63 ratings | 1 review | avg rating:3.92

Shawn’s Year In Books

Shawn’s 2024 Year in Books

Take a look at Shawn’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

Go to Shawn’s 2024 Year in Books

Shawn Hartje’s Followers (41)

Shawn’s Bookshelves

to-read (4)
currently-reading (0)
read (62)

Shawn’s Friends (18)

Aղցela W.

21,059 books | 1,149 friends

Rachel

49,856 books | 1,387 friends

Jen

1,734 books | 107 friends

Kelly Basgen

529 books | 101 friends

Jennifer

1,847 books | 49 friends

Michelle

281 books | 16 friends

Terri Wilson

962 books | 394 friends

Jessica Bronder

2,044 books | 98 friends

More friends…

Shawn Hartje

Goodreads Author

Born

The United States

Website

http://www.shawnhartje.com

Twitter

pipelinernovel

Genre

Fiction, Ebooks, Humor and Comedy

Influences

Jim Harrison, John Lennon, Annie Proulx, Tim Sandlin, and humans gener ...more

Member Since

March 2016

edit data

Shawn Hartje was born and raised in Sioux City, Iowa. He has worked as a newswriter in small-town West Virginia, a whitewater kayak instructor in Colorado, a seasonal laborer for the Forest Service in rural Idaho, and more recently received an M.A. in Creative Writing from Dominican University of California. He lives in Northern California with his wife and teenage kids.

Learn more
Ask the Author

To ask Shawn Hartje questions, please sign up.

Popular Answered Questions

What lead to write this book?

Shawn Hartje The topsy-turvy times we live in were a huge catalyst. I think what's happening to American society is good, meaning that it is dynamic. In our presen…moreThe topsy-turvy times we live in were a huge catalyst. I think what's happening to American society is good, meaning that it is dynamic. In our present moment, real change looks crazy, dangerous, and evil, but in hindsight we'll see that chaos is necessary for a society to evolve, sort of how the weather evolves chaotically as it rolls across the land.

Please hear me out, and don't jump to any conclusions until you've read the entirety of what I have to say:

There's currently a negative focus on the white, straight male in American society. President Trump's victory owes much to disgruntled white males who were sick of being labeled 'bad' by popular culture. My hope is that Pipeliner's portrayal of a privileged white dude's puberty, warts and all, will open the door to empathy. I'm sure many people will scoff at that last sentence, but creating empathy (even for an entitled class) is better than dreaming up another reason to hate and blame straight white males for all the havoc they've caused over the years (which has been a LOT of havoc).

I'm not a fan of identity politics, but it's unfortunately the world we live in, and this phenomenon seems to be amplified within contemporary fiction. If I'm going to jump into this game, being a white guy from the midwest, I'm only going to be efficient at creating empathy for my own 'group.' Anyways, I dislike all this division and dissecting of our culture into 'groups,' that just leads to fighting. A better way to examine people is to view our actions as a response to the patterns that influence us.

So... my hope is that writing a super-realistic novel that doesn't try to moralize everything about a white-guy's coming of age will help to reveal these patterns as forces of nature that we may or may not have control over. Looking at people as simply responding to powerful and mostly undefined forces of nature, as opposed to a bunch of groups responding to other groups' oppression or aggression, helps to bring on empathy between people from all different backgrounds in a huge way. Metaphysics anyone? (less)

flag

like
Comment

What’s the best thing about being a writer?

Shawn Hartje Spending so much time in fake people's heads gives you a new perspective on what happens in your own. Just remember, it's all in your head!…moreSpending so much time in fake people's heads gives you a new perspective on what happens in your own. Just remember, it's all in your head!(less)

flag

like
Comment

See all 6 answers from Shawn Hartje…

Combine Editions
Shawn Hartje’s books

Average rating: 3.53 · 140 ratings · 58 reviews · 2 distinct works • Similar authors

	Pipeliner: A 90s Love Story 3.56 avg rating — 102 ratings — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Feather Falls: Golden State Stories 3.45 avg rating — 38 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

1 post
Shawn Hartje's Blog

The Power of a ‘Like’ for Authors

Hello, wonderful readers and followers!

I want to talk about something that makes a huge difference to authors like me: reviews on Goodreads.

Recently, I've noticed that the 'Most Popular' review on my book's page is a one-word comment that doesn't reflect the thoughtful discussions most of you have had about the story.

As many of you know, this platform is a vital place for readers to discover their Read more of this blog post »

1 like · Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on October 12, 2025 12:37 • Tags: book-reviews, reader-support, writing-community

rss
Shawn’s Recent Updates

Shawn Hartje liked Theo Polo's review of Pipeliner: A 90s Love Story: "Really enjoyed narrating this story and spending time with its diverse cast of characters. The throes of teenage drama, first love, and self-discovery combined with the nostalgia of 90s-era living resonated with my own years of coming of age in Portl" Read more of this review »
Nov 03, 2025 11:18AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Pipeliner by Shawn Hartje. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Pipeliner by Shawn Hartje <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Shawn Hartje and 1 other person liked Linda Shantz's review of Pipeliner: A 90s Love Story: "This was a great YA coming-of-age story, from the unique perspective of a teenage boy. It had an interesting assortment of characters and a raw honesty to it. I listened to the audiobook, and especially love the way music was included toward the end." Read more of this review »
Oct 31, 2025 10:43AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Pipeliner by Shawn Hartje. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Pipeliner by Shawn Hartje <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Shawn Hartje liked Cindi's review of Pipeliner: A 90s Love Story: "Thank you to the author, narrator, publisher and Net Galley for providing an ALC. I was a teenager in the 1990's. Ah, the good old days! I was so excited about this book! And overall, I did enjoy it, there were some really good parts, but nothing that" Read more of this review »
Oct 14, 2025 02:55PM · see review
Shawn Hartje made a comment in the group Goodreads Librarians Group — Please Add Award topic " My book is a Hoffer Award 2025 Category Finalist: https://hofferaward.com/Eric-Hoffer-A... Please Add to my GR parent page: https://www.goodreads.com/b ...more "
Oct 11, 2025 10:51AM
Shawn Hartje joined the group Goodreads Librarians Group
Oct 11, 2025 10:36AM · like
Shawn Hartje and 2 other people liked Indra 's review of Pipeliner: "Thank you so much to the author for the gifted copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. There’s something about reading a book set in your home state that feels like stumbling across your own reflection in a crowd. Pipeliner captures the du" Read more of this review »
Aug 18, 2025 10:46AM · see review
Shawn Hartje is now following Annika and IndieAuthorShowcase
May 22, 2025 01:41PM
Shawn Hartje rated a book liked it The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 07, 2025 11:05AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Shawn Hartje rated a book liked it Another Roadside Attraction by Tom Robbins	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 07, 2025 11:05AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Another Roadside Attraction by Tom Robbins. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Another Roadside Attraction by Tom Robbins <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">