Shawn Smucker is the author of the young adult book, The Day the Angels Fell, and the brand new sequel, The Edge of Over There, tales of mystery and magic that will leave you wanting more. Today, Shawn talks to us about his journey to fiction and how it started by writing a nonfiction book for his aunt.

He began earning his living co-writing memoirs for others, and one such experience took him to Istanbul. Working with this missionary, writing his life story, Shawn felt the beginnings of what would become The Day the Angels Fell, his first novel. He self-published it, but his nonfiction agent asked to shop it around - and that and the sequel were sold to Revell.

Shawn's writing journey is an interesting and inspiring story that will encourage you to keep going, no matter your genre. Speculative fiction can be a difficult sell, whether traditionally published or self-published, and writers might get caught in the sticky web of trying too hard to make their book stand out. Shawn encourages us to write the best book that serves the story in its truest form, to keep writing, keep growing, and keep putting your work out there. Don't give up!

Learn more about Shawn's books, follow him on social media, and sign up for his newsletter where you can find out when and where the Tree of Life will turn up next - all at his website, ShawnSmucker.com.