About Me

Photo of Author Shelley Coriell

Moi (and my front door)

I write stories about teens on the edge of love, life-changing moments, and a little bit of crazy. My debut novel, Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe, will be released in the Spring of 2012 from the fantabulous folks at Amulet/Abrams Books. A six-time Romance Writers of America Golden Heart finalist, I live in Arizona with my family and the world’s neediest rescue Weimaraner. When I’m not writing, I bake high-calorie, high-fat desserts and listen to voices in my head.

 

FAQ


     

  • Q. How do you pronounce your last name?
  • A. The “i” is silent. It’s Cor-el, like the dishware that doesn’t break.


  • Q. Why do you write for teens?
  • A. Young people speak and live with breathtaking truth and passion. Important stuff in my world.


  • Q. How long have you been writing?
  • A. In 2005 I seriously started writing and trying to sell novel-length fiction. I wrote eight complete manuscripts before I sold Chloe. However, I’ve been working as a journalist since I was a senior in high school. My first writing job? I covered high school sporting events for my local newspaper where I got paid $2 an inch.


  • Q. Don’t you also write romance?
  • A. I wrote some award-winning, dark, edgy suspense manuscripts with a little kissy-kissy. These romantic suspense stories are currently locked up in my writerly dungeon. They will eventually see the light of day, but right now I’m all about my young adult stories, which BTW have a little edge and kissy-kissy.


  • Q. Where do you get your ideas for stories?
  • A. Stories are everywhere. I have notebooks and pens stashed all over my house and car for those moments when the muse roars. Oddly enough, I’m at my most creative while in the shower or driving. I know…being in a story world when you’re barreling 75 mph down the Interstate between Tucson and Phoenix is so not safe.


  • Q. Where did you get the idea for Welcome, Caller, This Is Chloe?
  • A. During my senior year of high school, one of my friends from another high school had a major blow-up with her best friends at a party. The bashing and gossip got so baaaaad, my friend transferred to my school for a semester (where she was welcomed with hugs and chocolate cupcakes I might add). The entire drama, including her eventual reconciliation with her besties, was fascinating…in a train wreck kind of way. What conflict. What pain. But what a great idea for a book!


  • Q. Why did you set Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe in a high school radio station? Are you a disc jockey?
  • A. When I was in college, I went to the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University where I studied print journalism and made friends with some radio peeps from KASC (The Blaze). The radio students were a unique bunch — sometimes intense, sometimes crazy-creative, sometimes sketchy, but always fascinating. I am not a disc jockey, but I’ve had lunch with a few.


  • Q. Is Welcome, Caller, This Is Chloe going to be made into a movie or TV show?
  • A. There’s been buzz already about Chloe, The TV Show. Go, agent, go!


  • Q. Where can I buy a signed copy of Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe.
  • A. Find me at my book signings or contact my local indie bookstore, Changing Hands.


  • Q. Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?
  • A. Write. Edit. Repeat. I wrote more than a million words and eight complete manuscripts before I got a New York publishing contract.


  • Q. Do you have any more advice for aspiring authors?
  • A. Study the craft of writing. Study the business of publishing. Even after you’re published, study. You should always be learning and growing. If you’re not, you’re dying. Which sucks.


  • Q. How did you find your agent?
  • A. I put on my pantyhose and treated my agent search like a business project. Step one: Using SCBWI and RWA agent resources, Agent Query, and recommendations from friends, I identified agents who sell the kind of books I write. Step two: I studied their client lists, communications style (through blogs, agenty websites, and meetings at conferences), and sales on Publisher’s Marketplace. Step three: I made a list of my top five agents and sent a personalized, professional query letter to each. Step four: In my case I received multiple agent offers while shopping for both romance and kid lit agents, so I had phone conversations with each agent, contacted a few of their clients for recommendations, and made a list of pros and cons. Step five: I selected the agent who didn’t scare me, “got my voice and stories”, and had a crazy-wonderful enthusiasm that I knew was needed when pitching to editors.


  • Q. What are five interesting things about you?
  • A. I have metal in my ears. I interviewed Pope John Paul II. I am fascinated with cemeteries and like to visit them. I don’t drink soda because it hurts my nose. Still working on number five.


  • Q. Will you speak at my school, book club, or writer’s group?
  • A. I’d love to. Here’s info on author visits and talks, including Skype stuff.

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