About Debbie Shannon

My Story

I have always loved storytelling. I grew up in a big family in a small town in upstate New York. We spent the summers at the cottage my grandfather built on the Finger Lakes. Every night, he would build a fire on the front lawn down by the water in an old tractor tire rim that he used as the fire pit. My parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and my sister and I would all sit around the fire in Adirondack chairs, toasting marshmallows, and listening to stories. If the night was still and the water was calm, you could actually hear the voices drift across the water from the those gathered around their campfires on the other side of the lake.

After college, I moved to Miami and worked as an actress in TV and films. I was frustrated with the roles I was given, so I decided to really learn the craft of writing. I enrolled in the master’s program at Florida International University where I received an MFA in creative writing.

I have always loved history, and I love listening to and reading about our common hopes, dreams, fears, and struggles. No matter who we are or where we come from, all through the ages, we all share the same goals—to be happy, loved, fulfilled.

After my mother passed away two years ago, I decided to sell my Upper East Side apartment in New York and move back to my small home town into Mom’s old house—now mine and my sister’s house. I drive the country roads, take long walks through the old neighborhood, and reconnect with friends. Living in Mom’s old house, I am constantly reminded of her—in her furniture scattered throughout the house, in her recipes, in the garden she planted, and in her yellow rose bush in the back yard. I never dreamed I would live in my home town again, but here I am. I’m ready to face (and write!) my next chapter.

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