Welcome to episode 13 of Turn the Page: The Indie Book Podcast.
In this episode, I'm joined by Shana Frost, author of romantic suspense novels including the Aileen and Callan Murder Mystery series. Shana shares her journey from being a management accountant in India to writing gripping mysteries set in Glasgow and the Scottish Highlands. Tune in to hear about her creative process, why diversity and found family themes resonate in her work, and her love for blending suspense with romance. Plus, Shana shares an update on what she's working on right now, which of her characters she'd love to take on a romantic weekend away, and her top 3 indie author recommendations. Listen Here:Show Notes:Read the transcript:
Kay M. Weston (she/her): Welcome to episode 13 of Turn the Page: The Indie Book Podcast.
Today, I'm joined by Shana Frost. Shana Frost writes romantic mysteries as dramatic as the Scottish Highlands that inspire her. In every book, Shana shares the values she truly believes in: hope, justice, and love. Throughout her novels, you'll encounter a variety of characters all sharing their unique stories. Always infused with a wee dram of the Scottish landscape and culture, Shana's stories take readers from Glasgow's gritty streets to the enigmatic Highlands. She promises that when reading her stories, you'll be at the edge of your seat, falling deeper in love with the characters. Okay, so to get us started then, can you introduce yourself to our listeners, tell us a bit about your journey as a writer, and what your books are all about? Shana Frost: I'm Shana Frost. I write romantic suspense books that are based in Scotland. As you can hear from my voice, I'm not from Scotland, I'm from India. But Glasgow, which is in Scotland, is my adopted home. So, I'm enamoured by this country, and I write books that are based here. The three things you will always find in my books are romance, suspense, and Scotland. So, my books are based around those three things. They always have a message of hope at the end, and you'll find found family as a very common theme in the books as well. So, that's me and that's what I write. I have around seven books in a series called the Aileen and Callan Murder Mystery Series, which are romantic mysteries based in a small town in the Northwestern Highlands. Now, I'm writing a romantic suspense book that is based in Glasgow, which is where I stay, and I'm quite excited by this new series because it's all going to be based in Glasgow, and particularly in a place in Glasgow called the Merchant City area. So, that's what I'm doing. Kay M. Weston (she/her): So, let's just go back to moving from India to Scotland, first of all. Obviously, that must have been such a big cultural shift for you. So, what was that experience like and how has it shaped your writing? Shana Frost: So, I actually moved here to do a master's in creative writing, and I was kind of daunted by the prospect of moving, not just to another country, but to do a master's, because it was that I had to actually perform, because I hadn't ever studied in the arts before. I am actually a management accountant by profession. So, it was the shift of my brain going from numbers to words, and it was a big difference for me, that shift. And I was a bit scared because, I mean, you're moving to another country, you don't know anybody in this new place, but what I found Glasgow to be was a very, very welcoming place. People are really friendly and everyone's always up to having a good chat with you. So, I instantly, once I moved, it was like, this is amazing, and I've not actually left the city since then. Kay M. Weston (she/her): So, is it the people of Scotland that have sort of influenced your stories as well then? Shana Frost: It is. So, initially it was just that I had visited Scotland in 2015, and I fell in love with the place. So, it was actually the place and the scenery and the history that actually got me interested. But since I've moved, it's been the Glaswegian people who have made me think about society and how people can be friendly, despite you being from different backgrounds. So, that's what inspires me to write the books that I'm writing today. Kay M. Weston (she/her): That's great. So, I take it you enjoy words more than the numbers? Shana Frost: Oh, definitely. I think I finished my professional degree, and I said, that's enough. I think I'm done. Kay M. Weston (she/her): I've had enough of numbers, I don't want to see them again. Yeah, I suppose that's the only downside of being an indie author though, is you still have to do the numbers. Shana Frost: Yes, I think so, yeah. I mean, it's a nice way to use my business brain, but then keep it at the door and go back to writing. So, it feels like a good balance here. Kay M. Weston (she/her): Yeah, it's a good point. So, obviously your first series is set in the Scottish Highlands, but you moved to Glasgow. What made you choose the Highlands for the first series? Shana Frost: It was just the scenery and the beauty of the place, and it kind of felt like it was far away for me to imagine. So, even in the highlands, the entire series is based in a fictional town called Loch Fuar. Because I was in India at that time and I was imagining these things, and I wasn't really sure how things happened on a day-to-day basis in the highlands, but I felt it was a nice faraway place to write a series in, but not something that's actually real and tangible for people to compare. Kay M. Weston (she/her): So, do you think now that you've moved to Scotland, has your perspective changed and does that offer a unique perspective for readers of your books as someone who has moved? Shana Frost: Actually, yes. Can I tell you a small story? Kay M. Weston (she/her): Absolutely. Shana Frost: Yeah. So, actually, when I was doing my master's, we had to do a dissertation novel, and I decided to