WELCOME SHELLEY N. GREENE
Happy Friday, everyone!
I hope everyone has had a great week. Today, I'm thrilled to introduce you to my friend and chapter mate, Shelley Greene. Shelley is here to talk to us about her first novel, FIRE WALKERS which is being released in just four days!!! This is a dream that she has worked so hard to achieve and her moment is finally here.
You all know how I can ramble on and on. Let me just turn this interview over to Shelley so you can get a chance to learn more about her.
Shelley, I'm so glad you could stop by today. The blog is yours. Take it away...
Hi, Nancy!
Thank you for hosting me! My debut novel, THE FIRE WALKERS
releases July 1st, 2014. It’s been a journey watching the story
go from thoughts in my head to this adventure I can hold in my hands. I’m super excited to talk to you about it.
I'm so happy to be able to share this moment with you. So, when
did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
Hmm. I believe that it
first began when I was in my early teens. I wrote in a journal a lot. It wasn’t
until much later that I translated those personal thoughts and emotions into a
fictional character.
What
do you like best about being a writer? What do you like the least?
My favorite part is the
freedom. You can be anyone, go anywhere and experience everything with a tap of
the keyboard. I love that.
Least favorite would
have to be pressure that authors put themselves under. Writing is a creative art, and although there
are stages that require scrutiny (editing, promotion, media), it’s a struggle
to remember that we write for expression and fun. Nothing else should matter.
That is so true, Shelley. Sometimes we all become overwhelmed with the process and forget what we love the most, the writing. So, how do you think your life experiences
have prepared you for a writing career?
Good question. I tend to overlook all the things that
have played into my becoming a writer. I lived abroad when I was very young,
and I’ve traveled to destinations that I wanted to see. I lead a pretty routine
life, but I credit my curiosity for taking me new places. When I see or read
about something that piques my interest, whether that be a political movement,
a news article, a fashion trend, or an old building, I learn everything I can
about it and then the daydreams begin.
If you had one take away piece of advice for authors, what would it be?
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. It’s how you learn.
That is great advice, Shelley. So please tell our readers what genre(s) you write in and why?
I write Contemporary and Romantic Suspense. A good contemporary makes me feel a connection with
the characters as if I know them personally. I love writing that relates to
people, family, and all the issues one encounters in real life. After a long
day, a reader can pick up a contemporary romance novel and experience an
empathetic parallel to their own world.
Romantic Suspense is contemporary with a kick. I enjoy
taking a story set in modern day and adding believable conflict. A love story
with a hint of danger and intrigue excites the mind and still gives the reader the
Happily Ever After.
Tells
us about your newest book release, THE FIRE WALKERS. Woohoo! Sorry, couldn’t contain that.
THE FIRE WALKERS is my first published novel. A
romantic suspense, it follows a grad student, an ex-Narc turned arson detective,
and a rescued racehorse through a series of external events:
Here is the blurb for FIRE WALKERS: ENJOY!
Kelly Monroe is an idealistic
good girl thrown into a bad situation. A
graduate student chasing her dreams of a PhD, one party invitation lands in her
a jail cell with only vague memories of the night before, images of a tragic
bonfire haunting her. Sentenced to perform community service at a horse rescue,
Kelly’s life goes from bad to worse, all under the watch of an attractive,
blue-eyed detective. Driven to stick out the hard times, Kelly develops a bond
with Keegan, an abandoned racehorse horse with a past.
Ex-NARC turned arson
detective, Aidan Wright is tracking the drug dealers who killed his partner.
Kelly’s memories of the bonfire prove to
be the missing piece to Aidan’s investigation of several drug-related teen
deaths, perpetrated by the band of drug dealers who scarred him years ago. When
Kelly becomes the unsuspecting victim of the drug group’s trafficking,
Aidan is forced to stay close to her to catch them.
As
Aidan uncovers the truth, Kelly develops feelings for the fearless, blue-eyed
cop, and the battered arson detective falls hard for the sanguine girl with the
contagious laugh.
That sounds like a wonderful, exciting read, Shelley. So tell us a little bit about how you
came to write THE FIRE WALKERS. Do you believe writers are born to write or
learn to write?
The inspiration to write TFW came from
several sources. In 2008 I began volunteering at a horse rescue in western
Maryland. All of the horses have such personalities, and spending time with
them made an indelible impact on me, one I will never forget. The plot stemmed from an old news article
that I’d read in the 90’s. When writing suspense I look for strong conflict,
and the true-to-life event gave a plausible reason as to why the drug dealers
would be after my heroine.
I believe in both nature and nurture when
it comes to writing. Not every writer makes a career of it, but there are
scores of examples of those who both started young and who never picked up a
pen until later in life. I’ve seen authors write one novel in their lifetime and
one every month of the year. I think love
for the craft is what matters. Whether you write once a year and only for
yourself, or every day for the masses, you
are a writer.
Shelley, that is something that took me a while to learn, that I was a writer whether I was published or not. So here is a fun question. While writing each of my novels, I found that a special play list of music seemed to have formed along with the story. What
is the theme song to this book? As you wrote the story, what music did you go
back to time and time again?
Music played an important role in this novel. I don’t listen to music
when I’m writing, but the scenes of the story play out in my mind when I’m
walking with my MP3 and in the car. With TFW it was about feeling lost,
cultivating courage and finding your fire.
The following songs to this day take me
back to TFW’s most pivotal moments:
FIND
YOURSELF – Brad Paisley
STANDING
IN FRONT OF YOU – Kelly Clarkson
THE
SUN WILL RISE – Kelly Clarkson
IT’S
WHO YOU ARE – A. J. Michalka
BRAVE
– Sara Bareilles
What
is up next for you?
A little bit of rest and then back to drafting book #2 in the Walker
series. You meet the hero in THE FIRE WALKERS. Keep on the lookout for him!
It was a pleasure visiting today, Nancy.
Thank you so much for having me!
Oh, it was my pleasure and I wish you all the luck in the world with your debute novel, FIRE WALKERS.
AGAIN, FIRE WALKERS comes out Tuesday, July 1, 2014. Here is where you can find out more about Shelley N. Greene.
I hope everyone has a great weekend. As always, be nice to each other.
((HUGS))
Nancy C. Weeks
In the Shadow of Pride--release date July 21 2014
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