Welcome to our newest guest--Angela Shelton. I should be in London right now. So, it's really great that these wonderful authors are keeping this blog busy!
Thank you for inviting me on your blog, Christina. My name is Angela D Shelton. You’ll note I use my middle initial because there is at least one other Angela Shelton on Amazon Kindle, so I’m hoping to avoid confusion. I’m originally from Erie, Pennsylvania, but I moved to Columbus, Georgia back in 2014. I used to visit my sisters in Atlanta several times each year and finally decided I loved the south too much to leave. People usually notice my hair, strange but true. I had red hair as a child and let’s just say that I “maintain the look” now.
Tell us about your book?
Collapse: The Death of Friendship is available for pre-order on Amazon now.
Blurb: In a collapsing society, former cheerleader Jan Worthington aches for the exciting—normal—life she’s lost. But when she invites a young boy into their home to fill an empty heart once full of friends, her trust leads to the theft of the family’s most valuable survival asset. Now, she can’t trust anyone.
As their situation grows more perilous, her father decides it’s time to protect what they have left. The guns come out, the traps get set, and Jan spurns all friendships to safeguard herself and her family.
When and who to depend on becomes harder to determine, so how will they defend themselves from the marauders headed their way if they are without friends? And what will it take for Jan to reopen her heart to trust?
Share one thing that you found difficult or challenging about writing this book?
This was only my second book, my first book rests in my metaphorical sock drawer because it was a learning experience. My goal in writing is to tell an interesting story that has a life lesson in it. My first two books to be published are intended for the young adult segment, but some in my critique group indicated that the book should also be marketed to adults as they said it was something they enjoyed reading.
The most difficult aspect to me is to share my beliefs in a loving God without being “preachy”. I always hated feeling as if I were being preached to as a young adult, so I’m trying to avoid doing that myself.
I also found it very challenging to keep up with our farm, work my “day job”, and write this book. But where there is a will, there is a way!
Ask the blog reader a quirky question or two?
I’ve heard from a number of family members, friends and acquaintances that they have “always wanted to write a book” but never did. Writing this book has been something on my mind for years and I was grateful for all of the help and encouragement I received. I’d love to know how many of your readers are also interested in learning about writing a book. I’d love to share my resources with them.
Share your social media and buy links!
You can sign up to be an Advance Copy Reader (ARC) on my website and be the first to read my latest novels for free:
Visit our farm at: http://www.twooaksranch.com
Check out my blog at: https://www.angeladshelton.com
See featured authors at http://www.chainlinkstory.com
Collapse: The Death of Honor on Amazon Now
Thank you, Angela, for sharing about your book and for offering to help my readers with their own writing! Have a wonderful week, Christina
BONUS: Blog post:
Mama’s Shadow
By Angela D. Shelton
Growing up, I was painfully shy…
…introverted to the extreme.
I still recall clinging to my mother’s side as a teenager when we attended church gatherings. She’d suggest I go find a friend. Sounds easy, but to me, not so much.
As a middle child of seven, I found my place in life as a negotiator. Not all my siblings would agree with that designation, but I’m going with my internal viewpoint here. The oldest child and youngest never lived together, so they didn’t know each other as well as I knew both. Perhaps the concept is all in my head.
What does an introverted negotiator do with such a talent? Not much, because she’s too shy to speak up.
Seriously though, with my outlook on life, I’ve become an observer. Often a silent one. If you’re like me, you enjoy people watching. As my father often says, I’ve never learned anything while my mouth was open.
I’ve learned that introverts pick up on signals others throw off better than extroverts do. Shy people also linger in the shadows, happy to be out of the limelight. Happy to sit back and observe.
What have I seen? Just this: No one has it all together, wrapped up in one perfect package. These days, we gauge our home lives, our performance at work, and our possessions through the lens of social media. It’s too easy to forget that most people only post the good stuff.
“See my fancy new car?” But the post doesn’t show the oppressive debt that keeps the person up at night.
“Look at my awesome trip to the beach!” And yet you can’t see the fight with their spouse the person walked away from.
“Congratulate me on my new promotion.” Not sure the person even wanted the new role, but the boost in pay was worth taking on the extra stress.
My generation feels like a bridge between the pre-and post-social-media worlds. Before we could plaster the pretty parts of our lives for everyone to see, we had to communicate in person. You can’t hide your crazy when you’re face-to-face. That’s not a negative thing, though.
Before social media, we got to know the real person behind the façade. Now, it’s way too easy to hide behind the pictures and short videos and to crop out all the bad things. But that isn’t how people build relationships, and we all need deep-rooted connections to other humans.
May I recommend you dig in, get to know at least one new person each week? Not only the pretty pictures, but also the heart and soul. What makes the person you meet joyful? What are their innermost hurts? Figure out those things and you’ll be like the extroverts who never meet a stranger.
Proverbs 17:17 “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.”