Lesbian Authors Guild
Djuna Shellam
My name is Djuna Shellam. I write novels, poetry, music and non-fiction. I love writing. I've been writing in some form or another since around the age of ten. I'm particularly fond of the novel. I love the process, and the opportunity to create a fictional tale from nothing but what's in my head.
My first novel began as a short story I started while living in England in the mid 1970's. It then became a screenplay which I finished in 1978. It took another 16 or so years before I managed to finish my first novel which was so large I had to ultimately split it into two. The finished novel hardly resembled the short story, but it's where I began.
I've completed three novels which are published ebooks with Amazon in the Lesbian Romance/Fiction genre (write what you know, right?), and am at work on two others. With each book I like to stretch myself, to see if I can tell a story in a different way.
I absolutely love the idea of the series. For me, I become so attached to my characters, I don't want to lose them when the book is finished. So, I let them live on in a series.
My influences began with Victoria Holt whose books I devoured as a youngster. Then, Anne Rice, Tom Clancy, Marion Zimmer Bradley and Armistead Maupin. Yes, an odd bunch, but I like to think of them as my teachers. I would be remiss if I didn't mention my favorite book of all time that is House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier. I first read it in high school (and I still have it), and I believe, still, to this day, it continues in some way to fuel my creative aspirations.
Currently, my ebooks are exclusive to Amazon which allows them into the lending library for KindleUnlimited and Amazon Prime members. There are plans by Magnhild Press to publish trade paperbacks of each of my titles, hopefully by Fall 2016.
I also have a vlog/blog, Djuna Shellam The Write OWL, http://tinyit.cc/4766c where I try to publish two episodes per week (Wednesdays and Sundays). I cover some of my thoughts about writing, genre, my process and whatever else I fancy at the moment both in video and word.
The Incredible Transformations of Alice Hollywood
Book One
Alice Hollywood is a young spitfire from Hollywood, California. She and her best friend, the poor little rich girl Em Martín from nearby Bel Air, CA, are stationed on a remote military base in West Texas in the mid-1970's.
Worldly Alice "Hollywood" Hollywell is notorious for changing “teams" without notice. Em is shy and seemingly sheltered and has a secret. Despite their differences, their friendship blossoms into something they never imagined. The arrest of their friend Whitey, and rumors about an investigation into his friends and associates creates a frightening environment, complicating everything.
On base, and particularly within their inner circle, the atmosphere is rife with suspicion and fear. Alice and Em realize the military is a very dangerous place for them, and quickly find themselves in the middle of a rabid witch-hunt. Decisions are made with disastrous consequences.
Alice Hollywood is a bonafide page turner, leading the reader down a road of “what’s next” and through myriad subplots, making this multi-dimensional story and its equally dimensional characters a reader’s delight. Once you start reading, you won’t want to stop, even when you read the last line, which is okay, because Alice Hollywood is Book One of The Em Suite series, so there's much more to come!
The Incredible Transformations of Alice Hollywood isn’t just a love story. It’s history, it’s intrigue, it’s the human condition. It’s drama, comedy and everything in-between; and yes, in the end, it's a love story.
Violence, Harsh Language, Adult Situations
Mackenna on the Edge
Book Two
In Mackenna on the Edge, the sequel/prequel to The Incredible Transformations of Alice Hollywood, nearly twenty years have passed since a fiery crash changed Em Martín’s life forever. Now living in Los Angeles, and known as Mackenna, a recent life-altering tragedy has her in an emotional tailspin. Memories and regrets previously buried and ignored have been churned up.
In a desperate effort to stop her downward progression, Mackenna turns to her writing for emotional support; as well as a vehicle for getting to the root cause of her current mental and emotional frailty. While culling through her life for clues, the Southland is rocked by a devastating earthquake, further complicating her difficult self-exploration. Enter Eve, an earthquake refugee and an uncomfortable reminder of a past Mackenna has spent many years trying to ignore—and forget. A delicate dance of avoidance ensues until a devastating secret is exposed, driving Mackenna to the edge of disaster. Will Eve be the last straw, and push Mackenna over the edge? Or will she be the one to save Mackenna from the lower depths?
Mackenna has always been quiet on the quiet side—almost an awkward kind of quiet. She's a keen observer and not one to talk too much about herself or her life. But she has a secret she’s been keeping for nearly twenty years that's eating her alive. Since the untimely death of her parents and the subsequent inheritance of unfathomable proportions, Mackenna is sinking and sinking fast. She’s a writer who finds it easier to express her feelings with words, and so she begins to self-explore her downward spiral before it’s too late. Before she does something she can’t undo.
In a departure from her first novel, The Incredible Transformations of Alice Hollywood, Djuna Shellam allows Mackenna Martín to share her story and explore her life—how she got to the point she is in the story in the first person narrative. Intermingled with a omniscient narrative, Shellam takes us back and forth in time in a seamless fashion to tell the story in a story.
Strong Language, Adult Situations
Prairie Fire
Book Three
Angry, debilitated and depressed, Em would rather just give up and die, but Dot Baverstock has other plans for Em. Enter Prairie Vaughn, aka 'Wonder Woman.' In the third installment of this series, we meet Prairie, the red–headed, female Casanova, physical therapist who takes on the monumental task of bringing an unwilling Em back to life. The story takes place in 1976 through 1978 in Highland Park, California, shortly after the crash that changed so many lives; as well as in Bel Air and Palm Springs, California, in 1996, continuing on where Mackenna on the Edge left off with Em and Eve.
Back again is the fan favorite, Dot Baverstock, and a new addition, her son Waverly. Also joining the cast of characters are Fiona McIntyre, who creates an interesting connection between Em and Prairie, and Prairie's Highland Park roommates. Secrets, drama, heartbreak and passion offer a similar page turning and satisfying experience readers have found in The Incredible Transformations of Alice Hollywood and Mackenna on the Edge. Djuna Shellam has once again created characters you love to love, intertwined with an entertaining and addicting story. Don't be surprised if you find yourself laughing out loud, spontaneously crying, and maybe even standing in the shower with the cold water on full blast. It's just how Djuna Shellam rolls.
Dot in the Weeds
Book Four
Coming Spring 2017