Memoir : The Accidental Terrorist

See me and so much more this weekend at the Queens Lit Fest

By William Shunn on April 25, 2017 9:03 AM

For three years now, the Queens Lit Fest has highlighted the incredible talent and diversity of writers in this greatest of New York City's boroughs. I participated last year, together with writers from my reading series, Line Break, and I'm delighted to be part of it again this year.

The Queens Lit Fest 2017 runs for two full days this weekend at LIC Landing in Long Island City. Admission for both days is free but does require an RSVP.

I will be reading promptly at 7:00 pm on Sunday evening, but don't come just to hear me. Come for an afternoon, evening, or all day to hear a wide array of Queens poets, essayists, storytellers, and more, including friends of mine like Emily Alta Hockaday, Jackie Sherbow, and Audrey Dimola.

Oh, and I'll have copies of The Accidental Terrorist with me for sale. I hope to see you there!

Um, why is this weird kid drinking shampoo?

By William Shunn on March 10, 2017 7:40 PM

Calgary Herald: Mormon missionary told to leave country

Why is the despondent young missionary below drinking himself to death? On dandruff shampoo, no less?? Could it have anything to do with the events detailed in the 30-year-old newspaper clipping to the right?

Could very well be—and you can read all about it in my acclaimed memoir The Accidental Terrorist: Confessions of a Reluctant Missionary. For a limited time, you can get a personalized, signed edition for only $19.95 in hardcover or $11.95 in trade paperback,—with free shipping in the United States! Or get the ebook edition for just $2.99.

Do it now. Don't force this poor kid to drink more Head & Shoulders. Because he will. Oh, yes, he will.

He couldn't have done what this says he did, could he?

By William Shunn on March 4, 2017 10:36 AM

Lakeside Review: Phoning in bomb threat results in fine

What? Surely the angelic young missionary pictured below could never have been capable of the act described in the 30-year-old newspaper clipping to the right. Right?

Sorry, but we're afraid he was. You can read all about it in my acclaimed memoir The Accidental Terrorist: Confessions of a Reluctant Missionary. For a limited time, you can get a personalized, signed edition for only $19.95 in hardcover or $11.95 in trade paperback,—with free shipping in the United States! Or get the ebook edition for just $2.99.

Trust me. That kid below? He's a bad, bad hombre. It's sad, really.

Let the comedy clip of the year explain why you need to read my memoir

By William Shunn on March 1, 2017 11:56 AM

So, after a week of my urging, you still haven't purchased a copy of my memoir, The Accidental Terrorist: Confessions of a Reluctant Missionary. Hmm.

No, don't apologize. I understand that a book about a depressed missionary intertwined with a biography of Joseph Smith doesn't exactly sound like a must-buy.

That's why I'm going showing you the video clip below. If you still don't want to get the book after watching it, no hard feelings. But if you do, for a limited time you can grab a signed and personalized edition for only $19.95 in hardcover or $11.95 in trade paperback,—with free shipping in the United States. Or get the ebook edition for the ridiculously low price of 99 cents!

But you need to puzzle out the password to watch the video. Do you have the expertise you need?

This 30-year-old article can't tell you what it's like to be a missionary

By William Shunn on February 28, 2017 9:08 PM

Deseret News: Utah missionary sentenced for bomb threat in Canada

This Deseret News article from Saturday, February 28, 1987, can tell you all about what got me arrested earlier that week, but it can't tell you what it was actually like to be a reluctant 19-year-old Mormon missionary in the wilds of Canada in the mid- to late '80s. And hey, it's the Deseret News, so it wouldn't tell you the truth about that even if it could.

No, for that you need my award-nominated memoir, The Accidental Terrorist: Confessions of a Reluctant Missionary, and there's still time to get in on plenty of great sales! While supplies last, grab a signed and personalized edition for only $19.95 in hardcover or $11.95 in trade paperback,—with free shipping in the United States. Or get the ebook edition for the ridiculously low price of 99 cents!

