Author Interview with Shannon Thompson

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Shannon Thompson, the author of Minutes Before Sunset [#1 The Timely Death Trilogy]. But before we get to the interview, here is a little about the book.

Minutes Before Sunset [#1 in The Timely Death Trilogy]
Published: May 13th, 2013
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
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Summary:
    She was undoubtedly a shade, but I didn’t know her.
    Eric Welborn isn’t completely human, but he isn’t the only shade in the small Midwest town of Hayworth. With one year left before his eighteenth birthday, Eric is destined to win a long-raging war for his kind. But then she happens. In the middle of the night, Eric meets a nameless shade, and she’s powerful—too powerful—and his beliefs are altered. The Dark has lied to him, and he’s determined to figure out exactly what lies were told, even if the secrets protect his survival.
    He had gotten so close to me—and I couldn’t move—I couldn’t get away.
    Jessica Taylor moves to Hayworth, and her only goal is to find more information on her deceased biological family. Her adoptive parents agree to help on one condition: perfect grades. And Jessica is distraught when she’s assigned as Eric’s class partner. He won’t help, let alone talk to her, but she’s determined to change him—even if it means revealing everything he’s strived to hide.

1. Describe your main character in three words.
    Well, first, I have to clarify that The Timely Death Trilogy is told from dual perspectives, Jessica and Eric, so there are two main characters that I’ll describe below.
Jessica: Determined. Loving. Curious.
Eric: Tragic. Rebel. Strong.

2. Pertaining to vacation; would you rather drive to your destination or fly?
    Depends on how fay away it is. I like driving, but I don’t mind flying either. Flying over the ocean freaks me out! (And so does landing) But I like everything else about flying. Okay. I think I would fly. I love how the world looks like a surrealist painting from the sky.

3. If money were no object, what is one thing you wish you could do? (It’s okay to be selfish with this one.)
    Travel the world. Traveling to new places is my favorite way to live, Perhaps because I moved around a lot as a kid (currently 15 times in 23 years) I find myself in new places.

4. What inspired you to write this story?
    My entire life, I have suffered from night terrors and various sleeping problems. I’m used to it now, but during my teenage years, I was having dreams that were almost like visions – impossible to differentiate from reality. I truly thought I was going insane, and those dreams are what I based The Timely Death Trilogy off of. I actually share an excerpt from my real diary on my blog: (http://shannonathompson.com/2013/11/15/my-dream-goodreads-extras/)

5. If your book were to be turned into film, would you rather have a TV show or a movie?
    Oh! I think television shows allow the story to get more in-depth, but – at the same time – I am a huge movie fan, so I would pick a movie for The Timely Death Trilogy.

6. And who would you like to play the lead characters?
    I would absolutely BEG a director to have an open-casting call. I want new artists to have a chance, and I also think new actors and actresses allow the story to be more believable since viewers haven’t seen them as much in other roles. That being said I would also want two actors for each character, meaning Shoman would be played by actor A and Eric would be played by actor B, even though Eric and Shoman are the same person. I want this because it would show how different each identity is.

7. Is there any part of your story that was difficult to write; and why?
    I wrote all three books of The Timely Death Trilogy many years ago, but I am finding that Death Before Daylight (book 3) has the most difficult editing process, perhaps because so much happens in just the first five chapters. In fact, you’ll get to see Darthon a lot more in book 3, but he’s a very…difficult character.

8. Of all the books you have written, which do you think best showcases you as a person?
    As a person and as a writer are two very different things for me. I don’t think any of my novels showcase who I am as a person since none of my novels are based off of my life. The closest one I can think of isn’t published yet. But out of my publications, I think November Snow – my first one – shows the darker side of my personality, and it’s actually the closest to the darkness I want to continue to write.

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