Sharon Geltner’s career has spanned social work, social climbing, social media and more recently, social distancing.
She’s worked as a reporter in Washington, D.C., and Boca Raton, FL, written for celebrity authors, and traveled the world on assignment including to the Mideast as a war correspondent. Her achievements include a national award for Outstanding News Reporting from the Society of Professional Journalists and being the founder of National Net Needs News Day (#NetNeedsNews), a journalism appreciation campaign. Learn more about Geltner’s journalism career on Muck Rack and her various projects on her Facebook portfolio page.
Geltner’s experiences in elite Palm Beach philanthropy inspired the fun mystery and satire Charity Bashed, a semifinalist in Amazon’s Breakthrough Novel contest. She is currently at work on the novel, Red, White & Royal Blue, a Washington thriller spanning 60 years and three continents.
BOOKS:
Charity Bashed (2016; new edition, 2020)
Paperback | eBook
Biggest literary influences:
Dominick Dunne, Janet Evanovich, Olivia Goldsmith, Susan Isaacs, Philip Roth, Tom Wolfe
Last book read:
Currently reading The Searcher by Tana French.
The book that changed your life:
The book that never gets old and to which I refer often as I write novels is Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. His deep and vast knowledge of human nature and psychology — combined with his divine and precise skills of description and characterization — are the gold standard.
Currently working on:
Red, White & Royal Blue, a historical thriller spanning 60 years on three continents, with much of the action taking place in Washington, D.C. It’s partly inspired by real-life experiences working as a Washington reporter, Mideast war correspondent and some of my international travel assignments.
Words to live by:
When life hands you lemons, write The Lemonade Cookbook!
Advice for aspiring authors:
Business advice: While it’s often necessary to be an unpaid intern to develop a portfolio, once you’ve amassed a clip file, stop giving away your work.
Editorial advice: Get to the point quickly. Don’t let your own personal details overshadow that of your characters. If you are an independent author: hire a professional editor to improve your manuscript and pay a professional designer to create your cover.
ARTICLES/REVIEWS
Publishers Weekly Review
Review in The Coastal Star
Interview with Voyage MIA
Amazon customer reviews
Article in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel
