Welcome to I Smell Sheep! Have a seat in the guest chair…ignore the wires they mean nothing…moving on!
Sharon: I haven’t read your Wings in the Night series. Would you tell us a bit about it?
Maggie: Wings in the Night began in 1992 before “paranormal romance” was even a genre. Twilight Phantasies had been bubbling around in my sub-conscious for years. Probably ever since my childhood vampire flick addiction and my troubling feeling that the wrong guy always got the girl while the vampire always ended up dead. I was always on the vamp’s side. In adulthood, I got to set things straight. That first book was published by Silhouette Shadows. Later ones, by MIRA. There were 20 titles in that series, but with Wings in the Night: Reborn we are telling new readers “You may begin here.”
Check out some of the original covers!
Donna: I read in one of your blog posts that you’ve started stepping back from traditional publishing to go indie. Was this a very hard choice? By the way, I loved your analogy of going from an ocean liner to a speedboat.
Maggie: I’ve left traditional publishing entirely. And it was a terrifying choice. I have two more books left in the pipeline coming out from Harlequin MIRA: INNOCENT PREY and DEADLY OBSESSION, in my thriller series, Brown and de Luca. They will be my 59th and 60th full length, traditionally published novels. After publishing several of my backlist titles when their rights reverted to me, I realized I could do this myself, and maybe do it better. But it was a terrifying choice. A true leap of faith.
Sharon: What were some of your favorite childhood games?
Maggie: Barbie and GI Joe having dangerous, exciting “Romancing the Stone” adventures in the jungles of my backyard. (She always preferred GI Joe to Ken.)
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Donna: You’re very open about your belief system and being a practicing Witch. What’s the craziest question you get asked about it?
Maggie: I’ve had everything from “Could you please curse my ex?” (We don’t do that) to “Why do you sacrifice small animals?” (We don’t do that either.) Wicca’s only commandment is that harm none. It’s a path of being attuned to nature and completely aware that we are creating our own reality. Even the people espousing the currently popular Law of Attraction don’t realize that it’s what Wicca has always been about.
Sharon: How has becoming a writer changed your life?
Maggie: It empowered me, gave me confidence, supported me and my family, and it has fulfilled me spiritually by allowing me to live my life’s purpose completely and joyfully.
Donna: You’ve built quite a career and written a lot of books. If you had to pick only one book to represent you, which would it be and why?
Maggie: Each story is a snapshot of who and what and where I was in my life at the time I wrote it. Each one represents a three or four or five month period of my life, in fact. Right now, TWILIGHT GUARDIANS would be the most accurate depiction. Although my heroine, Charlie, is only 20, this book is her stepping into her own power and claiming her own independence, and she does it in spades. In way, that’s exactly where I am and have been while writing it. Stepping out of the place where anyone gets any say in my stories and into the place where it’s all me.
Sharon: dang…great question Donna *high fives Donna*
Maggie: It really was a great question. I hadn’t seen that parallel myself until I answered it.
Sharon: If you had to pick a dinner to represent you what would be served?
Maggie: Pizza. Cause to me pizza is sheer fun, and that’s what I’m about. Having as much fun as possible in the time allowed.
Donna: You used to write for soap operas? Was it a lot of fun being able to watch your words come to life everyday?
Maggie: You know, the executives asked me that after I’d been writing story arcs for a whole year. And I was shocked, because I had been watching, and had not realized they’d used anything I had written. When they insisted they had, I didn’t believe them. Then I attended a story meeting in person and understood. The writer’s story goes from one executive to another. Each one removes something or changes something or adds something, until, in the end, the story ends up looking just like the stories you’ve been seeing on the soaps for decades, and the original stuff from the writer has been snuffed out. It was an enlightening and lucrative experience. It was not fun. I was offered the job of co-head writer of Guiding Light and 7 figures. I turned it down. (I cried about it, but I turned it down.)
Sharon: If you could own any piece of art in the world which would you pick?
Maggie: The Magic Circle, John Waterhouse. I have a canvas print, but I’d love the original.
Rapid Fire:
Sharon: giggle or snort? Maggie: Snort.
Donna: Witches or cowboys?
Maggie: Both. I wrote entire cowboy series, including one story with a Witch.
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Maggie: Mountains
Donna: Dawn or dusk?
Maggie: Dawn
Sharon: lace or leather?
Maggie: Leather
Donna: Twenties or thirties?
Maggie: Age is just a number.
Sharon: action hero or romance hero?
Maggie: Romance heroes ARE action heroes.
Donna: Ereader or hard copy?
Maggie: Ereader for fiction. Hard for non-fiction.
Sharon: look at your watch or look at your phone?
Maggie: Phone
Donna: Chess or checkers?
Maggie: Checkers
Sharon: snow cones or cotton candy?
