Interview with Erin Kellison and Giveaway - June 3, 2011

Please welcome Erin Kellison to The Qwillery.


First of all, thank you to Sally for hosting me here today at the Qwillery! Sally, you are awesome!

I’m giving away a full set of the Shadow series to one lucky commenter: Shadow Bound, Shadow Fall, and an ARC of Shadowman! Just answer the question below to enter.

TQ:  What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?

Erin:  I have to be wearing only one sock and on my right foot. No, I’m kidding. I sit in my big green chair and I’ve got my snacks and drink, and then I work. No interesting quirks, I’m afraid. Oh! I am terrified of my webcam (it’s like the computer has an eye), so there’s a band-aid over it. I’ve blinded the beast.

TQ:  Who are some of your favorite writers? Who do you feel has influenced your writing?

Erin:  I love Lois McMaster Bujold. Love her. And Patricia Briggs, Ilona Andrews, and I’m totally sunk in George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones series. Love Patrick Rothfuss’ series as well. Read it. Charlaine Harris, of course. Karen Marie Moning is awesome. Sharon Shinn. Dean Koontz. Mercedes Lackey. Robin McKinley. There are so many that I could go on and on. I love to read.

Who has influenced my writing? All of them. My books have been good friends to me over the years. But I turn to Stephen King’s On Writing all the time for perspective. I highly recommend it.

TQ:  Are you a plotter or a panster?

Erin:  I am a combo, actually. I have a broad idea of where I am going, but the specifics are a mystery. If I plan too much, the spark just isn’t there. If I have no idea what comes next, I lose the story.

TQ:  Describe Shadow Touch in 140 characters or less.

Erin:  Ellie’s shadow has its own mind—it can kiss, touch…kill. Cam studies them, but the more he learns, the more he’s seduced. It’s all trouble.

TQ:  In your Shadow series, who was the easiest character to write and why? The most difficult and why?

Erin:  Tough question. The easiest was probably Adam Thorne, the hero of book one, Shadow Bound. I can’t say why, exactly. He’s a man with a purpose and a drive, and they are so strong within him that I didn’t have to tease them out on the page. The layers just seemed to come. The hardest was Ellie of Shadow Touch. She’s a character in two parts—human and disembodied shadow—so I had to be mindful of the goals and motivations of each, as well as how they differ and why. Ellie might have been the toughest, but I enjoyed writing her so much that I intend to do follow-up novellas that explore what comes next for her and her sweetheart, Cam.

TQ:  Without giving anything away, what it your favorite scene or scenes in Shadow Touch?

Erin:  Easy. When the aide comes. I had not expected to love that character so much. I’ll be writing more of him, too.

TQ:  Who should play Ellie Russo if Shadow Touch becomes a movie? Cameron Kalamos?

Erin:  These are always tough questions. I could see Mila Kunis playing Ellie—a mix of girl-next-door and sultry, just like Ellie and her shadow. Ian Somerhalder for Cam. The man has gorgeous eyes. Dreamy eyes. And so does Cam.

TQ:  What's the playlist for Shadow Touch?

Erin:  I am rotten at playlist questions because I write in silence. I’ve got a playground across the street and the squeaky teeter-totter drives me crazy. Something in a minor key with a good beat?

TQ:  How many books are planned for the Shadow series?

Erin:  Shadowman, book three, comes out this September. I’m currently writing book four (and having a lot of fun). And I am contracted for a fifth. I’ll also be expanding Ellie’s story into more novellas, each a stand-alone like the first. I can see the potential for more books, but that is up to fate right now.

TQ:  What's next?

Erin:  A couple of very cool things! First, I’m in the midst of the Shadow/Sweetblood blog tour (#DarkTour) and among other stops, will be back at The Qwillery next week with a fantastic giveaway. Find out more at www.erinkellison.com/appearances.

Also, I’ve just launched the Segue website (www.thesegueinstitute.com) which has all sorts of fun content including founder Adam Thorne’s blog (a running story I’m calling The Prophet), which will develop over the summer, a map of wraith activity, bios of characters, and much more. There are fun easter eggs hidden throughout, including ARCs of Shadowman (releases Sept 6). More prizes will be added as the site expands over the summer. Check it out.

Which brings me to… Shadowman! I am so very excited about the release of the third book in my Shadow series. Find out more here (http://www.erinkellison.com/books/shadowman.html) and preorder here at Amazon.com.

Okay, so here is the contest question: I love the HBO series A Game of Thrones. I’ve just finished the first book and I’m hooked. What book series would you like to see as a television series (or movie)?

TQ:  Thank you for joining us at The Qwillery!


