About LShannon

About L. Shannon

L. Shannon came into existence in June 2004. In the time Shannon doesn’t spend writing or bothering hubby, she shows dogs (cocker spaniels), gardens and watches over her Butterfly Koi ponds. Writing started off as a battle against insomnia and has steadily grown into a war against reality. L. Shannon’s books are her way of jumping from the ship of the mundane and everyday to swim through the surreal waters of the paranormal.

It all began one stormy, sleepless night... OK, so it did start with sleepless nights, but more like quiet, never-ending ones. Having always been able to fall asleep anywhere and everywhere, I was at a total loss when faced with my first bout of insomnia. So the long nights passed with a great deal of reading, which has always been one of my passions, but the books were too quick to read, still not filling the night. I turned to reading series so that I could hold onto the characters for just a bit longer but even this wasn't enough.

Then a tickle began, an idea, but not yet an idea, a thought, a possibility. What if I controlled the story, if only I could say when the story ended? But I'd never written any fiction and didn't know where to start. So I wrote down notes, starting with what I liked to read and what I felt comfortable writing about.

Werewolves! (At least I didn't say were-cocker spaniels, LOL.) I love all the different paranormal, but have always thought that werewolves are under-explored. Mostly werewolf stories lean toward the cursed man who changes into a wolf or part wolf and becomes a violent killing machine. I wanted my wolves to be something different. A defined culture with a history and social rules.

Some ancestral calling chose Ireland as the homeland of my wolf clan. The characters started to develop voices and I began to fall in love with each. The first to speak to me Dan, a young man, feeling out of sync with the world around him. Dan told me about the others who he called family and gradually each strengthened and began to share who they are and what they want.

So I looked to history and myth to find just what is behind the legend of the werewolf. And what I found was interesting to say the least. Nearly every culture has some myth of man changing into a beast and often into the wolf. I looked deeper and found that Norse Mythology was rich with references to the link between men, wolves and gods.

Loki, called the god of chaos by some, seemed to have a special appeal to me. At first appearance he seemed evil, but then on a deeper level, his actions made sense. I wondered if his side of the story might be somewhat different from what was common knowledge, so I looked deeper and considered possibilities. Several of my short stories show another version of Loki's story and how the werewolf clans descend from Loki's son, Vali.

Valafrn, the children or heirs of Vali. It may have all started with Dan but I truly believe that a man's or wolf's past, forms who he becomes. To best know my characters, I needed to find out their pasts, beginning with what might be the most tragic moment they faced. For the Irish Eagle Clan, that tragedy was the attack on their village that left eleven children orphaned with only three unprepared brothers to raise them. One of the brothers, Athair takes the role of parent and becomes the hero of my first novel, Father of the Wolf.

Where is the story going? You'll just have to read to find out. When will it end? Maybe never. As long as the Valafrn need a voice I will continue to tell their story.

Goals for 2008

1. Enter contests

Brava Novella Contest - FINALIST!

2. Attend conferences/workshops/seminars

March 15 - Fire Up Your Fiction - Had a blast and got to meet Deb!

April 16-20 - RT - YAY! I went, I survived and can't wait to go again!

3. Submit more work to publishers/agents

Hotter than Hell

Vixen Files

Zeven Ways to Kill Your Lover

Anom'tan 4: Walking Death's Edge (sold to Cobblestone)

Acacia: Abducting Aeron (sold to Changeling)

Chances: A Second Chance (sold to Changeling)

SCV: Bound and Determined

4. Complete more books, focus on novels.

A. by March 31st

Hotter than Hell

Vixen Files

Zeven Ways to Kill Your Lover

Acacia: Abducting Aeron (sold to Changeling)

B. by June 30th

Chances: A Second Chance (sold to Changeling)

(SCV) Welcome Home (FREE DOWNLOAD)

(SCV) Bound and Determined

C. by September 30th

Chances: Another Chance (sold to Changeling)

EC3: Journey

Acacia: Blindsided (sold to Changeling)

D. by December 31st

* Nothing but Ash (sold to Liquid Silver Books)

Acacia III: Cravings (10,000/12,000)

Demons Gone Wild: Marked by Tears

Starwolves 1: Desolation

Chances: Chance of a Lifetime (1000/3000)

*What the Bed Said (7000/10,000)

*DMN1: Kindred Spirit (50,000/90,000)

Goals for 2009

1. Enter contests

Amber Quill Heat Wave?

2. Attend conferences/workshops/seminars

3. Submit more work to publishers/agents

4. Complete more books, focus on novels.

A. by March 31st

Re-edit Lynx Clan 1: Forgiven

Lynx Clan 2: Forgotten

B. by June 30th

C. by September 30th

D. by December 31st

5. Schedule time off from deadline pressures.

Every third month I plan to take off from my writing pressure. I will write what I want during that month and not worry about what has to be in. The down side is that the two months before will have to be more structured to allow this time off. I'm not sure yet if this will work or not. Will let you all know at the end of the year.