We recently connected with Shannon Reynolds and have shared our conversation below.
Shannon, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
One of the things that I do to keep my creativity alive is to read. I read works from James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, Robert Frost, Ernest Hemingway, and Edgar Allen Poe.
Each writer has a varied style of writing that aspires me in whatever genre I am writing in. James Baldwin and Zora Neale Hurtston are masters in writing prose. When I am writing a pivotal part in my story, I read works written in prose. Prose gives me inspiration to play on words and find poetic ways to add them in whatever story I am trying to convey to the reader.
Another way to keep creativity alive is by trying a form of art that I normally do not have any talent in. For instance, I am horrible at drawing but I can create graphic stick figures and write an amazing story surrounding it. LOL!
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
This year, I will be publishing my first romance novel with BriAsh Publishers. This was an unexpected novel. My first novel was a mystery/thriller that I was in the process of finishing.
BriAsh came to me with an author collaboration to write a short story for a holiday novel they were publishing. On a whim, I wrote about a marriage in which infidelity was discovered and dished out on Thanksgiving. The story ended up being a hit and led to a follow up novel.
I never expected the overwhelming response that I got from a 5,000 word short story. It inspired to write the follow up, “To Have and To Hold”. I generally was not in the market to write romance but I guess, romance found me.
And it has been one hell of a ride! I am truly in love with my debut novel.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Persistence: Never give up. I worked two jobs, had an impending surgery, and family obligations. I learned to ask for help adn to take time for myself.
Learning: Never stop learning. Anyone can be born with a talent to do something but when you acquire a new skill or lesson to make that talent better, do it!
Market yourself: You can’t expect to publish or create great works and no one knows about it. If what you have is good, it will speak for itself; loud and proud in the back somewhere collecting dust. Learn the ins and outs of how to market yourself and go with what works for you.
I once obtained three readers while at work talking randomly about my book. The strangers were so excited about my enthusiasm, they offered to buy the book as soon as it was published,
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I am looking for book clubs interested in reading from Indie authors. Bipoc and LGBTQ authors have limited space to be heard or seen in the author world. Our works go unnoticed and barely reach a level of recognition in the publishing world.
If there are any magazines, book clubs, or other reading groups that are interested in reading new works from Indie authors, please email me at:
shanr472@gmail.com
There are so many well written stories by minorities that are begging to be read and reviewed and seen around the world!
Contact Info:
- Facebook: Shannon R. Reynolds | https://m.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=1391150216
- Other: Tik Tok tiktok.com/@authorsavannahgrace (Will be changing to @Author S.R.Reynolds after 2/14/2024)
