Author Interview & Contest with Sharon Ashwood

This week my author Guest is Sharon Ashwood! 

Sharon has a new story out in  Crave the Night, an e-book anthology with authors Michele Hauf, Patti O'Shea & Lori Devoti.

Find out more about this new anthology and also enter this weeks contest for a chance to win a copy! 

Enjoy the interview and don’t forget to enter the contest!

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Amber - Welcome back to Amberkatze's Book Blog!  It is great to have you here as a guest again!  You have contributed a story to the anthology 'Crave the Night'.  How did you get involved with the book?

Sharon ­ It came as a wonderful surprise to me. Michele Hauf contacted me and asked if I would like to contribute. The timing was perfect because I had a slight break between projects.  If it had been a few months before or after, it wouldn’t have worked out, but this anthology was
obviously meant to be!

Amber - Does the anthology have a theme?  Or could you enter any story you wanted?

Sharon ­- The parameters were fairly loose.  All the stories include vampires, but we have a huge mix of other creatures: mermaids, fey, demons, and werewolves, for starters! In addition, all four stories have a different feel to them.  Mine has plenty of action and a dash of humour. Others are extremely sexy. Lori Devoti’s mermaid/vampire
tale is simply unique.

Amber -  Did you work with the other authors involved?  Get together for drinks?  Or did it all go through the publisher?

Sharon ­ We did it all through email. I have not met any of the other authors face to face. The thing is that w’¹re all old hands at the publishing routine and knew what to do. It was a very smooth and respectful collaboration.

Amber - And now the obvious question! Your contribution is called 'Hidden'.  Can you tell us about the story?

Sharon ­ - Hidden takes place in the Dark Forgotten universe, but it¹s set in the foothills of the Rockies. The tale
involves Rafe, the son of the local alpha werewolf.  He’s been travelling the world and receives a call to come home to help the pack. The werewolves are disappearing one by
one, and they think it has to do with a beautiful and mysterious fey woman who has just built a mansion overlooking the wolves’ ranching town. So, he sets out with his vampire friend, Darak (readers will recall him from Frostbound), to save the day. Little does he know that the fey, Lila, has huge problems of her own.

Amber - Was it hard writing a short story or was it one you had waiting around for a deserving anthology?

Sharon ­ I had the idea for a reverse Beauty and Beast story, but it was just an idea. Hidden was written specifically for this anthology. I don’t find short works easy to do, but I appreciate the opportunity to develop the skill set. It teaches a writer to be very economical. If it’s done well, a short story packs meaning into every word.

Amber - What is next?  Are you working on any other projects?

Sharon ­- Boy, am I ever.  I’ve begun a series with Harlequin Nocturne that I would describe as James Bond meets Dynasty with vampires. I’m having huge fun with it. It’s more straight PNR romance than I’ve done before, but it has a lot of thrills and spills and delightfully quirky characters. The whole series revolves around a murder, a royal wedding and a stolen bridal gown.

In addition to all that, I have another project a fantasy trilogy that will hit the shelves in 2013. This bit of news is
very hot-off-the-press, so I can’t give a lot of details yet. It does mean I’ll be writing like a fiend.

Amber - What paranormal creatures would you want to write about besides the ones you've already written about?

Sharon ­- I want to tell a real ghost story, sort of a back-to-basics work. Ghost stories can be simple and classic but extremely nuanced. After all, ghosts are as much about our own hopes and fears as anything else.

Amber - Is there a paranormal creature you just don't like, and would never use in your books?

Sharon -­ Zombies. Ick. Kind of like bad house guests that keep multiplying.

Amber - An anthology may involve other authors but usually you don't actually write with them.  Do you think you would be able to write a book together with another author?  If yes, which author would you like to work with and why?

Sharon ­- I would probably drive another writer crazy. I don¹t work in a linear fashion, but hop all over the place. Some of that is a function of working during the day and writing a night, because it’s very easy to lose the thread of things. I’m always going back to earlier chapters and changing stuff to fit my vision of the moment. I never like to say what a book is about until it’s finished, because half the
time I don’t really know! I won’t say that I could never work with another author and there are many, many that I admire, but it would have to be just the right project. On the other hand, I’d love to do a graphic novel. Working with an illustrator would be awesome.

Amber - And the fun last questions...What Superhero powers would you want?  Or would you be a villain?

Sharon -­ I’ve always wanted to fly! Or figure out how to pack more than 24 hours into a day.  Now that’s a power I could absolutely use!

Amber - Thank you for visiting!  I hope you will stop by again sometime!

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Contest Time

Sharon is giving away a copy of the Anthology ‘Crave the Night’

How To Enter

What four authors would you like to see writing an anthology together?

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The contest will stay open until Sunday 20th of November 2011 4pm CET and the winner will be picked by a randomizer. Entrants should check back to see if they have won. I do not hunt down winners and will pick new winners for any prizes not claimed within 7 days.