Miscellaneous

YASH Spring 2020

Welcome to the YA Scavenger Hunt! Hello! I’m Shannon A. Thompson—YA SFF author, librarian, and neighborhood cat lady. About Me! During the day, I am the Program Manager of The Story Center for the Mid-Continent Public Library, the largest library system in Kansas City, but at night, I write stories about monsters and mayhem. I’m… Continue reading YASH Spring 2020

Miscellaneous

2020 Author Goals

2019 is over, and honestly it feels like a blur.  I know this post is going to seem like a hard brag. I promise that isn’t my intention. I accomplished a lot this year, but I can’t say that I allowed much happiness into my life, especially toward the end of 2019. The beginning felt… Continue reading 2020 Author Goals

Miscellaneous

YASH Fall 2019

Welcome to the YA Scavenger Hunt! Hello! I’m Shannon A. Thompson—YA SFF author, librarian, and neighborhood cat lady. About Me! During the day, I am the Program Manager of The Story Center for the Mid-Continent Public Library, the largest library system in Kansas City, but at night, I write stories about monsters and mayhem. I’m… Continue reading YASH Fall 2019

Miscellaneous

My Experience Querying & Getting an Agent

Recently, as many of you know, I signed with a literary agent. (See announcement.) It’s a time a lot of writers dream of, a time highlighted with celebratory GIF tweets screaming, I did it! I did it! And I’m READY. It’s a lot of fun, definitely exciting, and often followed up with a “How I Got My… Continue reading My Experience Querying & Getting an Agent

Miscellaneous

Life Changes: Literary Agent + New Job!

Hey all! In case you missed it, I’ve had a crazy past month. (Hence why I missed a blog post last week. My bad.) Not only did I attend the LitUP Festival, where I had the utmost joy of introducing Adib Khorram, author of DARIUS THE GREAT IS NOT OKAY, L.L. McKinney, author of A… Continue reading Life Changes: Literary Agent + New Job!

Miscellaneous

Writing with a Motivational Calendar

My life has changed quite a bit over the past year. Between moving and starting (two) new jobs, I’ve had to adjust my writing life and the way I think about my writing life. As many of you know, I currently work full time at the library and then work part time as a freelance… Continue reading Writing with a Motivational Calendar

Miscellaneous

Can Someone Steal Your Book Idea?

Can someone steal your book idea? I tend to find there are two responses to this question: Absolutely! YES! Someone did that to meeee! NO WAY. Never happens. It’s impossible, because your idea can only be written by you. To be honest, I think both of these answers are a little too black and white.… Continue reading Can Someone Steal Your Book Idea?

Miscellaneous

Why Some Books Resonate and Others Don’t

I’m here to tell you why some books resonate and others don’t. Why? Because so many publishers/agents/editors are out there searching for the next big thing, and many authors are trying to become that. As authors, sometimes we stare at three or four different projects and wonder which one we should work on next (because… Continue reading Why Some Books Resonate and Others Don’t

Writing Tips

Why I Don’t Have a Publication Coming Out This Year

If you’ve been following my publication journey over the past few years, then some of you have probably already guessed that I don’t have a book coming out this year. Usually, you’re not supposed to admit these sorts of trials as an author, but I like to be transparent because I wish more authors were… Continue reading Why I Don’t Have a Publication Coming Out This Year

Writing Tips

Why You Should Make Time To Write While Editing/Revising

I’m not going to lie. I’m basically writing this article because I failed at this, miserably, and I want to prevent others from making the same mistake.  Once upon a time, I wrote a book. The moment I was inspired to write it, I knew it was more special than my other books. Not that… Continue reading Why You Should Make Time To Write While Editing/Revising