Shanta Everington

I have always been good at maths. You know where you are with maths. Maths is easy, maths is safe. One plus one equals two.  There are no other possible answers.  I knew how to teacher-please by getting my sums right.

I haven’t always been good at writing.  Or have I?  Writing is risky, writing is scary.  You open yourself up to scrutiny and judgment.  There are so many possibilities.  I never knew whether I would receive a shiny gold star or ’please try harder’.

So... I nearly ended up as a maths teacher.  But... I escaped.  Instead, I worked in community care and ran a helpline for teenagers before allowing myself to believe I could write something worth reading. 

I wrote secretly for a long time.  I wrote for myself.  I still do but now I also write to share part of myself with others.  I write to explore my fascination with human nature.  I write about things that bug me and refuse to go away.  I write because I can’t not.

CV:

I have a First Class Honours degree in Education from Anglia Ruskin University (1995) and an MA in Creative Writing with Distinction from Manchester Metropolitan University Writing School (2006).  

My debut novel, Marilyn and Me, evolved throughout the course and was published in 2007. Give Me a Sign, my first novel for young adults, followed in 2008.  I’ve also had some poetry, life writing pieces and educational resources published and been involved in numerous charity publications.

I’m currently an associate lecturer in creative writing with The Open University and deputy editor of a charity journal for disabled parents.  I live in East London with my husband and son and combine writing with motherhood and earning a living. I’m represented by Eve White, Literary Agent.

For regular updates on what I’m up to, follow my blog musings on writing, getting published and surviving on four hours sleep a night.