Welcome to my stop on the Broken Wings blog tour hosted by YA Bound. Click HERE to see the full blog tour schedule!
PROMO POST
--> Today, we’re chatting with author, Shannon Dittemore. We’re talking about her writing and the second book in the Angel Eyes trilogy, Broken Wings.
Tell us about Broken Wings?
Broken Wings picks up seven months after Angel Eyes ends. Jake and Brielle have been dating, mostly without issue, but all that is about to change. Damien’s back with brand new eyes and Brielle’s Dad causes all sorts of problems in this one. His drinking ratchets up a notch or two and his irritation at Jake turns into outright hostility. On top of that, he’s dating a younger woman—a woman the halo seems to have a problem with. And when Brielle uncovers the truth about her mother’s death, she’s left in a tailspin.
Why angels and demons? Aren’t they just vampires with wings?
I get this question a lot. When I decided to write a novel, angels were the most natural thing in the world for me to examine. I’m the oldest daughter of a preacher and I have a creative flair to boot. As a church brat, I was part of a travelling team that did drama and mime, puppetry and dance. I’ve played some sort of an angelic force in more ways than I can number. Angels and demons have always been on the backdrop of my storytelling experience and when I stumbled upon the concept of the halo, an entirely new door opened up to me. It was fun to push through and let my imagination fill in the blanks.
There are a lot of angel books out there right now. What sets your books apart from the others?
Most notably, I’d say the absence of any reference to the Nephilim. I don’t examine that mythology and I don’t have characters who are part angel, part human. I went in another direction entirely and that allowed me a freedom, I think, to explore other possibilities.
Do you base your characters on people you know?
Not usually, although I did steal the identity of our door greeter at church and slip her into Broken Wings, sparkly heels and all. I do cherry pick traits from friends and family members on occasion and give them to my characters. Often similarities occur unintentionally but sometimes I go out of my way to make it happen. For example, I’ve given a character in Broken Wings the name of my youngest sister, and in Dark Halo my middle sister makes an appearance. It’s a fun way to immortalize them.
What are you working on now?
I just, JUST, signed off on the last book in the trilogy, Dark Halo. It’s such a bizarre thing to know I’ve told this entire story. Right now, I’m experimenting with two story ideas. One is a fantasy/paranormal hybrid and the other involves time travel. Soon, I’ll have to narrow it down to one and really put words on the page, but I’m enjoying the brainstorming process.
What advice would you to give an aspiring novelist?
Read. A lot. I know, I know, Stephen King already told you that. But he’s right. You need to turn your love of reading into a lifestyle. Read well and read wide. Learn to appreciate the different storytellers out there and their nuances. And then write. Put your behind in the chair and tell a story. I’d love to tell you there’s a magic spell or a secret technique, but there’s not. It’s work. Settle in and get some done.
Okay, lightning round. You ready.
**Cracks knuckles**
Favorite ice cream? Salted Caramel gelato
Favorite band? Shane and Shane (Jake and I have this in common)
Favorite TV show? White Collar (I change this frequently)
Favorite color? Red
Last movie you saw at the theatre? Les Miserables
Book you’re reading right now? Captives by Jill Williamson
Go-to breakfast food? Special K Chocolately Delight
Heels or sneakers? Always, always sneakers
Dogs or Cats? Dogs
Vampires or Zombies? Zombies
Batman or Superman? Batman
Mr. Darcy: Colin Firth or Mathew Macfadyen? Matthew Macfadyen (judge away, peeps)
And finally, where can readers find you?
I’m everywhere! Well, not everywhere. I don’t have a Tumblr. But I’m everywhere else!
shannondittemore.com, fb.com/shannondittemore, twitter.com/shanditty, pinterest.com/shanditty instagram.com/shanditty, goodreads.com/shanditty.
Angel
Eyes (Angel Eyes Trilogy #1)
by Shannon Dittemore
Release
Date: May 29, 2012
Paperback/e-book
336 pages
Summary
from Goodreads:
Once
you’ve seen, you can’t unsee. Everything changes when you’ve looked at the
world through . . .
