Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Shalene Marie. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Shalene, thanks for joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later?
I’ve been writing since I was in my late teens, but I didn’t self-publish until the year 2023, when I was in my early forties. Self-publishing is quite the journey when it comes to writing and marketing and social media. I wish I had made the leap into this world many years ago. I have learned so much and become a much different writer in such a short period of time that I feel it would have been beneficial to me to start earlier in life.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I’m Shalene Marie and I write Historical Romance, with a twist! I’ve been writing for many years, but I self-published my first novel in 2023. So far, I’ve released 12 books. My novels contain a variety of choices for time periods. Among them are regency, medieval and westerns. And I have a new dark historical romance coming out in December!
Even though I write historical romance, they are not your typical HR. The romance is there, yes, but I like to add mystery and twists and turns to keep the reader on their toes. My books are easy reads that have the dialogue dialed back so that the accents of the day are not too overwhelming for the reader. They are more character driven vs setting so that there’s not an overabundance of history to weed through. Of course spice rating is subjective, but I would say mine run about 3 on a scale of 1-5. I love to tackle dark themes, so I always include trigger warnings in my books because I want to ensure the reader’s mental health.
When a reader picks up one of my books, I challenge them to figure out the twists, the turns, the ‘bad guy’. Whodunnit. I want them to take a ride that’s more than just a romance. I want them to put together a puzzle. Of course each book does this in its own way. Some more than others. I like to cross over characters so that they return in other books as an exciting addition for the reader. They appear as support characters, with the exception of one series that I have that contains pirates.
I’ve always loved to write stories, this goes way back to creative writing in elementary school. And I always had an affinity for the history and literature classes as well. When I read my first Johanna Lindsey book, I was inspired to write one of my own story’s. I wanted to see if I could create that beautiful arc between two people, along with some mystery for the reader to piece together.
If you’d like to check out my books I have a personal author website available: https://www.shalenemarie.space/
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My goal is to write stories that I want to read. I’m sure you’ve all heard that famous quote, ‘If you want to read a good book, write one.’ I’m a true believer in this mantra. I get inspired by so many different things: songs, movies, commercials, dreams, etc. The joy of writing is a hobby I love. Its what I want to do in my spare time. I find it relaxing, fulfilling, satisfying. If I write a tale that a reader out there enjoys, that’s just a cherry on top of the pie. The pie itself is the writing. I love to imagine the scenes in my head, and then personally challenge myself to find the right words to flesh out that scene on the computer screen.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
Anytime someone writes a glowing review, anytime someone makes a mention that they enjoyed my book on social media, anytime one of my books gets nominated for any kind of category for a book awards. Anytime someone reaches out to tell me how much they enjoyed my book. All of that is the most rewarding part of being an author. The very first stranger who read one of my books was up all night because they had a cancer scare and she said that reading my book was a wonderful distraction from the reality of her life. She loved the book so much that she couldn’t put it down. While my heart was breaking for her, I was incredibly proud and overjoyed that she was able to take some time out to read my book and was so distracted by it that it kept her up all night to read it. With that being one of my first circumstances as an author, it was incredibly inspiring to keep publishing all of the books I had built up on the back burners over the years from writing since I was just in my teens.
In addition to accolades from the books, it’s fabulous to get to know the other indie authors in the community. Most of them are kind and generous human beings, while also being skilled writers. It’s because of this community that I run a book auction every year called “Books For Boos”. This is a group on Facebook where the auction is held. Authors are generous enough to donate to the auction and then all of the proceeds from this auction go to the local humane society. This year we raised $2700 for the animals!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.shalenemarie.space/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shalenemarieauthor/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091928805121
- Other: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shalenemarieauthor
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/Shalenemarieauthor/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/29753730.Shalene_Marie
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/shalene-marie
Facebook Books For Boos: https://www.facebook.com/groups/410045505036243
Image Credits
Cover design: Marta and David DaSilva
Cover design: Alisha Clark