Three Times A Charm with Sharon Pavon

Three Times a Charm is a weekly feature that spotlights authors, illustrators, bloggers, agents, editors or promoters from the publishing industry.

This week author Sharon Pavon joins us to talk about her writing career. 

Welcome, Sharon. Tell us a little about yourself.

Once upon a time I taught pre-school. I owned a child development center for many years, worked as a real estate agent, bookseller, and sold cemetery lots (lasted a week at that position). Currently, I own a small business in Tennessee and write middle grade fiction.

Cemetary lots - that’s awesome. Can you tell us more about the middle grade fiction? What projects have you perfected?

GODS OF DELIPIE is about what happens when reality gets in the way of what we want. It’s also about being in that awkward place of wanting to be a child when other people think it’s time for you to grow up. There are two main characters. Gardenia, who is like spit and vinegar, and Carla, who is having a bit of an identity crisis.

 I’ve recently finished my little bundle of weirdness, PARADISE CROSSED. It straddles two worlds, modern day Philadelphia and a parallel world called Paradise. It has everything from telepathic sharks, the hostile elderly, and Greek Gods to a mysterious person who is plotting to destroy Paradise. After being stranded in Paradise, Micah and his friend, Carson, must work through their differences and solve the mystery in order to get back home. 

Now, for the Threes. Share with us your top 3’s to help us know you a little better.

Top 3 books you’ve read in the past year.

The ones that come instantly to mind:

The Boneshaker by Kate Milford. Her writing is beautifully poetic and her storytelling so rich. It reminded me a little of Something Wicked This Way Comes. Really impressive.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett was raw and powerful. It made me laugh and broke my heart, sometimes at the same time. I read somewhere that over a hundred agents passed on it. If I were an agent and had gotten that manuscript, I would have broken my neck trying to get to the phone to call her the minute I finished. How could that many people not see what was fabulous about it? 

Also, this summer I fell in love with Newbery winner, Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool and its colorful array of characters. 

 

Top 3 skills to hone for people just starting in your business.

1) A thick skin. Without one, it’s going to be difficult. I am developing a suit of armor for writers. It’s called The Inflated Ego Cloak of Invincibility. *I am of course lying and ripping off Harry Potter* But I wish it were so. Truth is that most extremely talented writers I know are genuinely humble and insecure about their writing.

2) Develop Patience. Unfortunately, I don’t have any but I can play a patient person on T.V. You will do tons of waiting around for things to happen. Most of the time things won’t happen. It’s better to focus on what you have control over, your writing and believing what you’re doing has merit. Otherwise, you’re going to be miserable.

3) Read as much as you can. Read books about writing. Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird will set you free. Read books by other writers in your genre. Read for fun. Then do your own thing.

Top 3 songs on your play list.

Soul Meets Body by Death Cab For Cutie,

Set the Fire to the Third Bar by Snow Patrol,

and Four by Miles Davis.

Where can our readers find out more about you and your work?

If you’d like to follow me on twitter, I’m @SharonPavon.

Thank you, Sharon, for visiting with us today. Best of luck with your projects, they sound fantastic.

THANKS!