A Special Interview with Shannon A Thompson — Author, Blogger, and Member of the Dreams, Fantasies, Nightmares, and Visions Team

Today’s Interview is with an author who’s definitely someone to watch now and in the future. I met Shannon during the forming of a Facebook Event I’ll be plugging a little later. She’s been an amiable, patient, and courteous friend and I look forward to talking more with her over the course of 2014. Here’s her Author Bio on Amazon.

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I’m a 22-year-old author, avid reader, and a habitual chatterbox. In 2007, I was 16 when I published my first YA dystopian novel, November Snow. In 2012, I was featured in a poetry collection, and in 2013, I signed The Timely Death Trilogy with AEC Stellar Publishing, Inc. After releasing the first installment, my young-adult, paranormal romance, Minutes Before Sunset, became Goodreads Book of the Month. My life changed. Since then, my first short story, Sean’s Bullet, was also published in an anthology, and my poem was featured in a Norwegian magazine. My latest novel, Seconds Before Sunrise, released on March 27, 2014. Writing is what I do, and I love it more and more everyday.

Outside of my publications, I graduated from the University of Kansas with a bachelor’s degree in English with an emphasis on creative writing. This little fact also means I live in Lawrence, Kansas–home of the Jayhawks. Rock Chalk! After also working for my publisher as a Social Media Marketing Manager, I became the C.O.O. While most define a C.O.O. as the Chief Operating Officer, my fellow AEC author, Ryan Attard, redefined it as the Cognitive Operations Overlord. I think I prefer his creative definition.

Visit me at ShannonAThompson.com.

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Watch for her during the Facebook Party of the Summer — The Dreams, Fantasies, Nightmares, and Visions Mega-Multi Author Event.

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Now, read on and watch me pick her brain with my usual thought-provoking questions. 😛

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INTERVIEW

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Hello, Shannon. Thanks for coming to our interview. First Question — Describe your newest book and what made you come up with the concept??

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Thanks for inviting me, John. Okay, my latest book released by AEC Stellar Publishing, Inc – Seconds Before Sunrise, book 2 of The Timely Death Trilogy – is an award-winning paranormal romance told from two perspectives – Eric and Jessica. Both of them find themselves wrapped up in a world of double identities, fate, and a looming war between the Dark and the Light – but the Dark is good and the Light is evil.

To explain where I came up with this concept, I have to tell everyone that I suffered from extreme nightmares and night terrors (which are different) as a child, and I never truly grew out of them. During a rather dark time in my life, I began having dreams of a boy visiting me at night. A part of me truly believed the dreams were real. When the dreams stopped, years later, I created The Timely Death Trilogy. You can read an actual excerpt from my diary here: http://shannonathompson.com/2013/11/15/my-dream-goodreads-extras/      

(Editor’s Note — This is from her blog and it’s very…well…creepy. The dream, not the blog.)

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What personal qualities do you have that helps you as an author???

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My passion for writing has driven everything I have ever done. Whether it was to try something new (poetry) or to travel (hello! Inspiration) I can always find a way to tie it back to my love for the written word.

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You have a photo-bombing cat named Bogart. Tell us about him?

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Oh, Bogart. My fans love him more than me – but he deserves the praise. He’s 18 lbs of loveable cat with too much personality to handle. If he’s not following me around and talking (constantly), he’s sitting on the back of my chair and reviewing everything I type, sometimes biting my hair when I’m not quite getting it right. Despite his black fur, even superstitious people love him.

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Have any Indie Writers helped or inspired you???

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Too many to name! But I have to thank T.L. McCown. She sponsored my first novel when I was only 16 years old. Elizabeth C. Bunce and Greg Kincaid have also been amazing with their endless encouragement. Natasha Hanova is one of my favorite Indie writers as well as Jacinda Buchmann.

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For you, what’s the hardest thing about writing a novel???

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I struggled more when I was younger, but being completely true to the story was difficult, especially when scenes were controversial.

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You’re given a round-trip-airplane ticket and $20,000 to spend in a foreign city/country. Where would you go?

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Right now, I would love to visit Japan or New Zealand.

