So I had to wonder how difficult changing worlds was going to be for Shannon. In some sense, I get that it wasn't since she's a writer and probably has a bajillion ideas running around her head. But I had to wonder. So I posed that question to her, before you wrote about werewolves in our modern day, now you wrote a steampunk YA novel. Was this a difficult adjustment? And here's her answer:
Writing about werewolves in a contemporary setting was a lot of fun--I really loved writing the 13 TO LIFE series! Going from that to WEATHER WITCH was quite a change but it wasn't so much a difficult adjustment as it was an odd one. Even with my background in history, I had to brush up on a few things and decide what I was going to skirt and what I'd outright ignore thanks to being allowed creative liberties. The fact is, I have about 40 different novel ideas floating around that cover all different time periods and a mess of genres because my mind (and unruly characters) pop up everywhere. I also have a background in drama and psychology, so characters of all sorts are very familiar to me.
This series was definitely different because I researched things in order to build a significantly deeper world than I needed in 13 TO LIFE. In 13 TO LIFE I essentially painted a paranormal veneer over the real world (although it also required an amount of research which often surprises people).
For WEATHER WITCH I researched everything including popular books and music as well as typical literature of the period, sleeve lengths, necklines, hems, and other costuming and hair topics throughout the 1840's as well as children's games, Philadelphia gangs and many topics regarding the history of certain places all along the USA's East Coast. And much of that research just went into the window-dressings (so to speak). For me, the characters must always take the lead and, regardless of time period and setting, people are people and the "punk" of steampunk is just like any other punk--it's an attitude--a revolutionary state of mind.
Thanks so much for that Shannon! I look forward to reading more in this world you've created!
Shannon Delany has been writing fiction since she was a child. Inspired by a teacher in 4th grade and the creative endeavors of her parents, she was frequently encouraged to find her voice. First published in 8th grade in a short story anthology, she caught the writing bug for good and used her teen friends as beta readers but it wasn't until after being a middle school teacher that she pursued writing seriously. She freelanced for magazines and newspapers and then won the first-ever cell phone novel contest in the western world with 13 TO LIFE. An agent and a press release followed quickly and she was snapped up by St. Martin's Press where she has happily remained through 5 novels in the 13 TO LIFE series and three novels in the WEATHER WITCH series. She also contributes to charity anthologies, has a small heritage farm and a blog talk radio show called BOOKED! with Shannon Delany.
Giveaway time! There's two giveaways and BOTH are INTERNATIONAL!! Yay!
The first one that's specific to my blog here. This is what you can get:
A SIGNED mini poster
A SIGNED postcard and more story-related goodies
To enter that, just leave a comment on this post!
And now for the TOUR WIDE Giveaway that's also INTERNATIONAL:
A SIGNED copy of Weather Witch
A Weather Witch coffee mug with special goodies (all connected to the story)
SIGNED copies of 13 to Life and Secrets and Shadows (Books 1 & 2)
A handcrafted mask
A special metal and crystal bookmark
A mini top hat
A silhouette of their own profile cut and matted by me (it'll take a few
weeks after getting their profile before I can get it to them, of
course).
Shannon~Which Character was your favorite to write about in Weather Witch?
ReplyDeleteHow do you come up with your concepts?
ReplyDeleteHi, I imagine that when you are researching for one book you must come across info that you tuck away for future reference?
ReplyDeletewhy you like werewolves?
ReplyDeleteI've not read any of your books. I love books about witches. How did you decide to write a series about witches after having such a successful series with werewolves? Have you always loved witches too?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the contest!
How do you decide on a characters name? Do their names come before or after you've figured out their personalities?
ReplyDeleteWith all those ideas floating around your head, it must have been really something! Glad to hear you have a background in Psychology too! I as well! Cheers!
ReplyDeleteWhere do you get the ideas for the titles of your series?
ReplyDeleteWhy werewolves? I was looking just based on the cover I thought witch of course haha. False advertising I say! (j/k)
ReplyDeleteHow long have you been writing?
ReplyDelete