Lisa Loves Literature: Promo Interview and Giveaway: Shadow in the Sea by Sheila A. Nielson

Book and Author Details:

Shadow in the Sea by Sheila A. Nielson
Publication date: July 15th 2015
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Synopsis:
When sixteen-year-old Sadelyn Hanson washes up on the shores of Windwaithe Island, her beauty and the strange marks on her wrist make superstitious locals suspect she is a mermaid. Feigning amnesia, Sade hides a far worse secret: she was sailing to her own murder trial when she was thrown overboard by the real killer, the cunning and cruel Captain Westwood.

Sade’s quiet effort to rebuild her life on the island is threatened when she meets an actual young merman. Unable to speak his language, Sade still longs for the warm companionship he offers, despite the locals’ dire legends about merfolk and their dark magic. But her confused feelings for the impossible boy become the least of her problems when Captain Westwood’s ship docks at Windwaithe. With nowhere to escape, Sade must trust in the one person who doesn’t fear the merfolk. A woman who had dealings with them herself—years ago.

Goodreads

Purchase:
Amazon (Paperback and Kindle)
Barnes and Noble (Paperback and Nook)
eBook Mall (ePub version)

AUTHOR BIO:

Sheila never did figure out what she wanted to be when she grew up. She graduated from college with a BFA in illustration, has worked as a children's librarian for over eighteen years, and would eventually like to be a full-time author. Why pick one career when you can have many? Sheila lives with her two pets, a goffin cockatoo and a tiny toy poodle. She was born and raised in California but has come to also love her adopted home in Utah where she currently resides.

Author links:
Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads

Author Interview:

1. What does your writing process look like? Do you know the whole story when you start? Or do you just start writing and go with it (seat of the pants writing)? If you plan it out, how do you do that? Outline, note cards, postit notes, etc.?

Such good questions.

When I was younger, I used to write by the seat of my pants. This led to a lot of books that never got finished. I’d get half way and not know what to do next. All the work I’d done would be wasted. I now have a policy that I’m not allowed to start writing a book until I have the whole thing outlined chapter by chapter ahead of time. This stopped the unfinished book problem. As I’m working on an outline—sometimes ideas will come to me while I’m working at the library. You know those little scraps of paper that are available for patrons to write down the call number of books? If I get an idea I scribble it down on one of those so I won’t forget. Some days I come home with my pockets stuffed full with paper scraps.

2. How do you come up with your ideas for your stories?

This is always such a difficult question to answer. Book ideas pretty much come from anywhere or anything. A line of music in a song, a hauntingly realistic dream, a photograph in a catalog, a stranger-than-fiction news article—these are just a few of the things that have inspired my stories in the past.

3. How long have you been writing?

The first book I ever wrote was in sixth grade. It was a really badly written story about a girl who went on an adventure with a bunch of talking animals. The story ended with a climactic battle between Darth Vader and a unicorn. The unicorn won. There was no place to go but up from there, so I’ve been writing ever since.

4. What tips do you have for aspiring writers?

Write a lot of books. The first book you write will rarely be the one that gets you published—but you will never get published if you don’t write that first book. Write because you love it, not because you want to be published. Publishers buy books where the author’s love of writing shows through.

5. How important are names in your books? Do you choose the names based on liking the way it sounds, or the meaning? Do you have any name choosing resources you recommend?

I find myself choosing a lot of character names that look really cool on the page. I admit there are some names in my books that I don’t actually know how to pronounce. I find a lot of my names on baby name websites. I’m a children’s librarian. We give out a lot of nametags to kids. Sometimes I’ll see a really cool name and write it down for later. On rare occasions I’ll take the front half of an amazing name and put it together with the back half of another. I especially like to do this with the names of places.

Some fun questions

Favorites:

Mythological creature (other than mermaids)

I wish there were more books about centaurs. I’ve got a centaur story that I’ve begun work on—so maybe, someday . . .

Books/authors/genres

I lean toward reading fantasy more than any other genre, but I love all of them. It depends on the mood I’m in. Favorite authors include: Johnathan Stroud, Scott Westerfeld, Wendlin Van Draanen, and Patrica C. Wrede

Movies/TV Shows

Favorite movies are the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Favorite TV show is Person of Interest.

Music

I’m all over the board. I like whatever music catches my fancy—I don’t limit myself to one genre. I also think Christmas music should be played all year long. Yes, I’m one of those people.

Food/writing snack

Anything with lots of melted cheese on it.

Social Media Site
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sheilaanielson/
Other sites listed in author bio above

Thank you Sheila for answering my questions about writing, glad to feature you on my blog today!

Giveaway:
Tour-wide giveaway (US/CAN)

1 grand prize package which includes: 1 twin sized mermaid bedspread, 1 pair of light-up earrings, 1 signed paperback copy of Shadow in the Sea, 1 signed hardback copy of Forbidden Sea

1 runner up prize package which includes: 1 mermaid in a cup figurine, 1 pair of light-up earrings, 1 signed paperback copy of Shadow in the Sea, 1 signed hardback copy of Forbidden Sea