Necé and Co. Creative Profile: Author Shannon Spruill
Embark on a personal journey with Shannon Spruill. Tribulation to Victory: A Queen is Born tells, shares and explores self-discovery, trials, tribulations and triumphs. This is a true story about devastation, loss and courage. Although her mirror shatters, she diligently and remarkably repairs it, gluing her life back together. Take an intimate tour of hope, faith, love and redemption with Shannon as your guide.
Thinking about school was a reminder of just how ugly I felt. Children take to heart the things other children tell them. First grade, tall, and in the back of the line. Being at the end of line represented a negative image in my mind. My first desire was to be short because it seemed all the pretty girls were shorter than me. My second biggest desire was to belong. Belonging represented love and who would not want to be loved. I was never accepted into the cool groups. I was always on the outside looking in. The boys never hesitated to let me know just how ugly I was while being ignored by the girls. At an early age, I knew what it meant to be lonely. I developed low self-esteem and a need to belong allowed me to accept things I should not have tolerated. These emotions are a story that many have told, but understanding the depth of these feelings is a whole new story by itself. Many feel these are things that some children deal with, but as time goes by, they grow up and those issues disappear. Wrong-these are issues that can always be a part of your life, and can develop into other problems. At the age of 9, the mirror became my obsession. I would look in the mirror and I did not like what was staring back at me.
Shannon Spruill was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York but now resides in Buffalo, NY. She is a wife to Deacon Esau Spruill, Jr. and mother to three sons. Shannon graduated Suma Cum Laude from Bryant and Stratton College with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a master’s degree in Computer Information Systems from Boston University. She is an Account Representative at Ingram Micro, where she has been employed for 24 years. She is also a license life and health Insurance agent. Looking for a new road to travel, Shannon decided to pursue her lifelong desire to write her first book. She has always wanted to write fiction, but she felt she first had a story to tell.
Shannon’s first book was released December 1, 2010. “My Reflection in the Mirror” is a look at some personal demons that she had to overcome. She hoped by telling her story she would inspire and empower other women. October 4, 2013, Shannon lost her son, Brian in an automobile accident. This was a devastating tragedy but instead of sinking into a dark place, Shannon grieved and relied on her faith and trust in God. She began helping other parents that have lost a child. She started the Buffalo Chapter of Bereaved Parents of the USA. She also published her second book, “The Shattered Mirror: Picking up the Pieces.” This book was about how she copes with the death of her son. Because she felt that both these books were her personal testimony, she combined both books and published them as one. In 2018, she gave the book a face-lift with a new book cover and title: “Tribulation to Victory: Birth of a Queen.”
Shannon has several other books under her belt. She is also the CEO and Founder of SMS Write On Publishing, LLC and SMS Film & Media, LLC. Shannon is a former board member for the William-Emslie YMCA and Our Curls, Inc. She is also the convener of the Faith Missionary Baptist Church Women’s Christian Fellowship Ministry. In March 2018, she received the award, “Women Touching the World”, for her community work. With all of these responsibilities, writing remains one of her top priorities, second to serving God.
Tell us more about your latest release”?
I choose to instead talk about an older release because I try to tell my story every chance I get. I write suspense thrillers but I had a personal story that needed to be told before I could move on. My book “Tribulation to Victory: Birth of a Queen” is my story. I had to deal with physical and mental health issues but most importantly I had to learn to love myself. I take my readers on my journey of self discovery with the hope of inspiring and empowering other women experiencing similar traumas.
Emotionally, what was the most challenging part of writing this book?
Reliving the experiences and the death of my son. I did a lot of crying and praying while writing this book. At times, I had to put the book aside because I could not write anymore. But I was determined to complete this story because I felt and knew it would be a blessing to someone.
Tell us more about your characters in this book?
Because this is a non-fiction and my story — I am the character of this book :). I am a servant of God. I love people and I am very creative. Of course, I love to write :)
Most importantly, I am genuine — no additives.
Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?
My mind can be a dangerous thing — Lol. Most of my ideas just come to me naturally. I get an overall story idea and the process begins as I outline and pull it together.
How did you create the characters?
As I build out my story, I create my characters based on the personalities that I need to make the story work. That is usually the easy part for me. Because I write suspense thrillers, I am more focused on making my stories a true edge of your seat drama.
What made you put pen to paper and write a book?
I have been writing since I was a young child. Honestly, after the death of my son, I decided life was too short and I will not let the things I wanted to do pass me by. No regrets. And I always wanted to write.
Are they based on real people?
My suspense thrillers are not based on real people — they are all fictitious but their personalities are relatable.
