Shawna Thomas Spills the Beans

Hi! So glad to have you at Spilling the Beans, where we can learn a little bit about you, and your book. Grab a cappuccino and let’s chat. Unless you have another favorite drink (alcoholic or otherwise)? A cappuccino is great. My go-to drink is always coffee and if I’m indulging, it’s coffee with a little caramel and lots of whipped cream.
Fur or feathers, petwise? Fur! Although I’ve had birds and loved them, I’m a sucker for a feline or canine friend.
I'm the same way. :) Any pet peeves? One thing that really burns your biscuits? LOL I have so many. I’m a very busy mom of seven so its not surprising that time management is my thing. Not being able to find something I’m looking for is a sure fire way to irritate the dickens out of me. I hate wasting time looking for something that should be Right. There.
Seven? Wow - kudos on finding any writing time! What’s your guilty pleasure? Sitting with my husband in the evenings, watching tv and falling half asleep. (I really should be working because the house is quiet.)
What’s your ideal day like? LOL An average ideal day or vacation-type day? Let’s see: Wake up, get the kiddos breakfast and off to school, play with baby, put her down for a nap. Work for an hour or two, fix baby lunch, play with her, get the kids from school, do homework, put baby down for a nap, fix dinner, work for an hour, eat dinner, baths-stories and bedtime, snuggle with husband on the couch... it never quite works out that way. My newest baby seems to have been born with the I-don’t-need-sleep gene. Seriously, we’ve taken her to the doctor... I’m lucky if she takes one 20 minute nap a day. An ideal vacation day? Bike riding along the coast with my husband, stopping at a dozen little stores, eating at a small café, then going back to our hotel room.
If you could live out any fantasy, what would you do? LOL Honestly, I think the ideal vacation day above pretty much sums it up. Yup, I’m a bit boring. On the other hand, I’d love to wake up one morning to find out my books are on the NYT best seller lists.
Ah yes, The Dream. :) Beethoven, Beatles, Foo Fighters or Keith Urban (what type(s) of music makes you rock out)? Oh Mozart, Beethoven, Breaking Benjamin, Red, 30 Seconds to Mars and yes I love the Foo Fighters. My tastes in music are pretty diverse.
Does music influence your writing? Do you have a music playlist for your book? Absolutely. Music gets me in the mood to write--helps me sink deeper in to character. Yes, I do have a playlist for each of the books. I recently did a guest blog about that very thing on RL Naquin’s blog.  http://www.rlnaquin.com/2013/02/music-manuscripts-and-magic/
Which of your characters would you most/least want to hang out with, and why? I think Sara/Ilythra. It may sound odd but I’ve known her for over ten years but I’d really like to sit down with her and pick her brain. I’d least want to hang out with Bredych. I actually had a fairly scary dream about him once.
While creating your books, what was one of the most surprising things you learned? I did a lot of research for these books. I studied herbal healing, warfare, watched a lot of fight scenes, but although all of it was interesting, nothing really surprised me. Honestly, the things I learned most were about me. I learned to trust my gut. I learned I can work under a lot of pressure.
Where can readers find out more about you? I’m usually close to Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shawna-Thomas/203067763106604You can find me on my website: shawnathomas.com.  I’m also on twitter: AuthorSThomas or on my blog. Shawnathomas.blogspot.com
Please share a book blurb and/or excerpt. Closing her eyes, she took the salty air deep into her lungs; her breathing evened as she focused on absorbing and channeling the energy of earth, sky, fire and water. Here, water ruled, followed by sky, but the other elements were present in lesser degrees. Her senses expanded. The sounds around her became distinct. Waves teased the wooden skimmer as the wind carried it through the waters. She opened her mind further. The ocean swarmed with life. Schools of fish followed the currents of the ocean in the skimmer’s wake while slow ponderous creatures—for which Sara had no name—crawled across the ocean floor or swam in its depths. She sensed beyond the visible to the unknown creatures hidden in every drop of water contained within the ocean. Far away, birds sailed the currents of the air and for a brief moment, Sara caught a glimpse of a greater cycle of which she was only part. Here was balance, beauty. They had always practiced meditation as a part of Shi’ia, the ancient art of warfare her grandfather taught her, but after he gave her the necklace, he explained she rode the winds of Teann. He called Teann the life-breath of the universe. It was as apt name as any to explain the experience. He admitted he didn’t understand any more than his Shi’ia instructor had taught him, but he knew there was more, much more. She agreed with him. The first time Sara had tried to meditate wearing the necklace, she’d gone so far so fast, she felt she would lose herself, but she adjusted, reveling in the abundance around her. With her eyes closed and life swirling around her, she pictured the stone in the necklace. Dark blue and swathed in silver filigree, the jewel was beautiful and as hard as it was to explain, she understood that it was now part of her, or who she was becoming. Who am I becoming? A chill of fear shot up her spine.
You can find Journey of Awakening on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Journey-Awakening-Triune-Stones-ebook/dp/B00APEYBEC/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1359484982&sr=1-1
Carina Press http://ebooks.carinapress.com/F88B7F83-9D94-423C-B623-D4374BD6A05C/10/134/en/ContentDetails.htm?ID={33CADB06-EA93-4FA0-BBB7-7840D6719D14}
And many other ebook vendors.
Thanks for spilling the beans today Shawna!