Interview with Cassandra Giovanni PLUS Giveaway

Today we're talking with author Cassandra Giovanni about her novel, WALKING IN THE SHADOWS. Be sure to leave a comment, and you could win an ebook, necklace and signed photographic print. (Available to UK, USA, and CANADA.)

Welcome to We Do Write, Cassandra! Tell us a bit about yourself.

I started writing before I can even remember and some of my fondest memories have to do with the books I wrote as a child. The first time I was published was when my mom convinced me to enter an American Girl Doll contest. We couldn’t afford the dolls, and I really wanted one. They were running a writing contest where you won a doll, a computer game and some other awesome stuff—including have the chapter I had written published. I wrote my first novel when I was in sixth grade, and I have been writing novels ever since. I come from a family of either talented writers or artists, so I naturally got a bit of both. I didn’t come into my own in drawing or photography until I took a break from writing. I was lost for a bit because writing is such a large part of whom I am, and I found the silence in photography and the absence of the need for words relaxing. It helped me to deal with being a teenager and once I was over myself, it helped me see the world in a better way. When I started writing again the photography was a great way to inspire me and make me better as an author. I met my amazing husband when I was sixteen (he wasn’t my high school sweetheart, as we didn’t start dating until I was a senior and he had been out of high school for about four years already!) and we have been married four years. I can’t imagine life without him, even when I am yelling at him to be quiet because I’m writing. As a day job I work at a bank as an assistant manager and I am a marketing major. I have the best dog on the face of the planet, and I treat him just like my child.

Tell us about WALKING IN THE SHADOWS. What’s the story about?

The story takes a new look at vampires and brings them to life—real life, in a bad way. One person’s obsession becomes a drive to kill, and the main character, Abigail AKA Vera, is deeply affected by this. Her parents are the first victims of the killer. When everything is crumbling around her, Abigail changes her name to Vera and moves away to somewhere she thinks will be safe. Thinks is the keyword here. As she begins her new life as Vera she falls in love with a hunky teaching graduate, who she doesn’t fully fill in on her past. Soon Vera will find out that revenge isn’t just about murder—it’s about ripping everything away from her.

How did the idea of the story come to you?

This story had two different inspirations. I really didn't want to write a vampire novel, and I started to think about the concept and how obsessed everyone seems to be with it since Twilight. Somehow the concept twisted in my mind to the extreme—a serial killer who drinks the blood of their victims. The second part of the story was inspired by a dream. In the dream there was Vera and Tad in a dark auditorium. I could feel the love that Vera had for Tad, but there was this distinct feeling that something wasn't right. There were secrets and apprehension. Then it fast forwarded to Tad pulling her into a dark room and kissing her. It didn't make sense to me that the whole thing had to be so secretive because they were so close in age—no different than my husband and I. So, then I started thinking…and their relationship was born.

Do you have a critique group/partner or beta readers, or do you self-edit?

I have a few select beta readers, and I have a friend who is just starting her own editing company that has helped me.

Are you a planner or a pantser?

Ummm…pantser? I have to google that…alright, pantser. I get the characters in my head and I start writing. I usually write the beginning, middle, end . . . all the really strong scenes and then fill in from there, but there’s no order to it. I could write an ending scene, a middle scene, another ending scene and then a beginning.

What’s the hardest part of writing for you?

I’m not really sure—there are parts that frustrate me, but I honestly love every part of writing, no matter how hard it is, so I have never thought about how hard certain parts were. If I had to say what I like least, it’s the formatting the novel for print. There are so many things to do to make it look right! Oh, and figuring out how to use commas…little buggers.

What do you absolutely have to have nearby when writing?

Iphone and my Bubski—my Chihuahua/Jack Russell aka a ChurRussell

If you could have any super power, what would it be?

Healing

What's the weirdest thing you've googled?

My own name…that was the weirdest thing ever, and it just keeps getting weirder as more and more pages pop up.

Quick writing test! Use the following words in a sentence: swap, damaged, and hilarious.

Some parts of my past are hilarious and some parts are damaged, but I wouldn’t swap them for the world.

Finish this sentence: If I'm not writing, I'm probably ...

Taking photos.

Here’s the part where you thank the people who are supporting you. Let's hear your shout outs.

First, my amazing husband. He always deals with my ranting, stressful yelling for no reason and constant tapping on the computer! My parents are amazing—they have always been there to guide me, even when I didn’t want them to. Besides my husband, they are two of my best friends. Onto best friends—Marsha…you can say the simplest things and make everything all better. Ellen, what can I say? You are an amazing person, writer, mentor and friend. I am so lucky to have all of you. AND let’s not forget my awesome readers and fans!

And finally, where can people find you and your book online?

You can purchase the ebook at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. You can pick up the paperback at Amazon, my createspace store and Bank Square Books in Mystic, CT.

Blurb:
Seconds seem like a lifetime when the life you lived is slowly drained out of you by those who care not what you felt, hoped, or dreamed. When the darkness comes it is all-consuming; there is no light and there is no pain. It is the never-ending loss of hope that now consumes me as I die in his arms.

This is Abigail Martin’s nightmare. After her parents become the first victims of a serial killer obsessed with the vampire saga, "Crimson Reign," Abigail does the only thing that she thinks will save her from her parent’s fate–she becomes some one else. As Vera MacIntrye, she falls in love with the very handsome Tad Knightley, and then walks into her first day at her new school to see him standing at the front of the classroom. He’s every teenage girls fantasy, but as he writes “Mr. Knightley: AP British Literature” across the white board Vera realizes the one person who filled the gaping hole in her heart will soon rip it wide open again.

Vera struggles to adjust to being a ‘normal’ teenager with very adult responsibilities like paying therent, buying groceries and making sure that lights stay on, while being drawn time and time again back to her off-limits teacher. What’s worse is he is drawn to her too, and their worlds refuse to stay apart when Tad finds Vera screaming in terror in the parking lot after the winter formal. Themurderer has struck again and is getting closer to the next target–Vera. Tad will do whatever he can to save her, even if it means losing his dream job, but will it be enough when the murderer is closer than anyone ever thought?

Social media links:
My website: www.cgiovanni.com
My blog: www.cgiovanniwrites.wordpress.com
My GR: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6094287.Cassandra_Giovanni
Youtube video: http://youtu.be/sFcFwylsMTo
My book merchandise store: http://www.etsy.com/shop/CGiovanniWrites


Buy links:

Book Merchandise and signed novels:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/CGiovanniWrites

Amazon:
EBOOK: http://www.amazon.com/Walking-in-the-Shadows-ebook/dp/B009Y7Y6UK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1351902882&sr=8-3&keywords=cassandra+giovanni
PAPERBACK:http://www.amazon.com/Walking-Shadows-Volume-Cassandra-Giovanni/dp/1478118199/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1351902913&sr=8-2&keywords=cassandra+giovanni

Barnes and Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/walking-in-the-shadows-cassandra-giovanni/1113639395?ean=2940015893274&itm=1&usri=cassanda+giovanni