True, it was her prison, but it was also her sanctuary.
Where can you turn when your house is not safe? In a small coastal town
in Oregon, Amber and Kelly know the deadliest people sleep down the
hall. As they attempt to escape the violent, domineering men in their
lives, despair fights against faith and hope as an introduction to the
Book of Mormon promises them a haven they can’t find in their homes. But
getting out of these abusive situations is not as easy as it appears.
With their lives spiraling out of control, can they have faith that
God’s grace will save them?
Grace drove up the winding road, high among large new homes. They sat
along the edge of the lush Oregon forest on the Pacific Coast Range
Mountains. She didn’t have to look too hard for the address. An
ambulance and two lit up police cars, lights silently rotating, marked
the last home at the top of the steep road. Light spilled from every
window and the open front door. Ancient pines and a dark old growth
forest swayed in the wind behind the house. On the front porch a woman
was arguing with a medic, holding a bloody rag to her face…
…Making her way to the house, she walked between patrol cars and
crossed the lawn. The ambulance driver had a clipboard and was trying to
explain to Emily, the victim, that she needed to sign a waiver stating
she was refusing services. Ignoring the ambulance driver and looking at
Officer Hart, Emily was speaking and gesturing rapidly, demanding they
leave her alone.
The officer she was spitting mad at was young and good-looking. Grace
didn’t know how anyone could yell at Hart. His name was absolutely
appropriate. Seeing Grace, he half-smiled, showing dimples, looking
grateful for the interruption.
Flashing her own half-grin, her color rose. Looking down, she hoped he hadn’t noticed.
Shannon Symonds announces her first book, “Safe House,” a 2017
Whitney Award Nominee released by Cedar Fort Publishing and Media in
July of 2017.
Shannon worked for 15 years as an Advocate. Shannon lives in a small
seaside town where she works, writes, runs and paints. She believes the
word can be changed one heart at a time and then even small acts can
make a difference.
Author Interview
1. What top 5 books do you currently have on your TBR pile?
5) I just finished Traci Abramson’s version of, Safe House, and
loved it. I would like to go back and read the 1st book in the guardian
series. I met Traci at Storymaker’s Conference in Utah and she is not
only fun and entertaining, she is as deep and caring as the characters
in her stories.
4) I am currently reading, The Road to Freedom, by Shawn Pollock. I look forward to reviewing it on my blog. Already, I love his descriptions.
3) I want to finish Melanie Bateman’s The Time
Key. I am part way through and have had to read other books. I look forward to finishing it.
2) One by One by David A. Bednar. My daughter is a relief
society president and she said the book was invaluable. She recommended I
read it in relation to my work with survivors. I have it downloaded in
my Deseret Book, “Book Shelf,” and will listen while I clean, weed, and
work.
1) The Book of Mormon, Old Testament. A little time with the
scriptures on my iPhone, or audio each morning fills my spiritual
bucket. I can’t face the world without bolstering my faith. We live in
pretty tough times. I believe, no matter what you believe spiritually,
time spent on your physical, mental, and spiritual growth is time well
spent.
2. What does your writing process look like and specifically what did it look like for Safe House?
I run daily on the beach or cement seawall called the “Prom,” by my
house. I usually see the story I am working on like a movie while I am
running. I think about the characters and spend time with my imaginary
friends. Although I had the story outlined before I started writing Safe
House, dialogue and little details were worked out by the sea. When I
got home, I sat by my fireplace and wrote on a laptop.
When I wrote Safe House, I began in the winter. I spent many
nights by the fire writing and then calling my sister Stacy to read to
her, or reading my work out loud to Scott. When I finished it, I
mailed it to Stacy and my cousin Kristi who red-penciled it and sent it
back. They were my greatest cheerleaders.
I sent it to one publisher, who referred me to another. I rewrote the
whole thing, changing a main character and had Stacy read it one more
time. Stacy suggested I name it, “Saving Grace.” We were both excited by
the name Grace, I changed my main character’s name.
I was so afraid to send it in, I let it gather dust for a while.
Stacy kept pushing me. Finally, I sent it online to Cedar Fort. I will
forever be grateful to Stacy for pushing me, and Cedar Fort for
publishing my first novel.
Stacy passed away from Cancer a week before she could hold a hard
copy in her hand. I gave her the first PDF copy and if you open the
cover, you will see the book is dedicated to her. Stacy worked on the
“Christmas Box House Foundation,” with Richard Evans, and did many other
service projects internationally. She never told anyone. She never
asked for attention. She gave all the credit to God. I am so grateful my
sister Stacy and I had the Safe House adventure together and that I get
to give her the credit she deserves.
3. What can you tell us about the sequel to Safe House (your current WIP)? What is this story about and when will it release?
The sequel to Safe House is a stand-alone story which takes place in the
same beach town of Necanicum on the Pacific Coast as Safe House and
with some of the same characters. Reader’s favorite characters like
Advocate Grace James, her family, and Joe Hart are back. You will also
meet Hope.
Grace James, Sexual Assault Advocate, and single mother is seeing
signs of sex trafficking in the small coastal town of Necanicum, but
what she doesn’t see is a way to do her job and protect her own family
while Morgan, her ex-husband is out of prison. Will she and officer Joe
Hart be able to stop the spreading evil before Hope Experience Flanagan,
a homeless 17-year-old disappears forever or will Morgan take Grace’s
life at the same time as he and his partner Vlad plan to take Hope to
sea forever?
