Interview with Shanon Grey!

Welcome to Shanon Grey to Storm Goddess Book Reviews & More! Today we have an interview feature! 

~First off, tell me about yourself, and your writing.

I have been writing most of my life. I know most authors say that, but I have, literally. I helped pay my way through what college I finished ghost-writing articles for professors, mostly scientific. From there I moved on to a magazine and then to “beltway bandits.” That is a term affectionately (?) coined for private sector contractor dealing with the government. That said, I must add, that technical writing, no matter how proficient one is, is not necessarily a good lead-in for fiction. Sure, I know grammar and formatting out my ears. But, like everyone else, I had to develop a “voice” and learn how to give life to characters. I did this at night, after everyone was asleep. My genre is romance because I love the interaction between couples. My subgenre is paranormal suspense because I like to dream of what we could be if our yokes disappeared.

~How long have you been writing? How many published books do you have, and what genres?

My first novel, Capricorn’s Child, was claimed by Hurricane Katrina. Hint—if you ever have to evacuate for any reason, and you can’t carry everything—thumb drive, portable drive, email to an off-site server—do something! Whatever you think you’ve done, won’t be enough.

So, I (we) started over after moving to Georgia. The Shoppe of Spells was the result. It’s Book I in The GateKeepers Series. Book II, Meadow’s Keep, is due out late spring/early summer. Pennyroyal Christmas, another Ruthorford suspense, is available digitally, as is a short story, Glenda’s Dare, in the anthology, All Bets Are On!

~Do you write in multiple genres or just one? If just one, do you ever consider straying outside your genre?

So far, I’ve covered paranormal romance, romantic suspense, and contemporary romance. I have no problem writing across genres, as long as it’s a good story.

~Are you a plotter or do you write from the seat of your pants?

I’m a pantser with notes. My stories are character driven and, once I introduce them, they take over and take me for quite a ride. After all, I’m telling their story. I will think I’m headed one way and, suddenly, they veer off on a path not considered. It generally works out.

~What is a typical writing day like for you?

I don’t have a typical day. I’ve tried for one but it never seems to work. I would love to get up, have coffee, and write for four or five hours, eat, edit for a while, spend time with my family, and get eight hours sleep.

Yesterday, I woke at six with my characters driving me crazy and wrote until 9 pm—over 9000 words. Then I crashed. Other days I’ll start writing and I realized I forget to go get the dog’s pills. Or my budget just crashed. Or, I’ve forgotten an interview I need to write, right now!

I’ve learned to go with the flow….

~Who do you love to read? Favorite authors, favorite books?

Everyone! An author doesn’t like to play favorites. I am always open to new authors and new stories. I usually read outside my genre to take a break. I just finished How to Ravish a Rake by Vicky Dreiling and loved it. But, I also love nonfiction tomes on forensic pathology. I know, ewwww.

~What is something you'd like to accomplish in your writing career next year?

Make enough money to afford to pay all my bills at the first of the month in one sitting. Oh, and have health insurance. And go out to dinner.

Oh, you mean writing…. Well, I would like to finish The Gatekeeper Series because I have this delicious idea called Captain’s Watch that I want to get started on.

~If you could have one paranormal ability, what would it be?

I guess it would be the ability to control energy, like some of my characters do in The Shoppe of Spells and Meadow’s Keep. They can use it to do many things, like help heal. I like that.

~If you could keep a mythical/ paranormal creature as a pet, what would you have?

It’s probably cliché at this point, but a Dragon. Except in my mind, they are extremely intelligent so I would settle for being friends.

~Tell us a little about your latest release.

The Shoppe of Spells isn’t quite like it sounds. It’s a gift shop/apothecary in the small southern town of Ruthorford, Georgia. Morgan Briscoe gets a letter from a law firm requesting her presence. Morgan’s relatively normal life is turned on its ear when she learns, 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, despite his riveting good looks, 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 contain their growing attraction, Morgan and Dorian dance around their desires and her burgeoning abilities, until danger forces them to face their destiny.

It’s available in print and digital formats from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

~What is something that you absolutely can't live without? (Other than family members)

My glasses. I’m blind as a bat. Second would be my computer. My son’s died recently and we had to share my laptop for a short time. He used it while I slept, but that wasn’t the same. I realized I do everything using our fabulous technology and that requires a computer. I am technology’s slave.

~Could you ever co author a book with someone? If so, who would you choose, and what would you write?

I believe so. Nancy Naigle and I have toyed with the idea. We both love small towns and bring very diverse ideas to them. Her Adams Grove actually has a cameo in Pennyroyal Christmas. It was fun.

~If you could spend a day with anyone from history, dead or alive, who would it be, and what would you do? What would you ask them?

My mother. I never really got to know her. I’ve heard she was brilliant. I would like to know what her life was like and what it was like during my sister’s and my early childhood. We have so many unanswered questions.

~What are some of your other hobbies outside of writing?

Before Katrina, I was a huge crafter. I had a fortune in supplies (I didn’t realize that until AFTER Katrina). I designed machine embroidery, made jewelry, designed clothes, dabbled in lotions, potions and such, designed houses, and sketched.

~If you were on the staff to have a book adapted to movie, what would you pick?

My own, of course! That was a silly question. Actually, it would be my first one, Capricorn’s Child. I loved that story.

~What is a talent you wish you had, but don't?

That’s easy. I wish I could sing. I can’t at all. I used to sing my children to sleep when they were infants. They either fell asleep in self-defense or their ears weren’t fine-tuned enough to care. I would sing all the time. I love music and the greatest joy has to be to sing.

~Favorite color?

Purple, duh! Just look at the covers of my books.

~Weather: Hot or cold?

I love cold weather sweaters and boots. I love sitting around a fireplace with a steaming mug of cocoa. I love the excitement the first flakes of snow bring and a vista dressed in white. I love a pot of homemade soup simmering in the kitchen.

~Favorite place to read?

I curl up at night in bed with two soft pillows behind me, the comforter just so, and a cup of tea on the bedside table.

~Favorite meal

My son’s Bourbon Barbecue Pork. He created the sauce and grills it perfectly. Which reminds me, he said he’d do some for Mother’s Day. How far is that???

~Favorite non-alcoholic drink

Coffee and Coca Cola. Not together. But those are my definite standbys.

~If you could travel anywhere and do anything, no limits or money holding you back, where would you go?

I would see the United States. I haven’t seen much and I love this country. I always thought I would travel more than I have, but life kinda got in the way. I can honestly say, I haven’t been to a single place in the US yet that I haven’t loved.

WOW—that was easy! Thank you so much for having me. I really enjoyed it.

To find Shanon Grey, visit:

You can join her 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. Contact her at shanongreybooks@yahoo.com. She would love to hear from you.

You can join her 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. Contact her at shanongreybooks@yahoo.com. She would love to hear from you.

Shanon Grey FictionWeaver

Weaving romance and suspense with threads of the paranormal

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