Ten Questions with Shannon A. Thompson ~ Author of The Timely Death Trilogy
11:30 PMThe Timely Death Trilogy
by Shannon A. Thompson
Minutes Before Sunset
Page count: 247
Published: May 1st 2013
Publisher: AEC Stellar Publishing
She was undoubtedly a shade, but I didn’t know her.
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.
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.
…
He had gotten so close to me—and I couldn’t move—I couldn’t get away.
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.
Seconds Before Sunrise
Page count: 277
Published: March 27, 2014
Publisher: AEC Stellar Publishing
Two nightmares. One memory.
“Chaos within destiny. It was the definition of our love.”
Eric has weeks before his final battle when he’s in an accident. Forced to face his human side, he knows he can’t survive if he fights alone. But he doesn’t want to surrender, even if he becomes the sacrifice for war.
Jessica’s memory isn’t the only thing she’s lost. Her desire to find her parents is gone and so is her confidence. But when fate leaves nightmares behind, she decides to find the boy she sees in them, even if it risks her sanity.
“Chaos within destiny. It was the definition of our love.”
Eric has weeks before his final battle when he’s in an accident. Forced to face his human side, he knows he can’t survive if he fights alone. But he doesn’t want to surrender, even if he becomes the sacrifice for war.
Jessica’s memory isn’t the only thing she’s lost. Her desire to find her parents is gone and so is her confidence. But when fate leaves nightmares behind, she decides to find the boy she sees in them, even if it risks her sanity.
Ten Questions with Shannon A. Thompson
First of all, a very warm welcome to Doodles, doodles everywhere, Shannon!
Let's begin with the Q and A.
1. What was it that inspired you to write Minutes Before Sunset?
When I was a
child, I suffered from extreme night terrors, and nightmares also
confused me. My mother taught me how to turn them into stories in order
to cope. That being said, I was fourteen when I started having
vivid, reoccurring dreams about a boy visiting me as well as events that
unfolded into The Timely Death Trilogy. I even shared a real diary
excerpt from those days on my website.
2. Can you give our readers a hint as to what they should expect in The Timely Death Trilogy?
2. Can you give our readers a hint as to what they should expect in The Timely Death Trilogy?
The archetypes are flipped.
The Dark is good, and the Light is evil. Despite a prophetic love, fate
may not be real, and life isn’t guaranteed. Also, all three novels deal
with a different aspect. Minutes Before Sunset, book 1, is about the
Dark. Seconds Before Sunrise, book 2, is about being human in a
paranormal world, and Death Before Daylight, book 3, reveals the Light.
3. What kind of research went behind Minutes Before Sunset?
3. What kind of research went behind Minutes Before Sunset?
I researched different
cultures and their rituals in order to create new rituals for the Dark
and the Light to celebrate and live by. Also, the creatures of the Light
were inspired by the black-eyed children, an urban legend that is
really popular in Missouri.
4. Since it's the first book in the Trilogy, did you do the research for all three books before sitting to write the
drafts or is it still ongoing as you write?
4. Since it's the first book in the Trilogy, did you do the research for all three books before sitting to write the
drafts or is it still ongoing as you write?
I actually wrote the second
novel first. That’s when I realized that it didn’t make sense without a
back story, so I wrote the first novel. After those two, I wrote the
last one. This is very unusual for me. I normally have the entire series
planned, but this was the first series I ever wrote - which is perhaps
the reason I now have a plan when writing. That being said, I look at my
plans like a road trip: I know where I start and probably where I end. I
also have a few places where I want to visit, but I am open to the trip
going a different way than I originally thought. My characters are
always surprising me.
5. If you had to pick one favorite character from the book, who would you pick and why?
Pierce (a.k.a Jonathon.) Perhaps I love him so much
because he is the protagonist’s best friend, and I live in the
protagonist’s head, so Pierce became my best friend. He’s funny, witty,
and I enjoy spending time with him in the room.
6. What are some of the biggest challenges that you face in your writing process?
5. If you had to pick one favorite character from the book, who would you pick and why?
6. What are some of the biggest challenges that you face in your writing process?
Once you learn
to embrace your profession as an author, I think the biggest challenge
is understanding that everyone is going to have a different experience
from your novel. For instance, I feel like readers are often be
more judgmental of a female protagonist than a male one. Since I have
both in my trilogy, I am often surprised by how much more she is judged
and how little he is. They both make mistakes, of course, but a much
larger number mentions hers. In this case, writers can strive to write a
strong, female lead, but she still might be judged more.
It’s realizations like that that often hurt the most, mainly because it
hurts as both as a writer and a female.
7. If you weren't writing, what would you want to be doing for a living?
7. If you weren't writing, what would you want to be doing for a living?
I started off as just an author, but I now work for
my publisher as well, so I would say my career would be in anything to
do with writing and reading like it is now.
Do you have a pet(s)?
Losing a pet is a very difficult mourning process. I
lost my husky a few years ago. I now have a black cat named Bogart
after my favorite actor, Humphrey Bogart, and I share photos of him
often. He’s quite the character.
When I was
starting off, I got writer’s block. Now, I don’t, but I think it’s
because I figured out how my writer’s block worked. (I believe it can be
different for every writer.) My writer’s block always happened whenever
I was trying to force my characters to do something that I wanted them
to do. Once this happened, I had to learn to step back and trust them to
take over, even if it didn’t seem to make sense at times. Now, they are
in charge 24/7.
10. Lastly, can you give the young aspiring writers of today a tip to be awesome authors?
Embrace your passion for writing. Unfortunately,
many people will discourage your dreams, but you must find a place in
your heart that you believe in yourself. Once you decide to continue
forward with that belief, you cannot be stopped by negative feedback.
You will continue forward no matter what, because you know you believe
in your dream, your passion, and your future as a writer. Always be
willing to grow, and keep your chin up. I had six years between my first
and my second publication, but it’s worth it. About Shannon
(In her own words)
I’m a 22-year-old author, avid reader, and a habitual chatterbox. In 2007, I was 16 when I published my first YA dystopian novel, November Snow. In 2012, I was featured in a poetry collection, and in 2013, I signed The Timely Death Trilogy with AEC Stellar Publishing, Inc. After releasing the first installment, my young-adult, paranormal romance, Minutes Before Sunset, became Goodreads Book of the Month. My life changed. Since then, my first short story, Sean’s Bullet, was also published in an anthology, and my poem was featured in a Norwegian magazine. My latest novel, Seconds Before Sunrise, released on March 27, 2014. Writing is what I do, and I love it more and more everyday.
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