Christine Feehan's Blog - Posts Tagged "shadow-series"

Chicago
Shadow Series

They're everywhere, Chicago, San Francisco, New York, but these men from the new Shadow Series have something in common, they are fiercely loyal and extremely dangerous. Oh! And they can use shadows to transport themselves to any destination, which comes in handy when you're an assassin.

A friend told me she thinks they're Boondock Saints meets The Sopranos, but with paranormal and romance mixed in. And though I'm not sure The Sopranos is exactly hitting the mark, there is something mafia-like about them. There's a hierarchy, assigned jobs within the family, no one really knows how they make all that money and there's just something not quite right about who things just happen to you if you cross them.

These men are very careful. Their playboy lifestyle keeps in them in the paparazzi's eye and every starlet, politician and high-level entrepreneur wants to be in their favor...or their bed.



Each have been sent away for specialized training. They all have their own secrets. Assassins, who kill without remorse. Their lives are too dangerous for love. Unless they find a woman willing to accept who and what they are. They must be very careful in who they choose because the consequences are harsh. If she refuses him once they have bonded he loses his ability to ride the shadows and she loses her memory.

I love stories about quiet men who hide unfathomable power. The men of the Shadow Series are those powerful men. But they won't keep quiet if you betray them or someone they care about. Do that, and you'll not even have the shadows to hide in.
Shadow Rider

I clearly recall the day I came up with the idea for my Shadow Riders. I have two Black Russian Terriers who are somewhere between 130 – 140 pounds each. People often comment that they look a lot like big, black bears. So, you can imagine my surprise when one day, they became very difficult to locate in the yard.

I stood up on the porch looking down into the dog yard. It’s large with lots of trees that line the fence. My dogs, Drago and Vladimir, were playing in the late afternoon sun, chasing each other and enjoying the day. It’s a joy to watch them when they play and I was in no hurry to call them back in.



As they ran around the yard they drifted over to the line of trees near the fence. Each tree threw a shadow across the yard, nearly leaning into one another on the ground. The shadows seemed to be stretching out toward each other. The dogs entered the first line of shadows and for a moment I lost sight of them. I was shielding my eyes with my hand, squinting against the dying sun and suddenly, they just weren’t there anymore.

Then Drago rushed in between the shadows, closely followed by Vladimir. They entered the next line of shadows and again, I could hardly see them at all. In my mind it was as though the shadows stretched to accommodate a path for them and they entered one, jumped to the next, disappearing along the way, but still moving forward.

My vivid imagination wondered what it might be like to travel from one shadow to the next. Why would someone do it? What would be the purpose? What if…an assassin had this ability? What would the assassin do and why? The thought took hold in a way that I had to do something about it. So, I began to imagine a family of assassins who looked to bring justice where it had not previously been served. Not a mob family, not really, but they might disguise themselves that way to hide what they really are; Shadow Riders.



My Shadow Riders series was born and today, June 4, 2019 my fourth book in the series, Shadow Warrior, will be released. I have so many ideas for the Shadow Riders and hope to keep writing about them for as long as readers enjoy their stories.

Grace Murphy is a resilient character and I enjoyed writing her story. She’s had a difficult start in life, in and out of foster care. She finally finds someone who is a brother to her, who cares about her, just to find that he is not who she thinks he is. He’s dangerous. And he’s jealous of anyone she gives her attention to, which makes her life very lonely.

She’s sold by that same foster brother to repay a debt. It’s here where our story starts and where Vittorio discovers that, not only is there a traitor to the Ferraro family, but the Saldi’s are up to something. Then, he discovers Grace and what her fate was to be.





Imagine waking up in the hospital to find that an infamous billionaire playboy is taking care of you and claiming to be your fiancé. You’re wounded and betrayed and know that wherever you are, whoever you’re with, danger follows you. It’s a vulnerable position to be in. Then some wildly sexy man wants to protect you and take care of you. What’s a girl to do, right?

I love that Grace holds up under pressure. So much of her life is changing and other people are trying to maneuver her, but even with so much confusion and danger in her life she holds true to herself.

Grace is a perfect fit for Vittorio. She knows when something is worth arguing for and when it’s not. She’s sweet and caring and has longed for a family. The mutual respect between Grace and Vittorio is one of the things I loved most about their relationship. They want to understand one another and find harmony in their life together.



I love that Grace has her own kind of power and is a heroine in her own right. She’s a perfect match for a Shadow Warrior.

