Author Shawna Romkey Interview and $40.00 Amazon Gift Card Contest
BBB: Tell us 3 things not in your bio we don’t know about you that might make us leery of befriending you. LOL
SR: Ha! Hmmmm, let me think. Geez, I’ve got nothing. Well let’s see, I’m very open and honest so you’ll probably hear about it. I don’t keep many secrets. Maybe that’s it, you can’t trust me with your secrets because I get too excited and blab, and I’m brutally honest, so if you do something stupid I’ll let you know.
BBB: What actors from the PAST (not living now) would you choose to play some of your characters if your book were made into a movie or a TV show?
SR: I have a picture of Heath Ledger form when he was in Ten Things I Hate About You, and he’d make a perfect Luc. 
BBB: How do you keep track of your world building?
SR: Lots of notes, index cards and doc files!
BBB: Please tell us more about Speak of the Devil and the storyline that drives it.
SR: Speak of the Devil is a story about a high school girl who loses two friends in a car accident. Well, she actually dies too, but somehow comes back to life. I explore how that happened in the next book some. But she’s falling into depression and runs away to live with her dad and go to another school because she just can’t look at her friends’ empty desks in class anymore. Then she meets up with an interesting group of people, the drama kids of course, who are falling in a way of their own.
BBB: How many more books there be in this world?
SR: I’m hoping for two. I’m polishing the second one to send off to my publisher and then I have to figure out how to wrap it all up in the last book.
BBB: Did you do any kind of research to determine the details of your characters lives / lifestyles?
SR: I did research into angel and demon mythology. For the second book I did more into Lucifer himself and Lilith.
BBB: Are you a plotser or a panster? or a Planster (a combo of both – lol)
SR: I’d say a Planster. 
I outline it and pick out the major scenes that I want to include, but as I write sometimes the characters tell me they want to do something else or they tell me things about them I didn’t know which makes it even more interesting that I’d initially worked out.
BBB: What types of creatures can readers expect in your world?
SR: Angels, Falling Angels, Demons, Archangels… eventually the devil himself, Lilith… and that’s as much as I want to tell you now.
BBB: What’s coming up for you in 2012 and 2013?
SR:I have a book launch in Halifax Apr. 5. In May I’m going to the RT Booklovers Convention in Kansas City which is where I’m from, so that should be fun! In November, I’m a guest at Hal-Con which is our area sci fi fantasy convention, so I get to hang out with Lando Calrissian and the original Starbuck for that. Should be a blast! I also hope to sign a contract for the second book in the series called The Devil Made Me Do It.
Author Bio:
Shawna grew up in around farms in the heart of Missouri but went to the University of Kansas, was raised in the US but now lives on the ocean in Nova Scotia with her
husband, two sons, two rescue dogs and one overgrown puppy from hell. She’s a non- conformist who follows her heart.
She has her BA in creative writing from the University of Kansas where one of her plays was chosen by her creative writing professor to be produced locally, and two of her short stories were published in a university creative arts handbook. She earned her MA in English from Central Missouri State University where she wrote a novel as her thesis.
She’s taught English at the university and secondary levels for close to twenty years and can’t quite fathom how all of her students have grown up, yet she’s managed to stay the same. She’s a huge geek and fan of Xena, Buffy and all kick ass women, and loves to write stories that have strong female characters.
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Learn more about Shawna Romkey below
http://www.shawnaromkey.com/
https://twitter.com/#!/sromkey
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shawna-Romkey-Author/137998326331706
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How did you come up with the idea for Speak of the Devil, and are you planning on writing more with Lily and Luc?
Hi Crystal! Well, unfortunately the story is based on some real life events. I lost three friends in a car accident when I was in high school and moved away to live with my dad. So a lot of that grief came from that event. The thing with writing paranormal stuff is that you can use it to explain a lot of the unexplained, so when three innocent people die it is a tragic, inexplicable event. I still feel that grief today and in writing the book was able to use the paranormal to make some sense of it.
I plan on at least two more Luc & Lily books. The second book is the middle of the trilogy though, so things don’t go well for our heroes. Instead of the Empire Strikes Back… this one is the demons strike back!
