About the author

Djuna Shellam

I write novels, poetry, music and lyrics, and non-fiction. I love writing. I've been writing in some form or another since around the age of ten. I'm particularly fond of the novel. I love the process, and the opportunity to create a fictional tale from nothing but what's knocking around in my head.<br>&nbsp;<br>My first novel began as a short story I started while living in England in the mid-1970s. It then became a screenplay which I finished in 1978. It took another 16 or so years before I managed to finish my first book which was so large I had to ultimately split it into two. The finished novel hardly resembled the short story, but it's where I began.&nbsp;<br><br>I've written four non-fiction books that are now out of print, six novels, and am at work on two others. With each book I like to stretch myself, to see if I can tell a story in a different way.<br><br>I love the idea of the series. I become so attached to my characters, I don't want to lose them when each book is finished; so, I let them live on in a series.<br><br>My influences began with Victoria Holt whose books I devoured as a youngster. Then, Anne Rice, Tom Clancy, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Jane Rule, and Armistead Maupin. Yes, an incompatible group, but I like to think of them as my teachers. I would be remiss if I didn't mention my favorite book of all time which is House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier. I read it in high school (and I still have it), and I believe, still, to this day, it continues to fuel my creative aspirations.<br><br>​​​​​​​In addition to writing novels, I now produce a weekly podcast, The Djuna Shellam Podcast, which is available at nearly every podcast venue.