Ok, so I saw this cover on the interwebs for a book called Shadowman, I fell in love so I did some research and stumbled upon the author, Erin Kellison, and the incredible world she'd built. I've even read some readers call her writing poetic, and extremely hard to put down, I'd have to say I agree. Also Shadow Bound has dual POV, and I'll admit I'm a sucker for that. Also on my Goodreads friends list everyone gave these books 4 if not 5 stars, that I'd say is promising. Today I have Erin Kellison herself, she answered some questions about her series, and her writing, and as a bonus gave us a blurb of her upcoming novella Shadow Touch. She also nicely agreed to giveaway the first two books in her series Shadow Bound and Shadow Fall. Below are the pictures of those two books, and her two upcoming releases Shadowman and Shadow Touch her novella.
If you want a chance to win the first two books in her series fill out this FORM. I know sometimes forms are super annoying, but its just easier for me to keep track of the entries. I try not to make you jump through too many hoops. Have fun reading the interview, I thought it was pretty cool myself, let us know what you think. & a big thanks to Erin for taking the time to speak with us, and to offer up two of her books :]
& Erin's Upcoming Releases
Interview, Erin Kellison
1. How did you come up with the idea for such a complex world?
Banging my head on my desk? No, really…The Shadow world started with a banshee, and then grew from there. The heroine of Shadow Bound, book one in the series, is on the edge of two worlds—the contemporary world, and Twilight, a place of magic between life and death. Her father, Shadowman, the hero of book three, is none other than Death, aka the Grim Reaper, a fae lord of that realm. His duty is to courier souls across the fae divide to the Hereafter. Once I had discovered that structure, the rest presented itself: Twilight is the place of inspiration, seduction, and nightmare. It is the place where dreams, myths, and fairy tales are all true. And yet, for all the magic that the fae have, their existence is circumscribed by Twilight—they can’t change, and therefore are jealous of humankind. Only Shadowman has the power to cross into the mortal world, and then for the sole purpose of taking a soul, which he has done for millennia upon millennia. When he prematurely crosses to love a mortal woman, magic pours into the world. There you have it—the complex world, in a nutshell.
2. Is it hard to write Adam he seems like he has a lot going on in his life?
I had Adam pretty well developed in my mind when I set out to write Shadow Bound. He is obsessed with one goal—to find a way to kill his brother, who has become a wraith. The tension between the brothers, as well as the sense of duty on Adam’s part, really interested me. He’s a man with the world on his shoulders, slowly losing his humanity in a very different way than his brother. His good friend, Custo (the hero of book two, Shadow Fall), stands by Adam as a true brother would, keeping him as sane as possible in the situation. When Adam discovers Talia, finally there is a hope of a resolution, though it is very hard to come by.
3. Is it hard to get in the mood when writing, the story seems dark and gritty, how do you do it?
Actually, it’s not so hard to get into the dark and gritty tone—the character’s POV takes me to their place in the story—but sometimes it’s hard to shake it off, if that makes sense. I’m prone to nightmares regardless, and I have more when I am writing the black moments. Oh, and every once and a while, I scare the bejeezus out of myself doing research. I remember researching devils for Shadowman, and had to call my husband at work because I was suddenly terrified in my own house, during daylight hours. I wish I could say that was an isolated incident, but…
4. Do any actors come to mind when you think of Talia, Adam or any of the other characters?
Hmmm… difficult one because I have my own pictures in my head for each of the characters. I like the intensity of Christian Bale for Adam, and for Talia maybe Kristen Bell or Amanda Seyfried. In Shadow Fall, I can see a wolverine-ish Hugh Jackman for Custo, and for Annabella, I was thinking of Mila Kunis. Shadowman is the toughie… My husband suggests CGI.
5. Is Shadowman the last installment of the series?
No! I’m working on book four now (insert maniacal laughter), which takes the Shadow world in a new direction, and am contracted for a fifth. No idea what that book will be about.
6. Can you tell us any secrets about the series, if not any news you'd like to share?
Secrets… secrets… well, I used have an epilogue at the end of Shadow Fall, which foreshadowed Shadomwan’s quest. My editor suggested cutting it because it changed the tone at the end of the book, and I agreed with her. The lost epilogue will be making an appearance on my website soon.
Also, I have a novella coming out this June set in the Shadow world, titled Shadow Touch. Here is a mini blurb:
It’s about a woman, Eleanor Russo, who has a problem she hopes Segue can solve--her shadow has a mind of its own. Sure, it's connected on a primal level, but beyond that it roams, seductive, willful, shameless. Dr. Cameron Kalamos wants to study Shadow (capital S magic), not shadow, the thing everyone has. But the more he learns about Ellie and her dark half, the more he's intrigued. When the shadow starts to take on solidity, Segue is alarmed. The shadow can kiss, touch...kill. Ellie must master her dark half, or be mastered herself.
7. Does the series have a playlist of songs that inspire you?
Not really. I get the most ideas when I am working out (I hate working out, so getting story ideas is a major motivation). And none of my workout songs are sappy-happy. When I’m able to sit down, I’ve got to have quiet so I can think. Maybe that’s because my kidlings are always making a racket. Case in point, my five-year-old just galloped by my door pretending to be a horse. Very realistic interpretation, if you ask me.
8. How did you decide you wanted to be a writer, and that you'd write stories about fey and death?
I tried to write my first book in the fourth grade, so I guess you could say I’ve wanted to be a writer most (all?) of my life. I don’t know when it began, but I never really gave it a good try until I had my first kid. Or maybe that’s when insanity set in. And I had no idea that I would be writing such dark stuff! I loved the idea of writing about a banshee, and the rest flowed from there.
9.Before I started this interview, I looked up some reviews, and I couldn't find a bad one, what is it about the series that you think so many readers love?
I’m laughing here, because there are definitely some bad ones out there. By in large, however, they were generally positive, which makes me so happy that it resonated with readers. When readers send me comments, usually they highlight the world building, sense of dark fantasy, and, well, the heroes.
10. Lastly that Shadowman cover, so beautiful right? RIGHT?
I love the Shadowman cover! Kensington’s art department did a fantastic job, and I couldn’t be more grateful. I had no idea what direction they would go. I think they captured perfectly the story’s sense of fantasy, foreboding, and passion. I’ve had a great response so far, and I hope (pray) that readers love it too. Crossing fingers, and toes, and eyes.