do the next book in my previous series. But my supervisor said that he wanted me to write something new, and because when I had first moved, I decided I want to learn more about writing romantic suspense and romantic stories. So, he told me, write a new book. These two characters had come to mind, and I thought, okay, I'll do that, and I'll base them in Glasgow. But what I had noticed is this new series is much grittier. It's much more, I'm hoping, colloquially correct. When I was writing books that were based in the Highlands, it was a sort of romantic view of life in Scotland, so it was much more mellow, there weren't many curse words in it. People were good to each other; it was a cozy vibe that I was writing in. But since I've moved to Glasgow, I feel it's a quilt of people from different backgrounds, the way they speak, the way they behave, the way they are, and I wanted to show that in my books. Because Glasgow is not just another city that is cozy. I mean, it's one of the friendliest cities in the world, but at one point it was also the murder capital of Europe. When I heard that, I was like, this is interesting because I feel that's what Glasgow is like. So, I wanted to get that in the book. So, this new series that I've written after I've moved is much grittier, it's darker, and it's got good curse words in it. It's the dark side of life and also the good side of life that I've tried in these books. Kay M. Weston (she/her): That's brilliant. So, your books, as you've mentioned, combine romance and murder mystery, suspense. What inspired you to blend those genres together and not just, sort of, stick to one path? Shana Frost: As a child, I used to love reading Nancy Drews and Hardy Boys and then moved on to Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes. Then when I was a teenager, I found romance as a genre, and I thought, oh, this is fun. So, then I read a lot of Nora Roberts and so many indie books in that area, and it wasn't until I think 2019 that I found a romantic suspense book, and I thought this is incredible because it's mixing my two favourite genres in every single book. So, I've been hooked onto it ever since. The other day, my friend told me that if she ever thought of buying a book for me, it's going to be impossible because she doesn't know anything about the genre, but that's all I read. Kay M. Weston (she/her): That's great. You mentioned earlier that diversity is quite important for you and found family as a big theme in your characters and in your books, why is it important to you to represent, not just found family, but also a diverse, wide range of characters and experiences? Shana Frost: I think as a person who is from India, who has moved to Glasgow, I feel like I have a perspective on the life here that is different from somebody who's grown up here. So, my friend group here, for example, is really diverse and varied. They're from different parts of the world, and at the face of it, we might not have many things in common, but when we start talking about books or writing, it's all the same because we blend together like that, and I feel found family, sometimes people think is people who are similar that they come together, but I found that diversity because that's our society today. It's so diverse, brings together a nice melting pot and a good cultural mix of ideas that I'm really fascinated by. So, I like to write people who are different, who are diverse, and who might not actually find themselves in society per se or in media, and think that they're different. So, I'm giving them a voice in a way. Kay M. Weston (she/her): That's lovely. I mean, at the end of the day, life isn't black and white, people aren't all the same, so I absolutely love diversity in everything I read. So, that's great. That's brilliant. So, just before I move on to the next question, just could you give us a brief overview of the first book in your Highlands series, just to give people an idea of what they're getting into if they start that series? Shana Frost: Sure. So, the book starts with an amateur sleuth called Aileen McKinnon, who has ditched her life in Glasgow and moved to the Highlands. So, she used to be a forensic accountant, and she's sick of that job and she's moved to the Highlands to run her grandmother's inn. So, she moves there, she finds that the inn is in absolute mess. She gets the inn done up and then has guests coming over, until one guest drops dead. So, she's having a fledgling inn on her hands and a murder that has happened in the inn, and she thinks that if the local detective inspector doesn't do a good job, this will be the end of her life in the Highlands. So, she gets involved, the detective inspector is not happy with her, but he's a hot hunk, and sparks fly immediately, whether they're angry sparks or romantic sparks, that is for people to judge. Kay M. Weston (she/her): Okay, brilliant. I'm assuming that relationship sort of develops over the course of the series or maybe changes in different ways? Shana Frost: Yes, so they start off as enemies, then they become sort of friends and partners that barely tolerate each other, and then they fall head over heels with each other. So yeah, that's what it is. Kay M. Weston (she/her): That's lovely. I love that you have sort of that iconic romantic setup, especially with the whole moving to a different place, starting a rundown inn, and it starts off with that beautiful, cozy fantasy feel, and then straight away, murder, dead bodies, and I love that, that's such a great twist. There are definitely parallels between you and the main character, I see, also. Shana Frost: Yes, a lot of them, yeah. I think my mum was reading the sixth book in the series where her parents come to visit her, and my mum told me, is this how you feel when we visit you? Kay M. Weston (she/her): I take it that the character wasn't best