Writing Encouragement for Writers of All Ages with Shanti Hershenson

Today’s episode is a special one for two reasons. My special
guest is not only a children’s book author, she’s a teen author with a birthday
coming up in two weeks.
Shanti Hershenson’s first two novellas
were published when she was in the sixth grade, although her writing journey
started long before then. Ever since she could hold a pencil, marker, or
crayon, she was creating stories. They started from pictures, mere scribbles,
and eventually, turned into captivating tales. She lives in California with her
parents, sister, and furry friends. Besides writing, she enjoys skateboarding,
Beyblading, free-running, falconry, and of course, reading. She writes in a
variety of genres, including Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Historical Fiction,
although she mostly sticks to Sci-Fi. She advocates for anti-bullying, and you
may find her at open mic-nights, performing her spoken word poem Needles &
Thorns, which is about the struggle of bullying in middle schools.
Shanti’s featured book is entitled: Helipads in Heaven.
World-renowned author Dillon Hershkop has everything she wants in life,
but getting there hasn’t been easy. Now thirty years old, she has achieved
almost everything she dreamed of as a young girl: A dazzling career, a devoted
fan base, and a picture-perfect family—but despite all of this, she is also
painstakingly bored.That is why, when Dillon receives the
opportunity to become the test subject for a time-traveling experiment hosted
by JPL’s brand new Center for Experimental Science, she seizes the opportunity
to explore La Cañada—and the places she grew up around—without any immediate
reservations. In exchange, she can write a brand new memoir both about time
travel and the nearly forgotten experiences that shaped her into the talented
woman she is today. That is, if she returns.Dillon is soon thrown head-first as an adult
spectator into the complicated world of her ten-year-old self—fondly nicknamed Goose—from
her love of helicopters, writing, and all things Elton John, to her unreceptive
fourth-grade teacher, Ms. Vincent, her sourly judgemental classmates, and the
missed opportunities of a fourth-grade writer with a smothered voice.As she observes the childhood she does not
entirely remember, she begins to realize that there are reasons for the holes
in her memories—things she must not remember, because if she does, it may
become impossible to stand back and watch the oil of her bottled-up trauma be
poured into a fire from a distance. And if she goes against the direct orders
of the laboratory, the effects of tampering with a nearly unknown science may
permanently disrupt the fabrics of time, space, and Dillon’s existence.From the teenage author of You Won’t Know Her
Name, Helipads in Heaven is a deep and heartwarming
adventure of time travel, childhood ambitions, and at the core, a love letter
to unique children and those who dare to dream.
Purchase link:
https://www.amazon.com/Helipads-Heaven-Shanti-Hershenson-ebook/dp/B0C97X49B6/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2E564HUJXFRRD&keywords=Helipads+in+Heaven+by+Shanti+Hershenson&qid=1696259960&sprefix=helipads+in+heaven+by+shanti+hershenson%2Caps%2C91&sr=8-1
Connect
with Shanti at the following links:
https://www.shantihershenson.com/
https://www.instagram.com/shantihershenson/?hl=en
https://www.pinterest.com/shantihershenson/
https://www.tiktok.com/@shantiwhowrites
https://twitter.com/ShantiHersh

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