Today's Spooktacular Spotlight Author is Silver James
K.S. Hello and welcome to the blog. I am very
excited to have you here. Why don’t we start off with a small introduction?
Tell us a little about yourself.
Hi, Katie! I’m Silver James. I like to take long walks on
the dark side and drink coffee. LOTS of coffee. I’m old enough to know better
and definitely too old to care. I live with a long-suffering husband, two
Newfoundland dogs, and the cat who owns us all. And I write.
K.S. Any interesting writing quirks or stories you
would like to share with my readers?
I have a Muse named Iffy. She runs with scissors and hoards
chocolate and sexy heroes. Yes, she is incorrigible, why do you ask?
K.S. When did you realize you wanted to be a
writer? What sparked the desire to pen your first novel?
I’ve always made up stories in my imagination. As for the
first one? A boring section in 8th grade English. I wrote a
time-travel romance about me and my best friend, two of the pop stars at the
time, and a trip to King Arthur’s court. It. Was. Abysmal. Luckily, I’ve honed
my craft since then!
K.S. What genre do you write?
It might be easier to list what I don’t write. LOL I’m a
cross-genre writer. If I had to sum it up, I write magic, mystery, mayhem, all
with a kiss of romance. Okay. Sometimes, with way more than a kiss. Some of my
novels are pretty steamy.
K.S. What would you say has inspired you most in
your writing career? Or, who is your favorite author and why?
My dad instilled both a love of reading and the joy in
getting lost in imaginary worlds so I’d have to say him. He also taught me to
believe that I could be whatever I wanted. And for me, that’s always been a
writer. My biggest thrill is that people actually want to read what I write! Every time I get an email from a reader, it’s
like a Sally Field moment for me. Wait…am I dating myself? Surely everyone
remembers her “You really like me!” moment at the Oscars?
K.S. What does your family think of your writing?
As long as there’s clean underwear…Okay. Seriously, my
husband is my biggest fan and that means the world to me. He never complains,
encourages me when I get down, lets me prattle endlessly about characters, and
helps me hunt and kill plot bunnies. My daughter designs my books covers when I
indie publish so she all “Woot-woot!” because…money. She gets paid for her
artistic abilities.
K.S. What was one of the most surprising things
you learned while creating your book/s?
As a person, I learned that people have my back. They’re
willing to drop their own projects to help me. They’ll boost me up when I need
it, and will definitely give me a kick in the arse when I need that, too! As a
writer, I learned that I can find new depths to explore with each theme. As a
dreamer, I learned that all things are possible. Including fae warriors,
gargoyle sentinels, sexy dragons, honorable vampires, and a human woman who is
touched by them all.
K.S. What inspires you?
Life. Yeah, yeah. That sound trite, but it is true. I can
find “What if?” moments everywhere. Just the other day, I read something about
staring at yourself in a mirror for seven seconds and seeing the real you. Only
Iffy grabbed her scissors, did a fast drive-by and now all sorts of shadows are
swirling around in the dark recesses of my imagination. Who knows? There just
might be a book there someday.
K.S. Can you tell us a little about any of your
novels?
I’ve just launched a new Urban Fantasy series about a human
FBI agent who’s job is to investigate crimes involving the magical races. The
prequel novella, THAT OL’ BLACK MAGIC, is available now and the first
full-length novel, SEASON OF THE WITCH, will be available soon. Here’s the
rundown:
Welcome to the world of the
Penumbra Papers. These "Cases from the Shadow's Edge" explore the
forces of light and dark as they dance through shadows humans barely glimpsed
prior to the Big Rip. Since then, all manner of preternatural magicks intermingle
with humans in ways mysterious, magical and, in some cases, criminal. Much to
humanity's surprise, there really are monsters under the bed and the things
that go bump in the night are bigger and scarier than anyone ever imagined.
That’s where Special Agent Sade Marquis enters the mix. A human FBI agent with an X-Files mentality, Sade's been handpicked to fill a new slot within the Bureau—Preternatural Liaison Officer with the MAGIC Unit. The Magical Activity, Grievances, and Inhuman Crimes unit is in charge of investigations involving magicks. It's her job to deal with all the monsters.
Along with her FBI partner—and werewolf best
friend—Caleb Jones, Sade is sent to New Orleans to investigate the murders of
several high-ranking magicks. The Big Easy is neutral territory so Sade must
find and arrest the culprit before war breaks out between the Realms. Things
look up when the gargoyle Sentinel, Roman, a permanent fixture in Sade’s
childhood, arrives to keep the peace. Maybe.
The investigation is hampered by Sade’s
faerie nemesis, Ariel—the King’s Seducer. Oh, and then there’s the new dragon
in town, Nikolas Constantine. Sade can’t decide whether to arrest his ass or
admire it.
When guilt and
innocence come to play in the French Quarter, it’ll take Sade’s brand of crazy
to sort it all out.
K.S. Where can we buy your novel?
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/356198
K.S. Do you have a website, fan site, or Blog that
we can visit?
My website, which also includes my blog, is http://www.silverjames.com You can find
the latest news, character pics and bios, and other fun stuff there. I’m also
on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Silver-James/122400874477832,
and Twitter @SilverJames_
K.S. Do you have any closing advice to aspiring
writers?
Write. Write some more. Learn your craft. And always, ALWAYS
set aside some dreaming time.