What do you really do for a living? No one online that says they're a professional writer really is one.
Writing really is what I do for a living. I'm not a novelist or anything though. I'm primarily a copywriter and a ghostwriter, although I do earn some of my living writing my own things under my own name as well. I do not have a second job, nor am I independently wealthy. I have some help with the basics in life for which I'm grateful, but I need to work to live the same as anyone else and I earn a very real living that is equal to or better than any living I'd be able to earn working somewhere else. I pay bills with this money. I feed us with this money.
Are you the same Shannon Hilson who writes on Medium?
To the extent of my knowledge, there are no other Medium authors that share my name and appearance, so yes. If you found your way here because you follow my work on Medium and were curious as to whether or not I write anywhere else, you have the right person. If you are unaware of my Medium page and want to check it out, you can do so here. I write various types of articles there about multiple topics that are important to me including self-improvement, language learning, cooking, beauty, aging, and fitness.
Are you Shannon Hilson, the fantasy artist?
Am I the same person that was once known online for making fantasy art years ago? Yes. Am I still "Shannon Hilson, the fantasy artist"? No. I made that artwork over a decade ago and no, I will not be making any more of it, as I decided to focus on my writing instead quite some time ago. Why is that, you ask? Well, are you still interested in exactly the same things you were into 10+ years ago? Are your goals the same? Are you the same person? Me neither.
What's your nationality and/or ethnic background?
This is a question people know they shouldn't be asking because it's not supposed to matter. Nevertheless, I can't think of a single person I've met ever in my life that didn't ask me this at some point, so let's just get it out of the way on the FAQ page. I consider myself to be mixed race, but to be more specific, I'm biracial -- half black and half white with a little bit of Southeast Asian thrown in there for good measure. (Yes, really. For all intents and purposes, I'm black.) As for my nationality, I'm American. I've always been American (despite having been born in Germany). My parents are both American, too.
How old are you?
Another from the "shouldn't be asking but most people want to know" files. As of March 14, 2020, I'm 44 years old. Yes, really. Yes, my profile picture is relatively recent (March of 2020). No, it's not Photoshopped. (Come to think of it, I don't even think I color corrected that particular photo.) That's the interesting thing about being of black descent. Most of us really do age incredibly well.
Can you teach me to write or earn a living freelancing?
At present, I do not provide coaching or mentoring services on a one-to-one basis. However, I do share a fair amount of information about my life as a professional writer on social media and through my writing on Medium and elsewhere. I've considered the possibility of offering courses or ebooks on that topic in the future, but I don't have immediate plans to put anything like that together. My advice to you if you're legitimately interested in learning from me is to stay tuned and keep following what I post via all my different channels. Something useful to you is bound to turn up sooner or later.
This might sound crazy, but I feel like you might really "get me". Is it OK if I message you with a confession or some other overly personal piece of information?
Generally speaking, I like hearing from my readers and anyone is welcome to email me for any reason, especially if they don't want to leave a public comment for whatever reason. Just please keep it civil and responsible. I'm not qualified to give you one-to-one life advice about anything super serious and may well refuse to do so if I think you're better off talking to your doctor, priest, partner, or what have you. Please keep it clean as well. I know you think your dick or your titties are super neat, but I promise you I'm not interested.
Do your clients read your blog? What about your family?
Since I do sometimes talk about personal things that don't always paint other people in the best light, it's a common assumption that this must be some secret blog I'm hoping to hide from other people. For the record, this is not a secret blog. It is a personal space for me to be open about my thoughts, feelings, struggles, and so forth. That said, I don't really care who reads it or what anyone thinks of anything I might have to say. I'm not doing this for them. This blog is for me and for anyone interested in knowing more about me on a personal level.
Do you ever feature guest bloggers?
No. This is a personal blog, so I'm not interested in featuring anyone else's content at this time. I don't really keep a blog roll here or anything either. Pussycats and Toast is a one-person show.
Do you ever do sponsored posts?
This blog doesn't currently have much reach to speak of, so I don't get much opportunity to even publish sponsored content, but any time I do, you can trust that it will be labeled as such. You can also rest assured that I would never promote a service, product, or business for any reason unless I legitimately believed in whatever it is. My integrity is very important to me and I want people to feel they can believe in any recommendations I might ever make.
Do you ever hire other writers to help you with your writing business?
No. I don't outsource any of my work or employ other people to help me with my business and I'm not interested in changing that at this time. Please realize that no really does mean no in this case. I know most people are raised to think of the word "no" as a challenge to be overcome, but I'm the type of person who expects people to listen the first time, so please do not send me your resume or write to me asking for a job. I am not hiring.
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