Do you plan everything or just let the story flow?
~ I write an outline in the beginning but I rarely stick to it. The minute my fingers meet the keyboard, I honestly have no idea what’s coming next. The story just flows out of me.
Do your characters ever want to take over the story?
~ All the time!! LOL But I do my best to make them behave!
What is your favourite food?
~ Chick-fil-A – which some people up North or in other countries may not understand. After that, it’s anything chocolate.
Are you a morning person or a night owl?
~ Totally a morning person. And I do it without coffee. Go ahead and hate me now, I’m used to it
Where do you dream of travelling to and why?
~ I’ve travelled quite a bit in my life. I teach Spanish so I’ve been to Spain, Costa Rica, Mexico and the Caribbean. Spain Is by far my favorite! The rich history and the yummy food totally sold me. My bucket list, however, includes England and Italy.
Do distant places feature in your books?
~ Sorry, no they don’t. At least, not yet! In book 4, which I’m still thinking about, Brett starts out in Spain trying to find Aimee’s long lost mother.
Do you listen to music while writing?
~Yes. It soothes me as well as helps me while I’m writing. But I have small kids so Nickelodeon is usually on in the background when I write!
Could you tell us a bit about your latest release?
~ UNLEASHED is Aimee’s journey as she works through her new powers. In the second book, Unhinged, Aimee kills David and achieved ascension. She no longer has to touch people to be privy to their every thought or memory. As we all know, absolute power corrupts absolutely. The reader follows Aimee’s path through darkness and shares her emotions as she struggles to see which part of her will win – the light or the dark. Throw into the mix two jealous boys and a principal that wants her either on the dark side or dead, and you have yourself a story.
What have you learned about writing and publishing since you first started?
~ So much and not enough! I’ve learned that your work is never perfect, it is only good enough. I could read it a thousand times and it would never be perfect for me. Also, marketing is very difficult even with a publisher. But those people that love your books will be loyal to the end and there’s nothing better than hearing from a fan how hard it has been to wait for the next installment! It makes me want to reach inside the computer and give them a virtual hug.
Is there anything you would do differently?
~ I’ve done only what I can do with working full time and a mother of two wonderful children. I am so far from where I was, but no close to where I want to be. So, I think I wish I would have bought a book on marketing and conducting a business because that would be helpful in times when the market is so inundated with books and you have to find a way to get your books into the hands of people that could love them, but they just don’t know about it yet.
Who, or what, if anything has influenced your writing?
~ I had a teacher in college that HATED my writing. No matter what I did, he never had a good thing to say about it. That stopped me from writing for over a decade. Then, I saw a special on JK Rawlings and how much she went through to bring her amazing story to others. It was then that I realized I define myself, not the opinion of a random professor from years ago. It was that special on JK that helped me see that my dream was possible. And that I’m the only one standing in the way.
Anything you would say to those just starting out in the craft?
~ Never give up and never stop writing. Writing is what makes you better. Reading is what inspires you. Some people may hate the way you write and it’s hard to take rejection. But take it and move on. You only need 1 yes!!
What are three words that describe you?
~ quirky, funny and charismatic
What's your favourite book or who is your favourite writer?
~ That’s a hard one!! I would have to say Saving Grace by Julie Garwood. It was one of the first romance books I read as a teenager. The main character was such a strong, resilient, amazing woman that I was sucked in immediately. She defied odds in a world where men ruled. It truly touched me and made me feel like I could do anything.
Blurb of your latest release or coming soon book
Aimee killed a man. Worse yet, she enjoyed it.
Aimee has survived a bombing, a killer’s torture chamber, countless evils harbored deep within the minds of psychopaths and killers, and even death. But now, the greatest threat is the evil barely contained within.
With her ascension, Aimee gained great power. She no longer needs to touch a person for their every memory and thoughts to be divulged. With that power, she now feels the pull to become judge, jury, and executioner to those who commit evil in this world.
Despite her desire to be alone with Logan and live a normal life, she soon realizes that she, in fact, is the greatest threat to the normality she craves. Without control of her own powers, she inadvertently causes harm to those she loves the most. Aimee is forced to seek out the only other person in this world that can help her: Brett.
Together, they explore the world as ascended beings, reveling in the intoxication of mind control, as flames of love ignite between them. With each new emotion explored, the reasons behind the origin of her powers are slowly revealed.
Unleashed
The
Haunting of Secrets
Book
Three
Shelley
R. Pickens
Genre:
Paranormal YA
ISBN:
978-1-68046-353-8
ISBN
EBOOK: 978-1-68046-354-5
Tag
Line: With her ascension, she gained great power. Now the lure of
infinite power over others will cause the monster within to be
Unleashed.
