likely someone will notice.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Failure isn’t the end, it’s a new beginning. I was told this once, not in those exact words, but close, and it’s so true it hurts sometimes. We are going to fail. It’s just how it is. And you can either take that failure to learn from it or you can give up but if you give up, you’ll never know what you could have achieved had you just chosen to learn.
What are you reading now?
I just started reading Exodus Conflict and on my list to read is the Eragon series because I’m late to that party. I’m also struggling with picking back up Darkfire Kiss. It was a book I couldn’t wait to read from this series, and it’s been just one major letdown for me.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Well, I’m trying to plot out a bunch of new stories as I work on my current series and I’m just basically going to try to get noticed more. No clearer path than that really.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
I’d bring Kiss of Fury, Dragon’s Bait, Shade’s Children and Sabriel. I’m pretty sure I could live with just those four books.
Author Websites and Profiles
Shannon Pemrick Website
Shannon Pemrick Amazon Profile
Shannon Pemrick’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile