Romance Sub-genre(s): Paranormal Romance / cozy witch & monster romance
Steam Level: Most are closed door, or if open, a jalapeno popper level
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Describe yourself in three words.
Introverted Hopeless Romantic
What are three fun facts about you?
I can make anything out of string. I married the same man twice. Our kids were born 10 years and 10 days apart.
What do you do for fun when you aren’t writing?
Hubby and I love to spend time at amusement parks with the kids whenever we get the chance. If I have a quiet moment alone when I'm not writing I love to crochet.
How did you discover writing as a possible career?
I started reading TS Joyce when I was pregnant with my first. Then I learned that she started writing at night while her kids were sleeping after her daytime job. If she could do it and be successful then why couldn't I?
Where do you find inspiration for your stories?
Everywhere. Savanna is based on one of my best friends and her real-life husband. Love in Somerset is based off the small town I live in. I may or may not have based Sierra off a conversation I overheard at a restaurant.
What trope is your favorite to write?
I love the cozy witchy romances. My chicks could end up with anyone, but she has to save herself from any danger and fall in love on her own terms.
What is your favorite thing about being an author?
I can make the voices in my head pay rent. (I saw this in a meme years ago and it is the perfect way to describe it. I shamelessly have been using it ever since.)
What is your writing process?
A story idea spawns off something innocent. I plot it out with my book wives, they help me round out the idea (which may or may not turn into a cowrite or shared universe series) then I go back to working on my current project after adding it to the growing list of books to write. Currently there are 15 stories written and published, 3 in progress, and appx 73 that have been plotted - including characters, back stories, and the way they will fit into a series.
What time of day are you most creative?
I love to plot around 2 in the afternoon. That way I can let it percolate in the back of my mind all afternoon until I can write after the kids are in bed.
What is your ideal writing environment?
In the past it was a cafe. My loop headphones to blocking chatter. My laptop, journal, and series bible on the table. A cup of cinnamon hot chocolate, and some kind of pastry.
These days I am happy stealing a few minutes on the couch with my laptop while the baby is in his playpen.
As an author, what challenges do you face?
As an indie author there are all kinds of challenges, but the one that I am currently trying to beat is finding readers for my stories. Turns out not everyone is interested in low steam/ closed door paranormal romance.
What is your least favorite part of being an author?
Writing the blurb. That's it. That is the thing I hate the most.
If there was one thing you could change about the writing/publishing industry, what would it be?
This is a hard one. I went the indie route to avoid a lot of the problems in the publishing industry. The one thing that really bugs me is when people use AI to write a book. I want AI to wash my dishes and vacuum so I can write.
What advice would you give aspiring authors?
Read everything you can get your hands on, and don't believe anyone who says you 'have to write everyday' to be a real author. You just have to write.
What is something you’d like to write, but haven’t yet?
I would love to write alien romance!
Which parts of yourself are reflected in your characters?
I hate coffee with a passion, so my characters rarely drink it. They still go to cafes and coffee shops but get tea or cocoa.
Which of your characters have special meaning to you?
Queen Dee is based off my mother-in-law, and Savanna is based off one of my best friends. But I think Alice is one of my favorites. I did a lot of research to make sure I represented her disability realistically in Eagle Moon and can't wait to get to her book.
How do you come up with character names?
For guys I research old names from whatever culture I based the species on: Nordic names for the dark elves, Greek for the minotaur and centaur, etc. The women's names are all picked out after my cover designer finds the model. It is far easier to find a brunette, midsized, in a leather jacket, then tell her to find me a Marian who is a quirky, overprotective artist.
What is something you love to hear from your readers?
I love it when readers figure out little easter eggs I put in my books. Like the Blue Shed in Love in The Woods Series is based off the TARDIS in Dr. Who, or Salacia is named after the Roman goddess of the sea & femininity who was married to Neptune.
When you read, which authors are your go-to authors?
I am a mood reader so it depends on what I want at the moment. For comfort I grab one of my favorite Jennifer Crusie books. For a MC romance with witches and shifters I grab a cowrite from KO Newman and Mariah Thayer. Aliens has to be Ruby Dixon. My newest obsession is Shelly Laurenston - her women are all straight up killers who do everything on their terms (including Stevie simply announcing to the whole cast she was dating the man she was interested in and not taking no for an answer).
Where can readers find you online?
The best way to keep up with me is on my Substack Newsletter - https://shellyferguson.substack.com/
The only social media I use is Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/shellyfergusonauthor/
My website has all my series in reading order, and a signing event page will be up soon. https://shellyfergusonauthor.com/
Do you have any current ARCs or free downloads readers might be interested in?
Just One Little Kiss is connected to the Love In the Woods Series. It takes place in the same town and businesses as the series. (It is a standalone novella)
Closing Thoughts...
Commas and I have a very ... interesting relationship. 80% of the final edits are commas being put in by my editor. It has gotten to the point I put a comma count at the bottom of every newsletter, and I am considering putting one at the end of each novel as well.
PS: If I ever get a tattoo it would be of a comma on the back of the middle finger of my right hand, simply to remind me to use that key on my keyboard.