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What’s your next book about, and do you have a release date in mind?

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My next novel, Take Me Tomorrow, is scheduled to release later this summer (July/August.) It revolves around a clairvoyant drug set in the near future, but you can read more about it on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22054027-take-me-tomorrow

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Thanks for the entertaining conversation, Shannon.  I encourage all my followers to check out her Blog and follow it. She’s recently written a treatise of the problems with womens characters in recent novels. You’ll find out she’s an intelligent author with a lot to say about the literary world and writing in general.

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LIBRARY

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MINUTES BEFORE SUNSET    

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SYNOPSIS

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AWARD WINNING NOVEL! – GOODREADS.COM BOOK OF THE MONTH IN GENERAL FICTION FOR JULY 2013

Two destinies. One death.

“Her kiss could kill us, and my consent signed our death certificates…”

 Eric has less than a year left before his fated battle when he meets her. She’s a shade like him, but separated from the Dark – and with more power than she should have. And he can’t stay away.

Jessica is new to town and desperate to figure out who, or what, her birth parents were. But she can’t find them without overcoming Eric, and she won’t let him stop her.

Minutes Before Sunset happens through the minds of two young adults as they struggle to survive their paranormal realities and find balance in their human lives.
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Editorial Reviews

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“Creative and well-written, Minutes Before Sunset keeps the reader intrigued and anxious for the sequel. Love it!”
– T.L. McCown, author of the bestseller, Shifting Sands

“An exciting mixture of paranormal, romance, and page-turning action. Can’t wait to see book 2.”
– Raymond Vogel, author of Matter of Resistance, a YA science fiction novel.

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BUY LINK ——  http://www.amazon.com/Minutes-Before-Sunset-Timely-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00CKN4RFE

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   SECONDS BEFORE SUNRISE

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SYNOPSIS

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Two nightmares. One memory.

“Chaos within destiny. It was the definition of our love.”

Eric has weeks before his final battle when he’s in an accident. Forced to face his human side, he knows he can’t survive if he fights alone. But he doesn’t want to surrender, even if he becomes the sacrifice for war.

Jessica’s memory isn’t the only thing she’s lost. Her desire to find her parents is gone and so is her confidence. But when fate leaves nightmares behind, she decides to find the boy she sees in them, even if it risks her sanity.

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BUY LINK —  http://www.amazon.com/Seconds-Before-Sunrise-Shannon-Thompson/dp/1940820030

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RANDOM REVIEW

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‘Seconds Before Sunrise’ explores ‘chaos within destiny’ By Lionel Ray Green on April 1, 2014 Format: Paperback

`Seconds Before Sunrise’ is the second book in a trilogy of young adult paranormal romance novels with fantasy elements. The story starts where the first book, ‘Minutes Before Sunset,’ ends.
With the final battle just months away, Eric struggles with the decision that erased his memory from Jessica’s mind to protect her identity from the Light.
It’s not easy for Eric who attends high school with Jessica and must maintain a friendly distance while suppressing his desire for her. The most human moments in the book are Eric’s reactions when other boys show interest in Jessica and he feels helpless to intervene. Yes, Eric is the legendary first descendant, but he’s also just a teenager in love.
Meanwhile, Jessica is having vivid nightmares that seem more real than her waking world, nightmares that are prodding her memory. She is determined to discover the meaning of her dreams. However, if Jessica solves the puzzle of her memory, she could irrevocably harm the Dark’s chances for victory against the Light.
The author Shannon A. Thompson explores the humanity of Eric and Jessica so thoroughly in `Seconds’ that the reader forgets the two teens are actually powerful supernatural beings.
Thompson also understands no matter how inevitable destinies, fates and prophecies are, when love is introduced into the equation, chaos often ensues.
Strong character development, a suspenseful climax and a potentially devastating twist of fate make `Seconds Before Sunrise’ a welcome addition to the crowded field of young adult paranormal romance novels.

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LINKS

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Website: http://shannonathompson.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorShannonAThompson?ref=hl&ref_type=bookmark

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6880615.Shannon_A_Thompson

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShanAshleeT23

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/AuthorShannonT/