Shauna Richmond is an Indie Irish author who started her journey back in 2016 and has since published 11 books in multiple genres. She is a mother to a beautiful neurodivergent boy and only discovered her own neurodivergence after his diagnosis. The main genre she writes is fantasy but she's recently discovered a love for writing gothic romance.
What got you into writing your own stories?
I always wanted to be a writer, like so many, I never thought I could do it. I had a breakdown back in 2016 and was signed out of work to recover. With a lot of time on my hands and nothing to do, I decided to write to occupy my time. That quickly turned into my debut book The Wrath of Raghnall which I have since rewritten and republished under the shorter name Raghnall's Wrath.
How would you describe your writing style?
I suppose my writing is slightly eccentric like myself. You'll either love it or you'll hate it.
What comes more easily, plot or characters?
Characters 100% I cannot plot for the life of me. I fly by the seat of my pants and hope it all works out in the end.
Tell us about your WIP.
My current WIP is called Sweet Appraisal, it goes live on the 8th of July 2024. It is about a survivor of sexual and domestic abuse who falls in love with a serial killer who targets sexual predators. A lot of my FMC's (Katie) backstory is my own. I felt that in darker romances SA survivors are not represented well and being one myself, I wanted to not only write a character with real traumatic reactions and triggers, but also to write someone who other survivors can see themselves in. They say write what you know, and I know trauma, much like a lot of my readership. When they read Jailbait and glimpsed AJ, they asked for him to have his own book and I knew just how I would give it to them. Writing Sweet Appraisal has been both a traumatic and therapeutic experience, there are things in there that I've never spoken of to my own family, but I figured, if I'm doing it, then I'm all in. It is one of the books that I am the most proud of because of how personal it is to me.
Tell us about the setting your stories take place in.
Most of my books are based in or around Ireland. Including my fantasies, I have to give a nod to the Emerald Isles, I know my culture, I know the myths, the legends, I feel Ireland, for such a small country, has endless possibilities when it comes to both fantasy and fiction.
Do you cross over genres or do you only stick to one?
I like to push myself out of my comfort zone, I get bored sticking to the one genre for too long- that may be the ADHD brain- I love to see what I can do with different genres and if I think I can make something work, I'll give it a bash and hope for the best.
How do you get into the flow for writing? Do you have any rituals?
I literally just go where the voices tell me. If my characters are talking, I write, it's when the go quiet for long periods that I start to worry. I've tried making myself write to say that I've got some work in but it never works out. If I'm not seeing the scenes or hearing the characters, no work is getting done until they're ready to show me where they're taking me.
How do you do research for your writing?
Writing Sweet Appraisal came unbelievably easy to me because I have a degree in forensic profiling and crime scene investigation as well as criminology. The only research I had to do was for the names of chemicals I could not recall to get rid of DNA- I have a pretty suspicious search history because of this.
For my fantasy books, most of my research is in Norse mythology and rituals as well as Scottish culture, I'm pretty good at recalling Irish myths but I have had to make sure I have my facts right on occasion.
What is your personally most significant achievement as a writer, and why?
The best thing I can think of is when readers contact me to say that my books have helped them through a rough patch. I've had several readers who have told me they were suffering with their mental health or just going through a really bad time and my books have made them laugh or cheered them up. I may not have a massive readership like a lot of authors, but it's moments like that that make me feel more successful than if I sold a million copies of my books.
What would be the greatest achievement for you to aim for as a writer if anything were possible?
For me, I've already reached that goal. One of my readers is getting a book sleeve tattoo done and is working my books into the tattoo. Someone loves my work that much that they are permanently etching them into their skin. It doesn't get much better than that.
Do you have a day job? What is it?
I had to give up my day job as a pharmacy technician to be my son's carer. I have plenty of time to read and write now, so there is an upside.
Do you read the same genre you write? Why, or why not?
I do. I feel that as a writer, your greatest skill is reading. You don't have the tools you need to develop and improve if you do not read. If you want to know how to write a genre, read it. Read the best sellers to see how it's done. Read the Indies for their unique spins on circumstances, read. If you don't you're doing yourself a disservice.
Do you read fellow indie authors' works? Why or why not?
All the time. We're all in the same boat. We're all trying our best, and though more people are willing to read indie books there are still plenty of people who think we are not good writers simply because we are not traditionally published. I support all Indies and make a point of reading my followers books throughout the year and reviewing them on my Tiktok and Instagram platforms to hopefully gain them some more readers.
Do you have any hobbies?
Because of my ADHD I'm a Jack of all trades master of none. I start so many hobbies and lose interest in such a short time that it's not even funny. I've knitted, crocheted, baked, made candles and wax melts, made book nooks and bookmarks and painted wall murals.
What's your favorite season?
Autumn. The colours, the cosy, comfy vibes, what's not to love?
Do you have pets?
We have two guinea pigs (Oreo and Ash) and two dogs, a British Bulldog (Rolo) and a spaniel cross (Loki)
Connect with Shauna Richmond here.
Featured Book: Sweet Appraisal
This is a brilliantly dark romance that has everything you need for that late night read all curled up on the couch with your favourite blanket and hot drink. Aj is the best morally grey sinner since Dexter graced our screens. The man's a killer, but he's doing the world a favour!
Who was your favorite character to write?
AJ, he's so deranged it was hard not to love writing him. He's ghost face with a golden retriever personality for Katie.
What was the spark that started this book?
It was AJ Quinn. As I've stated previously, I am an SA survivor. I asked myself when writing this, as a survivor, if I could get my hands on anyone of those who hurt me, and do whatever I wanted with zero consequences, what would that look like, and that is what AJ is. He kills without remorse, the punishment fits the crime with him. I didn't want anything predictable or something a reader has seen a thousand times before. AJ brings that uniqueness to the story and I think the readers will love him. Those that have read it already do. He is the serial killer you cheer for.
What was the most interesting random fact you researched for this book?
There are a few that I found out, that I point out in the book itself.
1) redheads need a higher dose of Anesthesia than anyone else.
2) getting a tattoo feels exactly like self-harm
3) stabbing an orange with the skin on is an eerily similar sensation to stabbing through flesh.
What's the message you worked into this book?
That it doesn't matter if you're different. Or "broken" that there will always be someone who loves and accepts you for the person you are. If you're neurodivergent, drop the mask, if people don't get it, that's on them. If you're a survivor, the right person will support you and help lift you back up.
She will learn that the safest place on earth is in the arms of a killer.
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