Friends, today is the last stop on my From the Shadows Blog Tour—Happy Cinco de Mayo!
As you will have seen on other blogs these last 11 days, today is all about promoting the second book in the Shadow Chronicles, From the Shadows. I'm going to be sharing some info about the book, and then some answers to interview questions—answered, of course, by yours truly! So let's get this party started!
~*~
~Synopsis~
Shapeshifter Juliette
Singleton left her home to escape the oppressive concern of her family...and
the memory of being raped. She finds little solace, however, as her sleep is
plagued with nightmares, forcing her to re-live the brutal assault over and
over again.
Race Covington, a chimaera, thought he was the
only one of his kind. Then he reunited with Juliette, whom he had known as a
child, and discovered to his delight that he was not alone after all—and the
both of them discovered that they were destined to be together.
Meeting her mate leads Juliette to open up about
the attack and begin the healing process, while Race believes meeting his means
it is definitely time to escape the employ of a dangerous and vindictive
vampire. They decide it is time to start their lives over again—together—but
going home proves to be harder than they expected when they are forced to
confront a dangerous foe neither could have ever imagined.
~Excerpt~
I must have been more tired than I thought,
either from my virtually sleepless nights or from having to expend so much
energy to stay a dog, because I fell asleep soon after he turned the TV to a
football game. I wasn’t much into watching the game when I’d rather be playing
it, so I’d closed my eyes thinking I’d get up and sneak out when I heard him go
to the bathroom.
Next time I opened them, however, the TV was
off and I was alone in the room, the only light coming from the parking lot
lights shining through the blinds on his windows. Thankful that my energy
hadn’t run out while I slept and caused me to automatically revert to my human
form (as I knew sometimes happened to an exhausted shifter), I raised my head
and looked at the clock on his cable box, noting that it was just after
midnight. Shit, I thought sourly.
None of the busses would be running at this hour and I had no money for a
cab—how the hell was I going to get back to my hotel room?
Obviously I had no choice but to walk, but if
I did so as a dog I chanced being picked up and taken to the pound, which was
definitely not a situation I wanted to end up in. My only other option, as I
saw it, was to go in human form…and to do that, I was going to have to steal
some clothes. I felt bad about having to turn thief on someone who had only
been nice to me, but there was nothing else for me to do. Stepping down off the
couch and stretching, I then walked down the little hall and into the bedroom.
On the wall directly in front of me was a closet, to my right the bathroom, and
to my left was a large area with a bed and a desk. I didn’t see a dresser so it
appeared that all his clothes were in the closet.
Glancing in the direction of the bed, I
listened for a brief moment to the sound of the stranger’s steady breathing. He
was sound asleep. I phased back into my human form and stepped to the closet,
sliding the left-hand door open as soundlessly as I could. I grabbed an OSU
hoodie off its hanger and quickly pulled it over my head. Now I needed pants. A
second’s glance told me that the side I had opened was all shirts, so I slid
the door closed and stepped over to the right. Opening that door, I found the
matching bottom and took them off the hanger. After sliding the door closed
again, I stepped into the sweatpants as quickly as I could, tightened the
drawstring and knotted it so they wouldn’t fall down, then turned and walked
cautiously out of the bedroom.
I paused when I reached the front door,
wishing I could have thanked the man for being so nice to me. But it was
impossible, I thought with a sigh, and reached up to turn the deadbolt.
"Were you really going to leave without even
saying goodbye?"
~Questions and Answers~
What inspired you to write your first book?
I’ve wanted to write for a very long time. In fact, when I was about 20, I started writing a romantic suspense novel I’d titled The Princess Spy, and I think I got about seven or eight chapters into it before I stopped writing it. I don’t recall the reason why I stopped, but I would certainly love to find the notebook it’s written in so I can polish it up and finish it.
How did you come up with the titles of each book?
For the Shadow Chronicles, I wanted something thematic, so each of the books will have the word “shadows” in it. The same goes for my romantic suspense series, Firehouse 343—the first four books will have the word “fire” in it.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
None that I can think of. I just hope that readers enjoy it!
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
Not in any of the books I’ve written so far, but I was in a car accident this past January that I’ll be writing into my next Firehouse 343 novel.
What books have most influenced your life most?
Paranormal romance, romantic suspense, and mysteries/thrillers influence me. I know these are genres and not individual books, but I really couldn’t put a finger on any one particular book or books that have influenced me more than any other. I think any book that I read and really enjoy influences me in some small way.
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
I think I have two—Nora Roberts and Deborah Cooke. Both of them not only write sexy, irresistible male heroes, but strong, capable female heroines, and I really like it when the female characters start out strong and end strong.
What book are you reading now?
I actually read a book called The Marine’s Babies by Laura Altom on my recent birthday. It’s one of Harlequin’s American Romance line of stories. I've also recently read Caitlin Hensley's Paranormal Legacy.
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
Kristine Cayne, Shayne McClendon, Mina J. Moore, Allison Cosgrove, and Caitlin Hensley to name a few. Their books are really entertaining reads that I’ve enjoyed quite a bit. I met these wonderful ladies through Facebook and we have become pretty good friends.
What are your current projects?
Right at the moment I’m planning a new book which may be a stand-alone, but has the potential to be the first in a series. It will depend on how it turns out. When I’ve finished it, I plan to write the next book in the Firehouse 343 series.
If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your books?
There’s nothing major, but if I were so inclined, I might re-word a few scenes to make them work differently.