Maggie: Cotton Candy
WINGS IN THE NIGHT: REBORN, Book 1
Print Length: 400 pages
Publisher: Thunderfoot
Publishing
ASIN: B00LXJGKLU
COMING: SEPTEMBER 1, 2014
Add the book to your GoodReads
Shelf
Discounted price Pre-Order
($2.00 off regular price!):
"My inspiration has
always been Maggie Shayne's Wings in the Night." #1 New York Times
Bestselling Author, Christine Feehan
They told 20-year-old Charlie
O’Malley that they had a cure for the rare blood condition that would
eventually kill her–an untested, experimental cure. All they wanted in return
was for her to join their elite military team and train to kill the Undead.
She took the deal, not because
she cared so much about extending her life, but because it would make her
strong–stronger than ordinary humans. Strong enough to kill the vampire who’d
pretended to love her, taken her blood, used her body, and murdered her mother.
Killion was the last of his
kind, or so he thought. When he found Charlie, he felt the pull. She had the
rare Belladonna Antigen all vampires had as humans. Vampires were compelled to
protect those rare mortals they called The Chosen. But with Charlie, the bond
was different, more powerful than anything he’s felt before, and impossible to
resist, even though surrendering to it will probably get him killed.
Ancient vampire elders
Rhiannon and Roland come out of exile, risking their lives to help their mortal
friend Roxy reclaim her granddaughter. But before the tale ends, their lives
will be forever changed.
Join Maggie Shayne as she
returns to her most beloved series of all time with this new beginning….
Wings in the Night: Reborn
About The Author:
Website / Mailing List / Facebook
Twitter / Amazon Author Page
GoodReads
Maggie Shayne is best known as the New York Times bestselling author of more than 50 novels, nearly 30 novellas, a former soap writer, (The Guiding Light, As the World Turns,) a former advice columnist (Shayne on You,) and RITA Award winner. But what’s less known about her is that she’s been a practicing Witch for almost as long as she’s been a published author.Website / Mailing List / Facebook
Twitter / Amazon Author Page
GoodReads
Known within the Craft of the Wise as LadyHawk the Mythmaker, Maggie studied in the Black Forest Circle Seminary for three years, earning her 1st, 2nd, and 3rd degree elevations there. A licensed minister of Wicca, Maggie was later made a Craft Elder, and co-founded a new Wiccan tradition called RavenMyst Circle. Her coven, The Coven of the Redtail Hawk, turned out five new high priestesses, several of whom went on to form covens of their own, and making Maggie, according to the Old Ways, A Witch Queen.
Maggie has published westerns, category romances, romantic suspense, paranormal romances, urban fantasy, women's fiction, and just about everything in between. She's a winner of the RITA Award, the romance fiction industry's most prestigious prize, and has won countless others including several RT BOOK RREVIEWS "Reviewer's Choice" Awards, two RT Career Achievement Awards, the Daphne du Maurier Award, The Golden Leaf Award and numerous others.
Maggie's "Twilight" series of vampire novels, officially known as Wings in the Night, began in 1993 with TWILIGHT PHANTASIES from Silhouette Shadows. The series concluded with TWILIGHT FULFILLED in October 2011, but has come back to life now that she has gone indie.
Follow Wings in the Night online at:
GIVEAWAY:
Maggie is offering up a $100 Amazon Giftcard to a lucky grand-prize winner at the end of the tour, a Runner-Up prize of a new Kindle, PLUS an eCopy of Twilight Guardians for arandom commenter at each Tour Stop.
Find the Rafflecopter for the Event here, follow the directions, take action, and mark as ‘Done’.
To see the complete list of tour stops so you can read some great Q&A’s, Interviews, Guest Posts and more check out the full Wings in the Night Reborn Celebration Tour Schedule HERE.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I have followed Maggie Shayne since she first started her Wings of the Night series....yes, I'm getting THAT old....lol. I am so excited this series is being reborn. This is a terribly exciting time for you, Maggie, but don't forget that your readers love your work. We are behind you 100 percent. Really good interview too.
ReplyDeleteI'd be nowhere without you readers! That's for sure. I think there's something for each of them, little treats I put in knowing you would love them. Thanks so much for being with me on this thrilling journey.
DeleteCan't wait for another wonderful story to read. Thanks Maggie for one more exciting adventure.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait either. Only just over two weeks to go! I'm just so excited I can barely sleep at night right now. :)
DeleteWhat a wonderful interview, thank you so much for taking the time to share with us. I hopped over and checked out Wings in the Night: Reborn and I am excited about diving into this series. I think it is great that you have given the series a mini facelift and are taking it indie reaching a whole new audience of readers that might have missed it the first time and I am certainly looking forward to it.
