A 琉璃神社 writer has been named a runner-up in a national writing contest held by CBC Books.

Shannon Linden was cited for her book Eighteen, an examination of what it means to be one-year short of adulthood.

"What do you know at eighteen? A year short of official adulthood (if you mark that milestone with the legal ordering of a drink) you've barely dipped your foot beneath the surface of experience, but you're brazen enough to swim in any water," reads an excerpt from the book.

Linden started storytelling in grade-two but didn鈥檛 publish until she and her husband sold everything and moved with little kids to the Middle East. Through 9-11 and global conflict to bartering in souks and running the heat-kissed Corniche; crossing the chasm of culture enriched her worldview and launched her writing.

She taught elementary school then journalism at Abu Dhabi Women's College, wrote for the Gulf News and glossy magazines.

Linden grew up in Victoria, B.C. She lived in Kamloops for four years, on her return from Abu Dhabi (2005 to 2009) and now makes her home in 琉璃神社 where she writes for numerous publications.

She is a former teacher in School District 23 and still volunteers to take high school students on journalism job shadows. She does a great deal of writing about the research going on at UBCO, particularly with the Institute for Healthy Living and Chronic Disease Prevention and the Mini Med Lecture Series.

Shannon belongs to the B.C. Federation of Writers. With a fistful of pretty-much finished young adult  novels, she dreams of being back in the classroom鈥攁s a visiting author.