by Cege Smith
The darkness that has surrounded Ellie Coulter since her parents death is a painful reminder that she harbors a secret. She wants nothing more than to forget that she is different.
Fresh off a hellish marriage, Ellie didn’t believe in luck or fate until handsome David Mitchell breaks through the shell she's created around her life.
Then one of Ellie’s friends abruptly leaves town; entrusting her home to Ellie’s care. The house has its own mysterious past that draws Ellie into a new darkness. Her ex-husband resurfaces with premonitions of Ellie’s death. And suddenly Ellie’s life is such a downward spiral that even David can’t pull her out.
Ellie is running out of time. Something old and evil has been awakened and it wants Ellie all to itself. She must solve a century-old mystery and keep a grip on her sanity in order to survive.
My Review:
What the cover promises the story delivers. This book was filled to the brim with suspense and mystery. The characters were well formatted, and was brought to life with the depth the author describes. The Pace was nice, and the plot was well formed. The ending was a little creepy but set it up nicely for a squeal. It'll leave you salivating for the next. This is a great Paranormal Romance for readers who are looking for a little more.
My rating: 4 Stars!
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I am a native MidWesterner and I would be hard pressed to want to live anywhere else. I was a avid reader well before I started writing. (I considered myself quite the little smarty pants too until I ran into a word in the 1st grade that stumped me. The word? Fig.) I live with my husband and two stepsons in a suburb of Minneapolis, and I am addicted to Starbucks lattes. My guilty pleasure is B-rated horror flicks.
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
It seemed like a natural evolution to transition from reading stories to writing them. I started working on my first novel when I was 12. It was about two sisters who are trapped in a house that was shifting in time. I kept a journal with stories, poems, and random thoughts all throughout high school and worked on the school newspaper. Writing just became part of who I was.
What surprised you the most about the writing/publishing process?
Even when you think you're done, you're not. There is always one more thing that you need to tweak, edit, or redo.
How do you develop your plots and characters? Do you use any set formula?
I journal quite a bit about general characterstics of my plots/characters, but I'm not someone who writes to an outline. I develop my stories as I write them. I know where I'm going to start, but the end is always a surprise which can be really fun.
What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing?
Consistency and being willing to be open to constructive feedback. I think it is important that in order to improve your writing (and no matter how good you are, there's always room for improvement) you have to write every day. Even if it's just a few sentences it keeps your mind sharp and focused. Then once a story is done, you should share it with trusted, objective readers who will help you see the forest for the trees before you release it more widely.
Can you share a little of your current work with us?
My publishing calendar for 2012 is getting fuller by the moment. In addition to writing the sequel to Edge of Shadows, I have several other works in progress. One is a story about zombies, one is about vampires, and one is about angels- I'm clearly not wedded to a particular paranormal creature. :)
In Twitter Fashion use 140 characters or less, sum Edge of Shadows for us.
Edge of Shadows is a paranormal romance about a woman with a secret who finds new love but discovers it comes at a hefty price.
How did you come up with a story that was such a whirl wind of events?
I am almost as obsessed with haunted houses as I am with vampires. So the initial story concept started out with the house. I knew that my main character was a woman, and that she was a small business owner. I had just gone through a divorce a few months before I wrote the story, and it seemed appropriate that Ellie would have just gone through a divorce too. The other elements of the story grew out of that.
How long did it take you to write it, and did you have any writer’s block along the way?
I wrote the first 50,000 words during National Novel Writing Month in 2005 and it didn't have an ending. I didn't pull it back out of the drawer again until 2009 when I went through and edited it, and added the original ending. I shared it with about 10 beta readers who gave me some great feedback, and I revised again in late 2009. In early 2010, my backpack that had all digital copies of my manuscript was stolen, and so I was quite devastated. That was when I hit what could be considered "writer's block" because I had the version I had shared with the beta readers, but I couldn't muster the energy to try to revise the story back to where it had been when I lost it.
In September 2011, I gave myself permission to let it go (the need to try to make the story what it had been). Instead I started with a fresh set of eyes and revamped the manuscript into a story that I think is actually far better than what I had originally written. (My new ending rocks!!) So all in all, this book took me six years to write.
Will we be seeing a following book to this stories?
Yes, absolutely. Ellie and David's story isn't done yet, and I knew that even as I wrote the current ending.
How did you come up with the Female Lead character?
Ellie was loosely based on me and where my head was when I wrote the first draft. (But in that version, her name wasn't Ellie.) Throughout the revision process, Ellie became stronger and less willing to put up with any BS, which I think has paralled many of my own attitudes in my life's journey.
I always must ask, If you could pick one actor to portray Male Lead on the big screen who would it be and why?
David would be played by Paul Wesley.
Jake would be played by Andrew Lincoln.
Was there anything you find particularly challenging when writing this book?
Being patient and letting the characters develop as they will. They constantly surprise me in what they do, and so I try hard to give them the room to evolve, but it can be hard when I think I know better. (But in the end, they always know better.)
