Shadows of Penumbra Tour

Posted by Rachel on June 7, 2013 in Uncategorized | ∞

I’m so pleased to be able to be a stop on my CP, Margaret Alexander’s, blog tour for her fantasy story, Shadow’s of Penumbra, that she self published. I was even luckier to be able to interview her! Find out about her and her awesome urban fantasy thriller below:

Rachel: Thanks for doing this interview, Margaret!

Margaret: Thanks for having me! It’s kind of weird to be interviewed by your critique partner, who knows virtually everything about me (and my books), but I can only hope to return the favor one day.

Rachel: The pleasure is all mine! So, why don’t you start off by telling us about where you got the idea for Shadows?

Margaret: I’m not sure it was really one “idea” as it was a culmination of ideas from books and movies I read, just grabbing onto things I liked and putting a twist on them. Originally, I wanted to write a pure middle grade fantasy. Those were the days of Harry Potter. That idea left me when I entered high school and I kind of didn’t think about writing for a while since I wasn’t in a writing environment (my middle school promoted writing a lot more than my high school).

But I had a lot of prods to write novels. I had recently read His Dark Materials around that time and I started thinking about guardians, like the daemons in the books. I wondered if I had a supernatural protector what they would be like, what they’d look like, and how they could protect me. It came down to a spirit form of a guardian angel, sort of like a doppelganger that was a perfect version of me, and I eventually called these things Shadows. The rest sort of stemmed from there.

The story also has an apocalypse theme, the idea for which came later. I started to get interested in conspiracies around the time of high school and secret organizations seemed like something really fun to write about. I also like the idea of a dying prodigy leaving a secret to the world, kind of like in One Piece where the great pirate Gol D. Roger tells the world there’s a treasure out there that could make the one who finds it the next pirate king. I really loved that concept and it stuck with me. Like I said before, it’s the things we love that we take from.

Rachel: And what about the vices? That was a plot concept that really struck me. Why did you involve those in the end of the world plot?

Margaret: The Vices stemmed from the Seven Deadly Sins. I’m not sure why they inspired me, but they seemed like an interesting plot device (yes, pun). I think it was an fun way to categorize characters, by their sins, and I also wanted to have sort of a treasure hunt. I felt like giving them something to search and fight for would give meaning to the story and build dynamic between characters, especially with a competitive edge.

Rachel: How long did it take to write this book?

Margaret: You were there so you know, haha. But for those who don’t, one year for the first draft. Then many more years of writing sequel drafts and editing. I would say three years of self-editing at least.

Rachel: Are their other books in the series (as if i don’t know…)?

Margaret: Yeah, just keep pretending. It’s a series of five books. The cover for the second book has already been designed and I’m actually getting the second novel back from my editor this week. There’s still lots of work ahead, but I’m in love with my characters so it’s not something I’d ever want to give up.

Rachel: What’s your main character, Diane’s, drive throughout this series? Does she want the world to end or to save it?

Margaret: She’s the hero type so she naturally wants to do the right thing, but there are lots of nuances that make her doubt wanting to save the world. For one, her biggest desire is to live a normal life. And while saving the world would be the right thing to do, it comes in conflict with her finally having a chance to not deal with death and fighting. It’s definitely a big moral question for her. She’s pretty determined on getting the life she wants. It just might be a lot harder to get than she thinks.

Rachel: Have you written other stories?

Margaret: I wrote a few young adult short stories, one of which inspired a YA thriller titled THE EXECUTIONER AT THE INSTITUTE FOR EXTRAORDINARY CHILDREN. I’ve had mixed reactions to the title. Most are, “Woah, great title!” while others are, “What the heck?!” Haha. I love it, though. It’s a dark concept but very contemporary. The novel is currently signed with Crescent Moon Press.

Rachel: Wow, you’re on a roll! Tell us, what is your normal process for writing? Brainstorming, outlines, betas?

Margaret: I like to know the ending before I start writing, but with this series it was kind of a stab in the dark. I went where my heart told me to go, with a fuzzy outline of the general plot, and very detailed outlines of every chapter as I went along before I actually sat down to write them. I write in small bursts. It’s unusual for me to sit down and write an entire chapter or several chapters in one go, unless I already have many scenes pre-written. Writers are different, though, so they should go with what works for them. I’ve heard that’s a pretty effective way to write, though, since you put in 100% of your energy into every small scene you write.

After writing, I usually swap with my critique partner (that’s you!) and then do a few beta rounds. Then it’s off to the editor. Content editing typically takes a full month before the manuscript makes it back to me with detailed notes. I go through the notes page by page and make corrections, after which I return the manuscript for proofreading. Then it’s ebook and paperback formatting, with a few more rounds of final read throughs to catch last minute mistakes. It’s quite a process, but the process is my favorite part.

Rachel: Where can people buy / read Shadows of Penumbra?

Margaret: You can read sample chapters on the official website, and you can also get the book at a few retailers, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. It’s also listed on Goodreads if you’d like to add it to your to-read list. There’s a few giveaways going on during the blog tour, so be sure to check them out if you’d like the chance to win a free copy!

Rachel: Great to know! Thank you so much for the interview and I encourage everyone reading to go on over and read Shadows of Penumbra

Margaret has always gone after creative, thought-provoking books with deep characters. When she didn’t find too many with that exact blend, she decided to try and write some of her own. She explored her creative side with a major in engineering and a minor in studio art, and traveled half-way across the globe, from Bulgaria to the tropics, and finally the California desert. Maybe that’s why her characters never sit still. She loves to read, illustrate, watch historical movies, ice skate, and dream, and has a high regard for culture, martial arts, and the French and Japanese languages. At the end of the day, there’s nothing she enjoys more than a good story.