Kelly Shade

What I’ve Learned About People by Writing Fiction Writers are often asked if their characters are based on real people. The short answer? No… but also, kind of. See, I’m fascinated by psychology - why people think the way they do, what makes them tick, how they justify their actions. I want to see through the tiny cracks in their carefully constructed facades. And when I write, my characters become my personal psychology experiments. They don’t know it, of course (because, we

What It’s Like Moving to Different Countries Some people love stability. They plant roots, settle down, and build a life in one place. Me? I’ve lived in five different countries in Europe - Bulgaria, Denmark, Sweden, Spain, UK, and now Portugal - with my two kids and a dog in tow. So at this point, I’m basically an expert  in packing up our lives, throwing us into a new culture, and figuring out how to survive without looking like total tourists. The truth is, I’ve never felt

Some writers like to keep things light, happy endings, heartwarming moments, and a general sense that the world is mostly  a good place. I am not  one of those writers. I gravitate toward the dark, the unsettling, the raw emotions people don’t like to talk about. My stories explore trauma, fear, loss, psychological struggles... the things that linger in the back of your mind. And there’s a reason for that: I write what I know. Because life isn’t always lighthearted. People ar

Let’s get one thing straight: I did not  plan to be a writer. If you had asked me as a kid if I wanted to spend my life crafting stories, I would have laughed in your face... loudly, dramatically, probably with an eye-roll for emphasis. Writing? No, thanks. That was for sensitive, dreamy types. And where I grew up, creativity was basically a liability. You either built an armor of toughness, or you got crushed. So, I built the armor. I was the rebel. The badass. The one who d