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Showing posts with label the shoppe of spells. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the shoppe of spells. Show all posts

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Sizzling PR Tours: Interview with Shanon Grey, author of The Shoppe of Spells


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:


You can join Shanon Grey on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ShanonGrey, follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ShanonGrey and visit her website atwww.shanongrey.com


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.


The Shoppe of Spells - Shanon Grey, Review Sizzling PR Book Tours


Title: The Shoppe of Spells
Author: Shanon Grey

Format: Ebook provided by Sizzling PR for review

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 interview with author Shanon Grey HERE


“A beautiful prison is still a prison.”
That’s how Morgan first felt when she found herself in the lush gardens of her new “home”. She’s been through a lot in a short period of time. She’s lost her job, broken up with her boyfriend, learned she was adopted and that her birth parents just died, inherited a herb/home remedy shop, and she is now expected to live in this new place and have this new life. Oh yeah, and this new life includes inter-dimensional creature removal where this creature causes headaches, confusion and memory loss to humans, sorting of bringing them a sort of dementia. Regular humans can’t see these creatures; Morgan has a genetic inheritance in her vision that allows them to be seen. The only trick is that she must work in tandem with Dorian to achieve the goal. 

Overall I can say that I enjoyed this story. It was a unique storyline that I’ve not encountered before. The main character, Morgan, was very likeable and I enjoyed getting to know her. She is a twenty six year old woman who has had a tough time but you can sense strength in her. She stands up for the things she believes in and the care she has for her family and friends is a great asset to her personality. Her love interest, Dorian, was also quite likeable. I actually fancy him as the spitting image of Zachary Quinto. He’s kind of nerdy, incredibly sexy, very intelligent, and despite his best efforts he is falling for Morgan. 

This book had quite a large cast of characters, which normally would irk me to try and keep everyone straight. But the author, Shanon Grey, does a wonderful job of keeping everything organized and in order. Neighbors, friends, ex-boyfriends, and adversaries all were richly written and I felt like I got to know them all. They really helped enrich the story and made everything feel so much more real. Even the dog and cat in the story felt like integral parts of the plotline. I think that takes some wonderful talent and skill to be able to pull that off effectively. 

I must admit when I first started thinking about this book, before I read it, I was a bit wary about the whole idea of portals. I thought it was going to feel like a sci-fi story, which I am not normally a fan of. But that is really not the case! The relationships between the characters, the growth of Morgan… everything felt very natural and real. The romance had a slow and steady build and I was definitely rooting for Morgan and Dorian to get together. There are a few curveballs thrown at you in this storyline that you don’t really see coming, and it helped move everything along. I think this story would appeal to a large audience since there are so many different facets within.

You can join Shanon Grey on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ShanonGrey, follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ShanonGrey and visit her website at www.shanongrey.com

Shanon Grey    FictionWeaver
Weaving romance and suspense with threads of the paranormal