Interview with Author Shannon MacLeod

My guest today is Shannon MacLeod.  Hello, Shannon!  Welcome to Writing in the Modern Age!  It’s such a pleasure to have you.

Can you tell us a little bit about your book? When did it come out? Where can we get it? 

My new release from Lyrical Press entitled Rogue on the Rollaway was available this month on Amazon Kindle, NOOK, iTunes and in print. It’s a paranormal romance with a bit of fantasy and time travel thrown in for good measure – a fun mix. 

Is there anything that prompted your latest book ? Something that inspired you? 

The idea for Rogue came out of a dream I had. I remember waking up and thinking it was like watching a movie. I got the main points down on paper as quickly as possible and started building from there. 

So, when did you know you wanted to write?  Or has it always been a pastime of yours?

I’ve always enjoyed writing – my mom still has some of the short stories I wrote when I was small. There was one in particular I had forgotten about and I was pleasantly surprised when I read it again. I’m intending to revisit it in the future to see if I can expand on the basic idea and turn it into a full novel.  

Do you have any favorite authors?

Absolutely.  I love Diana Gabaldon, Karen Marie Moning, Virginia Henley and Shelly Laurenston. 

Do you write in a specific place?  Time of day?

I carry a notebook with me wherever I go to jot things down, but the bulk of writing is done in my home office. I use a rain app on my phone for background noise and almost always have a snoring cat on my lap. 

Are there any words you'd like to impart to fellow writers?  Any advice?

Don’t wait until conditions are perfect to write. I make notes or work on plot gremlins wherever or whenever I’ve got a second. In line at the DMV, doctor’s office, the beach – even if you only write three sentences a day, just write and shoot for four tomorrow.

Here is the blurb for Rogue on the Rollaway.

Hell hath no fury like a faery scorned.

A man out of time:

Enchanted by a jealous faery, 13th century warrior and druid Faolan MacIntyre has his work cut out for him. In order to break his curse, he must entice a woman to fall in love with him. His love comes at the highest possible cost, however…for the woman.

A woman alone:

Rebuilding her life after an ugly divorce, merchandising director Colleen O’Brien lives vicariously through movies and romance novels. When the sexy bespelled Scot crash lands in her living room unannounced, her resolve to never love again is sorely tested. After admitting her love, Colleen finds herself in 14th century Ireland. Now she’s scared and alone, until Faolan finds her and they are both pursued by their jealous enemy.
Thrown together by destiny but held together by love, Faolan and Colleen must work together if they are to survive. But for two headstrong people–a man accustomed to giving orders and a woman who refuses to take them–it’s much easier said than done.

CONTENT WARNING: Faery magic gone awry, a plucky Irish heroine and a hot Highlands badass clad in a very small towel.

Here is an excerpt.

…I suggest you not be wishin’ for anything you don’t truly want while you’re wearin’ it. Just in case it was to be enchanted by the sidhe…

The strange comment from the gift shop visitor came drifting back and Colleen lifted the amulet she still wore to eye level. “I don’t know if you work or not, but now’s your chance to convince me. I wish for the man of my dreams,” she intoned formally. “The one I just described. Please. Um…thank you.” She held her breath and listened for several long moments. When there was no blare of trumpets announcing her Prince Charming’s arrival, her shoulders sagged. “I am such a--” An intense flash of white light from the living room interrupted her tirade right before her personal paradigm took a fierce and permanent shift.

The blinding light followed by the loud, splintering crash was alarming in itself, but the deep masculine groan captured Colleen’s full and undivided attention. Diving for cover behind the bed, she peeked wide eyed over the rumpled comforter. She kept her eyes glued to the bedroom door, feeling around next to her nightstand for the Louisville Slugger she kept tucked away. Heaving a silent sigh of relief when her fingers closed around the bat, she slid it from its hiding place and shouldered it. She eyed the window and winced at the thought of jumping, then dismissed the idea knowing full well that she’d never get the window open without making a huge racket in the process.

Plan B--call 911. Where was her…shit. She groaned, visualizing her cell phone right where she’d left it on the end table in the living room. Important safety tip--if she lived through this, phone in pocket at all times from now on. She stiffened her resolve and began the slow process of creeping toward the bedroom door.

With heart hammering, she held her breath as she lingered in the doorway and listened. When she heard nothing, she ventured a step out and peered toward the front door. Still locked. She relaxed a tiny bit and lowered the bat just a fraction while she inched her way around the corner and into the living room.

Any sense of well-being she had fled again when she heard another low groan. “Bloody hell, that hurt,” the deep voice complained. More wood creaked and splintered, followed by a soft grunt.

She raised the bat again in a stance that would have done Babe Ruth proud and bellowed in a gruff voice, “Who’s there?”

The only answer she got was a heavy sigh and another groan. “Identify yourself,” she demanded. “I’ve got a bat and I will beat the living shit out of you if you so much as blink. I’ve got a black belt,” she lied frantically, “and…and…a gun. A big one.”

“From the frying pan straight into the fire,” muttered the strangely accented voice. “Lay down yer arms, lady, I mean ye no harm.”

Colleen inched forward, peeped over the back of the couch and gasped. Sprawled on his back in a pile of magazines and demolished wood that appeared to be the remains of her coffee table was quite possibly the most beautiful man she had ever seen. He lay still as a stone, his long black hair spread out around him, eyes closed as if he were asleep. “Who are you?” she asked again.

Several slow blinks revealed deep cerulean eyes fringed with thick dark lashes. He met and held her gaze, a lazy smile spreading across handsome chiseled features. “Beautiful lass, ye are,” he murmured…

 
Author Bio

Shannon MacLeod resides next to an abandoned theme park. In between writing and daydreaming about sexy Celts, she lives a life of servitude to two spoiled cats. She enjoys pondering the mysteries of Tarot, rainy days, good music, lively craic and spending long hours gazing at her beloved ocean. An avid wearer of dangerously high heels, she watches Lord of the Rings more than any sane person should and can, in fact, reenact entire battle scenes using interpretive dance.

Shannon is the author of these paranormal romances from Lyrical Press: 

The Celtic Knot: Suit of Cups (Arcana Love Volume 1 available 1/7/13)
Rogue on the Rollaway (10/01/13)
The Gypsy Ribbon: Suit of Wands (Arcana Love Volume 2 coming 2014)

And from Schiffer Books:

The ShadowFox Tarot (written under the pen name Jennifer ShadowFox - available now)
...There are whispered rumors of a new Tarot book...

Website:  http://www.shannonmacleod.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/xxSMacLeod
Twitter: http://twitter.com/TheMacLeod