The Reader/Author Get Together (RAGT) in Ohio is one of the most fun events! This was my first time to attend but, I’d heard all about it for years.

I love that it’s a relatively small event. I really love that it’s all for charity. I was able to stay in a central location, meeting other authors and many readers as I walked around the event. It was casual with everyone just chatting and sharing their love of books.



The charity raised $32,000 for CancerFreeKids


If you’ve never attended this event, I highly recommend that you do. Authors and readers create amazing raffle baskets and then everyone buys raffle tickets. The proceeds go to the charity. The baskets are amazing and so much thought is put into them. There were several children’s baskets, many homemade items, themed baskets like Doctor Who, beach reads, pirates, coffee, wine and more!



I donated several baskets that included a variety of things. One basket included every single Dark book I’ve ever written. There were also other books in different series, scarf and glove sets, and other super fun items. Oh! And I even won something myself! I never win anything! Seriously! LOL I won this amazing stained glass pane with the GhostWalker symbol on it created by Capstone Glassworks! I love it!




I really loved everything about this event. And Lori Foster, who created the event, is a warm and wonderful human being in addition to being a fabulous writer. It was so amazing to have a chance to just walk around and chat with people for a few days. When authors and readers get together it always ends up magical!


While I was there Lori Foster interviewed me and it was really fun. I talk about the Shadow series, Shadow Warrior, my writing schedule and lots of other fun things. I hope you'll watch the video. You can see it here- LORI INTERVIEWS CHRISTINE


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Have you ever read a book and liked it even better on the re-read? It’s been so long since I wrote Shadow Keeper I nearly forgot how much I love Giovanni and Sasha’s story. I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting them.










It was difficult to pinpoint just one scene that I loved, let alone three. But, there are types of scenes I loved throughout.




I love all the scenes with the brother. I still have readers write to me asking about Sasha’s brother. I love the closeness between Sasha and Sandlin, her big brother with a brain injury. He is childlike and she reads to him and spends time with him. And though Sandlin has a brain injury he still recognizes Giovanni as a dangerous man. I really enjoyed the brother.


I love the scenes that show Sasha’s strength. She’s a country girl with a kickbutt attitude, logical about life and very loyal. She’s not inhibited and has no problem making her own demands. She’s non apologetic about her sexuality. To me, she embodies a real woman.

I enjoyed foreshadowing and layers to the Ferraro matriarch, Eloisa. I showed a little softness to her with regard to Sandlin, but there is no doubt that she is a hardened woman. So much of how she is in Shadow Keeper comes back into play in Shadow Flight. I’ll be interested to see what readers make of her.



Now, the intriguing, fun part of the re-read for me – looking at what readers found interesting in the book. These are the top three passages or scenes readers on Kindle highlighted. I love seeing what a group of people found interesting or memorable and then trying to figure out why that was chosen or talk a bit about the idea behind that scene or passage.

Kindle Notes & Highlights

#1 -On the asphalt, she could see their shadows had come together, connecting with all the other shadows in the parking lot.
When two people come together as Shadow Riders for the first time it’s one of my favorite moments in the story. There’s an undeniable awareness between them. It’s on a cellular level, a soul level.
It’s one thing for Shadow Riders to acknowledge each other through their shadows, but when it’s a fated couple there’s more to it. That awareness is a jolt. Once a Shadow Rider commits to the relationship they are committed for life. I love the romance of that.



#2 - “Sasha Provis is a shadow rider. At least, she’s capable of being one,” Giovanni announced to his family. “She’s definitely mine. I was attracted to her before our shadows ever connected. In the club, when she spoke for the first time something in me opened up and she just poured inside.” He didn’t know any other way to describe it.

Giovanni knew Sasha was his. It was so strong he knew it even before their shadows touched. Her voice opened up something deep inside him. They were like a lock and key for one another. They are a very strong couple.


#3- “She said I was rather worthless sitting on my barren ass at home all day. She asked me point-blank if I had been tested and was I able to produce children. She made it very clear that I better be able to at least have children or I was useless to you and the family.” (Francesca is saying this)

Eloisa makes it easy to dislike her. But, she herself was raised to believe that a woman’s worth was determined by two things – The ability to ride the shadows and the ability to produce shadow riders. Francesca, though she had the ability, didn’t ride the shadows. That wasn’t something she felt she needed to do. She also hadn’t produced a child, making her an utter failure in Eloisa’s eyes.


I hope you enjoyed revisiting Giovanni and Sasha. Please let me know your favorite scenes or characters.
Revisit them in the book trailer here