Shannon Mayer Interview

I had the pleasure recently of meeting Shannon Mayer on twitter and she agreed to share some things with us here at Eye on Ashenclaw. As you may or may not know, I am in the midst of trying to spotlight some new authors (well, new to you anyway!) as to introduce my readers to as many people and good writers as I can. My blog will be performing several interviews over the next few weeks from different authors and I hope my people will enjoy it! So, please have a seat and learn a little something about Shannon as we commence with the interview.

In what genre do you write for the most part?

Urban fantasy or some sub-genre within that, I like to blend them just to make it interesting. So horror/romance, urban fantasy/mystery, are a couple of the crosses I’ve done.

When did you start writing? 

It was about eight years ago that with the thought of actually trying to get something published, I sat down at the keyboard. Before that I’d been writing for years, but just for my own pleasure.

What inspired you to write? 

I think it was reading great books that made me want to write my own stories. I loved to be immersed in new worlds and the idea of building my own and offering them to readers was exciting.

What would be your choice for a superpower? 

Control over the elements, that would be fun.

Who is your favorite author? 

Too many! Kim Harrison, Stephen King, Robert Jordan, Jacquline Carey, Brandon Sanderson to name a few.

What are you reading now? 

Dragon Badge by Scott Moon, it’s an urban fantasy that blends magic and cops. Pretty funky if you ask me.

Who is your favorite character to write?

I like all my characters about the same, otherwise I wouldn’t write them at all. :0)

Do you have a writing process? 

Write every day, don’t let external crap get in the way of my time on the keyboard, and always have chocolate handy for those emergency energy slumps!

What do you do when you aren't writing? 

I still have a day job, so that keeps me busy and my husband and I have a large farm and animals that keeps the rest of the free time I might have tied up. And occasionally, I take a break and bake cupcakes. ;p

What advice would you give to an aspiring author? 

Just keep writing and ALWAYS use an editor. You really can’t afford not to.

What sets your books apart from others of the genre? I think the blend of romance into the zombie tripe gives a bit of a different spin,  one that I hope readers enjoy!

What method do you use to publish your books for those of us who might not know how? I primarily use the KDP program with Amazon, though I do have a paperback out with Createspace now too.

Where can we find you on social media? 

Twitter- @TheShannonMayer, Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/ShannonMayerAuthor and my blog, http://shannonmayer.blogspot.com are the best places to track me down.

Bio- Reading and writing from a very young age I learned early on that stories built in a fantasy world were where the fun was at. Reading books by Robert Jordan spurred me on and it was the first real epic fantasy that I fell in love with. After that came Piers Anthony, Melanie Rawn and into my older teen years, Anne Rice.

It was in Rice's novels that the idea of urban fantasy really bloomed for me and it was about that time that my grandmother was letting me read her Harlequin Historical novels. (Okay, actually she was slipping them to me when my mother wasn't looking, but let's not get picky.)

The combination of love stories and darker fantasy stuck with me and it's now not only what I gravitate towards to read on my off time (Kelly Armstrong, Laurell K Hamilton, Kim Harrison), but has become the style I love to write in.

Besides writing, I love to spend time with my family and animals, horseback ride, garden and hike with my husband.

Shannon's Amazon Author Page 

 Please join me and the other amazingly talented authors over @ Skulldust Circle where we have formed a Writer's Circle that must be seen--a collection of brilliant, up & coming independently published speculative fiction authors with much to give both now and in the future!

All of my work can be found on AMAZON -- Kindle versions here

See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!

Please visit MY HOME PAGE to enjoy an extended reading experience, see direct links to purchase my full length novel, Covenant of the Faceless Knights, the short stories: Wothlondia Rising, and to see what else Ashenclaw Studios, LLC has in store in the future!

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