Click HERE for the tour schedule.
Welcome to The Wormhole and my day on the tour.
It is my pleasure to feature
Shannon Phoenix and A Wolf's Song.
Shannon has joined us for an interview:
? When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
As a child, I remember my sister reading books to me such as Ann
McAffrey's DragonQuest series. This started my love of stories, but what really
sealed the deal was one of my English teachers. She really helped me to realize
that I was actually good at this whole writing thing! But then I got a whole
lot of "You'll never make any money doing that!" comments. At the
time, I liked drawing even more, but I got the same comments about that. So I
decided to do something that made money... To my regret.
? How many jobs did you have before you became a writer?
I don't think I could even count. A lot. I'm 40, and I've had a
bit of a speckled career. I worked multiple jobs in high school since I was
emancipated, and carried multiple jobs much of my life. I don't have much
formal training, so I've sort of done what I could manage, instead of anything
I stuck with and really loved.
? How long does it take you to write a book?
It can really vary. If I am left alone to just do it (hahahaha,
yeah... has happened... twice? Mabye), I can crank one out in two months at
most. Sooner if my daughter is in school and I'm not doing something else like
a day job.
? What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?
I don't use anything remotely like an outline. In fact, my
writing is nearly exclusively what people consider 'free form' writing. But
that's not the worst of it. I write the images I see happening in my
imagination... and I don't feel I have much (read: any) control over them!
? Do you have a routine that you use to get into the right frame
of mind to write?
I use what's called Switchwords. So I walk around for a while
muttering, "giggle, giggle, giggle" and after a while, the story just
starts to flow. Silliness abounds, so I guess 'giggle' makes sense!
? Where do you get your ideas or inspiration for your characters?
They pop into my head and show me themselves. "Hi, I'm
Hamish, and you're going to write my story today." Sometimes, though, they
show up in dreams, instead. Typically, though, they all just clutter up my
brain as if they think they belong there, and clamor to be let out. Like
yesterday already!
? How do you decide what you want to write about?
That's a hard one. I pretty much go with the dominant characters
in my mind. They show me what their life is like, and I obediently write... I
am NOT the boss!
? What books have most influenced your life?
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle, and Living the Wisdom of the
Tao by Dr. Wayne Dyer. Although these aren't leisure books, they've impacted me
the most. But as far as my desire to write, it had to be the DragonQuest series
by Ann McAffrey. Which in some ways is unfortunate, because I've written to her
a few times and never gotten a response. I think that more than anything has
impacted my desire to be an accessible author, not only a decent storyteller.
? What is the first book you remember reading by yourself?
This is soo bad I almost considered not answering it. I learned
to read later than most people, but once I learned how to read, I just jumped
right in, feet first! So the answer is Moby Dick.
? What are you reading right now?
Sadly, I am re-reading my own book. However, when I have leisure
time (don't laugh, it's not THAT funny!), I am reading the Argeneau series by
Linsay Sands.
? What do you like to do when you are not writing?
Sleep and eat. I would include work and take care of the family,
but those can be enjoyable or... not so much. But sleeping and eating are
pretty solid bets for 'liking'. And really, I don't get to do much else, lol.
? What is your favorite comfort food?
Strawberries with whipped raw cream and a smidge of powdered
sugar. It is good to live in NH and have food choices!
? What do you think makes a good story?
Two things... if it moves me emotionally, and if I have a hard
time walking away if I must cease reading. If I will stay up late to find out
what happens and I have felt various things during it... it's great.
? Who would you consider your favorite author and why?
I can't really answer that, because it's almost like asking a
chocoholic which kind of chocolates are the favorite... How can you choose when
there are so many great ones?!
? What book, if any, do you read over and over again?
I don't really read anything over and over again, because my
memory is uncanny and I tend to get bored quickly if I've already read something
unless it's been like 20 years or something.
Fun random questions:
·
dogs or cats? Cats. But dogs are great, so long as someone else
cleans its poop. :p
·
Coffee or tea? Root Beer!
·
Dark or milk chocolate? Milk
·
Rocks or flowers? Er, this is a serious question? Rocks, of
course!
·
Night or day? Day... mostly.
A Wolf's Song
Shannon Phoenix
Supernaturals Now; Book 1
Genre: Paranormal/ Shifter Romance, contemporary
Book
Description:
Hamish hasn't been interested in love since his
beloved wife died four hundred years ago. He knows that it's impossible for her
to reincarnate, but he hasn't been able to let her go. Until now.
When he meets Desiree in Colorado,
Hamish can't resist her. When she moves to Vermont to work, she's right in his back
yard. He sets about winning her, ready for a future with her.
