When is a whole more than the sum of its parts?
When it has ties to the quaint little town of Ruthorford, GA, as Morgan Briscoe discovers when a cryptic message threatens to change her life forever. Morgan’s relatively normal life is turned on its ear when she learns not only that she is adopted, but her birth parents are dead and she now holds half-interest in a business with their ward, Dorian Drake.
Dorian is running The Shoppe of Spells and despite his riveting good looks, he can barely conceal his hostility toward his new partner.
Morgan discovers that she is more than she seems and together she and Dorian have the ability to control a portal to another dimension. Unable to control their growing attraction, Morgan and Dorian dance around their desires and her burgeoning abilities, until danger forces them to face their destiny.
*******
See my review of The Shoppe of Spells HERE
Hi Shanon! So nice to meet you! Thank you for taking the
time to speak with me today.
It’s my pleasure. Thank you for having me.
Can you tell the readers today a little something about
Shoppe of Spells?
The Shoppe
of Spells, a paranormal suspense, is Book I in the GateKeepers Series. It’s
about the “descendants” of Ruthorford, GA, a quaint, small southern town.
Morgan Briscoe, who has lived a very normal life far from Ruthorford, gets a
cryptic letter from an attorney in Georgia that turns her life upside down. She
learns that, not
only is she adopted, but her birth parents are dead and she now holds half-interest
in a business with their ward, Dorian Drake, who can barely conceal his
hostility toward his new partner. Morgan discovers that she is more than she
seems and together she and Dorian have a legacy to fulfill. Unable to control
their growing attraction, Morgan and Dorian dance around their desires and her
burgeoning abilities, until danger forces them to face their destiny.
I just finished reading this book, and I quite enjoyed
it. Honestly, it was unlike anything
else I have read. Where did the idea
come from?
After Hurricane Katrina, we moved to an area near Atlanta. I
love exploring and I began driving around visiting all the small towns and seeing
the countryside. One day, as I waited in line at Barnes & Noble for my
coffee and scone, an idea struck. I pulled the scone out of the bag and started
writing on the bag. I know, a writer without a piece of paper. It was the
outline for The Shoppe of Spells and the GateKeepers Series. I must say, this
area is definitely inspirational. Oh, and I framed the bag!
There is quite a large cast of characters in Shoppe of Spells,
how do you go about keeping them straight?
In real life, we have a lot of people that interact with one
another. I’m a “pantser” and, since my stories are character driven, I pretty
much introduce the main characters and they take over. They pull in their
friends and family, things happen, and more people arrive. Sometimes, even I’m
amazed. Generally, at the end I will make a list so I can remember who’s who.
Shanon, do you have a specific process you go through when
writing a story?
Not really. I get an idea. I jot notes wherever I am when an
idea hits (my husband has threatened to get shower markers). I sit down and
write. I do have a fabulous office and a very supportive family – oh, and a
large coffee pot.
I write until I am done. Then I edit and embellish. I was a
technical writer and editor in the corporate world for a long time and know how
to work deadlines. I make deadlines. I finish. That’s the most important thing
to tell aspiring authors. FINISH.
Can you give us a little hint at what’s to come in the
Gatekeepers series?
Meadow’s Keep is due out late spring/early summer. It is
Jasmine’s story. It didn’t start out that way, but she decided she needed her
story told. I love Meadow’s Keep. Then, I plan to take the reader back to the beginning
of Ruthorford and let them see how it all started, which will be new for me,
since I’ve never done a historical. The last story will be Meadow’s, when she
goes to Scotland to claim her legacy. What might fall in between, who knows.
Ruthorford is a fascinating place with lots of people. Already, Pennyroyal
Christmas, a suspense, has come from it. I also plan a few short stories or
more novellas. My readers love Ruthorford, so I am having a great time letting
them explore it. I have a few small things on my website, www.shanongrey.com, for them to enjoy, as
well. One of my favorites is The Legend of the Snowy Owl. Native Americans play
an important role in the GateKeepers and, in doing research, I discovered what
wonderful storytellers they were and are. Their culture is full of legends, so
I decided to create some for Ruthorford. I have really enjoyed that.
And what other projects are you working on that you can give
us some tidbits on?
I have several things simmering. One is a novel called
Captain’s Watch, about a coastal resort town called Seacliff and a very unusual
sea captain. Of course, I want very much to rebirth my original novel,
Capricorn’s Child, since my son found some of my notes and saved them from
Katrina’s distruction. Other than that, who knows? My imagination is always
working overtime.
If you had to choose between Dorian’s power and Morgan’s,
which would you choose and why?
Actually, I would choose Eryk. He’s the hero in Meadow’s
Keep. He has it all. I’d like to share the teaser with you:
Jasmine Monroe once felt like damaged goods.
But, not anymore. Her latent abilities, although appearing too late to save her
from a brutal attack, will keep her safe from anyone ever hurting her again. She’s
made sure of that. Secure in that fact, she’s moved on. Until she meets her
first love’s doppelganger.
Eryk
Vreeland, a misfit and 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.
Jasmine
stumbles upon a secret that will change Eryk’s life forever, and in doing so,
she must face her own destiny as well. When Jasmine and Eryk are forced
together to rescue and protect a young woman, each must overcome the barrier
that protects, yet hinders any personal attachments. The safeguards must come
down to combine their abilities and, when that happens, their attraction
strengthens—beyond their control—until they can barely tell where one person
stops and the other begins.
Can
their hearts take the toll? Will they surrender to one another or risk a
disaster to stay apart?
And time for some quick-fire questions!
Favorite social media? Facebook
Favorite treat/dessert? Pistachio and chocolate ice cream,
mixed, with magic shell.
Favorite music? Eclectic
Favorite travel destination? Anywhere in the United States. I’d love to see
it all.
Ok, that’s about it for today! Thank you again, and I wish you the best of
luck with your tour!
Thank you. You made it easy. Believe me, I really appreciate
that.
*~*~*~*
Follow Shanon:
Shanon Grey FictionWeaver
Weaving romance and suspense with threads of the paranormal
Shanon Grey weaves romance and suspense with threads of the
paranormal. THE SHOPPE OF SPELLS is the first in her series, THE GATEKEEPERS,
about the quaint town of Ruthorford, Georgia and its very special inhabitants.
PENNYROYAL CHRISTMAS ~A Ruthorford Holiday Story~ is out in e-format as well.
MEADOW’S KEEP is due to be released this spring. 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 had 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.
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