Giveaway & Interview with Ashley Dawn

Today I welcome Author Ashley Dawn.  Ashley and I decided we were in for some warmer weather,  so we will be chatting on the beachfront today.  Welcome Ashley and thank you so much for joining me today.  Ashley is the author of the "Shadows" Series,  and today we are giving you a chance to win both her books on Interactive CD.

First a little bit about Ashley:

Author Ashley Dawn was born and raised in rural Arkansas where she developed her love for writing while helping in her parent's office. She graduated with an accounting degree from the University of Central Arkansas. Ashley has been writing professionally for the past seven years. She and her family make their home in TX.

BK:  What inspired you to pen your first title?
AD:  There is a huge list of things that inspired me to write Shadows From The Past.  My mother always entertained us with her amazing stories, she would get into telling stories like ‘The Leaf That Ran Away From Home’ and her stories always had a moral at the end and I loved that and always wanted to do something like that with my imagination.  I always liked writing songs, poems and telling kids stories, so it seemed a natural progression to write some of the stories I dreamed about.

My first novel was written after reading a ‘suspense’ book that was very predictable and I started wondering and thinking if I wrote a book what I would do different and the story just progressed from there.

BK:  How long have you been writing?
AD:  I’ve been writing novels for the past eight years.  In that time, I finished two novels and had them published and started multiple others, but my next title Shadows of Pain is almost complete and hope to have it finished and published this summer.  After that, I hope write more in my Shadows series and maybe complete a completely different book, but it all depends on what strikes me next time I have a pen and paper in my hands!

BK:  What was the hardest part about writing this particular novel?
AD:  My second title Shadows of Suspicion was more difficult because in my first book, all the characters were new and I could just use my imagination to make up their pasts and characteristics.  In the second book, I used a lot of the same characters and I had to keep them straight as to who for instance had an abusive past and who has what training.  It is just a different experience entirely and I have completely enjoyed it.  Having to go back and revisit the characters I introduced just makes them more dear to me and I love writing about them!

BK:  Have any dreams been realized as a result of your writing?
AD:  Absolutely!  Having two books published was a dream come true.  My first book was dedicated to my grandparents and I’m so happy they were thrilled with the dedication and were proud of me for the accomplishment.  Their being proud of me meant more than any of the rest!

BK:  Is there a message in your novel you want readers to grasp?
AD:  Yes, I want readers to read my book and understand that God is in control of all things.  No matter what, He can help you and guide you.  If nothing else, I want readers to understand that God loves them.

BK:  Where do you hope to take your writing in the future?
AD:  I hope to write many more books in my Shadows series.  I have four in the series started and ideas for them but actually sitting down and writing them takes concentration and time!  I want complete books outside of that series (one of which I currently have about half done!).  Get my current books out in ebook format is one of my main focuses at the moment so more people can have access to them and make the less expensive to have.  My biggest hope is to have someone touched by my writing, even if I don’t know about it, I just hope it happens!

BK:  What advice do you have for writer's just starting out?
AD:  Be passionate about what you are writing.  If you aren’t passionate about your work, no one else will be but if you are, passion is contagious and wonderful things happen to people who are passionate about what they do.

BK:  Anything else you would like to share with us today?......
AD:  I want to thank you for having me BK!  You have been wonderful to me and I greatly appreciate it!

You can visit Ashley online at her blog Ashley's Bookshelf where you can learn more about her and her books.  She can also be found on Facebook.  Thank you so much for chatting with me today Ashley.  It has been a pleasure and I wish you much success in the future.

Now about her books:

“…It is the price you pay for choosing to be a cop. Your brother’s life…”

Those words haunt her dreams, and her waking moments. LAPD officer, Aurora Kavvan cannot rest until she finds her brothers killer. Digging into the past always brings back unpleasant things: memories, guilt…the hit man. Now she is in a race against time to find the murderer before he finds her.

“Kill her. I don’t care how, and I don’t care where, but I want her dead now!”

Someone was trying to kill his dead partner’s sister. FBI agent, Jordan Reiley will stop at nothing to protect the woman he loves. Even if it means going against her wishes; putting himself between her and the man who murdered her brother.

Will God keep them alive long enough for them to find the truth? 

Revenge is the agenda... "Find my sister." Rick Reiley's words were what drove Luke to search mercilessly for Kerry. He is in a race against time to find her and will have to face more than a criminal mastermind to get close to her. He is prepared to give his life for her, but what about his heart? "...I would like you to meet....My wife." Those words from her enigmatic rescuer threw Kerry more than anything else that had happened to her in the last few days...and that was saying a lot! Kerry's simple life is turned upside down when she is kidnapped and dragged to the middle of nowhere by a madman. She trusts Luke with her life, but can she trust him with her heart? As Luke fights to keep Kerry safe, the chemistry ignites and the danger gets closer. Will God protect them while Luke tries to sort out his heart....and capture Kerry's?

 Shadows of Suspicion




And the Giveaway:

To win an Interactive CD with both Ashley Dawn's books on it,  simply leave a comment with your email address,  answering this question - What do you love about suspense novels?

Extra Entry Points (Leave a separate comment for each entry):

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Winner will be drawn using Random.org so make sure you leave a separate comment for each entry.  It will automatically be assigned a number :).

Thanks for stopping in.  Until next time,