Sharon Buchbinder: Interview with Julieanne Lynch, Author of The Shadow World Series

Friday, March 13, 2015

Interview with Julieanne Lynch, Author of The Shadow World Series

Today we have Julieanne Lynch, Author of the Shadow World Series with us to chat about her writing and her series.

What made you decide to be an author?

I’ve always written. It was something I did as a child, something I carried on in my teens and knew that it was a calling. I first started off by writing short poems, song lyrics, stories and then by the time I was sixteen, I had written my first novel, Dynamite, which was written by hand, in a diary. I still have that diary but not sure that I will ever publish the book. Then boys, school work got in the way and I forgot about my dreams and aspirations. Got married, started a family and it wasn’t until my daughter started nursery back in 2003 that I realized how much I missed my writing, so I began jotting down bits and pieces. The confidence grew over the years, along with my family and it just after I found out that I was pregnant with my fourth child in 2008 that I began writing and researching my debut novel, Within the Shadows.

What do you like best about being a writer? What do you like the least?

I love my creativity. I love the freedom. I love being my own boss. I love the rush I get when I complete a book. I love the sense of satisfaction I get when I hear back from my readers. I am at my happiest when left to work in peace. It’s where I am content. It’s my escape route.

And the least?....there’s not enough hours in the day!

How do you think your life experiences have prepared you for writing?

I’ve been through a lot in my life. Some things I will never talk about; those ghosts have been laid to rest. But the majority: being bullied at school, suffering depression, becoming a parent - everything has inspired me. There is not one thing that I’ve not taken on board and used as inspiration and motivation to work and create new worlds. I believe that my life has been the biggest catalyst for much of my work and although some might view things differently, I am a firm believer in turning the bad into something worthwhile. All the negativity has help flourish the fruit in my little world.

Have you ever felt as if you were being dictated to while you wrote a book--as if the words came of their own accord? If yes, which book did that happen with?

Yes, all the time. When I was writing Book 3 in the Shadow World Series, I literally had to get up in the middle of the night and jot down dialogue. It got to the point my husband told me that I was driving him mad and he bought me a Dictaphone.

What a good husband! You've been busy using it, I see. You’ve written 14 full novels and 5 short novellas and are working on a 15th novel. What’s your favorite time management tip?

My time management sucks right now. I am so busy with five children, and my youngest is still at home with me full-time, so in essence, she controls my time. But in general, I try to make sure that I fit in a good 4-5 hours writing time in the day. Most of that happens between 9pm-1am. That’s when the house is quiet, the children are sleeping and I have the peace to hit my daily word count of 5k.

Are you a plotter or a pantser, i.e., do you outline your books ahead of time or are you an “organic” writer?

Pretty much all my work. I do outlines for my books. Sometimes huge storyboards, taking me from A-Z, but mostly, when I am writing, my stories tend to take on a life of their own. I am a control freak and I love to have my current WIP outlined, pinned to the wall above my desk. It’s used as a point of reference, it stops me creating plot-holes and in general keeps me on track for deadlines.

If you had one take away piece of advice for authors, what would it be?

To read. Read as much as you can. Behind every good writer is a passionate and avid reader. Know the audience you want to appeal to, garner your inspiration from works that you love. Aspire to be unique. All this comes from picking up a book and losing yourself within those pages.

Tell me more about Within the Shadows.

Living on the razor's edge, Giselle Bergman's life is torn apart by her cheating boyfriend. Little does she realize that he is the least of her worries when her long term friend, Alex, reveals a secret long hidden, and introduces her to his family and a new, darker world; a world of lies, deceit and corruption.

Thrown from one problem straight into another, the razors edge gets thinner and sharper, testing Giselle's sanity and vitality. Never truly knowing who her allies are, Giselle soon learns not to trust anyone, not even herself.

How far will Giselle run to escape what fate has dealt her?

Will she truly be free from the shadows that not only want her soul, but have her reborn as their Queen?

Join Giselle on a journey that is only beginning...

Not even she can hide when living within the shadows.

How about an excerpt from Within the Shadows?

I looked around me, reeling from the word used to describe my newfound fate. This had to be some sick and cruel joke.

Vampire.

Holy mother of hell! Alex was much more messed up than I thought. I mean, in this day and age, we’ve all heard the same old stories over and over again, but that did not mean I had to believe it. Vampires did not exist, and that was something I was sure of.

He stopped my train of thought, and hesitated before he spoke. “Giselle, say something, anything.”

“You are so out of your frigging mind,” I said as I moved away from him.

He forced me to stand still, his hands clasped tight upon my shoulders. “Look at me, Giselle. Really look at me. What do you see?”

I stared at him, looking at his beautiful green eyes, and the loose blond curls that fell around them. He was a stunning sight to behold. His high chiselled cheekbones would make any guy jealous, and his body was rippled, yet so soft. Yet it was his eyes that held me, the green turning a reddish-brown. Slowly, a crimson red overflowed from them. I saw the same blood I had seen within Afanas’s eyes.

I stepped back from him. “You . . . Your eyes!”

“I’m sorry,” he choked, turning his back on me as he walked further away.

I could not believe what I was seeing. The guy who had saved me from every pitfall, who helped wipe my tears whenever Marc let me down, this same guy was a monster. I could not comprehend what I was seeing or hearing.

At that precise moment, I felt something inside me. It wasn’t my emotions. I could feel someone else’s torment. The shame at what he had done mixed with a profound sense of guilt. I sensed something deeper, something that frightened me, something that was both hate and disgust. I tried my best to forget I’d felt it. I looked at Alex as he slowly faced me, and it was then I knew the so-called bond had begun.

Suddenly, the urge to hold him overcame me. I couldn’t fight the repulsion at what he had done to me, and I found myself embracing him instead. I had no control over my actions. It was as though something had taken over my body, but I knew deep down inside, I wanted to hold him. Or that was how I thought I felt.

His eyes held the truth. They were cold and distant. It was not the Alex I had known or come to love. I wanted him to be sorry. I wanted the old Alex back, not this thing I felt compelled to hold.

“Am I really a vampire?” I muttered in his ear.

“Yes, but a new breed.”

“I don’t understand. What makes me different?” I asked, feeling completely crushed.

“You will remain mortal. Well, almost.”

“Err, I just don’t get it!”

“Giselle, your soul never left your body. You remain alive. Only your humanity is slightly altered.”

I gave him the same puzzled look I’d worn since I had awoken.

“Okay. When I bit you, I drank from you, and whilst doing the deed, I kind of tainted your blood with my venom. Not enough to kill you, but enough to kick-start a change. Kind of like a metamorphosis, if you like. You know, a mutation of your DNA.”

“Right, so I’m not dead. I’m still human, only kinda like a mutant? That figures!”

He laughed at me. “Yeah, a mutant, only you need blood and certain life forces to sustain you.”

He arched his right eyebrow, and gave me that million dollar smile of his. I was such a sucker for that smile.

“Life forces?” I prodded, puzzled.

“You will need the life force of humans to survive. You will drink their souls.”

“Oh, my God!” I cried.

“Giselle . . .” he started, only to have me cut him off.

“Will I ever see my family again?” I felt heartbroken, thinking about my erratic, but loveable, mother.

“You can see them, but from a distance. It would be too dangerous for them.”

“But if I’m not like you, then how can I be a danger to them?”

“It is not you who would be any threat to them, but rather the rogue vampires hunting you, amongst other things.”

“What?” I sputtered with disbelief.

“You are going to be hot property, Giselle. In order for us to keep you safe, I’m afraid all contact with the outside world will have to cease until after you have been consecrated.”

“But they’ll be worried! You know what Mom is like. She’ll probably have the FBI searching for me right now. God, what if they’re freaking out?” I cried before his words sunk in. “Consecrated?”

Alex held my hand. “Look at me. All has been taken care of. You left town to pull yourself together after being deceived by Marc. You’ll keep in contact via the phone, and you’ll call in every week or so. You’ve reassured them you won’t do anything crazy, and the consecration thing is a simple blessing done by the elders.”

“It seems like every angle has been covered, except I feel kinda left out. I’m the one who’s expected to just take all of this on the chin, and accept it for what it is. It’s so unfair, Alex. You should have been honest with me from the beginning. Marc’s deception hasn’t got a thing on yours!”

Pushing him away, I walked back towards the path, feeling completely destroyed. I wished I would wake up from this nightmare that was now my so called ‘life.’ I wanted to look back, but my stubbornness refused to let me give in to my newly forged bond.