Shannon Cordon Author Info

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Shannon CordonBiography
Shannon Condon (1969-) was born in upstate New York and raised in South Florida. She graduated from the College of Journalism and Communications at the University of Florida. While she was married she moved frequently to several states. When she got to North Carolina, she fell in love with the state. Soon she divorced her husband and moved to Greensboro, North Carolina. She and her sons were soon joined by the rest of her family who migrated up from South Florida. Shannon comes from a close knit family and with the help of her parents, she is able to work and raise her three sons. Her dream has always been to write books. In 2015 she got that chance and the result is her debut novel, Finding Magdalena. It will pull at your heartstrings from the first few pages and hold you captive until the shattering climax.

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Q & A

1. When did you realise you wanted to become an author?
 
I realized I wanted to be a writer when I was in high school and went to college with that goal in mind. Of course, life happens and it wasn’t until recently that I have had the opportunity to realize my dream.
 
2. Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
 
The message I want readers to take away from this book is abuse in teenage relationships and at the teenage level, whether in a relationship or not, is a very real thing. I think girls are particularly susceptible at college when they are away from home and looking for security which is often equated with a boyfriend. Abuse can come in many forms and I knew many girls who experienced it, myself included.
3. What genre do you consider your book(s)?
 
My book has been labeled by the publisher as coming of age/ young adult. Due to the nature of the content, I would recommend it for 15+.
4. What was the hardest part of writing this book?  
 
I think the hardest part of writing this book was keeping the length to a reasonable length. I had a lot more I wanted to add to the book but had been advised not to go over a certain word count. Fortunately, that is what sequels are for.

5. Do you have any advice for other writers?
 

My advice to other writers is not to get discouraged. I received lots of rejection letters before I decided to self publish. I am still sending query letters to publishers. Just because what you write doesn’t strike a chord with one agent doesn’t mean another won’t love it. The most important thing is to believe in yourself and make sure you EDIT your manuscript before you send any part of it to an agent.

6. How long does it take you to write a book?

 

It’s hard to put a timeline on how long it takes me to write a book. I can spend a couple of months developing a book and the characters before I actually put a single word on my computer.  Once I begin writing, however, I would say it takes about six to eight months.  I am constantly rewriting in my head even as I am writing on my computer and this leads to deleted chapters and backtracking. It’s important to me that when I am done, the characters are strong and the story fluid.

 

7. What books have most influenced your life most?
 

I think the books that have had the greatest influence on me are the ones that I don’t want to end. They draw me in so much that I am immersed in another world. Some examples would be my all time favorite, ‘Lord of the Flies’ by William Golding and the Hunger Games series.

 

8. What are you working on at the minute?
 

Right now I am working on the sequel to Finding Magdalena. I am very excited about it because I feel that Maggie is growing as a woman and in strength. There will be a lot of surprises and I hope everyone who has been asking for a sequel will be asking for more!

 

9. Which actor/actress would you like to see playing the lead characters from your book?
 
To be honest, I cannot think of any current actress who could play Maggie. She is such a unique character. I would envision a new face playing her if a movie was made of Finding Magdalena.
 
10. What’s is your book about?
 
My book is about a girl named who suffers a terrible tragedy at fifteen. As she begins to recover with the help of her best friend, Graham, she meet’s her roommate’s older brother, Eric. He becomes obsessed with Maggie. His obsession becomes violent and he abuses and sexually tortures her. She flees to Spain to attend college and try to find her mother’s estranged family. Just as she settles into what she believes is a safe life, Eric finds her and she begins a journey across Europe to escape him that draws upon all her strength and shows her the woman she is meant to be.

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