Friday, August 14, 2015

Minutes Before Sunset by Shannon A. Thompson Excerpt, Interview & Giveaway

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Title:  Minutes Before Sunset
Series:  The Timely Death Trilogy #1
Author:   Shannon A. Thompson
Published:  July 28th, 2015  
Publisher:  Clean Teen Publishing
Genre:  YA Paranormal Romance
Content Warning:  Violence, Adult Language
Recommended Age:  13+
Synopsis:  Two destinies. One death.
“Her kiss could kill us, and my consent signed our death certificates.”
Eric Welborn isn’t completely human, but he isn’t the only shade in the small Midwest town of Hayworth. With one year left before his eighteenth birthday, Eric is destined to win a long-raging war for his kind. But then she happens. In the middle of the night, Eric meets a nameless shade, and she’s powerful—too powerful—and his beliefs are altered. The Dark has lied to him, and he’s determined to figure out exactly what lies were told, even if the secrets protect his survival.
Jessica Taylor moves to Hayworth, and her only goal is to find more information on her deceased biological family. Her adoptive parents agree to help on one condition: perfect grades. And Jessica is distraught when she’s assigned as Eric’s class partner. He won’t help, let alone talk to her, but she’s determined to change him—even if it means revealing everything he’s strived to hide.
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Excerpt from Minutes Before Sunset by Shannon A. Thompson:
“You look mad,” he said, quieter this time.
I wouldn’t look at him. “I am.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t get you,” I admitted. “I have no idea why you’re acting this way, and it makes me feel like I don’t know you.”
“I didn’t realize you wanted to know me,” he said, and I turned around, momentarily meeting his eyes. They were dark, shadowed by an expression I hadn’t seen before.
“Why wouldn’t I?” I asked, feeling heat crawl over my neck. “We’ve already spent a lot of time together.”
“For a project that’s completed, Jessica,” he said, and he shook his head, driving silently through my neighborhood. I waited for him to speak, but he didn’t. Soon, we were at the end of my driveway. Eric shoved the gears into park, and I reached for the door, but he locked it.
“Why are you so interested in my life?” he asked, and my heart pounded. I didn’t say anything. His eyes met mine, filled with an intensity that made me shudder. “It’s not that great.”
“I know,” I managed. My voice was shaking.
            His face reddened. “But you ask questions.”
            “And you answer them.”
            His mouth opened, but then it snapped shut. He sighed, turned away, and grabbed the steering wheel as if he were driving again. We remained parked. “I’m Eric James Welborn,” he stated, his voice wavering into an awkwardness I’d never heard with his normally confident and cocky attitude.
            James? His middle name felt personal—like he had opened up a side of himself he’d forgotten about. But I didn’t feel intrusive. I felt comforted, like I already knew the answer before he’d spoken it. But I hadn’t.
            “Your name doesn’t tell me who you are,” I said, surprised by my fluidity.
            He barely smiled. “Maybe I like it that way.”
            “I don’t.”
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About the Author:
Shannon A. Thompson is a twenty-three-year-old author, avid reader, and habitual chatterbox. She was merely sixteen when she was first published, and a lot has happened since then. Thompson’s work has appeared in numerous poetry collections and anthologies, and her first installment of The Timely Death Trilogy became Goodreads’ Book of the Month. As a novelist, poet, and blogger, Thompson spends her free time writing and sharing ideas with her black cat named after her favorite actor, Humphrey Bogart. Between writing and befriending cats, she graduated from the University of Kansas with a bachelor’s degree in English, and she travels whenever the road calls her.








