Thursday 28 March 2013

Author Interview & Giveaway: Shanae Branham





About the Author:

I am a professional writer with a bachelor's degree in creative writing and a minor in grammar. I have also attended several years of classes and workshops in screenplay writing at the Los Angeles Screenplay writer's Expo.


I love suspense thrillers and am a master at plot and character development. I enjoy stories with happy endings. I promise all my readers that when they put one of my books down or walk away from one of my movies, they will be enthused with excitement and joy. This does not mean there will not be some sad parts, because you have to feel the bitter in order to understand the sweet.

I was born and raised in a small town in Idaho. I am the second out of six children. When I was in my early 20's my mother was killed by a drunk driver. This one incident drastically changed my life. I have always had a passion for reading and writing fiction. Owing to a life long struggle with Dyslexia, early teachers discouraged me from pursuing a career in writing.

As I have spent over twenty years wrestling with my language disabilities-turning them into professional writing skills, God has honed my insatiable passion into an incredible vision.

My Christian upbringing has instilled within me the belief that "...with God nothing shall be impossible" (Luke 1:37). This has sustained me through the hard times. Because of my language disability, I have had to learn the structure of the English language like other people learn math - building block upon building block.

I am grateful for this experience because it developed in me a skill and love for diagramming sentences, which unfortunately is becoming a lost art.

I want my life to be a living testament that with God's help anyone can achieve their worthwhile dreams. What God requires is the humility to change, a childlike teach-ability to learn, and the patience and persistence to practice and work until their weaknesses are transformed into strengths.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15831883-disemblance
http://disemblance.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/DiSemblance/193847093968586
https://twitter.com/Disemblance

Do you plan everything or just let the story flow?


When I write a novel, I plan an outline that follows screenplay story rules.

Do your characters ever want to take over the story?

Yes. The story is all about them.

What is your favorite food?

Pizza

Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Morning person

Where do you dream of travelling to and why?

A tropical bungalow getaway. I love the ocean and hot sun to relax.

Do distant places feature in your books?

Since DiSemblance could be classified as science fiction because it portrays what would happen if a hologram machine was invented, I chose to keep the setting close to home and familiar. That way it feels more believable.

Do you listen to music while writing?

Yes. I chose a song that relates emotionally to what the character is going through and listen to it over and over again.

Could you tell us a bit about your latest release?


DiSemblance is a young adult, techno-thriller novel.

As a computer prodigy, Jason has spent his life with limited social contact due to his father’s secretive work on a hologram machine that can create digital immortality. When his father is murdered and framed as the Comfort Killer, Jason is targeted as the killer’s new fall guy. Having spent much of his youth living in the virtual world his father created, he must now go on the run if he is going to save himself, his brother, and the beautiful girl next door.

What have you learned about writing and publishing since you first started?

So much sometimes I think my brain might explode!

Is there anything you would do differently?

No.

Who, or what, if anything has influenced your writing?

Reading the book, The Success Principles by Jack Canfield

Anything you would say to those just starting out in the craft?

Don’t be afraid to rewrite. Rewriting is one of the greatest ways of learning to improve your craft. Read, read, read! Reading patterns the brain and helps your find tools for your writing toolbox.

What are three words that describe you?

Determined, creative, compassionate

What's your favourite book or who is your favourite writer?

The Hunger Games by Susan Collins

Blurb of your latest release or coming soon book.

DiSemblance sets the stage for three more books. I am currently working on the second book, Boston’s Quest. …Someone has hooked the hologram machine up to the internet and is forcing kidnapped victims to fight for their lives inside an online computer game.

I love to blog about the current book I am writing. You can check it out at http://disemblance.com

List of previous books if any

DiSemblance is my first published work.


DiSemblance

by Shanae Branham
Genre: Techno-thriller/YA
Subgenres: Sci-fi, suspense, mystery, paranormal
ISBN: ISBN-10: 1477527761
ISBN-13: 978-1477527764
Number of pages: 272 pages
Word Count: 55, 894

Book Description:

Jason Tanner lives between two worlds. Problem is, only one is real.

As a computer prodigy, Jason has spent his life with limited social contact due to his father’s secretive work on a hologram machine that can create digital immortality. When his father is murdered and framed as the Comfort Killer, Jason is targeted as the killer’s new fall guy. Having spent much of his youth living in the virtual world his father created, he must now go on the run if he is going to save himself, his brother, and the beautiful girl next door.

An exciting, action-packed ride to a future happening today, Shanae Branham's modern techno thriller is the perfect exhilarating adrenaline rush for a technosavvy generation. Expertly weaving cutting-edge technology with almost unbearable suspense, she crafts a wild, white-knuckled thriller that pushes the boundaries of science. Full of intensity and extraordinary vision, DiSemblance attacks the senses as it challenges the mind and imagination.

Branham does a brilliant job creating suspense….She ramps up the tension by keeping readers guessing over the identities of Jason’s foes and about how Jason’s situation ties in with the hunt for the killer.”

Jason’s love for his father and his motivation to find out what happened to him are particularly refreshing.”

"The characters of Jason and Isaac are … cool enough to rise to the occasion … making readers feel like they are rooting for real young men.”~ Jill Allen, Clarion Review (4 Stars)

DiSemblence is available from amazon in paperback and kindle formats



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