I am often asked where I get the inspiration for my writing and mostly it’s a result of personal experience mixed with a goofy imagination; not really meant to be taken too seriously. I write for fun and I hope that comes through in my work. For as long as I can remember I have been playing with writing and experimenting with different techniques; always wanting to get serious with it but never really taking the time. Until now. There are a couple of pieces currently in the works that are completely different from anything I have done before; one being a novel set in the cold harshness of Medieval England. Admittedly a challenge and a little out of my comfort zone, but how can you accomplish that which you never attempt? I found my love for writing at an early age with my imagination running away with me on school writing projects in the third grade. I rediscovered some of these projects just a few months ago and I may just get up the nerve to share some of these stories with you. Maybe... From there I was writing up a storm through high school and my first few years in the working world. Friends was a Year 10 school project and the other short stories posted on this site were written mostly during lunch breaks at work. 2004 saw me married to my wonderful husband, Brandon, and moving to the USA where writing took a bit of a back seat for awhile. We spent some time in Vista, CA before moving to Boise, ID. Talk about a culture shock! Always having been a coastal gal it took some time to get used to living in high desert with dry hot summers and snowy winters. The seasonal changes were breathtakingly beautiful but driving on black ice took some getting used too! We won't mention the sliding sideways down the street incident now will we?!? Perhaps a story for another time... After spending four years in the USA we are now very happily settled back on the Sunshine Coast, QLD, Australia and have no intention of leaving our little piece of coastal paradise. Now settled, the old imagination has sparked again and always having had an avid interest in Regency England it seemed only natural that my writing would take a turn in that direction and so The Abandoned Countess was born. It has been a fun story to write and I have plans for two more books in the series. See you again soon!! Shannon Salter
