SHAWN E. BELL

Storyteller. Explorer. Historian.

California has stories. I go looking for them.

I grew up in California, somewhere between the beach and the mountains.
The beach was home. The Sierra Nevada was where I spent my summers, hiking trails, sleeping under the stars, and learning that there was always something beyond the next ridgeline. National parks, forests, deserts, beaches, backroads – California was my playground long before I had a driver’s license and a vehicle to explore it with.

That’s never really changed.

Today, I write about the places, people, history, and ideas that make California what it is. My books range from California’s historic landmarks and national forests to parks, trails, public lands, and the stories buried in the landscape. I write because people and places are immortal only as long as they are remembered. As the sun sets and people forget, those shadows grow longer until they disappear forever into the darkness.

People and places in the Golden State should be remembered. They’re important. That’s why I explore the way I do – I meander.

Sometimes that means I’ll follow an old stagecoach road into the mountains. Sometimes my ADD kicks in when I see a big red neon-lit arrow pointing off the highway next to a sign that says “World’s Largest Ball of Twine,” and I’ll flick on my turn signal and go see what’s what. And occasionally it means standing in front of a weathered bronze historical marker trying to understand what happened at that place … and when.

I’ve spent much of my life outdoors. I’ve hiked the Sierra, crossed the deserts, explored California’s national forests, and spent years learning the trails and backroads of Southern California. I’ve also spent enough time in wild country to understand that enjoying these places carries a certain amount of respect for the natural world. As a Tread Lightly! Master Tread Trainer, I advocate for responsible recreation and public access, and I believe the best way to preserve wild places is to teach people how to enjoy them responsibly.

My outdoor advocacy has also led me to become a trained fire lookout volunteer, and I’ve served at lookouts in the Cleveland and San Bernardino National Forests. There’s something about sitting alone above the forest, watching for smokes and learning the landscape from a different perspective, that makes you understand just how much country there is out there – and how much of it has a story.

Writing has been part of my life almost as long as exploring has.

My professional writing career started in 1985 with technical books and bland copywriting for faceless corporations. A paid gig in Hollywood as a script doctor opened doors to becoming a ghostwriter, and I never looked back. I’ve written screenplays behind the scenes and massaged scripts for others. I’ve also written some killer books that don’t have my name on them.

I’m also a lifelong car guy.

California’s car culture got me early. At sixteen, with a newly minted driver’s license, I discovered the particular freedom that comes with having a full tank of gas and nowhere you have to be. I’ve owned everything from Subaru BRATs, Cobras, and Corvettes to Porsches and Mustangs, but it was an old Ice Blue Jeep CJ-7 that taught me something the others never did.

It taught me to slow down. To wait a time with patience.

That Jeep took me back into the places I’d known as a kid. It carried me into the mountains, across the desert, and down roads on public lands that didn’t appear on any map. It marked its territory with an oil leak that refused every repair, but it never broke down on any adventure. More importantly, it taught me that the destination isn’t the goal; the story will always be found in the journey.

These days, you’ll find me doing much the same thing – writing, hiking, driving, researching, exploring, and looking for the next story I want to tell – the next invitation for you to come outside.

The five corners of California make for a very big place. It has more history waiting to be remembered, more wild country calling to be explored, and more tales looking to be told.

And that’s all right with me; I’m a storyteller.