Congratulations on your release, Shawna! I loved the book and highly reccomned it.
Thanks, Connie!
Pingback: Bitten by Books Release Party | Shawna Romkey, Author
How has teaching given you inspiration?
Hi Tonya, that’s a good question. I’d like to think that teaching has kept me young. I talk to younger people regularly. I hear what they think about and worry about and care about. I think that’s important when writing about teens. I’d like to think I relate to them well. They probably think I’m old and out of touch with my Duran Duran and my stories about not having the Interwebs, but I think at heart, we all had the same hopes and fears.
I liked the way that you gave us enough of a back story on a few things, but didn’t monopolize the whole book with it. Sometimes too much back story leaves nothing to the imagination, while not enough has us asking too many questions. I don’t want to give too much away for those that haven’t read the book yet, however if you haven’t read it yet, its a good read and you will become quickly obsessed with having to know WHY???!
Now for my answers to your questions for the giveaway
I like both gals and guys for main characters as long as it is written well.
Angels, Fallen Angels or Demons? Can’t we have all 3?
I like romance, but it isn’t necessary
Haha, why yes, Crystal, in my book anyway, you can have all three.
What three characters must a main character of yours have before you can write with them?
What three characters must a character have for you to enjoy them, reading wise?
Hey, Shawna! I’m a fellow KU alum, so I have to ask: What was your favorite part about KU?
Rock Chalk Jayhawk! Go KU! I think it’s gotta be the b’ball baby!
Sad thing is I never went to a game while I was there, but my freshman year at KU was the year with Coach Larry Brown and player Danny Manning and we were the underdogs and won the NCAA championship! I didn’t even know we were in it but everyone kept talking about it. It was cool! I snuck out onto the roof of Hashing Hall with some friends that night and watched the huge tail gate party going on. And I still get goosebumps when I watch now and hear that haunting Rock Chalk chant!
I was involved in the theatre, too, and had lots of fun with that. A few of my fellow comrades have gone on to be in movies and TV shows and direct movies. It’s fun to see them on TV!
If you could live in any literary world out there (including yours) what would you choose? Would you take over a beloved character’s spot or be yourself?
I would choose to live in Lackey’s Valdemar world. What I would want to be, it’ll be hard.. a herald to have a companion. A Shin’a'in or hawkbrother.
Thanks Raonald. I answered your first question in the wrong spot. I’m a newb.
I think I would try out the Wizard of Oz’s world or Alice in Wonderland’s. Maybe being the wicked witch or the Queen of Hearts would be pretty cool. Hmmmm…..Yeah.
Do you like books that focus on a female main character or male?
See I like either or.. but like when they focus on a female main character for a change. It is a nice change of pace for once. See only female main characters in urban fantasy…
Who are your favorite fantasy writers?
I’m a big nerd, so J RR Tolkein and George RR Martin. Hmmm, my middle name is Renee, maybe I should be Shawna RR Romkey. Anyway… yeah, loving Game of Thrones. Anxiously awaiting the next book. Loving the series. Also adore Marion Zimmer Bradley. I’d add Shakespeare to that list. I’d say he writes fantasy, too.
Thanks Minna!
Oh gosh, I’ve never thought of it in details like that. I guess I have to understand them on some level, so they have to be identifiable or universal. They don’t have to be likeable, but I have to get where they’re coming from. If they’re evil, then that’s fine as long as there is a reason they’re evil. They need to be flawed. People don’t want to read about perfect people because we aren’t perfect, so it’s annoying. And I have to care about them, even if they’re evil. If the writer doesn’t care about them, then no one else will and they’ll put the book down.
I guess I’d have to say the same things really because I write for the readers. I mean I write for myself, but I want the readers to find the book interesting and keep reading and keep wanting to know more of their story. So I think the same types of characteristics.
But that’s an easy out… let me see… I like to read about strong female characters. I don’t like to read about wussy women or girls who need to be saved. I want them to have strength about them, not necessarily physical, but an inner strength. I want them to be smart too and think of solutions to problems I wouldn’t have. I also like them to be a bit quirky or funny. There, not a total cop out answer.
Thanks for the question, Raonald.
