Shawn Keller Cooper

Two weeks ago, on September 28, I officially launched my debut novel, Drawing Down The Moon, at Park Road Books in Charlotte. It was the culmination of fifteen years of work. I remember in vivid detail each milestone I reached with this project. There was the day I realized my collection of notes and character sketches could be a real story. Then I decided I could turn that story in a trilogy, the James Island Trilogy. My children were elementary and preschool age way back th

Where do your characters come from? Are they people you know? Who is she supposed to be? Readers seem fascinated to know how writers develop the characters which inhabit our pages. Where does the inspiration or creativity come from and where do I collect the parts to fashion an entire woman. My characters come from everywhere, in and out of this world, and yes, I do know them, sometimes from life and other times from when they wonder into my head to put down roots. They are w

I’ve always been fascinated with treehouses. Built a few as a kid, but far and away the emerging concept of elaborate treehouses, as nature spas, artist’s studios, family retreats, and maybe, even, for the children, is about as cool as it gets. I’ve spent hours designing and re-designing my adult treehouse. This week it looks like an Irish cottage with a writer’s area, a reading nook, a long, dual-sided art table for coloring, and window seats for my cats so they can chatter

What does it take to write a novel these days? It’s not enough for me to chase after the stories running through my brain. I must wrestle with the characters pushing and shoving to the forefront of my consciousness. Look at me, they shout. Look at me. It’s my turn. They are persistent, sometimes irritating, skipping and stomping, waging war or making love, engaging in any manner of mischief, unrelenting in their pursuit of my attention. I rise from my bed in the cold dark hou