Interview & Giveaway: Shrapnel by Stephanie Lawton

Today I’m excited to kick-off the blog tour for Shrapnel by Stephanie Lawton! She’s stopping by today for an interview as part of her Blog Tour by InkSlinger PR.

In the length of a tweet (140 characters), tell us about your book.

A smarmy, hot ghost makes life hell for 2 psychic teens, seduces a 3^rd. Will they get out alive, reveal their secrets, or find strength?

Are you working on something new? If so, can you tell us about it?

The follow-up to my first novel, Want, comes out in May. It’s called Need and follows one of the adult characters from the first book. Because of this, it’s definitely an adult novel, not upper-YA. I’ve had three books come out in a year’s time, so I’m taking a little break now to recharge. I’ve started two other manuscripts, but I don’t know if I’ll go back to them or start something new.

If you could have any superpower what would you choose?

Hands down, I’d want super thick skin. Many of us creative types are also pretty darn fragile, and it would be nice to have the ability to let things roll off without a second thought. The longer you’re in this business, the easier it gets, but there are times when a suit of armor would be handy.

If you could meet one person who has died who would you choose?

I often have dreams about my mother’s paternal grandmother and I have no idea why. I’d like to meet her to find out why she keeps making appearances in my subconscious. She painted a number of pictures that hang in my house, so maybe that’s why she comes through.

What are your pet peeves?

People who are constantly late or don’t keep their word. On the lighter side, I can’t stand certain words, like “ointment” and “nutrition.” No idea why!

Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published.

I’ve been really fortunate—I’ve had a number of rewarding experiences, but the ones that stick out in my memory are the emails and tweets from readers who have identified with an issue or character in one of my books. It’s both scary and touching that some of them have experienced similar things to what I’ve written, and that they felt moved enough to contact me. It’s very gratifying and humbling, and means way more than royalties or name recognition.

Do you have a theme song for your book or any of your characters?

I make lengthy playlists for all my books and with Shrapnel, there are two songs that stand out. The first is “Your Surrender” by Neon Trees. The working title for Shrapnel was Surrender, and I was sitting in a parking lot waiting for my kids when I first heard it. The lyrics really reflected the storyline, plus I discovered a stripped-down, slower version of the song that fit the tone of the book exactly.

The second song is “Mausoleum” by Cameron Rafati. It’s a very gothic (the lyrics, not the style), atmospheric song that tells the story of two people separated by a century. They put the singer’s clothes and belongings in a museum, and it could easily have been written by Jackson, the Civil War ghost who appears in Shrapnel. After more than a century, it’s easy to forget that real people fought in that war. They are not the sum of their preserved artifacts.

Do you have a hidden talent?

I can sneeze up to eighteen times and I can touch my chin with my tongue. (You totally wanted to know that, lol!)

What TV show/movie/book is your guilty pleasure?

Both Downton Abbey and American Horror Story are my guilty pleasures, and they couldn’t be more different! They’re really the only two shows I watch … oh, wait. Game of Thrones and True Blood are also favorites. Again, they couldn’t be more opposite.

What is something people would be surprised to know about you?

I hate to travel. In theory, yes; in practice, noooo. The hassle and stress gives me tension headaches.

Who or what inspired your last book?

Two TV shows inspired Shrapnel. The first was a series called Psychic Kids: Children of the Paranormal. The second was an episode of Brad Meltzer’s Decoded on the Knights of the Golden Circle and the Confederate gold. I combined them, set them in Mobile, and created a cast of characters to work through issues proposed in both shows.

Do your friends or enemies ever find themselves in your books?

Nooo, of course not, lol! I’ve used the names of nearly all my friends and acquaintances, but they rarely resemble the characters who bear their names. Only once did I write in an enemy, and it hardly counts. I ran into someone rude at a local historical landmark while doing research, so I wrote her in and made her quite a villain. I don’t even know her name let alone her life story, but I had fun making her look bad in the book. J

Many thanks to Stephanie for stopping today to answer my questions, and giving my readers an opportunity to win her book. Enter the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win an ebook copy for yourself!

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