Author Spotlight - L.J. Shen
Ok so here's what we know about L.J. Shen. She writes some kick ass romances with bad ass alphas that you will absolutely hate to love but love to hate.
How did we discover L.J. Shen? Glad you asked....
About a year ago we were in what I would call a book funk from hell. Nothing was holding our interest and we just couldn't get into a book. We were dying for something that had an Alpha and if he was a jerk then we were sold, because we love our Alpha Asshole men.
We even posted an SOS on our facebook page that day saying we were looking for recommendations. Well the book gods answered our call, it was like fate. I synced my kindle that day and Vicious appeared.
We had never read anything by L.J. before but that cover HOT DAYUMMM that cover we just knew that we would love this book and boy did we ever.
Vicious ending up becoming an Amazon best seller and all over our newsfeed it was Vicious Vicious Vicious and with very good reason.
Immediately we wanted to know who is L.J. Shen was so as we like to do from time to time we started stalking her on social media. We exchanged a few messages with her and discovered that L.J. Shen was one of the sweetest, most humble and kind people we have ever met. Easy to talk too and just a complete sweetheart. I"m not kidding she is absolutely awesome and we fell in love not only with her books but with her as a person. She became one of our insta one click authors and we haven't looked back.
We reached out to L.J. when we decided to do this article and asked if she would be willing to do a Q&A. Of course she said yes because that is just the kind of person she is.
Q: Tell us about yourself in one sentence?
A: A black-hearted good-doer who loves chocolate, books, wine and people (most of them, anyway)
Q: How long does it take you to write start to finish?
A: Typically six months, then I let it sit/edit it for another two.
Q: Do you have a release day tradition?
A: I down a whole bottle of wine over the course of the day. Also I “take the day off” i.e. have my husband stay at home and take care of the little one so I can stay glued to my computer. I envy authors who’re like “hey, I released a book and went out with friends.” Nope. I’m plugged to the monitor like my life depends on it.
Q: Would you date any of your characters from your books? And if so which one?
A: Dean from Ruckus, maybe. Even that’s debatable. I write bastards. I love them, but I can’t handle them. My heroines are a reflection of women I aspire (and try) to be. I’m not there yet, though.
Q: What project(s) do you have coming up that you are looking forward to?
A: Well, I’m super excited to give you Scandalous. I fell madly in love with Edie and Trent’s story. I like to take it one project at a time so not to get scattered, but since I’m done writing Scandalous, I’m toying with a new idea. It’s new and different and—at least in my opinion—pretty awesome.
Q: Out of the books you’ve written which one are you the closest to?
A: Gah! That’s a hard one. I really can’t choose. I’m extremely attached to all of my books. If I don’t feel the attachment, I throw the book to the trash without blinking. I recently threw a 80k word book to the bin because I couldn’t connect with the characters, but I love all of my books differently. Ruckus was emotionally exhausting to write, Vicious made me lose sleep and almost pop Xanax, Defy was super fun and made me feel high. Scandalous gave me the tingles. I can’t choose one. I really can’t.
Q: Do you have a writing ritual?
A: I make peppermint tea and turn off the lights. That’s it J
Q: If your characters got together for drinks, what kinds of things would they say about you?
A: That I’m an anal asshole and that they’re tired of me rewriting them over and over and over again.
Q: What’s your go to writing snack?
A: I don’t eat when I write. I’m in the zone and I’m completely focused, I hardly take a break to sip my tea. When I take breaks I like to snack on dates and dried coconut chips. A lot of the times I eat and drink what my characters like. When I wrote Sparrow I drank a ton of hot chocolate. Now, with Edie, I drink a lot of coconut water.
Q: What do you do when you hit a writer’s block?
A: I stop writing—this is mandatory, I don’t force it. I read books. Out-of-genre books, typically, to get the juices flowing. I love thrillers, mysteries, comedies, autobiographies and I am addicted to Bukowski and Fante, so I normally start there. I go on long walks and do some running with my favorite music plugged in. It really helps me think about the scenes and twists I want to write about.
Q: Do you do any in-depth research when you are writing a sex scene?
A: Not really. After I spend enough time writing a certain couple I just know what kind of sex they’d be into, and I write it. I do read A LOT of erotica to get inspiration though.
Q: What do you contribute most to your success?
A: I don’t cut corners. If I think my book is not good enough, it won’t see the light of day. Also—I’ve been blessed with the best readers and street team in the world, and have stumbled upon the best bloggers in the industry who are always happy to help me.
Q: Do you read on the toilet?
A: Nope. I go on Facebook. Keep that in mind next time we talk on messenger.
Q: What is the last book you read?
A: Desperately Seeking Epic. I really loved it.
Q: What’s the one thing piece of advice you would give yourself if you could go back
to when you first decided to start writing?
A: Don’t try to be like everyone else. None of us know what we’re doing, so you might as well do what your gut tells you.
Q: If you were to create a slogan for your life what would it be?
A: LJ Shen: (accidentally) fucking shit up since 1986.
Q: If you could ask your readers some questions what would you ask?
A: Why me?
So what book should you read from L.J. Shen. Well the answer is simple. ALL OF THEM !!!!!!!
We will break them down for you. To purchase these books just click on the cover.