About Erin's Books

Shadow Bound

(June 29, 2010)

Death
Some people will do anything to avoid it. Even trade their immortal souls for endless existence.

Wraiths
Secretly, inexorably, they are infiltrating our world, sucking the essence out of unsuspecting victims with their hideous parody of a kiss.

Segue
Adam Thorne founded the Institute to study and destroy his monster of a brother, but the key to its success is held in the pale, slender hand of a woman on the run. There is something hauntingly different about Talia O’Brien, her unknowing sensuality, her uncanny way of slipping into Shadow.

Twilight
This is the place between life and what comes after - a dark forest of fantasy, filled with beauty, peril, mystery. And Talia is about to open the door.

Shadow Fall

(July 27, 2010)

Sacrifice
Custo Santovari accepted pain, blood, even death, to save his best friend. But a man with all his sins just isn't cut out to be an angel.

Mystery
One moment he's fleeing Heaven; the next, he's waking up stark naked in Manhattan. In the middle of a war. Called there by a woman who's desperately afraid of the dark.

Shadow
It gathers around Annabella as she performs, filled with fantastic images of another world, bringing both a golden hero and a nightmare lover.

Wolf
He pursues her relentlessly, twisting her desires even as she gives herself to the man she loves. Because each of us has a wild side, and Annabella is about to unleash the beast.

Shadow Touch

(E-novella, June 1, 2011)

Magic
It is bleeding into our world, bringing with it banshees, wraiths, fae from the twisting forests of Twilight. But Ellie's problem is a very different kind of phenomenon...

Shadow
It ought to be attached to her; instead it has a life of its own. And her dark mirror image is a wild thing, willfully seducing the very man Ellie hoped could help.

Science
Cam has devoted his career to exploring the boundaries between this world and the Hereafter. But nothing could prepare him for the mischief and mayhem of a soul split in two.

Surrender
Who will give in first: the man struggling to unite two halves of one fascinating female; the shadow fighting for freedom to experience the thrill of every emotion; or the woman who is about to discover her own deepest desires?


Shadowman
(September 2011)

Ghosts
They haunt the halls of the Segue Institute, terrifying the living, refusing to cross over. But one soul is driven by a very different force.

Love
It survives even death. And Kathleen O'Brien swore she would return to those she was forced to leave too soon.

Shadowman
He broke every rule to have her in life; now he will defy the angels to find her in death.

The Gate
Forging it is his single hope of being reunited with his beloved, but through it an abomination enters the world. Leaving a trail of blood and violence, the devil hunts her too. Pursued through realms of bright fantasy and dark reality, Kathleen is about to be taken...

Book covers and descriptions from Erin Kellison's website.


About Erin

Erin Kellison is the author of the Shadow Series, which includes Shadow Bound and Shadow Fall, as well as the upcoming Shadowman (Sept 2011), and the e-novella Shadow Touch (June 2011). Stories have always been a central part of Erin's life. She attempted her first book in sixth grade, a dark fantasy adventure, and she still has those early hand-written chapters. She graduated summa cum laude with a degree in English Language and Literature and went on for a masters in Cultural Anthropology, focusing on oral storytelling. When she had children, nothing scared her anymore, so her focus shifted to writing fiction.

Find, Follow, and Friend Erin here:

Website:  www.ErinKellison.com
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/ErinKellison
Twitter:  www.twitter.com/ekellison


To check out Cam and Ellie’s story, find Shadow Touch here:  Amazon and Barnes&Noble


The Giveaway

THE RULES

What:  One commenter will Shadow Bound, Shadow Fall, and an ARC of Shadowman from Erin!

How:  Leave a comment answering Erin's question:

What book series would you like to see as a television series (or movie)?

Please remember - if you don't answer the question your entry will not be counted.

You may receive additional entries by:

1) Being a Follower of The Qwillery.

2) Mentioning the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter. Even if you mention the giveaway on both, you will get only one additional entry. You get only one additional entry even if you mention the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter multiple times.

3) Mentioning the giveaway on your on blog or website. It must be your own blog or website; not a website that belongs to someone else or a site where giveaways, contests, etc. are posted.

There are a total of 4 entries you may receive: Comment (1 entry), Follower (+1 entry), Facebook and/or Twitter (+ 1 entry), and personal blog/website mention (+1 entry). This is subject to change again in the future for future giveaways.

Please leave links for Facebook, Twitter, or blog/website mentions. In addition please leave a way to contact you.

Who and When: The contest is open to all humans on the planet earth with a mailing address. Contest ends at 11:59pm US Eastern Time on Friday, June 10, 2011. Void where prohibited by law.

*Giveaway rules are subject to change.*