Character Description

Miranda Turnkettle was an orphan. But not the usual kind of orphan. You see, her parents did not die, they simply stopped living life, which is an entirely different thing altogether. Miranda found it easier to say she was an orphan than to explain what really happened to her parents.

This snippet popped into my head the other day as I pushed Westly in his stroller on our way home from the park. I have no idea where it came from or where it will go. But that’s the brilliance of creativity and the fun of writing!

So here’s the skinny on me:

Full name: Farah Christine Shaw (formerly Drazin-it’s Croatian, and while I liked having a name with a Z—cuz not too many words/names do—and it could be a high-scoring word in Scrabble, I was glad to ditch it for a much easier-to-spell-and-pronounce name when I married)

Pen Name: FC Shaw (ambiguity has its benefits in the writing world, especially as a female writer wanting her books to appeal to girls and boys alike)

Age: 25….if you go back in time 4 years and 12 months

Status: married five years to the BEST man in the world, Michael Shaw—and so as not to confuse him with the hundreds of other Michael Shaws in the world who formed a group on Facebook…I’m married to the one that is the BEST (and the one that teaches English at our local Charter High School, sings on our church’s worship team, is an aspiring author, and loves me like no one else can or ever will)

Children: one Westly Cavanaugh Shaw, named in part after the disguised Dread Pirate Roberts from Princess Bride and in part after his paternal grandpa (you can determine which is which)

Books: I’ve written and published a children’s mystery series called Sherlock Academy which is geared for middle readers (ages 8-12). I have three out, and am currently writing Book 4. I’ll wrap up the series with a fifth book. I gotta do my pitch now: for more info go to www.sherlockacademy.com or email me at sherlockacademy@yahoo.com

Other Hobbies: art—I love to admire it and teach it; reading—specifically children’s lit cuz that’s what I primary write; Scrabble—though I haven’t been doing too well  lately; cooking—I could be really cheesy and say food is another way to tell a great story, but I’ll just say it’s another way for me to be creative; Starbucks—I’m gonna argue and say it’s a hobby when you consume their bevs at least on a weekly basis

Religion: I am a child of God living in His Grace

And that’s me.