Shadow’s Moon: Guest Post with Jami Gray

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Shadow’s Moon: Guest Post with Jami Gray

So this week it is my very great pleasure to welcome Jami Gray to the blog. She recently celebrated the release of book 3 in the Kyn Chronicles, Shadow’s Moon, although the actual release day got sort of swept up in the excitement of the RT convention. We’re kind of making up for lost time here, and I hope you enjoy the interview and check out Jami’s books… LR: Okay, so, the first two books in your Kyn Chronicles are all about Raine & Gavin, but Shadow’s Moon is different. What is it about this story that kept your butt in the chair through hours of writing and revising?

JG: As much as I love Raine and Gavin, I knew when Xander hit the pages in Shadow’s Edge, she’d want her own story, and damn if she didn’t get it. Initially, when I began this series, I really believed we’d tag along with Raine the whole way through, then everyone else started piping up—loudly. At this point (and it’s not etched in stone) I have through book 6 in mind before the first story arc completes. After Xander and Warrick’s ride, Natasha took center stage. I just typed “THE END” on her story and it’s a doozy (Bk 4: Shadow’s Curse coming Fall 2014). Right now, Cheveyo is making it clear he’s next (book 5) and Raine and Gavin want back in for book 6. I want to follow some new characters at some point, but I hate planning too far in advanced, it makes the voice in my head get pushy.

LR: You’re most fortunate to have the 7 Evil Dwarves to play with, but aside from that, if you had to recommend one writing resource, either a class or a book or a workshop, what would that be?

JG: The Evil 7 have been most wonderful as I’ve trotted along the writing path, but I’ve searched outside the marshy edges of our swamp for more insight into the craft. I’m currently in the midst of Larry Brooks’ STORY ENGINEERING, which for a writer who started as a pantser and discovered some plotting is really helpful, is a great book. Kristin Lamb’s blog at Warrior Writers (http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com) is a must have for any writer, not to mention being part of her WANA community. Right behind her is Bob Mayer’s Write on the River blog (http://writeitforward.wordpress.com/tag/bob-mayer/). Tons o’ great info on the industry as a whole.

LR: We haven’t met in RL (yet), but in your pictures you look like such a sweet, gentle soul. Where do you find the kick-assery that you put in your books?

JG: Awww, you’re so nice. Problem is, I’m a short, curvy (I’m sticky to curvy, peeps) redhead with glasses with a streak of mule headed stubborn. I love people watching, and tend to be more comfortable hanging on the edges of a crowd than being front and center. My heroines tend to stem from qualities I really admire—strong protectors with a bit of an edge. I know when we finally manage to meet in RL, you and I could generate a bit of trouble. (grin) I’ll have my Knight start a bail-bond fund.

LR: Given the make-up of your household (with the Knight in Slightly Muddy Armor and the Prankster Duo and all), this might be an obvious question, but clutter or quiet? Describe your perfect writing situation.

JG: I am the proud owner of some really great headphones that tend to drown out the “die, alien scum, die!” cries from the Knight and the Duo. I actually share my office with the Knight (pic of my side included) and as you can see my side tends to be very OCD (CDO) while his…well…let’s just say it’s a clear division in our office. When it gets bad, I wade in and organize so I can ignore it. The Duo have space just outside our office, which makes for some entertaining over-heard conversations. I do try to make my escape one day a week to a coffee shop, just to breathe without the “Mom? MOM? MOM?!” demands.

Editors Note: Love the combination of Jami’s book covers n’ Jack Sparrow :)

LR: Seriously now, how do you juggle all your hats (spouse, parent, worker-bee, housekeeper, writer)?

JG: Honestly? I’m not sure. I have a day job, one I’ve been blessed to be able to telecommute for a number of years for, but according to my Knight, I’m like the Energizer bunny—go, go, go. It takes me about 6 months to write a book and for the last couple of years, it’s been back to back WIPs as I’m now juggling two series with two separate publishers. So, right now, I’m taking a much-needed break until July, when I’ll start the second book in my PSY-IV series. I have to follow a schedule to get things done (word counts, job stuff, mom stuff, wife stuff) or I start to resemble Linda Blair in the Exorcist. I’ve learned to make sure I keep my family time sacrosanct because the Duo won’t be home forever (or so I hope).

