Today we’d like to introduce you to Shauna Jared.
Hi Shauna, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I always wanted to be an author, and I used to make up stories about my dolls when I was a kid. I wrote fan fiction about New Kids On The Block when I was a teenager in the late 80s and early 90s and terrible, teenage angst-filled poetry, too. As I got older and took on adult responsibilities, writing became something I didn’t have time for, and I stopped for a long time. After many false starts in writing books over the years, in 2019, I started realizing that if I was ever going to make my dreams come true of becoming an author, I had to start and finish this time. So I signed up for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) in November 2019 and vowed to write a 50k word novel within one month. I decided I’d write it, no matter how bad I thought it was, until I got to the end of the story. I told everybody I knew I was doing it as a form of accountability. I also emailed installments every few days to a couple of trusted friends who I knew would keep me motivated to keep writing. So I finished my first book, Bitter End, in November 2019. Still, I didn’t know what to do with it, so it sat there for several months until I took a self-editing and publishing course, which taught me how to edit my work as best I could to look for inconsistencies and plot holes, grammar issues, etc. The study also taught me how to self-publish on Amazon. So I did it, and my first book went live in the summer of 2020. Since then, I’ve written two more in that series (paranormal romance) and another two in a different sequence (contemporary romance), bringing my total to five published books. I’ve also had some of my short stories published in anthologies over the past few years.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, it has not. Self-doubt, imposter syndrome, fear, anxiety, and depression have all been obstacles I’ve had to overcome. Not to mention finding time to write while working full-time, raising an autistic child, and spending time with my husband. It’s a juggling act for sure. Throw in a pandemic, and that set me back, too! But things are getting back on track now!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a romance author who writes in two genres – Paranormal Romance and Contemporary Romance. I’m probably most known for my contemporary books, the Tennessee Whiskey series, which is based in Nashville and is about a family who runs a whiskey distillery; each book focuses on one of the brothers and their love interest and the drama that ensues. I am most proud of my very first book, though, Bitter End, which is a paranormal romance. It was the first book I had ever finished and a labor of love. What sets me apart from others – I try to tell a powerful story in a short novel that can be read fairly quickly because most people don’t have much time for reading. My books are usually around 60k words, which is on the shorter end for novels. I like to “make it hot, make it hurt, then make it happy” in my books, LOL.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
My family–my husband and son–have put up with the many hours I’ve spent writing or doing other authorship duties. They have supported my dream, and I’m so thankful for that! Also, my alpha and beta readers cheer me on as I write and help me stay motivated. They also help point out any errors or inconsistencies, which helps me make my books the best they can be. My editor, cover designer, formatter, marketing team, ARC readers, and all the incredible bookstagrammers and bookTokers talk about my books. So many amazing authors I’ve met and become friends with have been so helpful in sharing information about what worked for them in their authorship journey. And the lovely readers who read and leave reviews on all the platforms.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://shaunajaredauthor.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shaunajaredauthor/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shaunajaredauthor
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/shaunajared
- Other: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/shauna-jared
Image Credits
Cover Designs & Logo Design – Wilette Cruz at Red Leaf Book Design Marketing Image (“available now”) – created by Nisha’s Books and Coffee PR (using the book cover designed by Wilette listed above) Author Photo – taken by me
