Interview with Melyssa Williams, author of Shadows Gray

Today is day THREE in the Wild Worlds feature week, I have Melyssa Williams stopping by the blog to answer a few questions about her book SHADOWS GRAY. Here’s a summary of the book:

Synopsis from GoodReads: Sonnet Gray has problems, and not just those of a typical 18 year old. Her family is one of the Lost; time travelers who have no power over their journeys. Hopelessly old fashioned and yet more modern than most girls, Sonnet speaks several languages and takes care of her motley crue back home by working in a coffee shop and playing guitar. Over time, the Lost leave behind those they love and pick up new characters along the way. In twenty-first century America, Sonnet meets Emme, a Lost young woman with a questionable line of work, Luke, a mysterious photographer, and Israel, a young doctor . But no one can take the place of Sonnet’s sister, Rose, who was left behind as a baby in the fifteenth century. The ghost of her beckons from each time and place; but what’s real and what isn’t? Is Rose Gray trying to contact her before it’s too late?
A ghost story with a sci-fi, Gothic romance twist, Shadow’s Gray will keep you up at night, wondering: is the redemptive power of love enough to change history?

Melyssa graciously agreed to a little Q&A about the book, available now for purchase!

I saw from your Goodreads bio that you’re a hopeless bookaholic (ahh, you’re one of us!) – How was the transition from bookaholic to published author? Has to be dream come true, right?

MW: Pretty much, though much more difficult! It is super cool to see my name on a cover, that’s for sure. I doubt I’ll ever fully transition though – because first I am a reader and I love books. I only write because I love to read.

I absolutely love time travel stories! Can you tell us a little bit about the story of Sonnet in Shadows Gray?

MW: Sure! Let’s see, Sonnet is about eighteen years old and she is a member of the Lost: a group of strange people who travel through time, somewhat willy-nilly, and not by their own accord. She’d probably stop traveling if she could, but she can’t. She puts up a lot of walls because she’s always leaving people. She doesn’t want to get hurt and she doesn’t want to get left behind, or leave behind the ones she’s come to love.

This is no Delorian time-travel deal. The characters in Shadows Gray don’t get to choose to where and to when they travel. Were you ever inspired by other time-travel stories when you came up with Shadows Gray?

MW: Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander books have a very special place of honor, both in my heart and on my book shelf. I don’t think that I was necessarily inspired by her time traveling stories, but I sure do love them! I think all of us with well endowed imaginations love time travel! It opens a story up to unimaginable places and times and eras…I got to mix modern day fiction with historical fiction, and for me, that’s a lot of fun! Some teens think history is boring, or would never read a book about Victorian England: I want them to fall in love with Sonnet in modern day America and then learn to love her travels. Voila! They’ve been suckered into a historical novel! (evil laughter…)

I also see that Sonnet speaks a number of languages which is very handy with all the different places she may end up. I love learning other languages! Are you a fellow language person? Did you do a lot of studying before incorporating this idea into the book?

MW: I am so very lucky to be married to this cool dude named Michael. He speaks fluent German and Italian (and bad Spanish and French), so I just picked his brain. He can bill me.  J  Sadly, I don’t speak a darn thing, other than your garden variety English. I took two years of Latin. Can’t recall a single word.

How did you end up choosing YA? Did you always know you wanted to write in young adult?

MW: This is actually a surprisingly hard question! Well, I think teens are fun, romantic, smart, witty, emotional, weird, unbalanced, hormonal, and they think with their hearts. Adults are those things too, but they over think things too much. I’m not mature enough to hang with them.

And now a little less serious, and a little more fun – Quick Bookish Q&A!

Where is your favorite place to read/write?

MW: Well, I’ve only tried one place: my house. Actually, that’s not true. The majority of Shadows Gray was written on the floor of my in-laws, where we lived for two months during a period of unemployment. They have a very inspiring floor.  As far as where I’d LIKE to try to write, a beach house or a mountain house would certainly be conducive to writing, I’d imagine.

Are there any authors you’re dying to meet?

MW: Any and all of them? Is that too vague? Ok, I’ll try to stick to living ones: Dean Koontz, Diana Gabaldon, Leif Enger, Adriana Trigianni, Amy Tan, Jane Yolen, Dianne Setterfield, Madeline L’Engle, Suzanne Collins, JK Rowling…this list could be endless!

What’s the best book you’ve ever read?

MW: SERIOUSLY?!?! Have you lost your pea pickin’ mind?! Ok, The Princess Bride. Or Jane Eyre. Or The 13^th Tale. Or Peace Like A River. Or Jamaica Inn.

Who’s your biggest literary crush?

MW: Are we talkin’ characters? That’s easy. Mr. Darcy. Silly question. Unless it’s Mr. Rochester. Or Jamie Frasier. K, maybe it’s not a silly question.

Who’s your favorite literary villain?

MW: You can’t beat Bertha from Jane Eyre. Or how about Josie Pye from Anne of Green Gables? She was a pill and a half! Mr. Snow from The Hunger Games. The bad guys in Jamaica Inn who went around crashing boats and killing everyone so they could steal their cargo…scared the living daylights outta me.  Oooo, and Mrs. Whatshername? Danders? From Rebecca? She was epically evil.

Romance or Sci-fi?

MW: If it’s GOOD, then either one. Or better yet, both at the same time! I like a book with LOTS of genres!

Paperback/Hardcover/eBook/Audiobook?

MW: I will always love books. I love the paper and the smell and I love wondering who turned the pages before I did. But I also love my Kindle! I’ve never been an audiobook girl, but I have small kids so trying to hear anything around my house is nearly impossible. 🙂

A HUGE thank you to Melyssa! I had so much fun hearing all her answers! Find Melyssa at:

• Her Blog, The Daze of Us: http://thedazeofus.blogspot.com/
• Her GoodReads page: GoodReads

I’ve already bought my copy of Shadows Gray (now available) and I can’t wait to read it!!! Here are some links where you can get yourself a copy:

Shadows Gray – Amazon
Shadows Gray – Barnes & Noble

Want to WIN a copy of Shadows Gray? Just click the link below to fill out the Rafflecopter form for a chance to win the ebook!

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