LR: What’s your favorite non-writing activity? Like, are you a closet marathon runner? Could you crochet a house-cozy if you had to? Maybe you secretly want to appear on Antiques Roadshow?

JG: (Snort) I can definitely say it’s not cooking, not if anyone wants to eat. I did martial arts for a few years, but when my instructor left the state, I stopped. Other than reading, I love biking. Which, considering I live in Arizona, requires early morning commitment in the summer months. Oh, and as part of that family time thing above, I’ve recently begun going to a shooting range with my boys. Serious fun there. Something about the smell of cordite and ringing ears just gets the blood pumping.

LR: Football, basketball, baseball or soccer? Which one gets your blood moving the fastest – or is there another sport you prefer?

JG: Live basketball does it every time. It moves fast enough I don’t get bored. The Knight possesses a teeny-tiny streak of competitiveness he’s shared with the Duo, so when he drags me out for say, golf, he gets so frustrated, it makes me laugh. How can you not laugh when swinging a stick at a little white ball and watch it go exactly where you didn’t want it to go?

LR: What’s next on your horizon? I know you’ve got another release day coming up…

JG: This year has been nuts. SHADOW’S MOON hit shelves in May. I turned in SHADOW’S CURSE to my editor this week so it can make its appearance in Fall 2014. Annndddd…the first in my new Paranormal Romantic Series, PSY-IV Team (think Cypher), titled HUNTED BY THE PAST hits shelves July 11th. (Big breath) I’d like to be able to keep to a two book release schedule each year—one from the Kyn Kronicles and one from PSY-IV Teams, so my next project is book 2 of PSY-IV Teams. I’m playing with the idea of doing some short stories in there somewhere as well. Oh, and I’m collaborating with another awesome writer on a possible post-apocalyptic story…we’ll see what happens there. BIO/BLURBS/FIND ME/BUY LINKS for JAMI GRAY Bio: Jami Gray grew up on the Arizona-Mexico border, and was adopted at the age of 14 to suddenly become the fifth eldest of 37 children. She graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor’s in Journalism and three minors-History, English, and Theater. (Decision-making was not her forte at the time.) Shortly after marrying her techie-geek hubby (who moonlighted as her best friend in high school) she completed a Masters in Organizational Management from University of Phoenix Oregon. Now, years later, she’s back in the Southwest where she’s outnumbered in her own home by two Star Wars obsessed boys, one Star Wars obsessed husband, and an overly-friendly, 105-pound male lab. Delving into the wild paranormal worlds where romance collides with suspense and Urban Fantasy is queen, manages to salvage her sanity. Or so we let her believe…

Blurb for Shadow’s Edge: Everyone fears what hunts in the shadows—especially the monsters… It takes a monster to hunt one, and for Raine McCord, forged in the maelstrom of magic and science, she’s the one for the job. In a world where the supernatural live in a shadowy existence with the mundane, a series of disappearances and deaths threatens the secrecy of her kind and indicates someone knows the monsters are alive and kicking. Partnering up with the sexy and tantalizing Gavin Durand proves to be a challenge as dangerous as the prey she hunts. When the trail points back to the foundation which warped Raine’s magic as a child, her torturous past raises its ugly head. Gavin and Raine sift through a maze of lies, murder and betrayal to discover not only each other, but the emerging threat to them and the entire magical community.

Blurb for Shadow’s Soul: Some nightmares are born of love… Raine McCord has no problem taking down the monsters of the world, it’s one of the reasons she’s so good at her job. So playing bodyguard to Cheveyo, head Magi of the Northwest, as he consults with the Southwest Kyn should be an easy assignment. Unfortunately, simple task turns into a nightmare when Cheveyo is kidnapped and Raine is left for dead by one of the Kyn’s most feared beings, a Soul Stealer. The Stealer’s attack leaves lasting wounds, undermining Raine’s confidence as a warrior and damaging her unruly magic. Her ability to heal her mind and spirit hinges on the one man who can touch her soul, Gavin Durand. Compelled to face the emotions raging between them, they must embrace not only their stormy relationship but their evolving magic to escape the twisted threads of murder and betrayal to find Cheveyo. As Raine and Gavin come together and begin to unravel the complex web of secrets and hidden vendettas haunting the Southwest Kyn, they discover unsettling new truths that threaten their very existence.

