Well, since we are all hunkered down around a roaring fire until this horrid cold passes, (by June I fear), I'd like to invite you to meet Author Stephanie Parker McKean as she talks a little about her book: Fear of Shadows. Oh, and somewhere in there, you'll find a little surprise in the form of a character interview. What fun!
Who is Stephanie McKean, you ask? Let's see if I can shed some light on that for you by sharing her Author Bio.
I’ve survived
being mauled by an African lion; bitten by a poisonous water moccasin snake;
attacked by a miniature chimp; and childhood sexual abuse.
What
doesn’t make you bitter makes you better. You really can’t make lemonade
without
And
thank God, I’ve made the transition from atheist to Christian. My two favorite
Bible verses are: in everything give thanks, and all things work together, for good to them that love the LORD.
The
worst day in my life: I lost my job at the newspaper; my mother died and I
couldn’t make plans to attend her funeral because my husband had come home from
the hospital in an ambulance to die at home; our sheepdog died, and my truck
caught on fire in downtown San Antonio
Not
that life is ever without pain, sorrow and trials. We said goodbye to my
37-year-old son, U.S. Marine Corps Major Luke Gaines Parker, on Nov. 17, 2013,
when his plane crashed. He went straight from the sky into the arms of Jesus,
but I will spend the rest of my life missing him.
I
was born with an innate pride for Texas
My
published books include Heart Shadows,
Until the Shadows Flee, Shadow Chase, Bridge to Nowhere, Love’s Beating Heart and
the newly released Fear of Shadows.
I think we can take a moment to say 'WOW', after reading that. Now, please, if you like, it is time for the interview which promises to be equally interesting.
Could you share a little about yourself and
what led you to become a writer?
Well, I guess that goes back to getting
into trouble in first grade for telling “tall tales.” My parents and my teacher
instructed me not to lie. Then when I was 11, my dad brought home a black
Shetland pony in the back of the station wagon. He told us that he had sold a
book and used the money to buy us a pony. “Dad,” I asked. “What’s your book
about?” He told me. I asked, “Is it true?” He replied, “No, I just made it up.”
Well, that decided me: if a person could get away with telling lies when they
were writing a book – then I wanted to be a writer! Now that's funny.
Do you write full time? How much of your
life is set aside for writing?
After working two and three jobs all my
life to make ends meet, I am blessed to be a stay-at-home wife. Since my
husband is a pastor, I can’t write full time because of parish responsibilities.
A lot of my time is set aside for marketing and helping my author husband, Alan
T McKean (time travel adventures “The Scent of Time” and “The Scent of Home”),
edit his books. Thanks to Alan’s support, I did enter the three-day novel
contest this year.
Could you tell us a little about your
novel?
Self-sufficient
Texas Eugenia Thornhill espouses many rebellions including giving a man authority
over her heart, or her life. She hates the mother who named her “Texas
Pranksters also
seem intent on sabotaging the relationship. A dead raccoon is hung on the
refrigerator, a rock is thrown through the window, furniture is trundled around
the room in total disarray, then righted again before West arrives to
investigate.
The most
destructive force entering her life proves to be the seemingly harmless fun of
frequenting a Texas
West arrives to
rescue her from what Texas Texas
When Texas
Would you take us on a brief tour of your
novel and the world you’ve created?
Fear
of shadows is set in the unique Texas Hill Country
where life often revolves around guest ranches and a plethora of wildlife. Texas
Eugenia Thornhill leaves the empty, tree-less Nevada
desert to visit her grandparents on their Texas
Where does the inspiration for your main
character and story come from?
When I looked at a picture of a house I had
lived in as a young child, I was drawn inside the tree-surrounded house and
through the house to the open back door. Just beyond my line of vision, my
father was brutally beating something. I couldn’t see it clearly. It scared me
so much that I jerked myself back out of the picture. I was never able to make
myself go back again to see what was dying. Sadly, my father was an atheist and
an evil man. Just after this, he left in the middle of the night with me and
moved clear across the country from California Everglades
swamp for months. That was the impetus for the story. Texas Thornhill is a
creation of an independent, feisty Texas
What is the message behind the story? Was
it something you specifically wrote a story around or did it develop as your
characters came to life?
Good question. Forgiveness and overcoming
fear are important components of the story. My characters came to life and
carried the story along, building on the foundation of that frightening memory. I can relate to characters coming to life. Amazing experience, isn't it?
Do you work from an outline or just go with
the flow? If you use an outline, how detailed is it?
I usually start with a sketchy outline, but
as the characters come to life – the story moves itself. Often, it veers sharply
away from the outline. Some of the books in my Bridge to Nowhere Miz Mike series literally wrote themselves. The
characters are so real that they took charge. LOL, this is where you become a reporter, and wish you could type faster.
What is the time span in your novel; weeks,
months, years? How much research went into it?