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
I don’t really know how or when, except my earliest memory involving writing goes back to when I was in grade school, and I’d written some short story (just a few paragraphs, I imagine) that was apparently good enough to be brought to the principal’s attention. It involved dinosaurs. But ever since then, when I’ve had to do any creative writing, I’ve strived to make it interesting.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Naming characters can be a challenge. Sometimes I get an idea in my head of their personality and can’t find a name to fit. I also sometimes find it difficult to write action sequences, or to transition from one scene to the next.
What was the hardest part of writing your book?
Getting it finished, really, was the hardest part of From the Shadows. When I first started writing it, I had a pretty good flow, but unfortunately I go through these periods where I just can’t seem to get motivated. The writing still goes on in my head, but getting the work done is a struggle. A lot of that has to do with outside stress in my life that’s not related to my writing. Thankfully I’m in a really good place right now, so the creativity is flowing!
Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
Writing and editing and character development are hard work. Keeping the plot flowing and tying everything together really does take a lot of effort. Writing isn’t just sitting down and writing; there’s so much more involved than just typing or writing the words—especially if you’re an indie like me and you have to do most of the post-writing work yourself.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
I actually got asked the question "How do you get into writing?" by someone I work with at my regular job. I told her what I've seen and heard so many other authors say, because the advice really is that universal and simple. I told her to "Go for it. If you have an idea rolling around in your head, if you feel there is a story in you that you just have to tell, sit yourself down and write it. Just get it all out and worry about making it presentable later." I also said that to be a writer, telling stories is something you have to be passionate about.
Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Thank you so very much for buying my book. I really hope you enjoyed it enough to come back for more! I write because I want to tell the stories my imagination conjures, but I also write for people who are interested in what those stories are.
What would you do in a zombie apocalypse should it occur on Black Friday?
I would be hoarding bottled water and canned goods, I ain’t gonna lie. I’d be getting my hands on some strong slicing weapons like swords or machetes, and I want a crossbow with as many arrows as I can get my hands on.
If you could interview one of your characters, who would it be and why?
Lochlan Mackenna from The Shadow Chronicles. He’s got a secret that he hasn’t told anyone, and I’d try to get him to tell. He’s also a flirt and he’s sarcastic, which I love. I’d also want to interview Logan Kilbride from Firehouse 343. Like Lochlan, he’s a sarcastic, flirtatious guy, and what woman wouldn’t want to get to know a sexy, single firefighter better?
Fave character(s) not your own?
In books it would be Sherlock Holmes and Eve Dallas. In the movies, James Bond and Aragorn. On TV, Dean Winchester and the Tenth Doctor.
Is there any musical group or singer that inspires your writing?
Oh, absolutely. When I’m writing, I like to think of songs that would make for a good soundtrack to certain scenes, just like in a movie. I often hear 3 Doors Down, Linkin Park, and Nickelback in my head, and I’ve also thought of Hunter Hayes, Kelly Clarkson, and Patty Loveless, among others. I’ve made lists of the songs that got me through my books and plan to get them up on my blog one of these days.
~About the Author~
Christina Moore proved she had a talent for writing fiction
in grade school when a story about a dinosaur so interested her teacher that it
was brought to the principal’s attention, and she was highly praised for her
creativity. Although she doesn’t recall the details of that childhood tale, the
feeling of accomplishment stayed with her throughout her life. Deciding in her
teens to indulge in her passion for storytelling, Christina delved first into
fan fiction, which she has written off and on for several years. Her mother
said to her when she was just 14 that she “could write this stuff,” and a
long-time friend once told her she had the talent to be a professional writer;
so after procrastinating a lot longer than she should have, she put her mind to
writing something she could sell.
After working on her first novel during NaNoWriMo 2010 and
editing and revising the story throughout the next year, Christina made her
professional debut in January of 2012 with the paranormal romance Chasing Shadows, followed by an erotic
short story entitled The Beauty in the
Black Room and the romantic suspense novel Fire Born, both also published in 2012. Currently she resides in
Ohio, where she has lived all her life.
When not allowing the
characters in her imagination use her to tell their stories, she enjoys a great
movie, good times with family and friends, and being “hu-mom” to two Chihuahuas
and two Siberian Huskies. Christina always keeps a notebook handy to jot down
ideas for future stories and is currently working on her fourth novel.
And now for something special!
If you leave a comment with your name and email address below this post, you will be entered into a drawing for a signed print copy of one of my books—and you get to choose which one! That's right, a SIGNED PRINT COPY!
Wait, there's more!
The winner of the signed print copy will not only receive a free book of his/her choice, but a set of miniature book charms of ALL my published novels! And to make the pot a little bit sweeter, I'll be doing a second prize drawing for another set of miniature book charms.
(please excuse the picture quality, I'm not a great photographer)
Made of polymer clay by my very good friend Michelle Scarberry, these charms can be attached to a charm bracelet, necklace, cell phone, bookmark, keyring — the choice is yours!
Remember, to be eligible for the grand prize or second place drawing, you have to leave a comment below this post! Drawing will be held tomorrow, May 6th, between 9:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. (the lateness of the hour being due to my day job). The winners will be notified by email as soon as the drawing is done. Good luck!!
And many, many thanks to Cat Alley, Allison Cosgrove, Elizabeth Sharp, Georgina Hannan, Caitlin Hensley, Beth Masarik, Shiralyn Lee, Liz Long, Christie Rich, and Raine Thomas — these wonderful ladies who were generous enough to give me the spotlight on their blogs for a day. Thank you so much!