Book
Descripton:
Aimee
killed a man. Worse yet, she enjoyed it.
Aimee
has survived a bombing, a killer’s torture chamber, countless evils
harbored deep within the minds of psychopaths and killers, and even
death. But now, the greatest threat is the evil barely contained
within.
With
her ascension, Aimee gained great power. She no longer needs to touch
a person for their every memory and thoughts to be divulged. With
that power, she now feels the pull to become judge, jury, and
executioner to those who commit evil in this world.
Despite
her desire to be alone with Logan and live a normal life, she soon
realizes that she, in fact, is the greatest threat to the normality
she craves. Without control of her own powers, she inadvertently
causes harm to those she loves the most.
Aimee
is forced to seek out the only other person in this world that can
help her: Brett.
Together,
they explore the world as ascended beings, reveling in the
intoxication of mind control, as flames of love ignite between them.
With each new emotion explored, the reasons behind the origin of her
powers are slowly revealed.
But
a dark threat looms in the horizon —a sinister plot that will cause
the monster within Aimee to emerge.
With
Logan kidnapped and Brett unable to face his sinister father, Aimee
must battle the lure of infinite power to save the two boys that hold
her heart captive.
Or
risk being lost to the evil forever.
Excerpt:
Preface
I killed a man.
Worse yet, I wanted to kill him. The darkness I’ve fought so hard
to keep out of my life had somehow seeped into my soul without me
knowing it. My ascension brought great power, but at a horrible
price. All it took was a moment. A fleeting thought, and when it was
over, the man before me, lay dead and my soul cried out in agony. I
stand above him now, watching my reflection as it bounces off his
lifeless eyes. This isn’t the girl I’m supposed to be. The girl I
know would never have harmed a living soul. Yet, here’s the proof
right in front of me, staring lifelessly into nothingness. I know he
never saw death coming for him because his expression is a strange
mixture of pain and surprise. I want to help him, but there’s
nothing I can do, he’s gone. I watched his thoughts end, his soul
disperse to the sky above. Still, his face remains stubbornly
determined; like he wants nothing more than to return so he can
admonish me for my sins. But he can’t.
And I’m the reason
why.
I slowly back away
from him, still unsure of what to do. My progress is halted abruptly
when I run straight into a solid wall of muscle. His arms come around
to embrace me from behind. It’s comforting despite the complete
inappropriateness of it in the face of death. He holds me as I stare
helplessly; hovering over the body of the man I just destroyed.
“It’s all
right,” he begins in a soft tone. “You did what you had to do.”
I turn around and
look at my companion, my equal in both power and stubbornness. “No,
I didn’t. I did what I wanted to do. For that, I’m going to burn
in hell.”
My self-proclaimed
soul mate stares at me with a puzzled look on his face. He seems
confused, as if hell is a place that shouldn’t be feared. After all
I’ve been through in the short sixteen years of my life, I’m more
certain than ever that hell is very real.
And it’s a place
I now seem destined to visit.
Though my companion
seems understanding and empathetic of my remorse, he isn’t quite
able to hide the pride he feels for my eliminating someone with my
powers. I don’t need to see his thoughts; it shines clearly through
every aspect of his expression.
He moves his hands
up to cup my face, catching the latest tear as it falls from my
regret filled eyes. “Then we shall burn in hell together, my dark
princess.”
Also Available
The Haunting of
Secrets Book 1
Unhinged The
Haunting of Secrets Book 2
Book Trailers
The Haunting of
Secrets https://youtu.be/cQvKX0rb-Zg
About
the Author:
Shelley
Pickens is a Spanish teacher by day and a novelist by night. She's
been in love with everything paranormal since she can remember. After
years of teaching high school students, she decided to take her
firsthand knowledge of young adults and apply it to her passion for
creative writing and fantasy. When not teaching or writing, Shelley
likes to spend time with her husband and two beautiful children in
Atlanta, Ga. Her escape from reality is her love of complex thriller
and science fiction TV series like Supernatural and Sleepy Hollow. In
her spare time she is an avid watcher of little league baseball. THE
HAUNTING OF SECRETS is her debut novel.
You
can connect with Shelley Pickens at:
Website:
www.shelleypickens.com
Tour
giveaway
- Free ebook or Signed print book (Unleashed or any of the other books in the Secrets Series restricted to US only please)
1 - The Haunting of
Secrets Necklace
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