Meet Shaen Mehl

Shaen, thank you so much for joining us today.

When did you begin writing? Have you always wanted to write? I think I started writing as soon as I could hold a pencil, and I always knew that I wanted to be an author someday. I’m so very blessed to be working at my dream job every day now!

Do you have a pet? Does your lead character have a pet? I do! We have one outdoor cat, Tracy, and an indoor dog we adopted from a local shelter. Her name is Violet and she’s a chihuahua/dachshund mix. She’s gentle and sweet and the perfect pet to balance out our energetic boys!

The lead characters in Secondhand Chances live on the farmstead they inherited from their parents, so they have pets as well: dogs named Tink and Pal, a cat named Butterscotch, as well as goats and chickens. In my book, Pal plays a crucial role in the ladies solving the mystery… but you’ll have to read the book to find out how 😉

Is this book part of a series? Yes, Secondhand Chances is the final book, book 25, in the Mysteries of Lancaster County series. It can be read as a stand-alone book, but I’d recommend trying to read the other books in the series as well. They’re all written by well-known Christian Fiction authors, like Nancy Mehl, Kathleen Y’Barbo, and DeAnna Julie Dodson.

What’s the location and why’d you pick this spot for your story? The Guideposts’ editors conceptualized the series, so they chose where the book was going to be set. That said, I can see why they chose Lancaster County, PA! The town of Bird-in-Hand is so charming, and it’s been a wonderful setting to explore throughout the series.

Do you prefer the beach or the mountains? I like them both, but I’ve had more opportunity to travel to the mountains. One of my favorite family memories is when my oldest son was three years old, and my family went on a vacation to the Great Smoky Mountains. We rented a cabin with amazing deck views and spent most of the trip hiking and enjoying nature. It was wonderful. We’re hoping to get to the beach sometime later this year, to revisit one of my favorite places, Savannah, GA.

Savannah is one of my favorite places to spend time. Is there a place you’ve always wanted to visit? I would love to visit Ireland someday. My family history can be traced back to Italy, Scotland, and Ireland, and I think it would be incredibly meaningful to walk where my ancestors walked.

What’s your favorite sport? And or…What hobbies do you enjoy? I never used to consider myself an athletic person, but as I’ve grown older, I’ve learned I really enjoy hiking and running. I have a lot of hobbies– reading, writing poetry, cooking, organizing, and antiquing, to name a few. In the future, I’d love to learn French and watercolor painting. Plus, now that our boys are getting older, I’d love to travel more. I’m trying to talk my husband into packing up and RVing around the country for a summer or so!

I took French in high school and one year in college. I can read it better than speak it. I hope you enjoy learning French, and merci beaucoup for spending time with us today!

Friends, Shaen can be found on social media. Here are her links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorShaenLayle/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/shaenlayle

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shaen_layle/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/shaenlayle/pins/

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/39CscDI

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/shaen-layle

Website: www.shaenlayle.com (blog is included on main page)

Newsletter Sign-up: www.shaenlayle.com/newsletter

Buy Links for Secondhand Chances: https://bit.ly/3rHmqXG