Roxanne Rhoads: Interview: The Blue Effect by Rose Shababy

Do you write in different genres?

I hadn’t really thought about it, but yes, I do. I like trying different things. The Blue Effect is an urban sci fi/fantasy inspired by comic books/graphic novels and Noir fiction. The next book I’ll be releasing is a stand-alone ghost/horror story. I also have a series I’ve been working on based on Irish folklore, a time travel romance, and one that’s just plain contemporary fiction about a woman’s journey to find herself.

If yes which is your favorite genre to write?

I’ve had more fun writing The Blue Effect than anything else I’ve worked on, so I’m guessing that’s my genre of choice.

How did you come up with the title for your latest book?

Gosh, I had a whole list of titles! It took a while to settle on one. I knew from the very beginning that “Blue” needed to be in the title to represent the main character, Blue Brennan, as well as her special abilities. Thus, “The Blue Effect” came about.

Another contender was “A Clockwork Blue,” which was pretty fitting. In the end, however, I decided that too many people would immediately think of “A Clockwork Orange,” which is pretty intense. I didn’t want the negative association.

Do you title the book first or wait until after it’s complete?

Usually after. It’s nice to let the book take shape before deciding on a title. It’s hard for me to even understand how someone could name a story before it’s written! lol

What book are you reading now?

Super Powereds, Year 1 by Drew Hayes. It’s about college kids going to “hero college.” It’s a light, fun read so far!

What is your current “work in progress” or upcoming projects?

I’m currently working on the second book in the Renegade Heroes series. Blue Brennan, the main character of The Blue Effect, will take a back seat this time around. Her boyfriend, Kasey, gets the spotlight. He’ll confront his past and his inner demons, a new hero will emerge, and if you thought the villain in the first book was creepy, watch out, because the next one will blow you away!

I’m also working on editing a previous novel I’ve written called “Shadows of Night.” It’s a stand-alone novel about a man who loses everything and is confronted by the ghosts of his past. Literally! The release date is December 7^th, 2014.

Can you share a little of your current work with us?

I’d be happy to share an excerpt from Shadows of Night. Here you go:

The air around him felt stifling, and an acrid scent filled his nostrils. Pulsing heat seemed to be pressing in around him, enveloping him, squeezing the breath from his lungs. His whole body hurt, and he moaned as he tried to open his eyes.

Squinting, he looked around. The field of sunny, yellow daffodils surrounded him, although their petals had taken on a reddish hue. He sat up, shuddering from the heat that seemed to be emanating from the blooms. The sky above was angry, crimson, and a hot, heavy breeze wafted over his body, making him sweat. Across the field the old house sat, a flaming backdrop behind it.

“Daddy.” A whisper came from behind, and he turned to see Sharon crouched among the flowers, almost as if she were hiding.

“Sharon, what’s going on?” he asked her.

“Wake up, Daddy, before it’s too late.” She whispered still, glancing around fearfully as though she expected to be discovered at any moment.

“What’s going on, Sweetie? I don’t understand,” he pressed her.

“Shh!” she quieted him, still casting fleeting looks about the field before turning back to look at him. “You have to wake up!”

“Wake up? What do you mean?” Wesley pushed away the dawning comprehension that crept up on him, focusing on the girl instead. “Come, Sharon. Let’s just get away from here.” He held a hand out to her.

“No!” She spoke sharply now, her tone changing. “You don’t understand! You have to get away now! Get back, before it’s too late!” The electricity in the air seemed to sizzle, and she twitched slightly as she spoke. Her face seemed to changed faintly, and she shuddered.

“Sharon, what’s wrong?” He reached out a hand and touched her shoulder. She gasped with pain as his fingers made contact, and he pulled back. Wesley was horrified to see her dress was charred and smoking in the very spot his hand had made contact.

Wesley heard a crackle and watched in terror as the edges of the field seemed to erupt in flames. The house in the distance was enveloped by the fire and Sharon screamed as the flames rushed toward them. Her hair stood on end and her entire body seemed to glow with an internal heat. Her face flushed and Wesley cried out as her flesh became hot to the touch. He drew back his hand to find his fingers had been singed, and joined her in screaming when she suddenly morphed into a blistering inferno. Fire burst forth from the ends of her fingers, her hair seemed a halo of fire.

“Wake up, Daddy!” she screamed at him again. “Wake up!” Wesley looked around the field as it became a sea of flames and felt the fire licking at his skin, burning and seething.

