Some of you planned to be writers from the get-go, but I decided to take on the craft the day after I ended my career as a high school principal. Now, with fifteen novels penned, three novels published and a fourth release in 2013, I can call myself an author. My brother came to the profession by accident. He graduated from West Point, served twenty years in the Army and began working in a civilian position with Army Intelligence as an historian. When he presented a paper on a little known African American graduate from West Point named Charles Young, he had no idea that the story would bring him to a new career as an author. In the same amount of time it took me to develop my craft, he has published two books about Charles Young and has a book proposal prepared about the impact of Buffalo Soldiers in Africa.
Two authors out of a family of five children? Who would have thought?
Not only am I proud of my brother, but we have such fun talking about book plotting, promotion and marketing. Without doubt, writing has deepened our relationship. In fact, Brian recently spent two weeks with my husband and me on our boat, cruising, fishing, and ogling the breathtaking sights of coastal B.C. In that time, we talked through his newest book and he helped me give authenticity to one of my characters who is an Army officer. By the end of the trip, we’d not only been sated with Dungeness crab, shrimp, salmon and cod, but we improved our next books! How lucky can we be?
Anyone else out there have a close family member who is a writer? Do you get the chance to work together on your craft?
My pitch for my brother is simple. Find his website: http://www.brianshellum.com or Google Charles Young if you’re interested in this amazing West Pointer. Ready for a beach/boat novel? Here’s some information about my latest release:
“Don’t miss SWOON by Rolynn Anderson! If you like an interesting cast of characters, a heavy dose of mystery and a lot of fabulous surprises, you’ll be happily turning pages late into the night.Ë®
~ Brenda Novak, NYT and USA Bestselling Author of WHEN LIGHTNING STRIKES
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Her dead clients won’t rest in peace.
When the dead tell tales, Jan Solvang’s first reaction is to RUN! But then she gets caught up in their mysteries.
Jan’s a boutique funeral planner, new to risk, hired to bury a missing woman and memorialize an infamous man. Yet when she digs for clues to write their eulogies, she disturbs family secrets and unmasks killers.
Roman Keller, hard-driving documentary writer, is in complete control of his life and his stories, until he falls for Jan, a woman who trusts her dog, her faint-dreams, and her instincts more than she trusts him.
Can they make the sacrifices necessary to cement their relationship or will the mayhem caused by the dead ruin their second chance at love?
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