impressed when the parents came to visit? Shana Frost: Probably should have said that. Yeah, no, she wasn't. Kay M. Weston (she/her): Okay, fantastic. So, obviously you're an indie author. What drew you then to indie publishing in the first place, and what has that journey been like for you? Shana Frost: I actually started writing blogs when I was 13 and publishing them on my own website. So, when I graduated to writing novels, I never actually thought about going trade published. Indie was the word for me, so I started doing research on Indie publishing and I loved it more and more. Like I said, it blends my business brain with my creative brain, so it's a really nice setup for me, and so that was one of the reasons why I went indie. The other reason why I really like indie is because of the control, and the direct communication I can have with my readers, because I hear what they say, and I put that in my books, or I remove that from my books, and I like that dialogue between me and my readers that's always there for me, which I don't think I would have had if I had gone trade published. Kay M. Weston (she/her): Yeah, so reader feedback's just really crucial to the way that you do things? Shana Frost: Yes, it is. It's more than feedback, it's their encouragement. If they enjoy something, I feel like I should write more, because when I don't have that, I just stop writing. So, for me, it's my muse in a way. Kay M. Weston (she/her): And how have you found indie publishing from the get-go then? So, a lot of people look at different options and they realize that indie publishing is the best option for them or something else, but obviously you never even considered traditional publishing in the first place. So, how have you found it sort of getting the word out about your books and marketing them, which is usually the hardest thing as well, isn't it, to do? Shana Frost: Yes, marketing is a really hard game. I feel it is a game because it's always changing and you never know what will work, what will not work. So, marketing is one of the challenges that I face, but I still would take that challenge over anything else that I would have in the trade publishing world, because as we see in ALLi, for example, people do get deals, but it's still up to them to do the marketing and you don't have many things under your own control. So, for me, marketing is just another extension of creativity because you're writing this book, you know this book from the inside out, and then you have to communicate why somebody would want to read that book. So, I just feel that that's just the same stream, in a way, it's not something that's different, if that makes sense. Kay M. Weston (she/her): Yeah, no, that makes perfect sense. You mentioned there, ALLi, which for anyone who doesn't know, is the Alliance of Independent Authors. What is it you do at ALLi, Shana? Can you let people know? Shana Frost: I am the publications manager for ALLi. So, I take care of all the books that we publish for authors and for indie authors specifically. So, books like marketing, how to get reviews, promotion books, creative self-publishing. That's what I work on, on a day-to-day basis, for ALLi. Kay M. Weston (she/her): Brilliant. So, supporting indies as well as being one yourself. Shana Frost: Yes. Kay M. Weston (she/her): And obviously indie publishing has given you an opportunity recently. You did a Kickstarter campaign for your last book in your Highland series. That was a great success, I believe, and it was obviously a huge achievement. So, what motivated you to try crowdfunding in the first place, and what lessons did you sort of learn along the way? Shana Frost: Crowdfunding has become a big thing for authors, and I wanted to give it a shot to see how things happen. I also wanted to create a beautiful book in this series that I'm writing, because it was the seventh book in the series, and it's the penultimate book. So, I had this idea of doing beautiful illustrations and putting together a lovely special edition. So, it was an experiment, this Kickstarter, to see how my readers would react and how I would be able to handle the whole situation. So, it was really fun. It was successful, but it was a lot of work for the three weeks. So, at the end of the three weeks, I was absolutely tired, and I'm still doing the fulfilment. So, while it was a big success, personally for me, I'm not sure I would do another Kickstarter. But it was a good experience, I think, in seeing how I can speak to my readers and which of my readers were really interested in what I was offering. Kay M. Weston (she/her): Yeah, and, I mean, it was an absolutely lovely book. I would recommend everyone to go and have a look at it at least because it's gorgeous. Shana Frost: Thanks so much. Kay M. Weston (she/her): It is one of those things, isn't it, Kickstarter? I mean, I've only released, as you know, just like a tiny, tiny little collection, but I keep looking at Kickstarter thinking, I just want a beautiful, pretty version of my book. So, I keep looking at it and thinking, would anyone buy this? Shana Frost: Yeah, I think going into Kickstarter, it's very important that you have a different goal than just the funding goal. For me, I wanted to see, first of all, how it worked. Secondly, to see how the response would be and if people would be interested. So, people were interested, and the response was great, but I didn't notice how much work would be behind it, and how much time it would take, you know, energy wise put into it. So, it kind of took away from the actual creative side of things for me a bit more. So, it was a lot of marketing, a lot of promotion, but I was spending time doing that more than just writing. So, it didn't work that way. Kay M. Weston (she/her): Yeah, it's a good lesson learned though. Shana Frost: Yes, definitely, yeah. It's one of the