Indiana fantasy author finds real-life success with passion

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) - An urge to start writing again hit Shelby Mahurin shortly after giving birth to her second child.

She loved to write, ever since elementary school. She was so prolific that her dad collected all her school-age writings. Eventually, Mahurin started writing a book while in college, but homework and busy class schedules stalled it. Marriage and children came, too.

Then, in a moment of quiet time, her motivation to write rekindled.

'œI adore my children, I really do, but motherhood tends to consume our identities as women, and I looked around one day and realized I had very few passions outside of my kids,'ť Mahurin recalled earlier this month. 'œI spent time changing diapers, washing bottles and doing laundry - also snuggling babies, which made it all worthwhile - but I needed something for myself. I started writing '~Serpent & Dove' that night.'ť

Three years later, Mahurin's fantasy romance novel reached No. 2 on the New York Times Best Sellers List in the young-adult hardcover fiction category. She has a contract with a major, global publisher, HarperCollins. The deal calls for her to write a sequel, 'œBlood & Honey,'ť likely to hit bookshelves in autumn of 2020. She and her husband, R.J., are raising three young kids at their Parke County home. So, she writes while the youngsters nap, attend preschool or get babysat by her mother or a friend. Tours to promote her book happen, too.

That life may seem as fantastical as her popular new novel, but it's quite real for this 27-year-old woman who was born in Terre Haute and grew up on a Parke County family farm.

The story within the 528 pages of 'œSerpent & Dove'ť features a setting far different from Parke County's winding rural roads, covered bridges and farms. It happens in a world inspired by French history, with a sharp-tongued witch in hiding forced into a marriage to a determined witch hunter. Surrounded by danger, trickery and the threat of burning at the stake, the improbable couple of Louis le Blanc (the young witch) and Reid Diggory (the huntsman) develop passionate feelings for each other.

Another best-selling author of fantasy novels, Sarah J. Maas, called Mahurin's book 'œa brilliant debut, full of everything I love - a sparkling and fully realized heroine, an intricate and deadly system of magic, and a searing romance that kept me reading long into the night.'ť

So how does a young woman from the Indiana countryside craft such a spellbinding tale of old European intrigue? Mahurin's answer is simple - by reading.

'œI read voraciously. It's the only way to hone your craft as a writer,'ť she said via email. (That was the only interview avenue, given her busy schedule.)

'œFantasy has always been a favorite genre of mine,'ť Mahurin added, 'œso I'm familiar with magical worlds and their rules, hard versus soft systems, common tropes, etc.'ť

The inspiration for 'œSerpent & Dove'ť came while she watched an episode of 'œThe Outlander,'ť a time travel television series. One character referred to another as 'œla dame blanche,'ť meaning the infamous women dressed in white from French folklore.

'œThese women were either spirits who lured men under bridges to drown them, or they were witches,'ť Mahurn explained. 'œI chose to write a story about the latter.'ť

The resulting book impressed but didn't surprise Mahurin's lifelong friend, Meghan Bridge. As young girls, they rode to Turkey Run Elementary School together in a van driven by Bridge's mother. 'œShelby would read her short stories and poems to my mom from the back of the van,'ť Bridge said. 'œSo, at a very early age, you could tell Shelby had a passion for writing.'ť

Bridge read 'œSerpent & Dove'ť in its early development, when Mahurin posted one chapter a week on Wattpad, an online community for writers in late 2017. Readers on that forum, such as Bridge, encouraged Mahurin to get 'œSerpent & Dove'ť published. Until that point, 'œI didn't have any expectation to publish. It was just for me,'ť Mahurin said.

Later, Bridge also read the book as a rough-draft manuscript and in its finished form. A fan of young-adult fantasy novels herself, Bridge said the quality of 'œSerpent & Dove'ť left her unable to read other books for awhile, because they couldn't match its interest level.

'œI enjoyed the way she wrote. I enjoyed her characters. I enjoyed how funny her main character was, as a tough girl,'ť said Bridge, who now teaches at Turkey Run Elementary.

Jeff Thompson caught a glimpse of Mahurin's writing abilities several years before 'œSerpent & Dove.'ť Thompson coached Turkey Run High School's girls basketball team, which included Mahurin (then Shelby Davies) from 2008 to 2011. While Mahurin's on-court talents, especially on defense, helped the Warriors reach the Class A state championship game her senior year, she excelled academically, too.

As valedictorian of her class, Mahurin received the Patricia L. Roy Mental Attitude Award at the state finals. At one point, Mahurin also asked Thompson, her math teacher as well as her coach, to read a sample of her creative writing. 'œShe said she always wanted to be a writer,'ť he said. That writing sample showed Thompson that this 'œstrong-willed and driven'ť young woman was on the right track.

'œFor anybody that knows her, it's no surprise the success she's had as a writer,'ť said Thompson, now teaching at Parke Heritage High School, a consolidation of Turkey Run and Rockville high schools.

The appeal of 'œSerpent & Dove'ť includes Lou, its flawed, 'œantihero'ť protagonist. Mahurin describes her as crass, wild and irreverent - the polar opposite of reverent, prim and disciplined Reid. 'œTheir scenes together were my absolute favorite to write,'ť Mahurin said.

Readers feel the same, apparently. HarperCollins released the book through its HarperTeen division this past Sept. 3. By Sept. 22, it vaulted into the second spot on the New York Times Best Sellers young-adult fiction chart. Mahurin learned of that prestigious ranking while on a book tour with three other authors, all scrambling to get to a promotional event after a flight delay. On a car ride to the site, Mahurin received the news in a text from her agent. Calls from her editor and publicist followed. 'œIt was very much a whirlwind,'ť she said.

Mahurin's fellow authors insisted they celebrate with a glass of champagne afterward.

'œIt was perfect. Honestly, I still can't believe it happened,'ť Mahurin said. 'œAs an author, so much of my success is out of my control - I can't force people to like my book - that I hadn't even allowed myself to imagine anything like this. It's surreal.'ť

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Source: Tribune-Star___Information from: Tribune-Star, http://www.tribstar.com