He screamed again as the intense heat engulfed him.

“Wake up, Daddy!” Sharon screamed one last time as the flames shot up around her, illuminating her terrified features in an otherworldly crimson glow.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Finding time and staying on task. The interwebs are distracting!

Do you have to travel much to do research for your books?

Not a lot. I try to use places I know, and do a lot of research on the places I don’t know. I’m hoping I can do more travelling in the future, as I progress in the business and can invest the time and money into it.

Who designed the cover of your latest book?

The amazing Regina Wamba of Mae I Design. She did a fantastic job, too, don’t you think?

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Always keep writing. Get involved with your local and online community. Know that if you’re going to try to make a career of this, you have to address the business side of it as well as the creative side.

The Blue Effect

Renegade Heroes

Book One

Rose Shababy

Genre: Adult Urban Sci-fi/Fantasy

Date of Publication: September 8th, 2014

Cover Artist: Regina Wamba

Book Description:

Blue Brennan is jaded and bitter despite her pinup girl looks and quick wit. Night after night, she scours the Seattle club scene looking for someone or something to fill the emptiness inside.

When she meets the mysterious Kasey, her world stops… literally. He claims she has the ability to control time and stuns her even further when he reveals his own gifts.

Blue is inexplicably drawn to Kasey and reluctantly enters his world filled with a new breed of humanity. They’re misfits like her, blessed or cursed with powerful abilities, struggling to hide their differences from the rest of society.

Then the group discovers a nameless, faceless sociopath with nightmarish powers; and he’s coming for Blue. She’s left reeling when they discover her gifts are the key to defeating his terrible evil and saving them all.

Now she must race against the clock to harness her own powers and save her new friends. Can she be more than a renegade? Can she be a hero too?

Available at BN iTunes Amazon

Excerpt Three

Clearly the time had come for the two of us to have it out. “I may have thought you were hot when we first met, and you got to listen to the nasty thoughts in my head, but every time we meet I find it harder to like you. In fact, every time you open your mouth, you get uglier and uglier. I don’t know if Val was right, and you really are jealous, but let me make this crystal clear for you. There is no part of me that wants you.”

His eyes narrowed for a moment, and then, before I could do anything, his hands shot out and grabbed my shoulders again. He yanked me close to him and I the heat from his chest burned through my t-shirt. His face was so close to mine I could feel his hot breath blazing against my cheek when he spoke. “You’re a little liar,” he hissed. “There is a part of you that likes this,” he shook me a little and I flushed with rage… and something else. “And goddamn me, there’s a part of me that likes it too.” He hovered with his face still close to mine and for a moment I thought he was going to kiss me. My head fell back slightly and my lips parted involuntarily as I anticipated his invasion.

Then he released me, almost flinging me away from him. I pressed my back against the wall as I watched him and tried to catch my breath as my traitorous heart beat so hard I thought it might burst out of my chest.

“Let me make this crystal clear for you,” he mimicked. “Kasey is like a brother to me and if you hurt him, you’ll wish you never met me.”

“I already do,” I whispered with sincerity.

About the Author:

Rose Shababy and her family reside in eastern Washington State. Rose grew up in the Northwest but swears she’s going to move to warmer climates someday. She’s claimed this for over 20 years, however, and has yet to move more than 75 miles away from her mother.

Rose has a deep love of all things Star Trek and yearns to travel the heavens, as well as an intense desire to be bitten by a radioactive spider.

Unfortunately she sucks at science and math so she hasn’t been able bring her dreams to life, instead living vicariously through books, comics, television and film. She hopes to someday make a million dollars so she can afford to buy her way to the international space station, but she’d settle for being able to fly around the world and leap tall buildings in a single bound.

Rose also loves to cook and worked for years in a gourmet Italian grocery and deli where she learned to hone her skills. She prepares culinary masterpieces for her family, but fervently wishes the dishes would wash themselves. Especially now that her dishwashers/children are nearly grown and only one still lives at home.

Rose likes to use her free time wisely. For instance, she likes to daydream, will often read for hours until she falls asleep on the couch with an electric blanket and a warm tabby cat curled up on her hip, as well as spending cozy weekend days watching Syfy movies like Sharknado and Mega Piranha with her husband.

If Rose were a cartoon animal, she’d prefer to be a wise old owl or a sleek and sexy jaguar, but in reality she’d probably be a myopic mole with coke-bottle glasses.

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