My rural background and large family creep into my stories.  My grandparents owned a 100-acre farm in North Carolina.  My extended family, (grandparents, my mom and dad, Robin and me, my five uncles, their wives, and my eleven cousins), all lived on the farm.  Luckily, not in the same house! 

I spent long summer days on horseback with my sister and my cousin Penny.  Our family rode on wagon trains just like in the “Old West.”

My mom took us to church every Sunday.  Because of her influence, I grew up to be a Sunday School teacher. The kids at church inspired my article “Helping Hearts,” which appeared in Pockets magazine.

Everybody has a life story, and I enjoy writing about real people.  I recently wrote a profile of underwater archaeologist Wendy Welsh.  You can read more about Wendy and her work conserving Blackbeard’s shipwreck, the Queen Anne’s Revenge, at www.qaronline.org.

I stay connected to middle school kids through my son and his friends.  They are always happy to tell me, “That’s pretty good!" or "Sorry, that stinks." or "Hey! No kid would EVER say that!”

 

About Shannon | Inspiration | Children's Stories | Essays
Favorite Links | Email Shannon | Home