Interview

Where are you from? I’m from the road. In my 24 yeas of life, I’ve moved over a dozen times, so it’s difficult for me to pick one place as my hometown. That being said, I was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania. I’ve lived in Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Georgia, Kansas, and Missouri. I currently live in Kansas City, Missouri, but I’m already keeping my eyes open for my next adventure.
Tell us your latest news? I just returned from a trip to St. Louis, and now, I’m off to Atlanta! I love traveling, and I wish I could travel more. I mainly want to go to Japan one day, but until then, I’m writing stories and cuddling with my three cats. I’m currently working on a rewrite of my first published novel, November Snow, and I hope to release that after The Timely Death Trilogy.
When and why did you begin writing? I started writing at a very young age as a coping mechanism. I suffered from night terrors that caused hallucinations, and my mother—who was an avid writer and reader—told me to turn them into stories to make sense of them. Most my stories still comes from dreams. But I started taking my writing seriously when my mother died suddenly. I was eleven, and her death impacted me like nothing else in my life has. I knew right then and there what I had to do with my life, and I’ve pursued writing seriously ever since.
When did you first consider yourself a writer? I think I’ve always been a writer. I don’t believe I’ve ever had a moment where I thought, “Now, I’m a writer.” I wrote; therefore, I was a writer.
What inspired you to write your first book? My first novel, November Snow, was based off of one of those night terrors I had that I spoke about earlier. The dream was actually the climax of the book. That being said, The Timely Death Trilogy was born the same way. As a teenager, I had dreams of a boy visiting me at night, and I filled in the blanks with novels. The second novel, Seconds Before Sunrise, actually shows a lot of those dreams, and it was written first. I wrote the first novel, Minutes Before Sunset, to set up the second one.
Do you have a specific writing style?  My style changes from book to book. For instance, Sophia’s voice in Take Me Tomorrow is very detailed, yet short. Daniel and Serena in November Snow have detailed voices that are very long. Eric and Jessica in The Timely Death Trilogy have semi-detailed voices that vary in length. That being said, most of my novels are told in dual, first POV, which means both the male protagonist and the female protagonist tell the story from first perspectives. I actually enjoy writing as a male more than as a female, but I blame that on mainly being raised by my father and brother.
How did you come up with the title? In The Timely Death Trilogy, all titles of the next book can be found in the story. For instance, the phrase “seconds before sunrise” (book 2) can be found in book one, Minutes Before Sunset. The titles pertain to the overall theme of the novel. Minutes Before Sunset is about the Dark (and they change into their shade form minutes before sunset), Seconds Before Sunrise is about being human (since they have to change back into their human forms before sunrise), and Death Before Daylight is about the Light.
Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp? Of course! But I strongly believe in the message being up to the reader. 
How much of the book is realistic? I believe that’s also up to the reader. Although the trilogy is fantasy and paranormal, I find the best paranormal novels make you believe they are real. 
Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life? Well, like stated before, the dream sequences in the second novel are real dreams I had, but I would like to add that there is the importance of car wrecks throughout The Timely Death Trilogy. I’ve been in six. (I swear. I’m not a bad driver. None of them were my fault. I just have terrible luck.) So, exploring car wrecks in the trilogy was important and personal to me.
What books have most influenced your life most? Sailor Moon, which is technically a manga, but I don’t like to discriminate between books and mangas and poetry. Also, the Daughters of the Moon series, and The Mediator series, The Magic Tree House series, and the Dear America series, and so many.
If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor? T.L. McCown, who introduced me to publishing at a young age, and Elizabeth C. Bunce, who really lit up my life by speaking with me.
What book are you reading now? I just finished Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley, but I’m currently reading The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski. I review novels on Goodreads! Here is my latest one.
Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest? Definitely Maria Dahvana Headley. She was new to me, anyway, and so was Marissa Meyer, author of The Lunar Chronicles. I love them both.
What are your current projects? I’m currently working on a rewrite of November Snow. I never felt as if it got its chance, so to speak, so I would love to see it come out again in the near future. 


What would you like my readers to know? I host a blog for writers and readers at www.ShannonAThompson.com. On Mondays, I have guest bloggers. On Wednesdays, we talk about writing, and on Saturdays, we just have fun. So, I would love to see you all over there! 


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Clean Teen Publishing Links:
Giveaway Details:
There is a tour wide giveaway. Prizes include the following:
  • A bookmark swag pack, winner’s choice of any Clean Teen Publishing eBook, and a $15 Amazon gift card.

Giveaway is International.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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3 comments:

  1. THank you for telling me about this book.

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  2. I loved the interview! The author is so young!

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  3. I have enjoyed learning about the book. Thanks for sharing it.

    ReplyDelete