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Name of Author: Stacey O'Neale
Title of Book: The Shadow Prince (Mortal Enchantment, #1)
Favorite Authors: Gena Showalter, Melissa Marr, Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, Katie Mcgarry, and way too many others. ;-)
Bio:
I'm a book blogger turned book publicist turned author. I've published books in the YA Fantasy and Adult Paranormal genres. I'm both self published and traditionally published. Oh, and I'm a major geek girl. Mostly comics, movies, and TV shows. I'm not into video games.
Can you explain what your book is all about?
The Shadow Prince is about an exiled fire court prince that is summoned back to Avalon to be crowned king. His relationship with his mother is strained to say the very least, and he knows there's something that she wants in exchange for the crown. And what she wants is for him to kill a princess of another elemental court. No problem, right?
Who is your target audience - and why?
Fans of fantasy, paranormal, magic, and/or mythology might enjoy my novella. There's elements of each throughout my series. Reviewers on Amazon and Goodreads tend to compare my hero (Rowan) to Jace from the Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare and Ash from the Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa.
What is 'paranormal' about your story?
The characters are elementals (close to faeries if you're not familiar). The series takes place in Avalon. The characters control one of the four elements (earth, fire, air, and water). And, there are ties to Arthurian mythology.
Does it contain other genre elements, if so which ones - and why?
Wattpad has it listed as a paranormal but I think it's more fantasy. Specifically, I'd say epic fantasy. Paranormal typically takes place in our world whereas fantasy tend to lean into the imaginary. Avalon is my backdrop so definitely imaginary. :-)
Tell us about your writing process - how do you get from story idea to a Wattpad published story?
Well, this series is actually published and available for free on Kindle Unlimited. I had heard from other author friends that Wattpad is a fun community. Which is why I chose to publish it here a couple of weeks ago. And they were right. I'm having so much fun on here. I'm so glad I joined.
Did you encounter any challenges when writing, if so - how did you overcome them?
There's something really difficult that happens to two of my characters in this story. It was hard to write. I love them both so much. It took me a while to finally get it on paper. I just had to push myself to finish.
You often hear that 'writing well' is the baseline for success. What does that mean for you?
I'm not sure if that's true. I've seen a few books written poorly do very well. I think if you have a pretty good amount of skill and a high concept story, you have a chance to go far.
One final question, this being the Paranormal genre: Have you ever had a paranormal experience?
I think I have ghosts in my house. Too many times, things have moved that I KNOW I didn't move. I think they like to play games with me because they know they freak me out. LOL!
