Interview with Shanon Grey
Thank you for joining me in the shadows. Pay no attention to that odd silhouette over there. Weird things live here. Where do you hail from?
Thank you so very much for having me. It’s a pleasure to step out now and again.
Virginia, born and raised, I’m a coastal girl. We moved to the Mississippi Gulf Coast for a bit, then, after Katrina claimed our things as her own, relocated to the mountains of Georgia. I’d never lived this high up or in the woods and I instantly fell in love.I called my best friend in Mississippi and said, “Look up about 1000 feet ~ that’s me looking down at you!” Of course, I’ve loved everywhere I’ve lived, but I’m definitely a Southerner.
Tell me about your latest book. What makes it stand out from the crowd?
Meadow’s Keep is Book II in The GateKeepers Series and is Jasmine’s story. A native of Ruthorford, GA, where being paranormal is normal, she didn’t fit, since she was born like the rest of the outside world. Then, an attack spurs her change. An anomaly amidst anomalies, she is partnered with someone else who’s different in order to save a young girl. And, she must come to terms with being different while exploring her new-found gifts. My stories are about empowerment and coming into one’s own, no matter what that is.
Do you have anything new in the works and can you tell us a bit about it?
I am currently working on Book III, Second Chances, which will address the issue of consequences and bucking the system. It brings together four characters that everyone loves. One of the things that makes my “series” unique is that I’ve made each story stand on its own. Ruthorford is the theme that runs through each one. You can pick up The Shoppe of Spells, Meadow’s Keep, or Pennyroyal Christmas and enjoy the suspense from the start.
What advice would you give to writers just starting out?
WRITE! New writers will stop and start worrying it to death. Get your story down. You can go back and edit.Go ahead and write too much into it. It’s easier to delete and tighten up than add and embellish. The details are fresher as you write it. Also, please, learn good writing habits. Learn grammar. Use spellcheck. You are an artist ~ use the tools of your trade. But, most of all, have fun. Writing is a joy ~ enjoy the process as well as the result.
How did you deal with rejection letters? Any tips for unpublished writers?
My first rejection letter got me into RWA pro, so I wasn’t upset at all. I anticipated it. If you are seeking publication, make sure your synopsis is well done. Have a teaser. Write a compelling letter. And don’t give up.
What tools of the trade are must-haves for you?
COFFEE. More coffee. Microsoft Office, preferable Word 10, with track changes. I always set my format to the publisher’s requirements first. Now with digital and print being different, I find one that satisfies most of the requirements. It saves time in the long run.
What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done to research a story?
I almost bought a small jet.
What do you like to read?
EVERYTHING!!! Fiction and non-fiction. I tend not to read the genre I’m writing in at the time I’m doing it. But, when researching, I’ll read everything I can get my hands on in that arena, so I’ll feel comfortable.
Who is your favorite author and why?
I have so many. Right now, I’m reading Nora Roberts. I love her flow. I like the depth of her characters and the way they interact.
Now for the fun questions. Let’s strip away the veil of invisibility. Do you have a day job alongside writing and will you tell us about it?
I am a technical writer/editor by profession. I know, I just can’t leave well enough alone.
If you weren’t a writer, what career might you have chosen?
Well, since I don’t have the pipes to be a singer, I would have been a neuroscientist. I love the brain and studying it. We are amazing creatures. I was headed in that direction when I was hired to do some ghostwriting, which evolved into technical writing and editing, which led to fiction. I do it all.
Who is your favorite superhero (or heroine)? Can be from a comic book, movie, novel, cartoon, video game or anywhere else heroes reign.
I was always a huge Spiderman fan. Then, I met Ironman and fell madly in love. Or, was that Robert Downy, Jr.?
Your favorite book hero?
Eryk Vreeland from Meadow’s Keep. He’s a magician whose magic is more than an illusion. He’s also sexy as hell.
You finally have an evening free to spend any way you want. Money is no object. Where do you go? What would you do?
We are homebodies. However, since I live relatively close to the St. Regis in Atlanta, I think I might recreate one of the the evenings and the meal in Meadow’s Keep for my husband and myself. You did say money was no object, right?
You’ve been gifted (or cursed) with the ability to shift into another form by a witch. What kind of shifter are you? Why?
What makes you think that I can’t?
Thanks so much for being my guest today! Anything else you’d like to share with my readers? Don’t forget to give us links to your website etc.
Thanks for having me. It was painless. Whew! I would like to thank the readers for taking the time to explore our books. Without you, we wouldn’t exist. We are your fans as well. We love hearing from you. It really does make our day.
You can visit me on Facebook,https://www.facebook.com/ShanonGrey#!/ShanonGrey, Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShanonGrey, or my website, www.shanongrey.com. I love hearing from you.
You can get my books, The Shoppe of Spells, Meadow’s Keep, and Pennyroyal Christmas, on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. I appreciate your support.
Jasmine Monroe once felt like damaged goods. Not anymore. Her latent abilities, although appearing too late to save her from a brutal attack, keep her safe from anyone hurting her again. Secure in that fact, she’s moved on. Until she meets her first love’s doppelganger.
Eryk Vreeland, a misfit and an embarrassment to his upper-class/upper-crust family, is a magician. His shows are renowned, his contributions to charity astronomical, his illusions precise. Except—not everything is an illusion. Sometimes, there is real magic.
Forced together to rescue and protect a young woman, safeguards must come down and, when that happens, their attraction strengthens—beyond their control—until they can barely tell where one person stops and t
he other begins.
he other begins.
Will they surrender to a legacy or risk a disaster to stay apart?
Download from Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords
You can join her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ShanonGrey, follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ShanonGreyand visit her website at www.shanongrey.com. Contact her at shanongreybooks@yahoo.com. She would love to hear from you.
ShanonGrey ~ FictionWeaver
Weaving romance and suspense with threads of the paranormal
Shanon Grey weaves romance and suspense with threads of the paranormal. MEADOW’S KEEP, Book Two in The GateKeepers Series,about the quaint town of Ruthorford, Georgia and its very special inhabitants, is her newest release. It is currently available for download from Amazon, B & N, and Smashwords. The print version will be released later this month. THE SHOPPE OF SPELLS was the first in her series.
PENNYROYAL CHRISTMAS ~A Ruthorford Holiday Story~ is out in e-format as well. Under contract with Crossroads Publishing House, her books are available in e-format and print at most booksellers.
Shanon spent her life on coasts, both the beautiful Atlantic and the balmy Gulf. Hurricane Katrina taught her the fragility of life and the strength of friendship, family, and starting over.
She just found out that her son salvaged notes and pages of her original novel, Capricorn’s Child, which she thought has been destroyed with everything else. (Ironically, a neighbor found her marriage certificate in a tree.) She plans to resurrect her original novel one day.
She currently lives in Coweta County, Georgia, trading the familiarity of the coast for the lush beauty and wonder of the mountains, where her husband fulfilled her lifelong dream—to live in a cottage in the woods, where inspiration abounds.