Fear
of Shadows has a time span of only a few months.
The incident at the feminist art exhibit in San Antonio
How does this book differ from what you
have written in the past?
My first book, Heart Shadows, is set in the Nevada Desert Miz Mike Bridge
How have the changes in present day
publishing impacted your schedule as a writer?
Sunpenny Publishing released Bridge to Nowhere and has accepted three
more Miz Mike books. The next in the
series, Bridge Beyond Betrayal, should
be released this spring. Meanwhile, I self-published Love’s Beating Heart and Fear
of Shadows.
How do you handle marketing? Do you have a
plan, a publicist, or just take one day at a time?
When I lived in the U.S. Scotland
Do you have any advice for aspiring
authors?
Don’t give up. Never give up. I started
writing some fifty years ago and got 150 rejection slips before Sunpenny
Publishing took Bridge to Nowhere. I
did sell some magazine articles and a lot of non-fiction and fiction stories
for Sunday School take-home magazines. But my dream has always been to write
books. If that’s your dream, keep writing! Do all you can to polish your craft
while you wait for that first big break.
Could you tell us what you’re working on
now?
I’m working on the sixth Miz Mike Bridge
Thank you so much for taking time out from your schedule to answer my questions. It's been a pleasure to have you.
Ready to learn a little more about Fear of Shadows?
Excerpt from Fear of Shadows
Boldly, I pushed the swinging doors open
and flipped on the light switch in the kitchen. When the light flashed, the
cabinets around the walls threw shadows at me. I screamed and ran helplessly
out of the house, leaving the door open.
No one was around to see my tears or
witness the unreasoning terror that drove me from this—my own house. I stood
alone in the dark night looking back at the house flooded with light and
wondering what to do. Gone were thoughts of West coming to check on me.
Instead, I wondered how I could make my quivering legs carry back across the
yard so I could at least close the front door I had left open. I knew that my
inert body could carry me no further than the front door. I would not be
spending the night in that place of terror. I couldn’t even make myself enter
it to turn off the lights I left burning.
Book Blurb, Fear of Shadows
I was about to lose my virginity against my will in a moldy smelling
house with plaster falling off the walls—on a torn, stained bed with no sheets
and rat droppings bouncing around me. I deserved better. I deserved the right
of choice.
Self-sufficient
Texas Eugenia Thornhill espouses many rebellions including giving a man
authority over her heart, or life. She hates the mother who named her after her
birth state, then ran off, leaving her with a cold, emotionless father.
Pranksters also
seem intent on sabotaging the relationship. Dead animals, rocks through
windows, tumbled furniture—who could hate her so much, and why? When Texas
The most
destructive force entering her life proves to be ranch manager Jason Peace who
drags her to a Texas
West rescues Texas
When Texas
Character
Interview with Texas
Q: Today, I welcome Texas Eugenia
Thornhill. Texas
A: My mother left me when I was young. I
resent the fact that she was so indifferent to me that she named me after my
birth state instead of picking a real name for me.
Q: If you could pick your own name, what
would it be?
A: Something cute and unusual that shows
real reflection.
Q: I understand that you’re an artist.
Yet, it says here in my notes that you removed your paintings from a feminist
art exhibit in San Antonio
A: Have you ever been to one of those
shows? I don’t know if they are all alike, but the one I went to was
abominable. I was embarrassed when I left. I didn’t want anyone to see me and know
that I had been there.
Q: That bad, huh? Can you give me an
example of…
A: You can read about it in my newly released
Christian mystery-romance-suspense book, Fear
of Shadows.
Q: So what can you tell me about this
fear of shadows? Shadows aren’t real, are they? I mean, they can’t hurt you.
Are you really afraid of shadows, Texas
A: I grew up in the Nevada
Q: Do you know why you’re afraid of
shadows?”
A: I do now that I solved the mystery. But
I’m not giving it away here. You’ll have to read Fear of Shadows.
Q: I understand you are rebellious and
that your rebellions include men. I assume that means that you don’t want to
get married. Can you tell us a little about that?
A: My father Gene was unfair and unkind
to my stepmother. His example taught me to distrust love. It taught me to
distrust putting myself under any man’s authority—including a husband.
Q: Yet, you call your book, Fear of Shadows, a mystery-romance-suspense.
If you hate and distrust men, how does the romance get into it?”
A: I’m not giving that away here. You’ll
have to read the book.
If you would like to connect with Stephanie, you can find her here, (along with the links for her books):
Author’s Page
Fear of Shadows
Books by Stephanie Parker McKean: Christian
mystery-romance-suspense Heart Shadows,
Until the Shadows Flee, Shadow Chase, Fear of Shadows and Bridge to Nowhere. Young Adult pro-life
adventure-romance, Love’s Beating Heart.
Fear
of Shadows: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/387341
What an interesting life story. I am glad I took the time to read about you and your book.
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