The Odyssey of a Bad Mother

I’m going to spend 2026 in 1982; come join me.

The Odyssey of a Bad Mother takes place in 1982 in Bellevue, Washington, right outside of Seattle.

Come reminisce about the time of Pop Rocks, Tab, Hall & Oates, Heather Locklear, E.T., Reaganomics, and the changing of the family dynamic.

Set against the backdrop of Bill Gates’s rise and MS-DOS and the European expansion of Microsoft, finally to their home in Redmond. The Odyssey of a Bad Mother takes a look at three flawed women in the affluent Parkside community who are all deemed bad mothers.

They come together in a desperate quest to find answers to the kidnapping of one of their sons, a local boy, Ryan McKinnon. With no clues, no answers, and little hope, these three bad mothers forge the path to finding what happened to him.

During a time when the police were on overload, a time in American history when children’s kidnappings were becoming prominent in the United States, and with respect to the milk carton campaign, The Odyssey of a Bad Mother takes a hard look at the police and their fight to bring Ryan McKinnon home.

What happened to Ryan McKinnon that night at the movies when he went missing?

With Ryan as the narrator of the terrifying tale, his story sheds light on compassion, empathy, and psychological insight on what it means to struggle, self-preserve, fall apart, and pick yourself up again for the greater good!

Shannon Gill Burnett is a writer who has been crafting stories since the age of six. In her childhood, she wrote poems and movie scripts, acting out the characters in her bedroom on rainy Saturdays. She aspired to be Steven Spielberg—and still does. Over time, she evolved into a seasoned and meticulous writer. To her credit, she has written two short stories, four novels, and at least one hundred poems in her portfolio. She has also outlined and begun writing three additional novels: The Odyssey of a Bad Mother, Pieces of Eve, and Ugly Face Dolls.

Her favorite writers range from unknown poets and novelists to literary giants such as Hemingway, Henry James, and Charlotte Brontë. Her favorite book is Crime and Punishment, which she has read twice, admiring Dostoevsky’s remarkable ability to weave stories within stories and lessons within lessons.

Her literary hero is J. K. Rowling, whom she greatly admires for her perseverance and journey to success. Burnett firmly believes that success cannot come without struggle and that there is no gain without pain. When she writes, she enters what she calls “The Medium,” a space where inspiration flows freely. Often, she does not know where her stories originate—perhaps she is merely a conduit or catalyst. She can write for hours without pause, only to later look at her work in awe, as if discovering it for the first time. Writing in “The Medium” has made her a stronger writer and a better person.

The greatest compliment she has received is being called well-written, well-read, and well-spoken. Literacy is not just a passion for her; it defines her.

Her crowning achievement is the publication of her first novel, In the Medium, in 2012. Next to having her two children, this stands as her proudest moment. Originally written as a memoir to honor her late best friend, who lost her battle with cancer in 2011, the novel evolved into a rich, textured story about life, death, and the in-between—the great divide that ultimately unites us all.

As a writer, she has navigated the submission and query process, engaging with multiple publishing houses before ultimately choosing to self-publish In the Medium through iUniverse in 2012. Since its release, she has sold many copies, participated in book signings, and shared her work with countless readers—a dream come true.

In 2024, she published The Witching Hours Lullaby through iUniverse once again. Since its release in September 2024, the novel has taken her on an incredible journey. She has participated in book signings at three Barnes & Noble locations in Virginia, sold numerous copies, received a five-star review and many other positive reviews on Amazon, been approached by CBS Radio, and mentored young, aspiring writers. Her most exciting achievement to date is having The Witching Hours Lullaby sought after for a screenplay adaptation, to be written by a SAG member and potentially sold to Five Minutes More Production Company in Los Angeles (John Sacchi).