Welcome friends! Pull up a chair and a cup of coffee or tea (no judgment here), and join me in welcoming author, Shannon Kent. I met Shannon this summer and learned she writes a wonderful series of books that include Korean pop culture. So let’s dive in! I can’t wait for you to meet her.
SHAREE: Shannon, thank you for joining us today!
SHANNON: So excited to virtually be here!
SHAREE: I had never heard of KPop, (yes, apparently, I live under a rock). When I was first told about your books, I was intrigued. I absolutely loved the FlowerBoy Tour Guide. It was fun, clean, and a wonderful sigh-worthy story that taught me a little more about KPop and the Korean culture. Can you share with our audience a little about KPop and how you were introduced to it?
SHANNON: It started with Jane Austen (like so many good things in life). Because I love Pride and Prejudice, I watched a version of the story that featured an Indian heroine. This led me to the fabulous world of Bollywood movies with its colorful dance scenes and lush, romantic stories. Since a family friend knew I wasn’t afraid of subtitles, she recommended Korean dramas. These are short TV shows that might last from 16-20 episodes. They tend to be much cleaner, have a sweet, sentimental side, and still value innocence. Another great feature is they don’t drag on for years and kill off every original character you cared about like our American shows do. When you watch K-dramas, you are naturally introduced to the Korean music culture or K-pop. Groups like BTS are becoming quite a hit in western countries. To be honest, I don’t listen to much of it. I’m more a fan of the dramas. There are a few on Netflix, though not my favorites. If anyone wants recommendations, they can message me at my Shannon Kent Facebook page, and I’d love to help them find a drama they like.
SHAREE: I am acquainted with the dramas and will be watching more of them. Let’s shift gears and talk about how your books fit into all of this. Would you share a little about your writing journey?
SHANNON: My family traveled a lot when I was young, and my parents had to periodically stop at bookstores in different towns, just to refill my supply. I loved to read. But didn’t realize I wanted to create books until I was almost done with a four year college degree studying music. I went on to get an M.A. in Journalism, wrote music and theater reviews for a local paper, and started collecting my own pile of rejection letters. A fellow K-drama fan decided to do the My Korean Crush Series, invited me to join, and here I am two romances later. I’m still working towards the traditional feather in my cap where I acquire an agent and have a publisher offer me a contract.
SHAREE: I totally understand the collection of rejection letters. Got a pile of my very own. Writing’s a hard business 🙂 I loved FlowerBoy Tour Guide. It was so much fun! What are your favorite genres to read?
SHANNON: I’m a happily-ever-after girl, all the way. I love Love Stories.
SHAREE: Absolutely! What was the most influential book you’ve read and why?
SHANNON: Doesn’t everyone give the same answer? The Bible. What other book has adventure stories, romance, songs, erotic poetry, etc.? There’s nothing like it. The fact that it’s God-breathed and can pull you out of the deepest funk is also a plus.
One of my favorite books to re-read is a lesser known work by L.M. Montgomery, the author of Anne of Green Gables. She wrote a romance called The Blue Castle which is jam-packed with quirky characters, sarcastic observations, beautiful descriptions, and a pathetic heroine who turns herself into a stand-on-her-own-two-feet woman. I highly recommend it.
SHAREE: I agree, the Bible is never dull! And somehow, no matter how many times I read it, I still find something new. What are you working on now?
SHANNON: I just finished a romantic comedy about a group of sassy senior citizens who retire on a cruise ship and spend their free time matchmaking the people around them. These ladies made me laugh and cry as I wrote them, and I hope to share The Matchmaker Cruise with the world soon.
SHAREE: That sounds wonderful!! I can’t wait to read it. We have to ask those all important questions like…Are you a plotter or a pantser?
SHANNON: I’m a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants writer who can acknowledge the value in being a plotter. I’ve taken to covering my walls with colored index cards to lay out the key scenes of a story. But I suspect I’ll always be a pantser at heart.
SHAREE: LOL. Love it. What’s one fun fact about you?
SHANNON: I can sing The Alphabet Song backwards—Z,Y,X,W,V… it’s harder to type backwards than sing it.
SHAREE: Giggle. Now that is original! Shannon, thank you so much!! But it gets better because Shannon is offering an eBook of Flowerboy Tour Guide to one lucky commenter!
Friends, find Shannon at the following links:
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/shannonkentauthor/
Twitter https://twitter.com/dramarookie
Flower Boy: noun 1. slang for a really hot guy
Hannah Reynolds travels to Korea in search of her own drama hero come to life. What she gets instead is gorgeous, but surly tour guide, Jae Lee. He seems determined to ruin every romantic location they visit with his snarky comments, but Hannah can’t deny the crackling tension between them.
As they travel around the country with a busload of wacky K-drama and K-pop fans, their chemistry keeps drawing the two together. Hannah sees the mountain of problems standing between her and a relationship with Jae. They live in different countries. She’s flying home in five days. And he always takes an emotional step back whenever they get closer. But her heart doesn’t want to listen to reason. All it can see is the flower boy tour guide.
Amazon link https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FN7X5TD
Other sellers’ link https://books2read.com/u/mvKWa2
Letty McDonnell—a hug first and ask questions later kind of gal—stumbles into an unexpected scandal with her favorite K-pop star when she spots him at the airport. Is it bad timing or a blessing in disguise? The international publicity leads to a job offer from the reality show Marry My Stalker, where the two pretend to be man and wife as they complete a variety of crazy couple missions.
Wacky challenges, jealous fangirls, and a language barrier can’t slow Letty down. Especially when she has handsome translator, Ben Park, whispering in her ear. He steers her away from cultural faux pas and offers behind-the-scenes encouragement as she maneuvers the unfamiliar public arena. But is he sincerely interested or just doing his job? The affectionate words her fake husband says for the cameras are always repeated by Ben’s caring voice, and Letty begins to wonder if a romance without spotlights or red carpets is the real path to true love.
Only available on Amazon, is also a Kindle Unlimited book
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