Shannon Vannatter, New Office and New Book Giveaway

 

Shannon Taylor Vannatter is a stay-at-home mom and pastor’s wife. Her debut novel won the 2011 Inspirational Readers’ Choice Award. When not writing, she runs circles in the care and feeding of her husband, their son, and church congregation. Home is a central Arkansas zoo with two charcoal gray cats, a chocolate lab, and three dachshunds in weenie dog heaven. If given the chance to clean house or write, she’d rather write. Her goal is to hire Alice from the Brady Bunch.

Over the years, my office has moved around a bit. I started with an old wooden desk we bought at a yard sale. It wasn’t pretty, but it was huge. It was in the front corner of our living room with my white wicker furniture.

After my husband answered the call to preach, we converted our den into a joint office for both of us. We painted the walls a dark sage green. He had lots of ships and I had seashells. I put up palm tree border to try to make our styles blend. I didn’t like it. It was too dark for me, but I did enjoy sharing an office with him creating sermons at his desk and me creating fictional characters at mine.

When my husband became a full time pastor, he started doing most of his sermons at the church. He didn’t really need a home office as much as he needed a place he could talk privately with church members seeking his counsel. So, we redid his office with all the dark manly things he likes. He calls it a den again—I call it a man cave. And I moved back into the front corner of our living room. He got me a new white desk for Christmas to go with my wicker. I painted my corner in pastel shades I like, put up seashell border, and cluttered it with gifts, family pictures, and books that inspire me.

 A few things in my office that inspire me: A blue sequin hat just like the one my heroine wears in my November release, Rodeo Queen. A cotton boll. My parents picked cotton when they were growing up. I’m thankful I didn’t. The ballerina that came off my ninth birthday cake. A Noah’s Ark music box statue that was in my son’s nursery. A picture of a seashore my mom got me before I was published. It says: Dreams When you find a dream inside your heart don’t ever let it go. . . for dreams are the tiny seeds from which tomorrows grow. . . I read that poem a lot during the years I was getting rejections. Now it’s a reminder that I achieved my dream. Question of the day: Do you have a talent, hobby, dream or occupation you devote an area of your house to? your house to?

Read below to see what Rodeo Regrets is about, and to be entered in for a chance to win a copy, leave a comment with your email addy by next Sunday evening, July 21st.

Rodeo Regrets: 

NATALIE WENTWORTH'S PAST IS ABOUT TO CATCH UP WITH HER

Natalie once dreamed of finding true love. Then Lane Gray broke her heart. After running wild to fill the emptiness inside her, she heads back to her hometown to heal. But when she sees the cowboy she once loved so much, she finds him hard to resist.
Lane Gray is a changed man. The handsome cowboy wants Natalie's forgiveness-and more. Natalie has made plenty of mistakes in her life, but so has Lane. Could falling for each other again be the worst one yet? Or the path to redemption?