Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I am a wife and a mother of two teen aged boys. I work full time as a Resource Management Support Clerk. I also have two cats and a dog. I have a twisted sense of humor and love to laugh. I have written The Evolved Trilogy: Altered – Revelations of the Evolved, Broken – Afflictions of the Evolved and Choices – Complications of the Evolved. They are young adult books about time travel and psychic abilities with some romance and bad guys thrown in there too.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The third book of the trilogy is Choices – Complications of the Evolved. For some reason, I wanted to have an A, B, C theme to the titles. I’m weird that way. On the advice of my publisher, I chose long names so the extra words would get picked up in search engines. I’m not sure if that helped any. I went to sleep one night thinking about story lines. By the morning, I had a very vague outline and the more I thought about it, I figured it would make a cool trilogy.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m not sure if it’s unusual, but as I’m writing a chapter I tend to drift back to previously written chapters in my mind (I write in order and on pen and paper first) and if I think about something I want to change or add, I’ll put an asterisk at the top of the page I’m working on and write out a sentence/change/random piece of info. Sometimes it gets confusing so I wouldn’t recommend it!
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I love Alyson Noel and highly recommend The Immortals series and The Soul Seekers series. I tend to read YA fiction since that’s the genre I write.
What are you working on now?
Without giving too much away, I am working on a zombie novel. It focuses around a group of teenagers that experience firsthand the start of an outbreak. I thought it would be fun to start at the beginning of the end instead of just telling a story about surviving the aftermath.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I tend to promote my books on my Shawnda Currie Books Facebook page which is linked to my twitter account. I also go online to find book reviewers for my genre, check out their websites and if I decide they’re a good match, I’ll fire off an email requesting a review. I’ve been pretty lazy on that lately though.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Just keep plugging away at it. Write your book, get it edited, ask people to read it. Also, get an online presence such as a website, Facebook, Goodreads, twitter, etc. since we are in the age of technology. Do something fun like make a book trailer.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Never comment on a negative review. Ever.
What are you reading now?
I’m currently reading “Tidal” by Amanda Hocking.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m going to keep writing my novel zombie. I started it last year and I’m only on chapter thirteen. I tend to work on it consistently for a while then put it away for a few months. Sometimes it’s hard to find that right balance as life is busy.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Hmmm. One book would have to be about survival (what’s safe to eat, how to purify water, shelter, etc.). A trilogy or series would be out of the question. You’d need something to lift up your spirits, so I’d say a book of inspirational quotes or one of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books. For my remaining two books (even though they’re not YA), I’m going to go with Angela’s Ashes and Cold Mountain.
Author Websites and Profiles
Shawnda Currie Website
Shawnda Currie Amazon Profile
Shawnda Currie’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Facebook Profile
Twitter Account