Fridays 5 with Prex J.D. V Ybasco

The President of The Ybasco University. (A makeshift school of her own making)
An accomplished Educator.
A Seminar Speaker.
A Bookworm.
A Musician.
A Writer.

Her first work is "To Be Continued," a Young Adult novel that features Azalea Anthony, a struggling writer, her influences, her love for writing and basketball, and her relationships with people around her.

1.) When did you first get serious about writing?

A.)  I already joined writing contests when I was in College and since then, I have kept different blogs. However, only after going through the 2014 NaNoWriMo challenge and succeeding did I get ever so serious in it. I refused to eat on time, I didn't talk to my friends about my work for fear that I might give away important ideas I could use for my plot. I woke up every morning thinking of what else to write. So yeah, I think at that point, I became serious.

2.) What is the hardest part for you about writing?

A.) Probably facing the fact that there are great writers out there and they have covered almost everything that needs to be covered. It feels like you have nothing new to say nor offer to the world. I have always seen myself as a writer who has a fresh take on things but when I read novels or even blogs that have solid plots and amazing lines, I start doubting myself if I am indeed cut out for this.

 

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Synopsis: Not all stories end happily nor tragically. Most of them just need to be continued.Azalea Anthony is a writer, or what she claims to be.Vim Harvey is her friend, or at least what she wants to believe.Jasmine Morrish is Azalea's archenemy, or so what Jash believes Azalea makes people believe...er--There are other characters, too: like Warren, the basketball player, Beatrix, the model, Tom, the perfect excuse of a brother, Eclaire, the eccentric bff, etc.They all hangout in one place where they can enjoy a steaming cup of debates, an aroma of gossips, a side dish of basketball, a topping of drama, and a menu of articles : The Big Coffee Shop.

 

3.) How did you feel upon publication of your first completed project?

A.)  It was superb! For the first few days, the idea that I have a novel out there waiting to be read (and criticized at that!) didn't sink in but when it did, I was in seventh heaven.

4.) What is more important to you, story, or character? Why?

A.)  Characters make stories more realistic and in this generation when you will find the same story line and plot, I guess the game changers will have to be the characters.

5.) What is a typical day like in your world?

A.)  Nothing much. Just sitting in a comfy chair, reading a book and a cup of coffee within my reach.

Fridays 5 with Shannon Peel

Shannon Peel grew up in Enderby, BC where her family's root run deep. Growing up where television was either non existent or very limited she relied on books & imagination to travel into the world beyond.

She went to UBC to study and earn a general studies BA with a concentration in Political Science and Economics. Macro analysis of world events, social justice and human motivations became a passion of hers. This passion is a driving force in all her stories, which have political, economic, and social justice undercurrents.

After a career in the financial field she decided to stay home and raise her two children until school age. In 2007 she return to the workforce as a sales / marketing / advertising professional.

THIRTEEN is her debut full size paperback novel.

1.) When did you first get serious about writing?

A.) In 2007 I met a lost boy from South Sudan whose story of being an 8 year old child trying to survive a war torn landscape on his own ripped at my heart. My own son at the time was 8 and it pained me to think of him in the same situation. What I found more upsetting was when this young man was trying to survive, the world was fixated on Ethiopia with band-aid and 24 hour famines. How come we didn't know about the struggles just next door in the South Sudan region?

I'd always wanted to write and be a writer, now I had a story. The only problem was, it wasn't my story to tell. No matter how much I tried to make the story empathetic to North American kids, the minute I wrote about the African setting it jumped the reader out of the connection with the main character.

One day when my son was 13 a thought came to me - Bring the war here. If I wanted North American kids to care about children caught in war I needed to make it about them. Take away their freedoms, their technology, their safe neighbourhoods. At the time my son was pulling away from me and the daily struggle was a difficult one. Put both conflicts together and viola - I had a novel.

2.) What is the hardest part for you about writing?

A.) Finding the time. As a mother and a woman in the middle of a divorce it was hard to focus on it. The story itself was written in 3 months, it was the revisions, edits, and confidence in my ability that was difficult. I allowed others comments to dictate my story and their fears soon diluted the storyline.

I took a year off from THIRTEEN to focus on other more therapeutic writing, which helped sharpen my skills. When I came back to the novel I was stronger, more confident, and determined to make it. I had some extra money and hired a professional editor. That was the best decision I ever made.

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Synopsis: A boy, his mom, a cop, a city under attack. Can Jack find his dad before the soldiers do?

At Thirteen Jack just wants to have fun with friends but his mother's rules keep getting in the way until one morning he wakes up to machine gunfire. Foreign soldiers have invaded his town shutting off the power, cutting off communication, and restricting travel. To make matters worse he doesn't know if his dad is alive, wounded, captured or dead. He just wants to go find him but his mother doesn't care, the soldiers are in his way, and the cop who busted him is no help at all.

3.) How did you feel upon publication of your first completed project?

A.) Elated. I have even sold copies of both my paperback and my ebook versions. I have had some good feedback in the form of reviews and I continue to build on my confidence as a writer.

4.) What is more important to you, story, or character? Why?

A.) Character. If you have strong characters you can put them into the story and they write it for you. If readers care about the character than they'll follow him / her into any scenario, twist and turn of the story.

5.) What is a typical day like in your world?

A.)  Get up, have my coffee, and work on THIRTEEN's online promotion & offline marketing plan until 9am when I start my paying gig as a customer success coach of an online review site. I drive my kids around, run errands, figure out how to pay for their needs and wants. I work on promo during lunch and in the evenings / weekends. When I'm not working on the promo of THIRTEEN, I'm writing the sequel and next instalment in the series.

Shannon maintains a website at: http://shannonlpeel.wix.com/shannonpeel