About

Once upon a time there was a lady, ehem, well, a sort of human creature of the female variety, who would grow to be an author. But she didn’t want to be an author. She wanted to be anything but an author.

Shalaena Medford was born in Coronado, California, an island just off the western coast of the United States of America. Sounds glamorous. It probably was. She wouldn’t know, though. Shalaena wouldn’t return to California until her sophomore year of high school. During that in-between time, she changed residences many times, usually within the same city. Never in the same house for more than a year or two, she learned to let go of anything that might get lost in a move, except for her journals of poetry and her imagination.

Encouraged by her sister, she finished her first full manuscript in 2010 and thought, “I’m going to publish!”

Silly little human creature of the female variety. It’s not that simple! Other writers earned the right to be called authors. What have you done? What credentials do you have?

“Well, I wrote this, didn’t I?”

And?

She decided it was time to go back to school. She applied, and was accepted, into the Creative Writing program at Southern New Hampshire University. Shalaena has since learned so much more than she thought she could, including how to create the book, from the very first idea to the smallest details in formatting for paperback and eBook.

Which is why she eventually chose to remain a self-published author. Because she retains creative control over every aspect of each project, from start to finish. This way Shalaena is free to write in any genre, unrestrained by publisher demands. Most of her characters are in the young adult and/or new adult age range, though again, she chooses not to view her work as restricted by anything. Because the imagination cannot be bound by age or genre.

One thing you will notice, however, is that Shalaena’s books tend to feature misfits, the “socially abstract” as she calls them. She strives to give voice to those who sit outside the usual social circles. Readers will often find they have an immediate emotional connection to the characters. She then eloquently pulls you along, page by page as you sit on the edge of your seat in eager anticipation of what is around each corner.

Some other accomplishments that aren’t really seen and are apart from her writing include editing for a small publishing company and working with young, budding writers to help find their voice, strengthen their writing, and say yes to their imagination.

No idea is bad except the one ignored.