I have an outline and a partial manuscript! I am so excited about
this story. I love the characters. I currently run in the morning, work
with foster youth at FosterClub during the day, and write at night. The
draft will be complete June 1 if I can keep up the pace. I hope to have
copy edits done in June. A book takes time to put together after it is
approved by a publisher so I don’t have any dates yet.
4. Can you tell us what a day in the life of Shannon Symonds,
Author looks like? What type of writing schedule do you have and what
other obligations do you have on any given day?
I think I am a pretty typical woman, I have more work than hours in a
day. I wake up at 5:30 and run. I have my hair down to 5 minutes.
Unfortunately, I just can’t get my shower down to less than 20 minutes
of luxury. I am a gluten free, dairy free, fun free kind of eater, so I
pack breakfast and lunch for work and listen to scriptures.
During the day, I work at FosterClub, a national non-profit
headquartered in Seaside, Oregon with an office in Washington D.C. I am
the Outreach Manager. About 27 interns join us each summer for training
and then go out and work with youth, state-level stakeholders, child
welfare professionals, and policymakers across the country. It is busy!
After work, during the week, I write. I usually eat by the computer. I
drag it to bed and write until I can’t stay awake any longer.
My daughter, her husband, and my adorable grandson Elliott live with
me. Occasionally I break away from writing to bike ride with Elliott or
take him for a walk to the beach. Fridaynight is date night. Saturday is
run and family time. We fish, clam, have bonfires, hike, and kayak. If
it rains or storms, I write (Sometimes I pray for more rain!)
I never write or work on Sunday. Sunday is for family and good books.
I have six children and their families. We try to get together a few
times a month on Sundays. During the summer about 50 of my closest
relatives also come to town and stay in my house, our family beach
house, “Lassie Hame,” which is just down the road, or my sister’s
nearby “River House.” So I need to get my next book done before the gang
gets to town June 17th.
My parents also have an apartment in my house and stay with me for 3
or so months a year. I love it when they come. My mother is a wonderful
cook and helps me with the flowers. When I write in the evenings, she
comes in to read or keep me company by the fire.
So you see, all in all normal. Trying every day to serve others and figure out what is good, better, or best.
Sneak Peek from Book Two
Hope Experience Flanagan had to get out of the Rat’s trailer tonight.
It made more sense to wait until her 18th birthday, or until the cold
Oregon Coast weather warmed, but everything told her the Rat was
dangerous and she was out of time.
“Come on Hope! I just want you to watch a movie with me.” the Rat begged from the other side of her locked bedroom door.
“I’m not coming out until Mom’s home!”
“See how nice I am! Your Mom hasn’t been home for weeks and I let you stay with me.”
“Just let me finish my homework,” she said nicely, trying to hide her frustration.
The flimsy bedroom door in the timeworn 1967 Rancho trailer shook
angrily. Poised to move, Hope held her breath until it stopped. “You
promise?” he yelled.
Finally, she heard the Rat shuffle down the little hall. Five foot
one Richard Culligan, ironically known as ‘Rich’ to his friends, and Rat
to her, was her mother’s latest partner in a steady stream of
companions. Hope hated them all.
The lacey ice on the windows of the Rat’s ancient trailer was as much
on the inside in winter as on the outside. The trailer hadn’t moved for
more years than Hope had been alive. It was parked in the Yeti Trailer
Haven among other molding heaps of aluminum hidden by forest, vines, and
foliage which obliterated their existence. Hope thought it was the best
part of the coast. Magic green that erased every sign of man if you
gave it long enough.
She sat on an old sleeping bag on a bare mattress, headphones in,
music playing, when hailstones began pelting the aluminum walls.
Gradually the torrent picked up. Larger and larger hailstones assaulted
the windows so loudly it broke through her music and then it stopped.
Everything else she owned was packed in her old orange backpack
including a Ziploc bag with a picture of her missing mother. Quietly,
she pulled back the red rug, moved a loose floorboard, and dropped her
pack into the black hole. Then, Hope slid down through the same hole and
out from under Rich Culligan’s trailer forever.
***
Grace James had a smile painted on her face, but her nylons had
gradually fallen until she was sure the crotch was at her bony knees and
below the hem of her skirt. She had been wearing two hour high heels
for four hours and her feet begged for mercy. She stood tall, at the end
of her thirties with her long blond hair sprayed into submission on
stage next to her boss in the old Victorian Church, now the Bay City
Performing Arts Center.
Grace’s boss Eunice had the microphone. Her gray bob looked purple in
the spotlight. She took off her bedazzled cat eye glasses, and said to
the audience, “Next I want to introduce our senior advocate, Grace
James.”
Hailstones started pelting the large stained glass windows in the ancient hall.
Every head turned to look at the row of 20-foot windows lining both
sides of the room as a cascade threatened to break through the glass.
The echo was deafening and then ended almost as quickly as it started.
***NOTE: The working title for book two is FINDING HOPE by Shannon
Symonds. This book is not currently under contract and is in a draft
form (although it has been to an editor).
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