She has been called quirky, unforgettable, a scene stealer, and even “one of the great moms of American fiction,” but to Shannon Olson, she’s just Flo.

For four decades, Shannon and her mother Florence Olson have played their roles as daughter and mother to perfection. Most of the time, those roles were played out in real life, but occasionally, they have found their way to the pages of Shannon’s books.

Shannon, who grew up with her family in Chaska, is reluctant to call Florence her muse, though.

“She’s a-mus-ing,” Shannon conceded.

But in her debut novel, the coming-of-age tale “Welcome to My Planet (Where English is Sometimes Spoken)” and its sequel “Children of God Go Bowling,” it is her relationship with Flo, a former Chaska city councilor, that is explored over and over again.

‘Riding Shotgun’

Most recently, and just in time for Mother’s Day, May 11, Shannon opened up about their connection with one another in an essay titled “Articles from Your Mother.” The essay is included in the newly released Borealis Books publication, “Riding Shotgun: Women Write About Their Mothers.”

The piece follows Shannon as, in the process of organizing her apartment, she finally tackles a box containing articles her mother had clipped for her over the years (in addition to a few random items she has thrown in on her own).

Overwhelmed by the confounding amount of advice, and feeling shame at having found, in one box (was I moving when I packed this one?), an oxidized Ghiradelli chocolate bar, a travel-sized bottle of Scope, three packets of instant Folger’s, two packets of instant oatmeal, and a wealth of dried-up highlighting markers, I take a break and call my mom.“It’s kind of overwhelming to revisit all this stuff,” I say. “Now I know why I’ve been avoiding it.” I tell her about the ancient chocolate bar, the packets of oatmeal (why? why oatmeal? under my desk for four years?). “Why am I like this?” I say to my mom. “Is this genetic? Is it from Dad?”“Enjoy it,” she says. “Celebrate it. It’s something unique about you.”“And by unique, you mean disgusting, right?”

Florence said she doesn’t mind her daughter writing about her. “All the good things are true,” she says with an impish smile. “I’ve never taken any offense with it.

“It’s always interesting to see how she saw things,” she added.

In her latest work, mom gives a rousing thumbs-up, not just for the writing, but for the conclusion her daughter came to.

“I’m glad she finally figured it out,” said Florence. “It was all about love, empowerment.”

Florence said she has been protective of Shannon, her middle child, since she was little and suffered from asthma.

“She was very fragile,” Florence explained. “You never really could tell when things were going to go bad.”

Florence said that she never felt her daughter had the necessary information to survive in the world – ergo, the articles she would cut out for her daughter.

“I still need to teach you how to survive in the world,” she told her daughter. “How to make it in the maze.

“I never knew she was putting (the articles) in a box though,” Florence added.

“I felt very strongly about ignoring them,” Shannon replied matter-of-factly.

Can’t avoid

Shannon admits that her mom is one subject she can’t seem to avoid in her writing. After she finished “Welcome to My Planet,” she said that she didn’t think Flo would be in the second book. But by the fourth page, Flo is already in the mix.

“Writers return again and again to the same subjects,” explained Shannon. For her, exploring their relationship has been a therapeutic experience.

“It’s a form of therapy,” said Shannon. “(Our relationship) makes more sense now.”

“We’re fiercely attached to each other,” she said. “I think mothers and daughters are always shifting and making room for each other.”

Shannon is quick to point out that she does appreciate the role her mother played in raising her and her siblings.

“She gave us a lot of space to be ourselves,” said Shannon.

That meant encouraging their creative thinking with castoff clothes and repurposed items. “I never threw anything away until I asked the kids if they wanted it,” explained Florence.“She wasn’t like the fantasy mom with the cookies and the toys, but we still liked her,” said Shannon.

All of that creative thinking seems to have paid off. It may even lead to a third installment in the continuing saga that is Shannon and Flo, Shannon admits.

“I think you’ve got another book in there,” Florence encourages her.

“Maybe,” says Shannon.

And even if Flo returns to the pages of Shannon’s works, that’s OK with her.

Said Florence, “I think she likes me more than she writes.”

-Mollee Francisco, correspondent

Riding Shotgun: Women Write About Their Mothers

Edited by Kathryn Kysar, featuring an essay by Shannon Olson

Hardcover, 228 pages

Borealis Books, $24.95