Writing a novel and getting published takes a lot of dedication and hard work. What drives you to write?
Hi Kate!
Unemployment. Haha! Actually it’s what drove me to write Speak of the Devil. Before that I wasn’t very driven. I piddled here and there, but wasn’t as dedicated. Now I try to treat it like work and make time for it when the boys and the dogs are out of my hair for a few hours at a time.
Angels, Fallen Angels, or Demons?
Demons and Fallen angels. They seem like the bad boys/bad girls which makes them so much and unpredictable.
They’re more fun to write for some reason. In the second book, I focus on Lucifer a lot and he was waaaaay too fun to write. >:)
Do you like romance in your stories or not?
YES! I even like romance in my fantasy books (and my anime too)
Oh good. I spelled your name wrong earlier. Raonaid…. how do you pronounce that?
It’s okay. Until you get the hang of spelling it. It’s scots gaelic, and the site I found said it’s pronounced REUN-eetch.
If you could co-write with an author both living and dead who would they be and why? What would you hope to learn from them?
Wow, good question, Nikki. Ummm, I think I’d say Edgar Allan Poe for dead and George RR Martin living.
I adore both, so it would be awesome to work with them. I think from Poe I could learn how to establish mood and tension. But he also writes some of the most beautiful romantic poetry, too. I’d like to figure out that balance.
From Martin probably how to create such awful, detestable characters I hate in one book and turn them sympathetic and heroic later. I love that about is books.
Thanks for answering. I adore Poe-but then what person didn’t get a love for Poe during their “teenage angst”? I think between Poe, The Cure, and hormones-I nearly drove my grandma into a strait jacket.
Ha, I have the Cure, Just Like Heaven on my Speak of the Devil playlist on Pinterest.
I’m a sucker for Fallen Angels and Demons because…well you’d have to blame it on a lot of 80s Hairbands. Seriously the bad boys of rock n roll with all their leather and spandex on Motorcycles have always inspired my love of Fallen Angels and Demons.
I really don’t mind a female lead character as long as its not cliche and it’s written well.
Ha, you’ll like the second book then. Let’s just say Lucifer wears leather. I based him on Michael Hutchence in the 80′s. And for Lilith I used Kate Bush.
We would have so been besties back in the day!
Hi, Shawna! Congrats on your new release!!! Looking forward to hosting you over on my blog soon
Thanks for coming by, Katie!
If you could travel to any time in history, where would it be and why?
Author’s Question
It doesn’t matter to me if the main character is male or female, as long as the character is well-developed.
Hmmm, I’d say medieval times. I went to the ruins of a castle in France that was from the 1300′s and felt homesick there. Then I had a past life reader tell me I had a past life in France in the middle ages. So that was kinda cool. I wouldn’t want to live my whole life there though. I like modern medicine. Without it I’d be a blind hunchback.
Fascinating! So do you believe in past lives?
I believe in the possibility of all things.
Is that diplomatic enough? I would say no, but this woman other than that, said a lot of things that nailed who I was to the core.
Author’s Question
I usually find Fallen Angels to be more interesting. Conflict between good and evil in a character provides a more exciting story.
Author’s Question
I love romance in my stories, especially if there is a happy ending.
A lot of people think of Lilith as the mother of all vampires,some consider her Adams first wife,some believe she is the first known witch..how is she portrayed in your novels?
She doesn’t come into play until the second one, and all of those things are explored. The focus is her and her relationship to Lucifer and eventually Lily. With her, you just never know.
Do I like male or female protagonists?Hmmm a little of both if done well,I often read books where both POV is shown
Angels,demons or fallen angels?That ones easy,demons of course..most are dangerous,stealthy and sexy
Do I like romance in my books? Well romance I can take or leave but sex..now that’s a horse of a different color
How so?
What is your favorite kick ass female character from a book other than your own?
I’d have to say Eowyn from Lord of the Rings. And she has the best line, “I am no man.”
Lady MacBeth is cool in a bad way, too. Shakespeare’s women are done really well.
And Arya in Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire is pretty kick ass for a little thing.
My favorite books are those that center around a strong female protagonist. I love Mercy Thompson, Kate Daniels and Charley Davidson.