What were your feelings when you first saw the cover of your finished book?
Wild elation. It was a dream come true! I paid extra shipping to get the paperback copy on my birthday, and it was the best birthday gift I could have ever given myself.
Author interview
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I am a native MidWesterner and I would be hard pressed to want to live anywhere else. I was a avid reader well before I started writing. (I considered myself quite the little smarty pants too until I ran into a word in the 1st grade that stumped me. The word? Fig.) I live with my husband and two stepsons in a suburb of Minneapolis, and I am addicted to Starbucks lattes. My guilty pleasure is B-rated horror flicks.
Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
It seemed like a natural evolution to transition from reading stories to writing them. I started working on my first novel when I was 12. It was about two sisters who are trapped in a house that was shifting in time. I kept a journal with stories, poems, and random thoughts all throughout high school and worked on the school newspaper. Writing just became part of who I was.
What surprised you the most about the writing/publishing process?
Even when you think you're done, you're not. There is always one more thing that you need to tweak, edit, or redo.
How do you develop your plots and characters? Do you use any set formula?
I journal quite a bit about general characterstics of my plots/characters, but I'm not someone who writes to an outline. I develop my stories as I write them. I know where I'm going to start, but the end is always a surprise which can be really fun.
What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing?
Consistency and being willing to be open to constructive feedback. I think it is important that in order to improve your writing (and no matter how good you are, there's always room for improvement) you have to write every day. Even if it's just a few sentences it keeps your mind sharp and focused. Then once a story is done, you should share it with trusted, objective readers who will help you see the forest for the trees before you release it more widely.
Can you share a little of your current work with us?
My publishing calendar for 2012 is getting fuller by the moment. In addition to writing the sequel to Edge of Shadows, I have several other works in progress. One is a story about zombies, one is about vampires, and one is about angels- I'm clearly not wedded to a particular paranormal creature. :)
In Twitter Fashion use 140 characters or less, sum Edge of Shadows for us.
Edge of Shadows is a paranormal romance about a woman with a secret who finds new love but discovers it comes at a hefty price.
How did you come up with a story that was such a whirl wind of events?
I am almost as obsessed with haunted houses as I am with vampires. So the initial story concept started out with the house. I knew that my main character was a woman, and that she was a small business owner. I had just gone through a divorce a few months before I wrote the story, and it seemed appropriate that Ellie would have just gone through a divorce too. The other elements of the story grew out of that.
How long did it take you to write it, and did you have any writer’s block along the way?
I wrote the first 50,000 words during National Novel Writing Month in 2005 and it didn't have an ending. I didn't pull it back out of the drawer again until 2009 when I went through and edited it, and added the original ending. I shared it with about 10 beta readers who gave me some great feedback, and I revised again in late 2009. In early 2010, my backpack that had all digital copies of my manuscript was stolen, and so I was quite devastated. That was when I hit what could be considered "writer's block" because I had the version I had shared with the beta readers, but I couldn't muster the energy to try to revise the story back to where it had been when I lost it.
In September 2011, I gave myself permission to let it go (the need to try to make the story what it had been). Instead I started with a fresh set of eyes and revamped the manuscript into a story that I think is actually far better than what I had originally written. (My new ending rocks!!) So all in all, this book took me six years to write.
Will we be seeing a following book to this stories?
Yes, absolutely. Ellie and David's story isn't done yet, and I knew that even as I wrote the current ending.
How did you come up with the Female Lead character?
Ellie was loosely based on me and where my head was when I wrote the first draft. (But in that version, her name wasn't Ellie.) Throughout the revision process, Ellie became stronger and less willing to put up with any BS, which I think has paralled many of my own attitudes in my life's journey.
I always must ask, If you could pick one actor to portray Male Lead on the big screen who would it be and why?
David would be played by Paul Wesley.
Jake would be played by Andrew Lincoln.
Was there anything you find particularly challenging when writing this book?
Being patient and letting the characters develop as they will. They constantly surprise me in what they do, and so I try hard to give them the room to evolve, but it can be hard when I think I know better. (But in the end, they always know better.)
What were your feelings when you first saw the cover of your finished book?
Wild elation. It was a dream come true! I paid extra shipping to get the paperback copy on my birthday, and it was the best birthday gift I could have ever given myself.
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7 comments:
This book sounds wonderful and I am so glad you kept with it even though it took a while to write. Congrats on its release!
LadyVampire2u AT gmail DOT com
Thank you LadyVampire2u! It was a long road but so worth it. :)
I enjoyed the interview; it was a great read.
Cege, I look forward in reading Edge of Shadows.
Thanks,
Tracey D
booklover0226 at gmail dot com
I had not heard of this book and am so glad I checked this post out. It is now on my TBR list! thanks so much for the interview and giveaway and for the review! delphinareadstoomuch at yahoo.com
Sounds fantastic :)
I am drooling over this book.
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