Meet Ever After SHANNON RICHARD

How did you get your start in writing?

·        I’ve been creating stories as far back as I can remember. I’d jot down a scene here or there, but I never really sat down and wrote until my senior year of college. I just had this story in my head that I had to write down. I’ve been writing ever since.

What’s your favorite genre to write and why?

·        Romance. I love my happily ever afters. I love reading books that give me the warm and fuzzies and leave me beyond happy when I finish. Don’t get me wrong, there are certain rip your heart out/emotionally destroying books that I love too. Harry Potter I’m looking at you. Still not over all of the characters that Mrs. J.K. Rowling killed off. And then there is the Time Travelers Wife which pretty much left me crying in a pathetic ball in the corner for days. I’ll never let go Henry…I’ll never let go. And The Hunger Games? Yeah, there are no words for how much of an emotional wreck I was after reading those books.

Where do you write…kitchen table? Office? Work?

·        I write in my room, on the couch in front of the TV enjoying a marathon (Harry Potter or Friends mainly…orThe Avengers. Mmmm so many hot men, so little time), or at work whenever I can.

Favorite character you’ve written to date and why.

·        I talk about my characters like they are actually friends, and I’ve been told that when I talk about one Nathanial Shepherd I get really animated and excited. He’s just been a side character so far but I’m finally writing Shep’s story, and I will admit that he’s already started to take the lead. Plus he’s covered in tattoos…and scruff…I love my scruffy men.

POV—pick your poison. First person, third person, dual POV?

·        I’ve written in dual first person, and third person. It depends on the story that I’m writing, but I lean more towards third person.

What’s your typical writing day look like?

·        I still have a day job (not that it’s any less difficult for those who don’t), so it’s pretty much fitting writing in whenever I can. Sometimes it’s in the morning, other days late at night, and I have a lot of all-day writing fests on the weekends. It’s pretty much just a balance of time management and I’m still trying to figure that out.

Any weird quirks while you write? You know, like do you do a handstand while typing with only your right hand when writing kissing scenes…?

·        I tend to have a glass of wine when I’m writing at night. I also have difficulty writing in silence. I usually have music, or a TV show or movie that I’ve seen multiple times and that I don’t have to pay strict attention to playing in the background. When I’m editing I’m listening to music.

Lightning Round:

Red or White Wine: Wine? Where? White and chardonnay is my current favorite.

Black or Fixed Coffee: Fixed and delicious. Mmmm happiness in a mug.

Football or Basketball: Football

Rap or Jazz: I like all music...out of these two I'd probably pick Jazz.

Candy or Chocolate: Chocolate…all the way

Pirate or Ninja: Pirate. Captain Jake Sparrow captured me when I was fifteen. Still love that man.

Christmas or Easter: Christmas.

TV or Netflix: As I'm currently glued to my computer watching Sons of Anarchy on Netflix, I'm going to go with Netflix.

Apple or PC: An Apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Thor or Captain America: Are you kidding me?!?!?!?! I can’t pick between those two men. I love them both equally. Part of it is the actors who play them. Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth are sooooo ogle worthy that it isn’t even funny.

Muscular or Nerdy: Both, like Clark Kent. Muscles + Glasses = RIDICULOUSLY Hot! 

Tattoos or Clean skin: Oh gosh, tattoos. Love my tattooed bad boys.

Do you have any piercings?

·        Just my ears.

If you could get one tattoo that would describe your writing what would it be and why?

·        I actually got a tattoo when I finished writing my first book. It’s of a sunflower, just like Paige’s in Undone. Except mine is on the top of my foot and not on my side. I’ve wanted to get the word Storyteller tattooed on my wrist (or somewhere else still undecided). I’ve never done well with summarizing, always wanting to give someone the full picture, so my need to always tell a story pretty much sums me up.

What’s your most embarrassing moment?

·        After I signed with Forever, I went up to New York to meet my editor and agent and my parents came with me. Within five minutes of sitting down with my agent, my mother (who has no filter) asked a question that made me spit water out all over everybody. My agent got the majority of the shower.

If you were a superhero what would your power be? Would you wear a cape?

·        As for super power, I’d go with flying which is ironic as I have a pretty intense fear of heights. And I know that most superheroes that fly have capes, but whenever I think of superheroes with capes I always hear Edna from The Incredibles saying, “No capes!” So no cape for me. 

Would you rather be trapped in a room with Tom Hardy for twenty four hours knowing that you’ll have to eventually kill him to leave, or be trapped in a room for twenty four hours, spending your last moments in his loving embrace—before he kills you?

·        This question makes me think of The Hunger Games. I have a feeling I’d pull a Katniss Everdeen and go with the poisoned berry route…after spending the twenty-four hours in Tom Hardy’s loving embrace of course. 

Would you rather be known as a bad kisser or a bad huger?

·        Bad huger. I’ve experienced both…the bad kissers are waaaaaay more disappointing.

Would you rather be a guest on The Ellen show or The Today show?

·        Ellen hands down. It’s probably totally cliché, but I would soooo want to dance around in her studio with her. Plus she just cracks me up. Have you seen her try to scare people, Kellie Pickler in particular? It’s awesomely hilarious.

You have ten seconds to convince The Kardashians to adopt you. Ready. Set. Go.

·         Well I-

And that was as far as I got before Kanye cut me off, and unlike Taylor Swift he didn't promise to let me finish.

This is the time for you to be inspiring ;) What’s your advice to aspiring authors?

·        First, sit down and write. Make the time to do what you love and follow the drive. Second, don’t listen to anything negative that anyone tells you. When they say it can’t be done or that it’s a waste of time to write (or that it’s just a hobby and not all that important…that one really gets under my skin) ignore it. They don’t get it, so just don’t listen to them.