What do you do to “color” outside the lines?
Geez, I don’t know that I do. I’m a risk taker in real life but with writing, I’m not sure. The first draft of SotD had a lot of swearing, but I took them out. I figured no one will ever say, “I’m not reading this. There’s no profanity.” But they might say the opposite.
I also stuck to one pov with this instead of giving multiple pov’s. I thought it would be harder to tell the story. It’s even more challenging in the next book because she’s separated from the group. I took play writing courses in university though and they said the most challenging way to write is in one location in one span of time. So like a challenging way to write a play is one set and no time breaks, so everything in one place in a 2 hour slot. How do you make that interesting? It’s difficult, but it can be done.
I didn’t necessarily do that with SotD, but I tried to keep the story contained to one pov, a fairly tight time frame and location and make a story that was compelling.
so glad to stick to one POV. I hate new multiple POVs that tend to show up in so much of the YA fiction. Maybe it’s because I’m an older reader but I feel like I constantly going back to the beginning of a chapter to be sure who is speaking.
Good to know. Thanks Lisa.
Do you have any unusual or special talents excluding your storytelling abilities?
I’ve done some acting, like community theatre type stuff, but I wouldn’t say I was particularly good at it. I can do a terrifying blood curdling scream (I was used as a stand in for another actress before) and a mean Xena battle cry.
Do you like books that focus on a female main character or male?
it really doesn’t matter as long as the story-line is good
Angels, Fallen Angels, or Demons? Again if the story is riveting, I don’t care
Do you like romance in your stories or not?
I do- I want a little romance I don’t care if it’s paranormal, UF, mystery, historical, suspense or YA
Hi,
what country tops your travel wish list & is this influenced by your writing?
I went to Greece last summer and it inspired some fun story ideas. We stayed on the mainland, Athens and Delphi… Mycenae and Sparta. I’d love to go back and see more of the Greek islands. We did a little half day cruise and hit a few, but I’d like to go and stay there. I love Greek mythology, so Greece definitely sparks the imagination.
Ahhh…Heath Ledger! Love it, (sad that he’s not around anymore) Now I’ll see Heath when I read Luc
and I RSVP’d to this event the other day. I’m glad I made it back to read the interview.
Hi Jody! Thanks for stopping by!
Are there any kickass heroines on tv right now that you like? Bo from Lost Girl, maybe? A little less paranormal but still kickassy heroine like Emily Thorne/Amanda Clarke from Revenge?
Racking my mind but can’t think of any right now. That’s sad, isn’t it? I don’t watch those shows you mentioned. Carrie on Homeland maybe. Wow, I just went through the list of shows I watch regularly and not one strong kick ass heroine. I guess there’s Violet Crawley, Maggie’s Smith’s character on Downton Abbey who is kick ass in a good character sort of way. Game of Thrones has Brienne, Arya, even Catelyn Stark, Cersei, Daenerys maybe, but she kinda bugs me. Ygritte and Osha. I guess lots on that show.
That’s a problem in media today. Not enough strong female role models. Joss Whedon needs to get a new show on, or else I need to research some other series.
Do you like romance in your stories?-
I like a little, but I don’t like it to be the main focal point of the story.
What’s your favourite genre to read?
I dig my genre, paranormal, and fantasy. I get enough reality in reality.
I’m calling it a night for tonight. It’s 11pm my time. Feel free to post more questions and I’ll check in tomorrow morning! Night!
are you only going to write Angels and demons in your books or are you going to do something Elsa in your next set of books?
I’ll definitely write other things. I’m thinking my next book / series will deal with Greek myths. That was the idea I had traveling in Greece. I also have some unfinished fairy tale take offs and witch stories as well. The problem with writing definitely isn’t in the coming up with lots of fun ideas. Too many fun things to write about. I probably won’t do angels & demons again after this series.
I like both boys or girls as a main characters.
I love Romance in my Books!
did you always want to be a writer? when did you write your first book?
Yes. I wrote my first “book” after my first trip to the library at school when I was 5. I wrote some more in grade school, throughout sixth grade. Kept writing through high school. In university I got a degree in English with a creative writing emphasis. For my grad degree I wrote a novel as a thesis. So yeah, I’ve been wanting to write pretty much since I discovered what books were.