Tyed
Meet Blaire An underachieving college student with zero prospects and a ton of issues (hey, being the less-successful twin of a gorgeous supermodel would totally do that to you). She doesn’t do bad boys. Actually, she doesn’t do boys, like, at all. Not that she’s a lesbian. And not that there’s anything wrong with being one. It’s just that…well…she kind of needs to focus on graduating from college right now. And she needs something from Ty. Badly. Meet Ty Mixed Martial artist, soon-to-be Welterweight champion of the Xtreme Warrior League and the hottest guy in the Bay Area. He’s cocky, arrogant and completely off-limits to anyone with more than three working brain cells…but dude, HAVE YOU SEEN HIS BUTT? On top of being a world-class player, Ty has a secret. And Blaire? She can barely even handle his truths. Life is about to throw a few knockout punches at both of them. Can they handle the pain?
Sparrow
Troy Brennan Every Southie in Boston knows that name. The son of a dead mobster. The heart-throb with steel-blue eyes. "The Fixer" who can make or break you in this city. Oh, and my new husband. Sparrow Raynes That's me. No one seemed to remember my name up until he barged into my life. But then he caged me. Kidnapped me. And killed every chance I had to run away from the place where we grew up. Put simply, Troy Brennan clipped my wings. I have dreams, big ones, but I doubt he'll ever let me chase them. I have no idea why he decided to take me as his wife. But I do know this: pissing off this man will not do me any good. At all.
Blood To Dust
His name is Beat, and I should hate him. Bound, blindfolded and bruised, I'm tied in his basement, waiting for the men who stripped me from clothes and humanity to collect his debt to them. Me. His name is Nate and I should hate him, but I don't. I'm not supposed to know his real name, even worse, I'm not supposed to care. He is nothing to me but means to an end. The plan is simple: break free, collect the pieces of my broken soul, kill the bastards and run away. His name is Nathaniel Thomas Vela, and I've never seen his face, though I hear that it's beautiful. Behind the rugged and handsome exterior, there's a quiet murderer, a killer who thinks guns are for pussies and ends people with his bare hands. His name doesn't matter, neither does his face, but what does matter is my heart. And right now, sadly, it's his.
Vicious (Sinners of Saint)
Emilia They say love and hate are the same feelings experienced under different circumstances, and it’s true. The man who comes to me in my dreams also haunts me in my nightmares. He is a brilliant lawyer. A skilled criminal. A beautiful liar. A bully and a savior, a monster and a lover. Ten years ago, he made me run away from the small town where we lived. Now, he came for me in New York, and he isn’t leaving until he takes me with him. Vicious She is a starving artist. Pretty and evasive like cherry blossom. Ten years ago, she barged into my life unannounced and turned everything upside down. She paid the price. Emilia LeBlanc is completely off-limits, my best friend’s ex-girlfriend. The woman who knows my darkest secret, and the daughter of the cheap Help we hired to take care of our estate. That should deter me from chasing her, but it doesn’t. So she hates me. Big fucking deal. She better get used to me.
Defy (Sinners of Saint)
My name is Melody Greene, and I have a confession to make. I slept with my student, a senior in high school. Multiple times. I had multiple orgasms. In multiple positions. I slept with my student and I enjoyed it. I slept with my student and I’d do it all over again if I could turn back time. My name is Melody Greene, and I got kicked out of my position as a teacher and did my walk of shame a la Cersei Lannister from the principal’s office, minutes after said principal threatened to call the cops on me. My name is Melody Greene, and I did something bad because it made me feel good. Here is why it was totally worth it.
Ruckus (Sinners of Saint Book 3)
Rosie They say that life is a beautiful lie and death a painful truth. They're right. No one has ever made me feel more alive than the guy who serves as a constant reminder that my clock is ticking. He is my forbidden, shiny apple. The striking fallacy to my blunt, raw, truth. He is also my sister's ex-boyfriend. One thing you should know before you judge me; I saw him first. I craved him first. I loved him first. Eleven years later, he waltzed into my life, demanding a second chance. Dean Cole wants to be my bronze horseman. My white knight has finally arrived. Hopefully, he isn’t too late. Dean They say the brightest stars burn out the fastest. They’re right. She sets my mind on fire. All smart mouth, snarky attitude and a huge heart. In a world where everything is dull, she shines like Sirius. Eleven years ago, fate tore us apart. This time, I dare it to try. Getting to her is a battlefield, but man, that’s why they call me Ruckus. Rosie LeBlanc is about to find out how hard I can fight. And conquering her will be the sweetest victory.
About L.J. Shen
L.J. Shen is a #1 Best-selling author of contemporary and YA romance. Her books are translated into several languages. She lives in California with her husband and son, and enjoys good wine, bad reality TV shows and catching sun rays with her lazy cat.
Where to stalk L.J. Shen
Well personal experience tells us that L.J. loves being "stalked". She is open to her readers and loves to engage with them so you definitely want to partake in the goodness that is L.J Shen and we would love to show you just how to do that. Here are just some of the places that we stalk her on the regular.
So there you have it folks. L.J. Shen who became one of our fav authors the second we read her book Vicious. We absolutely can't wait for her next book in the Sinners of Saint series because everything this woman writes has sucked us in and made us go completely crazy for her. If you haven't read anything from her then we suggest you get on it stat. You won't regret it.
So go....
Now.....
Seriously what are you waiting for...