Yet his past won't let that happen. The mother of his children wants the
contract they signed three hundred years before to be fulfilled. Hamish must
mate with her and she must bear a werewolf son. Until the contract is
fulfilled, Hamish must commit himself entirely to the raising of their
child--twenty years without any romantic entanglements.
To make matters worse, she intends to use Desiree to make him even more
miserable. She demands that Desiree be the one to sentence him to a fate that
will tear Hamish away from her forever.
Even while they face this dramatic mess, Deathwalkers are converging on them
for an unknown purpose. Evil, malignant monsters, the Deathwalkers will stop at
nothing to get their hands on Desiree. Desiree must confront her own past as
well as Hamish's, escape the Deathwalkers, and find peace with herself. Hamish
must realize his love for Desiree before he pushes her away forever.
Can Desiree defeat Hamish's past and bring hope to an entire race?
Warning: Contains intense open door love
scenes between a woman and her sexy werewolf lover. This book is not erotica
with a plot, it is a full length novel that includes sexual encounters. It's
primarily a love story.
Author Bio:
Shannon Phoenix always wrote stories. She watched the
characters take on their lives within her mind, and began to write down what
they were doing. She would write the stories and then let them go. But a few
years ago, she got caught writing those stories. You know... those stories.
To her surprise, the person who
found her stories loved her characters as much as Shannon
did. She tentatively allowed others to read the stories, as well, and it was
from that first foray into the scary world of letting others read her 'little
tales' that Shannon Phoenix Books was born.
Shannon lives in New Hampshire with her
husband, her daughter, and their family cat. Her full time job is parenting,
her part time job is as a mother's helper to a family friend, and her passion
is letting the characters in her mind out on paper--or keyboard, as the case
may be.
Welcome to Shannon Phoenix's
Books. May you find the magic in your own life.
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5829040.Shannon_Phoenix
...an excerpt...
Short Excerpt A Wolf’s Song:
The wolf shimmered and distorted obscenely as bright sparks
flickered around him. She closed her eyes to clear them, and opened them again
just as the wolf vanished to leave a man in his place. A very, very handsome
bear of a man, at that. She blinked and stared.
He was very tall,
well over six feet, probably close to six and a half feet. His broad, powerful
body was corded with muscle definition, his belly not flat so much as ridged
with blatant muscle definition. His hair was the color of wheat, ripe for
harvest in the Autumn sunshine. His eyes were golden in his slightly rugged,
slightly surfer-boy face, matching the pale hair. More blond hair tracked down
that powerful stomach to where... To where she really wasn't going to look, no
matter how much she might want to.
“Death is a
werewolf?” she asked, realizing belatedly how nonsensical she sounded.
“Desiree!” he
said, his voice familiar and rich, harmony flowing through it like an old
fashioned acapella group. Then he chuckled. “I'm not death. I think he has a
scythe and a robe or something. And I'm naked.”
Death apparently
had a sense of humor, as well.
“Yes,” she said.
“I noticed.” She reached for his mind to see what was so funny, but found only
quiet. “So are you going to get it over with?”
“Get what over
with?”
“You killed them.
So kill me, too.”
His eyebrows
nearly crawled up onto his scalp. “They were monsters. Why would I kill you?
Are you a monster, too?”
“No,” she said.
Then quietly, “I just want to die.”
He chuckled again.
“Are you laughing
at me?” She crossed her arms over her chest. This was serious business and she
didn't appreciate his attitude. It wasn't bad enough that he was a
werewolf—which should be myth just like vampires... and he was here to kill
her. She didn't need for him to be a smart-ass about it.
He made an obvious
attempt to rein in his mirth. “No, ma'am. I'm standing on your stairs butt-ass
naked. I hardly think I'm in the position to laugh at you, now am I?” His lip
quirked again in contrast with his words.
My Thoughts:
I thoroughly enjoyed every page of this story. I fell in love with the characters, all the characters. (Okay, not a couple of them - Verrin and Brigida - they were easy to hate). Normally I find myself with one, maybe two favorite characters in a book. In this book, Shannon Phoenix has built so many wonderful characters, that I found myself jumping around as to which one was my favorite. As much as I loved Hamish and Desiree, there was also Lincoln and Pippa and Mason, and others. The story contains almost every kind of supernatural and each has been carefully created with attention to detail and the author's apparent desire to fully develop each one's personality and characteristics.
The writing is excellent and paced so that it virtually flows from the pages. The story line is intriguing, imaginative and fresh. The ideas brought out are insightful and there is a strong theme of love and family. This is so much more than just a love story.
I could hardly put it down and read it in just two sittings. I can't wait for the next book.
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