What in your experience started the creative process for you?
Initially, like I said above, it was seeing other books. So I can’t remember the books I checked out that day, but they were probably a book about a dog or some sort of animal, so I went home and wrote about a horse. It’s seeing something and thinking, “Gee, that would have been cool if they’d done this.” And trying to create what I think is a better version of what I saw. So other books inspire me.
For each book, the characters inspire me. I get to looking for images and then make a character up around them. I have several photos on my Pinterest board called Muses to help generate ideas and stories.
Thanks Linda.
Heath yumminess… but what about female characters?
Past actresses for Lily? I would say Claire Danes from My So Called Life. Does that count as past or do they have to be deceased? Also I have a pic of Jennifer Aniston when she was in high school I use on my Pinterest board for Lily. But my newest one is of a younger red headed Candice Accola I think her name is… from The Vampire Diaries…Caroline. They’re on my Pinterest board, too. Check it out.
http://pinterest.com/shawnarp/speak-of-the-devil/
Do you like romance in your stories or not?
Yes!!
Angels, Fallen Angels, or Demons?
Can’t I have all of them in a story?
In my books YES!
Do you like books that focus on a female main character or male?
I like both. I also like when the book switches views…
What made you decide to write about angels and the devil?
I went with angels because I liked the concept of the struggle with good and evil, so I thought angels and fallen angels would be interesting. Kind of like the vampires who struggle with being good and not harming people, so they’re bad but good. I went with the good but struggling with their faith, so they’re bad instead.
As far as the devil, I thought I needed a bigger, better antagonist and figured if dealing with angels, he’s the biggest enemy going.
Thanks for coming by Margay.
Do I have to pick? I like them all!
Love the blurb and the interview, =) can´t wait for my chance to read more.
Happy Saturday!
//Linda
Thanks, Linda. Have a great weekend!
What was your favorite childhood book?
I really liked A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’engle. It blew me away.
Have you ever written fan fiction? For what fandom?
I have done pre-writing, like notes and outlines for some Xena fan fiction. One of her fan fic writers, Missy Good, was actually chosen to write an episode for the show and I thought that was awesome. Then I read something on Bruce Campbell’s website about how he said not to write fan fiction, write your own stuff and had good reasons about how you can’t publish those and you should be yourself and do your own thing. My fan fic was going to be kind of a Xena meets Wizard of Oz with Joxer as the Strawman and I can’t remember the rest. I guess Callisto would be the Wicked Witch… anyway it didn’t go that far.
I don’t have a preference of female or male characters, but I usually feel like I understand female characters better.
I’d say I like fallen angels the most.
I really love romance in my stories.
Congrats on your release. I like stories with some romance in them.
Thanks Susan!
What made you have to write this story?
I think the deaths of my friends made me write it and a sort of nostalgia for high school. Friends I had but don’t anymore, that sort of thing. When you write a story it’s like having a time machine. You can go wherever you want and get lost in a world. It was like I got to go back and fix some things.
Do you like books that focus on a female main character or male?
-both, whichever fits the story better
Angels, Fallen Angels, or Demons?
-Angels. Although Fallen make more interesting characters
Do you like romance in your stories or not?
-Love it
What is your favorite part of the story process?
The end! HA! It reminds me so much of having a baby. The beginning part is pretty fun, coming up with the idea and doing the pre-writing and notes. Then there’s the writing which has ups and downs, good days and bad days. Then you get toward the end and you just want it done and over with and you worry about when it’s done whether it will be okay or not, whether it will have all of its fingers and toes. So yeah, the very beginning and the very end.
I like all of the organizational notes and things a lot. But when you’re just starting on that first page, it’s like… oh God, can I do this again??? It’s so hard!
Thanks for being here! So what’s your favorite scene in Speak of the Devil?
The first kiss scene was fun.
The car accident in the first chapter.
And the scene where she’s spying on them from the rafters of the theater. She starts to cry and the tear is falling down to the stage and might reveal her presence. That’s probably my favorite.
