Category Archives: writing

The New P-Word

arts, books, politics, sex, work, writing 1 Comment

A little over a week ago, I received one of the best pieces of news I’ve gotten in several months. Kirkus Reviews, a very prominent book review magazine, posted an online review of my first novel, The Prostitutes of Lake Wiishkoban, that was highly complimentary of my work (to say the least). Quotes like “Shannon’s … fiction debut is an entertaining, provocative bildungsroman that successfully turns an unconventional premise into a thoughtful exploration of freedom and identity” are the kind of thing that authors like me dream…

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Whiskey Tango Facebook

freespeech, internet, politics, work, writing Leave a comment

Apple CEO Tim Cook on Facebook data leak: Regulation is necessary (Yahoo! Finance) Part of the preparatory work I do as a teacher of college-level English is to make myself aware of the technological and pop culture elements of society that my students are likely to be aware of and use in their everyday lives. This process is known as gaining “cultural literacy,” and although it’s ultimately not as important in my preparation as knowledge of the intricacies of the English language, I’d argue that…

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Shades of Marketing

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The art of grabbing the attention of agents and publishers to try to get your book published is not easy, and while a large part of me still wishes that I’d been able to get The Prostitutes of Lake Wiishkoban published “traditionally,” I can’t say that I miss  the rigmarole of emailing agencies and publishing houses all that much. In addition to dealing with a shrinking number of opportunities for traditional publication, trying to market a book to literary agencies and publishers is a process full of…

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Coming Off the Bench

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Today marks three months since  Mom’s passing. As hectic as the six months of her illness and hospitalization were for me, I knew that they wouldn’t even hold a candle to the craziness that was about to hit me after I got that fateful phone call, and I was right. These past three months have been a real rollercoaster, and even though there have been some high points in there — like the publication of my novel, The Prostitutes of Lake Wiishkoban (please buy your copy today)…

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That Kind of Writer

books, glbt, personal, politics, writing Leave a comment

Did you know that earlier this month I published my novel The Prostitutes of Lake Wiishkoban, and it’s now available in both paperback and Kindle editions? Well, be prepared to hear an awful lot about it in the coming months. As the popular kids say these days, sorry not sorry. Thinking back to my earlier years, I can still remember the gleeful joy that I felt when I first discovered the amazing power to put shocked expressions on old people’s faces by shouting the wonderful four-letter words…

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