things in indie publishing, you need to keep trying, but some things will work, some things won't. So, then you pivot. So, it's always a fun, interesting way to publish, I think. Kay M. Weston (she/her): Yeah, and the beauty of it is, as you say, at the moment, you say, oh, I don't think I'll do it again. You never know. In future, you might think, actually, for this particular book or this particular thing, I really want to do it again. So, it may come back. Shana Frost: Yeah, this time next year, I think I'll be like singing praises for the Kickstarter. Kay M. Weston (she/her): Definitely. So, just a fun question, just quickly. If you could take any one of your characters on a sort of camping weekend tour around the Scottish Highlands, who would you choose and why, and where would you take them? Shana Frost: Ooh, I would take Callan on a date 'cause he's a hot hunk, as I like to say, and also, I think he'll be better equipped to survive the weather outside, 'cause I have no camping experience. I would like to go to the Outer Hebrides if possible. It's a beautiful place there, but I've actually never been, so maybe the Isle of Tiree or something. Maybe not right now, maybe in the summer would be a better time. Kay M. Weston (she/her): It's on my bucket list, actually. I want to go whale watching there because it's meant to be amazing. But yeah, so you've written yourself a book boyfriend, is what you've done. So, okay. Can you recommend three indie books for our readers? I'm always trying to promote other authors as well on here, so that would be awesome. Shana Frost: Oh, there are a lot of authors that I could pick from, but I would say my favourite indies are Tony Anderson, Rachel Grant, and Janie Crouch. They all write Romantic Suspense, they're all indies, and they do a great job. Kay M. Weston (she/her): That's brilliant. Thank you so much. Before we wrap up, can you share a little bit more about what's next for you? You mentioned you're working on your new series. Do you have any other upcoming projects or books as well that we should keep an eye out for? And just tell us a little bit more about what the first book in the new series is about. Shana Frost: Yes. So, my new series is a romantic suspense that is based in Glasgow. It's called Scottish Investigators Glasgow. This new book, the title of the book is Between the Lies. So, it's a story of a recently widowed police constable, Robert Mueller, who falls in love with his wife's killer. Yeah, it's a bit of a twist in there. So, that's what the premise is. The killer is a journalist called Nina Banerjee and she's from India, who's moved to Glasgow. She's been here for a while, and so she is suspected of killing this woman. So, that's the premise of that story. I'm also writing a novella in that same series called Strangers in Crime, which is also about a good cop and a criminal coming together and spending a night together and then dealing with the consequences of that. So, that's the new series. They're all going to be based in Glasgow. For this year, though, I'm also writing the last book in my Aileen and Callan series, which is based in the Highlands. It'll be the end of that series, so I'm assuming it's going to be an emotional roller coaster to ride that book. But it'll be fun to wrap it up and, you know, to say goodbye to those characters, in a way. So, that book is going to be released in July. This new series, Strangers in Crime and Between the Lies, the two books in this new series are going to be released on Valentine's Day and the next one on 28th of March, but that'll be on my website exclusively only. Kay M. Weston (she/her): Oh, brilliant. Just tell us what your website is so that everyone knows. Shana Frost: Yes, so it's shanafrost.com/betweenthelies, so if you just google that you'll find the book on the website. Kay M. Weston (she/her): That's great, and I'm loving the new parallels between you and your new main character, except I really hope that you aren't a murderer. Shana Frost: No, I'm not, even though my friends keep joking that I am. Kay M. Weston (she/her): Yeah, your web browser search history probably suggests that you are. Shana Frost: It's scary. Yeah, it's scary. I think there's just a part of you in each character and there's always parallels to be drawn. Kay M. Weston (she/her): Yes, definitely, and I love that yours are so unique as well. Like we talked about already, you've got that really unique perspective of someone who's moved countries, you've immersed yourself in this new culture, but also brought so much of your own, and I think it's really fascinating to get your perspective, and your worldview brought through these characters, that's great. Shana Frost: Yes, it's fun. It'll be fun. Kay M. Weston (she/her): So, you've already said that people can find you on your website. Could you let us know where we can find you on social as well? Shana Frost: I'm on Instagram at @shanafrostauthor. I keep my social media presence very small. So, if people want to get in touch with me, I'm happy to have a chat with them. If they can email me at [email protected], I'd love to talk to them. Kay M. Weston (she/her): That's great. Is there anything else you wanted to talk about that I haven't asked you? Shana Frost: Ooh, not really. This was fun though. Kay M. Weston (she/her): It has. It's been great fun. It's been really fun to have a catch up and it's been great to learn more about your books and your writing and everything else. So, that's amazing. Thank you so much for this. Shana Frost: Thanks so much for having me on. This has been amazing. It was really fun, yeah. Kay M. Weston (she/her): And if you ever want to come back on in future, you're very welcome. Shana Frost: I would love to. Kay M. Weston (she/her): All right. Have a great week and thank you again.
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