Hi, I'm Shannon. I'm a full-time freelance writer from Monterey, California. (I'm also the type of person who enjoys making pictures of herself as a tortilla saint because she was just that excited about impulse-buying a blanket designed to look like a giant tortilla, so there's that.)
As far as my writing goes, I've been doing it professionally for nearly 15 years at this point. But I've been a full-time, self-employed working creative in one sense or another for closer to 20 years now, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I absolutely love what I do and consider myself incredibly blessed to have the opportunity.
As far as what I write, I currently split my office time between blogging under my own name on platforms like Medium or Quora and ghostwriting various types of copy and web content for my many clients. I enjoy writing fiction and poetry on occasion. I also adore creative non-fiction and would love to take a crack at memoir-writing someday.
I also sometimes like to create digital artwork, graphics, or designs -- sometimes for other people but most often just for fun and self-expression. I'm formally trained in traditional media like graphite and oils, but time and energy constraints mean I'm more or less strictly a digital artist these days. I've become particularly fascinated by AI interfaces like Midjourney, so AI has become a crucial part of artistic workflow these days.
My other non-writing interests include cooking, art, literature, foreign languages, film, music, fitness, and beauty. And as far as other things you might want to know about me or my life because they find their way into my writing often, here are a few off the top of my head.
- I'm about 19 years into my second marriage to another self-employed creative like myself. My first marriage was awful, but my second is happy, healthy, and one of the things I'm most grateful for in life.
- I'm on the autism spectrum. I was also diagnosed well into adulthood, so that was the point when an awful lot about my life that used to confuse me suddenly started making sense.
- I'm in my mid-40s. I also love being this age and like sharing insights I wish someone had shared with me when I was younger.
- I'm biracial, the child of a white mom and a black dad. Strangers don't always realize I'm black, as I sometimes don't fit people's mental image of how black people look or sound. But that doesn't make me any less black or less proud of where I come from.
Want to follow me on social media, read more of my writing, check out my Midjourney stuff, or support my work? I maintain a running list of my active accounts on Linktree, so feel free to stalk me all you want. I look forward to connecting with you!
