Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Revenge is sweet, unless it's against you: An interview with Christian romantic suspsense author Ashley Dawn

Today, I'm talking with Ashley Dawn about her new romantic suspense book, Shadows of the Pain.

1) Tell us about your book

Revenge is sweet….unless you are on the receiving end of it.

“Do you know of anyone who would want…you dead?”

Officer Daniel Jenkins was no stranger to the dangers his job posed but usually he knew who was trying to kill him. Being stalked was a completely different ball game, and he wasn’t sure there were any rules…

“…I need you.”

Terrified didn’t even begin to describe how Kami felt with the stalker targeting her. As an FBI agent you were trained to handle stressful situations, but being the victim put the whole process in a different light.

As the killer gets closer, so do Kami and Daniel, but will they live long enough to see their love bloom?

Only God can save them from this unknown killer.

2) What inspired this series?

I started Shadows from the Past (Book 1 in this series) from a dream I'd had. The story just seemed to unfold and the more I wrote, the more real the characters became to me. I fell in love with all of them. That story focuses on Aurora and Jordan but the more I got to know the other characters, the more I knew they were going to have stories that needed told as well. The families just fit so well together and yet are such distinct characters that the stories sort of told themselves. Aurora and Jordan may have started it but Kerry and Luke, Daniel and Kami...they have all kept me entertained for years and I love sharing their stories.

3) Romantic suspense is a popular but also rather crowded genre. What distinguishes your book from some of the others out there?


My book has a couple of elements that separate it from a lot of the main stream romantic suspense. The first is, the faith element, that is why it is a Christian romantic suspense. Each of my books has the faith element in it and I believe it is a very important part of the story! My faith is important to me and so it is important for me to share. The second element is the family closeness. I have two different 'families' in my books. There is the Reiley family which is an actual family related by blood. The other family is not related by blood at all but by a bond built from years of closeness and relying on each other. These two families are woven together and that is where the best stories come out!

4) What sort of process went into the creation of your hero and heroine?

The majority of my characters came from that first book. Each of them was in my dream and so real! I chose to introduce all of them and have the character interaction and relationships be strong through the series. When it is time for a new story to be told, I choose the characters--though sometimes I am sure they choose me--that best fit and adapt them into a new storyline. They 'hero and heroine' are always surrounded by supportive family and I think that makes them more original. :)

5) This is the 3rd in your Shadows Series. It can sometimes be difficult to step into a series in later books. Can readers step into this book directly or should they start with the first?
I believe you can read Shadows of Pain as a stand alone book. Anything you need to know for 'back story', is told to you in the book. Daniel and Kami's story is their own and while the other characters are throughout the book, it is a story all about them. I do think to get the full effect of the relationships and the intricate interactions it is best to read the whole series.

6) Do you have any other books planned for the Shadows Series?

I do :) I'm currently working on the 4th book, Shadows of Deception, and it is about Tiffany Reiley and Colorado Wiley. Colorado hires Tiffany, through her PI firm, and she has to discover who is sabotaging his ranch and why. I also has several other ideas for the other characters. At the moment, I have planned an additional four books after Shadows of Deception. I am excited and a bit overwhelmed with all of it. The characters are wonderful at telling me what I need to write!


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Thanks for stopping by, Ashley.



You can visit her blog,  Ashley's Bookshelf.

You can check out her book at Amazon  and Barnes and Noble.



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