Today we have with us Shay, heroine of the lovely fantasy novel Earth by Shauna Granger. Thank you so much to Julie of A Tale of Many Reviews for introducing us and to Shauna Granger for being so kind as to relay my questions. :)
Hi, Shay! Thank you so much for stopping by to answer a few questions. I know you have been pretty busy lately so I really appreciate it. :)
Oh, no worries, thanks for having me. :)
Would you please describe yourself in ten words or less?
Wow that’s actually a pretty difficult question. Wait, that doesn’t count, does it? I’ve already blown my ten words! Okay, let me try this again. None of that counts, okay? Okay. Ten words or less.
I’m a slightly paranoid worrier and a fiercely loyal friend. Ha! Ten words!
Can you tell us a little bit about your childhood? What was it like growing up with magic?
It was both really cool and really sucky at the same time. I was lucky to have Jodi in my life early on because she had magic too, but we were the only ones in our elementary school who did. Since we didn’t realize it was strange to be able to do magic we didn’t try to hide it. We could see faeries when the other kids couldn’t and once a group of kids came up behind us at recess and heard us talking to them. It was a bit humiliating, kind of like finding out you’re the last one to know the truth about Santa Claus. I don’t think we outgrew the teasing until high school.
Do you ever wish that you didn’t have power? Or that your power was different?
I would never give up my elemental magic; being linked to the earth and all of the elements is amazing and thanks to these abilities I’ve been able to help people. But I don’t think it would be that bad to give up my empathetic abilities. Yes, it is good to be able to feel danger coming, but it can seriously cramp your social life. It’s not as bad as being able to read someone’s mind, but it’s pretty damn close. And seriously, it shouldn’t be that hard to go to the movies or to a crowded restaurant, but with these abilities, sometimes it is.
What are some of your favorite things to do when not casting spells or investigating satanic rituals?
I actually really like to surf. I haven’t been in the water much lately, but it is one of my favorite things to do. My dad taught me when I was seven. It’s one of the most exhilarating and yet calming things I have ever experienced outside of magic. If it’s too cold or the waves aren’t particularly great (and I don’t want to use up the energy to make them better), I like to read. Life get’s so crazy for us, it’s nice to escape into a different world and watch as someone else has to deal with making the hard decisions.
Do you have any plans for after graduation?
I know the answer is supposed to be “Going to college”, but I’m just not sure. I know my parents are expecting me to go, but really, what does an empathetic earth elemental major in? Business Administration? Maybe I’ll take a year off and travel or something. I have always wanted to see Europe. Hmm. It’ll be interesting to see how the parents take that.
Have you and your friends been up to anything crazy recently?
What would make you think we’ve been “Up to anything crazy recently?” I mean it’s totally normal to be visited by a faerie queen and try and hunt down a manic air elemental before it kills someone and then be transported to the Sidhe, the faerie realm, right?
Random Questions:
Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate
Lyrics or instrumental? Lyrics
If you were to be portrayed in a movie, who would you want to play you? I think I look a bit like Emily Browning and I think she’s a pretty good actress.
Thanks for visiting, Shay! I am looking forward to seeing what you and your friends get up to next. :)
Thanks for visiting, Shay! I am looking forward to seeing what you and your friends get up to next. :)
About the Book:Shayna and her two best friends have the abilities to manipulate and control the four elements, earth, air, water and fire. While learning to hone their growing powers, they discover a new and malicious presence in their sleepy beach town. Someone is performing blood magic and threatens to expose their small magical community. So far only small animals have been slaughtered, but then the nightmares start.
Shayna suffers nightmares of being chased and sacrificed only to wake up bloodied and bruised. She thinks her magical blood is the ultimate target for the final blood rite. When an innocent girl, Tracy, is kidnapped Shayna knows it's only a ploy to draw her out; she can't let someone die because of her.
Shayna suffers nightmares of being chased and sacrificed only to wake up bloodied and bruised. She thinks her magical blood is the ultimate target for the final blood rite. When an innocent girl, Tracy, is kidnapped Shayna knows it's only a ploy to draw her out; she can't let someone die because of her.
About the Author:
Like so many other writers, Shauna Grew up as an avid reader, it was in high school that she realized she wanted to be a writer. Four years ago Shauna started work on her Elemental Series and released the first installment, Earth, on May 1, 2011 and is planning to release book two, Air, on October 31, 2011. She is currently hard at work on the edits of book three, Water. When not reading and writing, Shauna enjoys cooking and playing hostess whenever she can.
And now, for the giveaway! I have one e-book of Earth to give to one lucky commenter. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment saying which elemental power you would choose along with your e-mail address. For one extra entry, spread the word on Twitter/Facebook/blog, etc. and leave a link. You can get a second extra entry by commenting on my review of Earth. This giveaway runs through Oct. 31st and the winners will be chosen Nov. 1st. Good Luck!
To enter for the two Grand Prizes (1, a signed copy of the soon to be released Air with a bookmark and 2, a signed copy of Earth with a bookmark.) you must comment on every single post during the tour. There will be e-book giveaways on every post, so you will also have more chances to win one of those! Thank you for stopping by!
Here is a list of all the participating blogs:
