Shelley Tougas
I have a few titles: mom, wife, reader, teacher, speaker. Zombie hunter and Jedi Knight are only part-time gigs.
Most importantly, I’m a writer.
I wrote my first book at age seven, and my friend did the illustrations. Mom threw away A Robin Lays an Egg in a cleaning frenzy. My first publishing heartache.
After college, I worked as a journalist. Reporting taught me character, plot, voice, and how to write 15 inches of copy in 15 minutes. I wrote about strange people in absurd situations. Journalism is my training ground for fiction and my perspective on life. I’m thankful for every moment in that newsroom.
The Free Press, my writing boot camp.
Then I jumped into public relations and eventually quit to write full time. Sometimes the decision felt like a terrifying free fall. But persistence pays.
I kept writing, and eventually companies published my work. Then nice people gave me some awards and honors. Then a lovely agent agreed to be my publishing partner.
Finders Keepers, my second novel, was released Sept. 1 and joins The Graham Cracker Plot on bookshelves.
My new novel A Patron Saint for Junior Bridesmaids will be out Oct. 1. Check back for more information about giveaways and upcoming appearances.
You can contact me at shelleytougas [at] gmail [dot] com.
shelley tougas 
Dear Ms. Tougas,
My human sister Sophie would like to mail you a fan letter. She just read your book Finders Keepers and loved it. Do you have an address where she can send you snail mail?
From, Boomerang
PS. I’m a chocolate brown Labradoodle. Just some extra info.
PPS. Sophie also types my blog for me. Just some extra, extra info.
Say hello to Sophie and let her know she can contact me at shelleytougas@gmail.com. Thanks!
The part about your first publishing heartache due to your mom throwing away your first book at age 7, A Robin Lays an Egg m, during a cleaning frenzy cracked me up.
I wasn’t in any way laughing at your heartache, of course, but because it sounded so much like my own childhood. I too started writing books very young and was always having to rescue my creations from a cleaning frenzy mom who was always throwing things away. A few of my masterpieces were also lost so I feel the pain. 😅