Blurb for Wrapped in Shadows: The magic of the holidays can be hell… Celebrations abound during the holidays, but this Christmas an engagement celebration goes horrifically wrong. What appears to be a simple murder/suicide hides a vicious surprise. The type of gift Raine and Gavin, elite member of the Kyn, didn’t want humans to unwrap, becauserevealing the monsters in the shadows isn’t the way to spread holiday cheer.

Blurb for Shadow’s Moon: Even a wild heart can be broken… A blonde, a brunette and a monster walk into a bar and all hell breaks loose. It should have been the start of a bad joke, but days from a full moon Xander Cade, Tracker for the Northwest Motoki Pack, finds nothing funny about confronting an enraged Shifter in a crowded Portland nightclub filled with unsuspecting humans. The resulting carnage frays an already thin veil of secrecy shielding the supernatural Kyn community from public scrutiny, and ensures she can’t escape the one man she’s been determined to avoid, her Alpha and mate, Warrick Vidis. Dominating, protective and compelling, Warrick threatens her individuality like no other. As the Northwest Alpha wolf, compromise isn’t in Warrick Vidis’s vocabulary, but when his reluctant mate, Xander Cade, refuses to leave off the hunt for a killer, he has no qualms using whoever or whatever necessary to protect her or his pack. A series of unusual deaths involving lone wolves, along with anonymous threats against him and his Pack, begin to jeopardize his normal steely control. Add in Xander’s continual reluctance to fully accept their Soul bond, and the line between intellect and instinct begins to blur, leaving him wondering if one woman’s love and acceptance will be enough to save both man and wolf. As the danger escalates, threatening not just their Pack but those closest to them, Warrick and Xander must find a way to trust each other and accept their rare bond or risk losing everything-their pack, their friends and each other.

Blurb for Hunted by the Past: Sometimes death is the only way to out run the past… A reluctant psychic who can relive the past, a man well versed in keeping secrets, and a psychopathic killer enter a deadly game where the past determines the future. Changing the past is an impossibility ex-Marine, Cynthia “Cyn” Arden, understands all too well. Struggling in the aftermath of a botched mission, which cost her two teammates, her military career, and a fledging relationship, she’s brought home by a panicked phone call. The psychic killer behind her nightmares has escaped military custody to hunt down the remaining teammates, one by one. Next on his murderous list–Cyn. Her only chance at survival is to master the psychic ability she’s spent years denying. The killer’s game brings her face to face with the one person guaranteed to throw her off kilter—the unsettling and distracting man she left behind, Kayden Shaw. Once she believed he’d stand by her side, until he chose his job and his secrets over her. A choice that’s left the scars of the past etched deep on her mind and heart. To survive this twisted game, Cyn must risk trusting her heart and accepting who and what she is, or lose not only her life, but the man she loves.

Available Now:

Shadow’s Edge: Book 1 of the Kyn Kronicles

Shadow’s Soul: Book 2 of the Kyn Kronicles, Paranormal Romance Winner of 2012 Shooting Star

Wrapped in Shadows (.5) part of Things That Go Bump For The Holidays—A Collection of Short Stories

NOW AVAILABLE: Shadow’s Moon: Book 3 of the Kyn Kronicles, 2013 Golden Claddagh Finalist

Coming in July 11th, 2014 from Muse It Up Publishing: Hunted by the Past: Book 1 of the PSY-IV Teams

And Fall 2014 brings Shadow’s Curse: Book 4 of the Kyn Kronicles.

You can find me at:

Black Opal Books: www.BlackOpalBooks.com

Muse It Up Publishing: http://museituppublishing.com

Website: www.JamiGray.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jamigray.author