Shawn Burgess Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Shawn Burgess is a speculative fiction best known for his debut novel “The Tear Collector” published in 2019. Burgess went to the University of Florida from where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English. He would later study at the University of North Florida for his postgraduate degree in literature. An ardent traveler, he had been to most states in the United States and draws a lot of inspiration for his novels from experiencing unique places and meeting new interesting people. He has said that anyone that exhibits interesting behavior could end up on his stories. Shawn currently lives in Jacksonville, Florida though he has lived in towns and cities across the southeastern US. As such, many of his novels are set in the different places he once called home or fictional places that bear an uncanny resemblance to those places. He has said that he enjoys building his mysteries on places where he has had fascinating experiences. When he is not writing his novel sBurgess may be found attending concerts, playing golf, attending Gator football games, traveling or spending time with family. He is also an avid Halloween man and spends months preparing elaborate sets and building props.

Shawn always loved creating his own world through writing to share it with others. It has been something she found relaxation in since he is someone that tends to get hyper-focused, whenever she gets involved in projects in which she has a passion. As such, writing novels was the perfect medium to showcase her creativity and a perfect fit for her personality. Burgess’s first piece of writing was a horror story about a house filled with maggots that she wrote while she was in elementary school. Her parents and friends of the family had been so impressed with the story that they would remind her of it for years afterward. While she had written a lot while she was in her teens and twenties, she would take a long hiatus from writing as she got involved in other things. One of the standout writings she produced during this time was a one-act play she wrote that premiered at the University of Florida. It was the closest thing to becoming published but nothing came of it though she still dreamt of going professional even as life got in the way. It was not until 2019 that she ventured into publishing with her debut novel “The Tear Collector.” It was the first piece of writing that she ever submitted for publication and she was surprised when it became a huge success. She followed it up with “Deity” that was published in 2020.

The idea for “The Tear Collector” came from Shawn Burgess reading a Goosebumps novel to his oldest son. He mentioned in passing that he once was a writer and had written something when he was in his twenties. Innocently enough, the child asked if he would write a book for him and he said yes and that is how the journey towards publishing started. He had initially wanted to write something in the mold of a Goosebumps title but once he started, everything took a life of its own. His son would wait for him when he came back from trips and excitedly ask how many chapters he had written and thus he had to always have something when he came back home. He would, of course, edit the characters and stories to make them age-appropriate though he retained much of the story. Burgess wrote the first chapters of the story while on a plane coming back from a business trip and it included exchanges between his son and two of his brothers. Once he understood the motivations of the characters, the story wrote itself as he is more of a pantser than a planner. He just let the story take him in different directions as dictated by the characters.

“The Tear Collector” by Shawn Burgess is a thrilling horror novel with the bogeyman from hell. It is an exciting and well-crafted novel that tells the story of a young autistic girl that went missing in Harper Pass, a small Appalachian town. Brook Rakes and several of his pals find themselves in the middle of an ongoing investigation as more kids go missing, a mysterious death is reported and several bizarre phenomena unsettle the restive town. It is soon clear that Margo Combs their missing classmate may have suffered a gruesome fate though it is nothing compared to what awaits anyone that ventures outside of town. Brook and his friends have been staying away from the bullies but the walls are closing in even as lethal darkness looms on the horizon. They soon acknowledge that their destinies are inextricably linked and they need to work together if they are to have any hope of resolving the mysteries of Harper Pass. Unraveling the secrets could also hold the key to whatever it is that is threatening them. Burgess combines realistic and sharp dialogue to write a fast-paced and chilling horror novel. Every scene and every line of dialogue serves to move the narrative in an exhilarating tempo from the satisfying blend of resolution, the horrifying and climactic finish.

“Deity” is an Urban Fantasy novel by Shawn Burgess that tells of the tragedy that befalls the Caldwell family. Elizabeth and Cody her fifteen-year-old son have to move to Copper Ridge in East Tennessee and into a house they had inherited from a now-dead relative. Elizabeth had always known that her child was not like any other but over several months he had rapidly deteriorated. This has not been helped by the incidence of bizarre phenomena that combined with her son’s heath are nearly making her lose her mind. After a rough start, her son had met a beautiful girl named Macy Meadows that had helped him get accustomed to his new home and town. Over time, the two become closer but then strange things start happening in Copper Ridge and Eagerton and Covenant Point. Could the new Pentecostal Preacher in town be responsible or could it be something bigger? As Cody begins to investigate the bizarre happenings, he has a difficult choice of whether to stick between Macy his new friend or his mother’s happiness.