ReplyDeleteMake no mistake, Denise, this is a NEW Wings in the Night. Not a re-telling of the older tales. We are beginning a whole new round of stories here. I'm super excited too, and I hope we reach readers we haven't before. One of my editors said it could have been a New Adult novel, and asked if that was intentional. It wasn't. I wrote it the way it came to me, just like I always have, but with a 20 years old heroine, I suppose that comparison is inevitable. :)
ReplyDeleteShe would be a new author for me but sounds like an exciting read!
ReplyDeleteI hope you'll give it a try. It's 2.99 in pre-orders, but will be 4.99 when it releases. Just FYI. :) I hope you like it!
DeleteIt sounds exciting!
ReplyDeleteYou've never read anything like it before. :) Promise.
DeleteWill always be a fan. =)
ReplyDeleteLove you! ::smooch::
DeleteYou're welcome, and good luck!
ReplyDeleteI've never had the pleasure of reading any of Maggie's work but they all sound pretty good. I'm glad she was always true to herself even before it was "cool" writing the genre =D
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that Wings in the Night is back because I haven't read the first few books.
ReplyDeletebituin76 at hotmail dot com
I have read and loved everything that Ms. Shayne has ever written and she has never disappointed me. Unfortunately for me my library has the very bad taste to have only a few of her books in their collection which saddens and inhibits my ability to enjoy this great author. Thx for the awesome chance!!!
ReplyDeleteI've never read the Wings in the Night books. I'm glad this post introduced me to them.
ReplyDeleteRafflecopter: April B.
Promising read! I love that painting too! Interesting.
ReplyDeleteI have read so many of your books and loved them. Self publishing must be difficult.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI am a fan of Ms. Shayne's and this series. I think it's wonderful that there will be more books to add to my keeper shelves.
ReplyDeletejmesparza821 at gmail dot com
Maggie's a new to me author. The series sounds good. I love PNR!
ReplyDeleteLOVE your work
ReplyDeletethe Barbie tidbit PRICELESS!
I hadn't heard about the series the first time around, but it does sound like something I would like.
ReplyDeleteThis was an amazing interview. I was unfamiliar with this series and now can't believe I missed it. I'm thrilled it's being "reanimated." I'm impressed with Ms. Shayne's accomplishments, not only as an author, but as a practicing Wicca. I would love to meet her.
ReplyDeleteCongrats to Maggie on the re-releases :) thanks for the fun post!
ReplyDeleteGreat interview! I have been reading paranormal for a long time & enjoyed Maggie Shayne stories. Congratulations Maggie on reclaiming your writing! Wishing you light & inspiration.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great idea to me.
ReplyDeletethis is the first time i have heard of the series and i am looking forward to reading it. it sounds wonderful. I love the cover, it's gorgeous. :)
ReplyDeletetammy ramey
trvlagnt1t@yahoo.com
This is really a 'blast from the past' for me! I actually have right in front of me, the first 3 paperbacks of yours exactly as pictured here - #18, #30,#47, plus Kiss of the Shadow Man - #33, from Silhouette Shadows. I joined that club on the first day, continued until it ended and still have most of the books. I'm excited to read the new series! Thank you for the great giveaway!!
ReplyDeleteBonnie Hilligoss
bonnie at bonnieanddave dot com
The is my first time of hearing of this series..sounds amazing!!! on my amazon got to read list!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm not too familiar with the series but sounds like something I'd like to read!
ReplyDeleteThis series looks awesome...definitely want to check it out :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for the chance to win!
I love that it's coming back! Can't wait to start reading again!
ReplyDeleteI started reading your books back in 92 and loved them then and now. I am looking forward to reading this one.
ReplyDeleteThe cover is kick ass! I will definitely be reading this!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great interview! Very interesting lady! I'm glad the book is coming back, as I hadn't read it before! And the cover is fabulous!
ReplyDeleteI love your books (and your blog). I am very pleased you are bringing WitN back. Thanks for talking about your soap experiences. I don't remember knowing that about you. I love interviews on ISS....
ReplyDeletelavendersbluegreen, you are the lucky eBook winner of Twilight Guardians. Can you send your email address and desired eBook format to literaladdiction (at) gmail.com please? Thanks and congrats!!
DeleteWith each new post, I am more and more convinced that Maggie's heart is one of the most beautiful and TRUE I've ever seen. You inspire me often, Maggie... but... you just truly pushed me to do something I was scared to do. I'm going to be brave. Thank you! <3
ReplyDeleteSounds like a fantastic series! I'm going to have to check it out!
ReplyDeleteI grabbed the book this morning & I LOVED it! All of you need to head on over to your favorite book retailers (if you haven't already) and snatch your own copy. Twilight Guardians is a page-turner! Maggie did not disappoint!
ReplyDelete