About the Author
Link to YouTube Trailer of Strays and Other Stories
Shawn was raised in the middle of the Snoqualmie Pass ski areas in Washington State. In addition to being an avid reader, Shawn spent as much time hiking, skiing, rock climbing and cycling. At the age of 15, Shawn made his first extended visit to Europe, traveling with his family there for six months, cycling and skiing as much as possible. After graduating from Mt. Si High School at 18, he began studying with the Benedictine monks of Westminster Abbey in B.C. Canada, where he earned his BA in Philosophy. Shawn traveled to Europe several times after his college years and immersed himself in amateur bicycle racing and picked up some cash modeling in Milan and freelance travel writing. He has focused his career for the past several years on securing information systems and writing infosec white papers. He completed his MFA in writing at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado in 2000. His book "Open Your Heart with Bicycling..." recently won a Next Generation Indie Book Award. His first novel, "Playing the Game" was released in April 2008.
His next novel, "Cast the First Stone" will be released in April, 2010. His collection of short stories, 'Strays and other stories' is under contract and a firm release date will be announced.
Artistic statement
I am drawn to strong characters. I listen to dialogue in public and form my characters from a combination of human types. My novels are then character driven. I like writing a lot from the internal POV, and when I get inside my characters, it quickly strikes me that heroes have flaws and villains are often loveable.