ANGEL EYES
Brielle’s a ballerina who went to the city to chase her dreams and found tragedy instead. She’s come home to shabby little Stratus, Oregon, to live with her grief and her guilt . . . and the incredible, numbing cold she can’t seem to shake.
Jake’s the new guy at school. The boy next door with burning hands and an unbelievable gift that targets him for corruption.
Something more than fate has brought them together. An evil bigger than both of them lurks in the shadows nearby, hiding in plain sight. Two angels stand guard, unsure what’s going to happen. And a beauty brighter than Jake or Brielle has ever seen is calling them to join the battle in a realm where all human choices start.
A realm that only angels and demons—and Brielle—can perceive.
ANGEL EYES
Brielle’s a ballerina who went to the city to chase her dreams and found tragedy instead. She’s come home to shabby little Stratus, Oregon, to live with her grief and her guilt . . . and the incredible, numbing cold she can’t seem to shake.
Jake’s the new guy at school. The boy next door with burning hands and an unbelievable gift that targets him for corruption.
Something more than fate has brought them together. An evil bigger than both of them lurks in the shadows nearby, hiding in plain sight. Two angels stand guard, unsure what’s going to happen. And a beauty brighter than Jake or Brielle has ever seen is calling them to join the battle in a realm where all human choices start.
A realm that only angels and demons—and Brielle—can perceive.
Broken Wings (Angel Eyes Trilogy #2)
By Shannon Dittemore
Release
Date: February 19, 2013
Paperback/e-book
320 pages
Summary
from Goodreads:
Giant
angels with metal wings and visible song. A blind demon restored from
the pit of darkness. And a girl who has never felt more broken.
Brielle sees the world as it really is: a place where the Celestial exists side by side with human reality. But in the aftermath of a supernatural showdown, her life begins to crumble. Her boyfriend, Jake, is keeping something from her—something important. Her overprotective father has started drinking again. He’s dating a much younger woman who makes Brielle’s skin crawl, and he’s downright hostile toward Jake. Haunting nightmares keep Brielle from sleeping, and flashes of Celestial vision keep her off kilter.
What she doesn’t know is that she’s been targeted. The Prince of Darkness himself has heard of the boy with healing in his hands and of the girl who sees through the Terrestrial Veil. When he plucks the blind demon, Damien, from the fiery chasm and sends him back to Earth with new eyes, the stage is set for a cataclysmic battle of good versus evil.
Then Brielle unearths the truth about her mother’s death and she must question everything she ever thought was true.
Brielle has no choice. She knows evil forces are converging and will soon rain their terror down upon the town of Stratus. She must master the weapons she’s been given. She must fight.
But can she fly with broken wings?
Brielle sees the world as it really is: a place where the Celestial exists side by side with human reality. But in the aftermath of a supernatural showdown, her life begins to crumble. Her boyfriend, Jake, is keeping something from her—something important. Her overprotective father has started drinking again. He’s dating a much younger woman who makes Brielle’s skin crawl, and he’s downright hostile toward Jake. Haunting nightmares keep Brielle from sleeping, and flashes of Celestial vision keep her off kilter.
What she doesn’t know is that she’s been targeted. The Prince of Darkness himself has heard of the boy with healing in his hands and of the girl who sees through the Terrestrial Veil. When he plucks the blind demon, Damien, from the fiery chasm and sends him back to Earth with new eyes, the stage is set for a cataclysmic battle of good versus evil.
Then Brielle unearths the truth about her mother’s death and she must question everything she ever thought was true.
Brielle has no choice. She knows evil forces are converging and will soon rain their terror down upon the town of Stratus. She must master the weapons she’s been given. She must fight.
But can she fly with broken wings?
About the Author
Shannon
Dittemore has an overactive imagination and a passion for truth. Her lifelong
journey to combine the two is responsible for a stint at Portland Bible
College, performances with local theater companies, and a focus on youth and
young adult ministry. The daughter of one preacher and the wife of another, she
spends her days imagining things unseen and chasing her two children around
their home in Northern California. Angel Eyes is her first novel.
GIVEAWAY
(1) Print copies of Angel Eyes and Broken Wings (US Only)
(5) Print copies of Broken Wings (US only)
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