Ang Shaef Writes

  I love writing dialogue and working to convey a character’s emotion.  Describing setting, on the other hand, is terribly difficult for me.  “Who cares?!” I sometimes think. Let’s get to the conflict.  When I groaned about my limited vocabulary, a teacher told me not to fret,  Ernest Hemingway kept it simple too. . I was thrilled when Liane Moriarty—one of my favorite authors—claimed  “I’m not good at describing landscapes,” and prefers writing about people’s personalities.  Same, Liane. Same. Thank you for the inspiration to keep going!

If you love tracking your books on Goodreads, like I do, enter to win a copy of  The Things They Didn's See! Link to enter below. Contest runs now until June 11. Clarion says: “heartrending” and “cathartic,”   “4 out of 5 stars.”  Kirkus says: “An affecting narrative about the  strength it takes to recover from tragedy,”  with the verdict, “Get It.”  Booklife : “...eloquent prose and deeply felt narrative captivates”  and “exquisitely crafted debut.”  "Editor's Pick" Goodreads Book Giveaway The Things They Didn't See by Angela Shaeffer Ends June 11, 2025.   Giveaway details at Goodreads. Click here to e nter

I'm holding my book in my hand -- something I've dreamed of my entire life! These are my Advance Reader Copies -- books I'm distributing for marketing purposes. Some I'm sending out for an upcoming virtual Book Tour. Others I'm giving away to people who have agreed to read ahead of time and leave a review. And also, books I can sign and give to many of the people who helped me on this journey.

Who will love The Things They Didn't See ? Mothers and fathers or anyone who has raised a child and second-guessed their parenting decisions.  Teenagers and everyone who remembers how challenging those years can be.  Especially grandparents who have learned to let go and just love.  And everyone who has been misunderstood by the people you love most,  but you keep trying, because family is everything.

 "Heartrending..." "Cathartic..." "...candor, stripped of sentimentality is written to let people's weaknesses unfurl.." Clarion (indie author division of Foreward) rated The Things They Didn't See  4 out of 5!

I'm so thrilled with the newest review: Kirkus awards The Things They Didn't See "Get It"

Summarizing a story you love is challenging. How do you sum up 95,000 words in less than 200? Fortunately I've been working on the summary for years --  first in class, than refining for pitches and queries, more tightening last fall for the "first" back cover, and then again recently for the final back cover.  Last month, when I was in New York helping with the new baby, many nights at the end of a great but inexplicably tiring day, (I should not have been the one who was tired!) I'd say goodnight and head back home ready to turn on the TV or fall into bed and read, but instead, I'd find I had a note from Manon at AuthorImprints suggesting changes. Thankfully she kept me plugging along, when it would have been so easy to neglect  my book and procrastinate the final mile until after I got back to Utah. I'd consider her suggestions for clarity, metaphor and tightening and work long past bedtime. Then the next day, after my daughter and I returned from slow wa...