Not only that, but you can even enter at Goodreads to win one of ten free copies of the trade paperback. But hurry! Like a train to Darjeeling, the days of these sales are limited.

This article from 30 years ago today spoils everything about my memoir

By William Shunn on February 28, 2017 10:21 AM

Well, maybe not everything. This Salt Lake Tribune article from Saturday, February 28, 1987, may tell you the basics of the central plot elements, but it doesn't tell you what it was actually like to be a reluctant 19-year-old Mormon missionary in the wilds of Canada in the mid- to late '80s. It doesn't tell you about the social pressures and even, yes, the brainwashing that goes into making a boy of that age willing to commit to two years of unpaid proselytizing—or at least unwilling to fight against it.

No, for that you need my award-nominated memoir, The Accidental Terrorist: Confessions of a Reluctant Missionary, and there's still time to get in on plenty of great sales! While supplies last, grab a signed and personalized edition for only $19.95 in hardcover or $11.95 in trade paperback,—with free shipping in the United States. Or get the ebook edition for the ridiculously low price of 99 cents!

Not only that, but you can even enter at Goodreads to win one of ten free copies of the trade paperback. But hurry! Like a fine limited edition, the days of these sales are numbered.

What was costly for me, you can read for a pittance

By William Shunn on February 27, 2017 8:42 PM

Calgary Sun: Bomb hoax costly, Mormon fined $2,000

This was another headline 30 years ago today, when my days ahead looked fatter but my wallet was definitely thinner.

But what was so costly for me, you can read about for a pittance. While supplies last, signed editions of my memoir, The Accidental Terrorist, are only $19.95 in hardcover, and $11.95 in trade paperback. And you can get the ebook edition for a ridiculously low 99 cents!

Not only that, but you can even enter at Goodreads to win one of ten free copies of the trade paperback. But hurry! Like my days in Canada, there isn't much time left for these offers.

This story cost me big, but you can get it for cheap

By William Shunn on February 27, 2017 8:55 AM

Calgary Herald: Missionary gets day's jail, $2,000 fine for bomb hoax

This was the headline 30 years ago today. I was, to my vast relief, a free man, but much poorer for the experience.

But what cost me big, you can get for cheap. While supplies last, signed editions of my memoir, The Accidental Terrorist, are only $19.95 in hardcover, and $11.95 in trade paperback. And you can get the ebook edition for a ridiculously low 99 cents!

Not only that, but you can even enter at Goodreads to win one of ten free copies of the trade paperback. But hurry! Like my time in Canada, the days of these sales are numbered.

On this date in 1987, I was handed the most imporant sentence of my life

By William Shunn on February 26, 2017 10:51 AM

Calgary Herald: Missionary guilty in bomb hoax

Thirty years ago today was the day I returned to court in Calgary, Alberta, to be sentenced after pleading guilty to public mischief.

You could tune in here tomorrow to see how things turned out for me, or you could just pick up a copy of the ebook edition of The Accidental Terrorist on sale for 99¢ and find out the old-fashioned way.

Of the memoir, Kristine Kathryn Rusch said, "The Accidental Terrorist reads like a novel instead of a memoir. Only in novel form, no one would have ever believed these events could have happened. Believe it. William Shunn lived every word of this book. That he can share it so eloquently is a tribute not just to his writing skill, but his strengths as a human being."

Get yourself a copy today.

Free shipping on signed editions of my memoir, 30 years after my trial

By William Shunn on February 25, 2017 8:46 PM

Thirty years ago today, I went on trial in Provincial Court in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. How I got there and what came after is the subject of my memoir, The Accidental Terrorist: Confessions of a Reluctant Missionary. Now, three decades later, my publisher, Sinister Regard, is offering U.S. customers free shipping and huge discounts on signed editions of the book:

Hardcover: ~~regularly $27.95~~ now $19.95

Trade paperback: ~~regularly $15.95~~ now $11.95

I'll even personalize it for you, if you like. You can also get the ebook edition for only 99¢, or enter at Goodreads to win a free paperback copy! But hurry, supplies are limited. What are you waiting for—a bomb threat?