Thanks, Norah!  I’ve always wanted to be made of sheer awesomeness.

Okay, Shéa, since I know you’re a bit of a sci-fi nerd, if you were a character in any sci-fi show, who would you be?

Aeryn Rand from Farscape.  She was such a strong character, full of depth.  She went from this tough warrior woman, blindly following orders and seemingly immune to emotion, to someone who loved deeply and protected those she loved.  Not only did that girl kick some serious ass, she also got to snog the delicious John Crichton.  And who wouldn’t want to do that? 

Who indeed! What got you started writing?

Reading.  My mom started reading to me pretty much in the womb.  Some of my earliest memories involve books and reading and trips to the library.  I loved the wonderful worlds that existed between the pages of books and longed to create my own.  I was always a story teller, even before I could write.  And I don’t think there’s ever been a time when I didn’t want to write novels.  It just took me awhile to believe I could actually do it.

You’ve got a brand new book out, right? Tell us about it.

Yes!  It’s an urban fantasy: Kissed by Darkness, Book One of the Sunwalker Saga.

I loved Buffy the Vampire Slayer and thought it would be cool to have a more adult story that involved a private detective agency that investigated the paranormal.  That sort of rattled around in my brain for years before morphing into something resembling an actual story.  And with the morphing Morgan Bailey was born.

Morgan isn’t the kind of character to sit quietly on a shelf, so her story came a bit fast and furious.  It’s the story of a woman who once had a normal life, but now must face her demons.  Literally.  And she does it with a grin and a snarky comment.  Or two.

A girl after my own heart! How many other books do you have planned in the Sunwalker Saga?

There are six total books in the series (book 2 is finished and I’m writing 3 as we speak).  Each one is key both to Morgan’s continuing development as a person, as well as the progression of the overall story arch which involves dragons, djinn, the sidhe and a lot more magic and mayhem. 

Okay, I’m always fascinated to know how authors view their own characters. So let’s say someone is making a movie from Kissed by Darkness and you get to cast it. Who would you cast as your kick-ass heroine? Other main roles? And would a casting couch be required? 

Oh, a casting couch is most DEFINITELY required!

There are four main characters in Kissed by Darkness who remain integral throughout the series.  First is our MC, Morgan Bailey.  Played by me. 

Kidding!  She’s actually the toughest one because I’ve never really come across an actress I thought would suit her to a “T”.  Maybe Deborah Ann Woll from True Blood, but she’d have to put on about 20 pounds.  

I’ve always seen Morgan’s best friend, Kabita Jones played by Claudia Black (the aforementioned Aeryn Sun).  Very strong, very striking, a little exotic.  Plus Claudia is a pretty versatile actress.

Inigo Jones was originally inspired by the Kyle Schmid from Blood Ties.  Someone cute, sweet, and just a tad geeky, but underneath pure steel.

Then there’s the Sunwalker, Jackson Keel, 900 year old Templar Knight.  And who else to play such a delectable role than the gorgeous Gerard Butler! (Hence the need for a casting couch.)

Now there’s a movie I want to see! [Hear that, Hollywood? That was Kissed by Darkness.]

If you were to Twitter this book in 140 characters, what would you say?

You’re getting blood on my carpet.  Again.

OMG, I love it! And how perfect.

Any other irons in the fire besides the Sunwalker books?

Yes!  I have two current WIPs.  The first is a post-apocalyptic paranormal romance with dragons.  (Everything is better with dragons.)  The second is a post-apocalyptic urban fantasy scifi paranormal romance with a twist of steampunk set in what was once China.  Oh, yeah, there are aliens.  (Everything’s better with aliens.)

Favorite kind of read? Favorite author?

Hooo-boy!  That’s a tough one because I’m pretty eclectic.  I guess my all-time fave is probably apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic stories.  I don’t know what it is about them I like so much.  Maybe the whole idea of starting over fresh, or maybe it’s the struggle for survival and the drive to rebuild.  Think Stephen King’s The Stand, Justin Cronin’s The Passage, Ann Aguirre’s Enclave or Joss Ware’s Envy Chronicles.  Next (and very close) are urban fantasy, paranormal romance, scifi romance, and steampunk romance.  They’re just so much fun!  Think Nalini Singh (any of her books), Ann Aguirre’s Jax series, Gail Carriger.  Of course we mustn’t forget the wonder triplets: zombies, thrillers and mysteries.  For mysteries, Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series is an auto buy.  An old fave: Agatha Christie.  And my new fave: N.L. Wilson!   For zombies there’s Jack Wallen and Jesse Petersen. Thrillers: James Rollins (I’m a major fangirl.), Chris Kuzneski.

Told ya I was eclectic. 

What was the best piece of writing advice you got along the way?

Probably this quote from Stephen King: 

‘If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.’

What was the last movie you saw?

Believe it or not, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.  What can I say?  It was on cable.  But it was kind of a fun movie.   

Cats or dogs?

Dogs.  I like cats, but I’m allergic.  And there’s just something about a dog.  Something so loving and dopey and ridiculously loyal.  We could all learn a lot from a dog. Besides, they can be trained to carry barrels of alcohol around their necks.  How cool is that?

Sam or Dean? (And if you don’t know what I’m talking about, I may have to pare back the 100% awesomeness tag to maybe 98%.)

Dean.  I mean, HELLO!  There IS no other answer.  (Also, excuse me for a moment.  I need to go wipe the drool off my face.)

A fellow-Dean girl! Okay, you might be 110% awesomeness. Any last words for readers?

I just want to say thanks to all the readers out there.  Reading is such a magical and exciting thing.  Without our readers, there wouldn’t be much point in writing.  Stories are meant to be shared. 

Thank you, Shéa, for that very fun interview!

Now, go buy Shéa’s book! It just as awesome as she is.