How do your Angels see humans? Example, a lot of tv/movies have the Angels ambivalent towards humans, basically a waste of space. Not exactly loving creatures guarding their wards.
Some are like that. Some are in awe. It depends on whether they are falling or not. The overlying storyline is that God is missing or silent, so the angels have lost contact with him and their divinity. It causes them to act in a manner not becoming shiny halo wearing angels.
If I had to choose I’d go for the Fallen Angel. My theory they aren’t as holier than thou as an Angel, but not as evil as a Demon.
While I like romance in the stories I read, I also like a ‘story’. I don’t want it to all be about sex or the relationship, I need the day to day as well.
Thanks everyone for stopping by and thanks to Bitten by Books for having me. This has been a lot of fun! I hope you are interested in the book and if you have a chance to read it that you enjoy!
Will Nova Scotia ever be a setting in one of your books? I’ve always wanted to go there…
It probably will. I don’t have anything mapped out for it for the next few books, but eventually it should. There’s a book from one of my writer friends that released in the fall called Blood, She Read by Sara Hubbard that is set in NS. It’s a YA Paranormal, too, so you might check that out.
I like angels who struggle with human emotions, whether or not they fall…
I like romance, especially m/m romance, but only if the characters call for it.
What do you want to have accomplished by this time next year?
Thanks for the giveaway.
elewkf1 at yahoo dot com
By this time next year I hope to be having another one of these parties for the second book, The Devil Made Me Do It and be getting the last book in the series ready for my publisher to look at.
Thanks for coming by!
I’m so excited to read this book and off to grab my copy now. I love anything with angels!
Thanks, Renee!
If coud have dinner with three folks living, dead, real, or imaginary who would they be and why?
Xena Warrior Princess, Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe.
I could talk writing with the latter and ask Edgar what really happened to him the night he died. Xena could teach me how to kick butt.
you book sounds interesting and also a tearjerker especially since I see some of it was based on your real life experience of losing your best friends.
Thanks! I hope you take a look.
author question: I don’t which it one hero or heroine that the book focuses on just don’t enjoy the flip flop so much.
Author Question: I like fallen angels and demons better than angels. Like a little bit bad with my good.
Author question: Yes I love romance in my books. Matter of I fact I think all books could use a little romance.
Hi there! What are your thoughts on audiobooks? I didn’t see this available, do you think it’d “read” well in that format?
I don’t think my publisher does the audiobook route, but it’s my book so I think it’d read well any way. :p
I like to read about demons done in horror form, I love sexy fallen angels, even sexy demons looking to reform. I think I like reading about female main characters better than males, as long as they are well written and kick butt!! I do like to read about romance. That was all I read for a long time, but I’m going back and forth between that and horror right now.
I saw above you’re a Xena fan too!! I have the complete series on dvd, and was all into a total re-watch of it but it sort of stalled around season 3. I really have to get that back out and finish it!
Xena’s good to watch while you work out!
Hi Shawna!!! I love that you love Xena & Buffy. Those are 2 of my all time favorites. Strong ladies kickin’ ass.
I was just curious what got you interested in writing about angels and demons? I’ve always been fascinated by the subject. I hope we see more of them in the future. I think the Prophecy movies are the only ones that really get into the mythology of it all.
Or at least try.
I think it was Twilight actually. I liked the concept of the struggle with a light and a dark side, but I didn’t want to do vampires. I thought the angels, fallen angels subject was perfect for that struggle with good and evil, life and death, and I’ve always written for some reason about faith, whether it’s in religion or within yourself. I think young adult girls/women don’t have enough faith in themselves and constantly underestimate their own strength, so running that issue along side with a doubt in religion and struggle with Why did God let this happen? is a good parallel. That theme runs deep in the second book even more so, with Lily coming to terms with who she is and what she can do.
Thanks for stopping by!
Authors questions
1 – I love female centered books.
Its time for the ladies to shine.
2 – I’m leaning towards fallen angels. The whole struggle and what caused the fall is interesting
3 – Got to have some romance in my books. Doesn’t have to be the center theme, but it adds to the story
My video is over on the right of the page. It’s the one that says “falling in love or falling from grace”. Take a look and let me know what you think!