Ask the Author: Ann Shepphird
Answered Questions (3)
Ann Shepphird
The idea for "The War Council, University Chronicles Book 1," came about when I was in my late 20s and early 30s and attending graduate school in film/tv at UCLA. This lead to teaching communication studies at both UCLA and Orange Coast College. Not only was I teaching communications (both interpersonal and mass), I was encountering a lot of communication-related drama in my own life, with the bulk of the conversations centering around love and life.
Being rather analytical and the type of person who can find humor in almost any situation (which, yes, can get me in trouble), I started to wonder what might happen if we could make love logical — and hence avoid all the drama we seemed to be inflicting on ourselves — with the help of a paramilitary group like those I saw on "Mission: Impossible" or "The A-Team."
"The War Council" developed out of that original idea. I don't think it's a spoiler to say that one of the themes of the book is that love is not logical (although it can sometimes use a little help). I hope you will enjoy the journey of the characters as they come to learn just that.
Being rather analytical and the type of person who can find humor in almost any situation (which, yes, can get me in trouble), I started to wonder what might happen if we could make love logical — and hence avoid all the drama we seemed to be inflicting on ourselves — with the help of a paramilitary group like those I saw on "Mission: Impossible" or "The A-Team."
"The War Council" developed out of that original idea. I don't think it's a spoiler to say that one of the themes of the book is that love is not logical (although it can sometimes use a little help). I hope you will enjoy the journey of the characters as they come to learn just that.
Ann Shepphird
The plot for "Destination: Maui," the first book in my Destination Murder Mystery series (which is scheduled to be published in January 2022), was inspired by my work as a travel writer. I was on a press trip that involved a ride on restored vintage trains from NYC to Montreal. At the first dinner at our hotel in NYC, I realized that one of the other writers was a particularly difficult person. When I called my husband that night and told him, he said "so if there is a murder on the train, we know who it will be." And thus, the idea for a mystery-solving travel writer was born.
Ann Shepphird
I am currently working on the first two books in the "Destination Murder Mystery" series. The manuscript for the first book, "Destination: Maui," has been turned into my editor and is scheduled for publication in early 2022. In the meantime, I am plotting its follow-up, which will be called "Destination: Monterey."
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