Our next guest Shirley McLain saw a lot of pain and people’s drama during her professional life. She worked as a nurse. After her retirement she published her first full book “Dobyns Chronicles”.

– How would you describe Dobyns Chronicles?
– Dobyns Chronicles follows a young man who has tragedy thrust upon his family and he takes the responsibility for his brother, David, and sister, Viola. In this story you follow his life from the mid 1800’s until 1955. This is a story of a changing way of life and adaptations made to survive. Charlie’s strong passion for life and dignity equipped him for survival as he raised his siblings with, likeability and dignity. It’s a story of loss, misfortune, hard times and heartbreak, but also love, determination, kindness, joy and spirituality.
Follow Charlie’s life through the adventures that shaped the man he became, and that of his family for generations.”
– When and why you decide to write the story?

– I thought about writing this book for many years. I grew up listening to my mother tell me stories about her Grandfather. I knew one day I would share this story. Parts of the story are fact but I had to create a lot about his life that I didn’t know. This story is tribute to my mother and her family.
– What was the biggest challenge during the write up process?
– Making sure that I showed Charley Dobyns as the man he really was. I did a lot of genealogy work on my mother’s family, tracing where they lived and other details.
– Is the main character someone, who you know from the real life?
– He was my Great Grandfather.
– Tell us more about it?
– I do remember meeting him and my Great Grandmother as a child in Oklahoma. We were on vacation from California we were lived at the time. We were heading back and stopped by their apartment in McAlester to tell them goodbye. I remember both of them standing out on the sidewalk hugging and kissing me and telling me goodbye. As I said before, I grew up listening to the stories my mother told about his life.
– What may we found in Shirley’s Shorts and Flashes?
– That book is a collection of short stories in different genres. There is something for everyone, from love to fantasy and horror. It was a fun book to do.
– Do you plan another book?
– I have a sequel to The Tower which is the YA mystery started. It’s going slow because of the promotion I’m doing for Dobyns Chronicles.
– What is the best part about being an author?
– I think creating the book or the story. I like the creation process with everything it entails from the setting to the characters to the story line itself.
– Do you have any advice you would give to a teen or young aspiring author?
– If you have had thoughts in your head that you want to write then just sit down and start writing. Let the flow happen, and it will. Relax and have fun with it. Get it on paper and then go back and add and subtract from it.
– Who are you?
– I was born and lived the first ten years of my life in the bay area of California. My parents moved back to their home state of Oklahoma and I then became an Okie. I have one sister so there’s just the two of us.
I am married to a wonderful man who spoils me rotten and I love it. I have two grown children, six grandchildren and a set of twins for Great Grands.
I retired from 32 years of being an RN (registered nurse). My specialties were Geriatrics as well as Labor and Delivery. I wouldn’t trade a minute of all my medical background and the adventures I encountered while practicing.
– Since you worked 32 years as a nurse. Do you miss something from your work?
– I miss interacting with my mothers and babies but most of all I miss the friends that I made along the way.
– Would you share the tough and the good moments of your profession?
– Labor and delivery is one of those areas that the majority of the time everyone is filled with joy at having this new tiny person in their life now. But when things go bad it is devastating for all who are involved. I can thankfully say that it didn’t happen many times over all the years I was practicing.
– What is your opinion on American health system and what you will change if you have a chance to do it?
– Our system has some good qualities but overall it is broken. It is overpriced and too many people are left without care. This is a topic that I could spend hours talking about and I don’t want to do that here.
– Every animal has some interesting story and a character. Tell us with one sentence, including their names, something about your three dogs and three cats.

– Andy is my Springer Spaniel and he is the boss. Angel my teacup poodle thinks she is a princess and Booker, my teacup yorkie, thinks he’s a big dog. He protects everything.

If you are interested of Dobyns chronicles order here via Amazon

Learn more about Shirley:
Personal web page
FACEBOOK STORE
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