William Shifflett

From a composition in his 1970's English class to the present William Shifflett has had an urge for writing. His perennial attraction to a good mystery can be seen in how that genre shows up in all of what he calls "Pristine Mysteries." So named because of an intentional avoidance of graphic language, sexuality, or violence in his stories. From his holiday novella "Tommy's Christmas Truce" --which enjoyed widespread praise and an endorsement from a New York Times best-selling author -- exploring the mysterious brokenness which plagued Tommy's relationship with his father, to his full-length novels, William continues crafting his tales. Born in historic Winchester Virginia, William is an avid motorcyclist having ridden his Honda Valkyrie from coast to coast twice, the second time after turning 61. He is also a private pilot who enjoys recreational flying. Winchester Virginia is famous for its yearly Apple Blossom Festival and William wove the city into a portion of his fantasy "The Troll in Rich Man's Wood," which despite the title is not a horror tale. His fiction works include the mysterious death titles "The Body in Toppin Square," and "The Mystery of The Justice House Haunting," the strange tale of "The Creatures," on an earth-like world called Baois and his time travel Sci-fi adventure "Maelstrom Z." William has a sequel to "The Body in Toppin Square," in the works as well as a trilogy centering around the draakon of the Island Continent of Fadenfeare.

Two questions frequently asked are, first, whether any of his stories were written with AI assistance. The answer to that is an emphatic no. The second question is how religious are his books. That varies from title to title. Cassiel's Watch and Maelstrom Z have heavy religious references, while The Body in Toppin Square, and The Troll In Rich Man's Wood have none. William considers himself a Christian who writes fiction and so this contrast is natural.

William launched into the independent author scene on the advice of his professional editors. As a result of encountering people at book signing events who have writing ambitions William penned his "William's Guide To Independent Publishing," as a means of helping those individuals.

In addition to his fiction line of writing William is a Christian pastor equally passionate about his Christian life books. He has appeared on radio interview programs/podcasts around the globe, has been married to his wife, Lisa, for over forty years, and has six grandchildren.