Shadow (The Romany
Outcasts #2)
By: Christi J.
Whitney
Genre:
YA, fantasy/urban fantasy
Publisher: HarperCollins / HarperVoyagerUK
Date of Publication: June 2, 2016
ISBN:
9780008122409
ASIN:
B0155OP8MK
Number of pages: 400
Word Count: 98,754
The second volume in this incredible YA
trilogy.
When stone hearts break they shatter.
Sebastian Grey used to be a normal
teenager. Now he’s a creature whose sole purpose is to be a guardian for secretive
gypsy clans.
When the Romany gypsies need his help,
Sebastian is given a second chance to protect Josephine Romany – the girl he
loves. But this is no easy task when some of them think he’s as bad as the
shadow creatures attacking their camp.
Yet to keep Josephine safe, Sebastian
might have to embrace his darker side. Even if that means choosing between his
humanity and becoming the monster everyone believes him to be.
Interview with Christi
J. Whitney, Author of Grey (The Romany
Outcasts Series)
What made you decide
to be an author?\
I’ve always loved
writing, and I wrote all kinds of stories – stories that I never finished,
really – but I set it aside to pursue a career. Many years into teaching high
school, the writing bug hit me again, but it was actually my students who
encouraged me to write my first novel.
What do you like best about being a writer?
What do you like the least?
I’m sure a lot of
authors say this, but one of the best things is being able to go to work in my
pajamas (with a large cup of coffee in hand). I also get to set my own
schedule, which is really nice. What I like the least about being a writer –
besides the exhausting emotional and creative drain it gives you – is the publicity and marketing side of
things. As a debut author – and despite having books out with a well-known
publisher – it’s totally my responsibility to get the word out about my books.
I never realized just how much time I would have to spend trying to find a
readership and looking for ways to make my books stand out from the millions of
others around me. I love connecting with readers, but promotion is a real
challenge.
How do you think your life experiences have prepared you for writing?
I think coming from a theatre background really helped me as a writer.
As a theatre director, I looked at scripts and figured out how to create a
whole world on the stage, based on pages of dialogue with very little
description. I worked scenes over and over again, layering them and adding more
to my actors’ performances until I had a product I was pleased with. Writing is
very much like directing for me. Both create worlds and tell stories.
Have you ever felt as if you were being dictated to while you wrote a
book--as if the words came of their own accord? If yes, which book did that
happen with?
Grey and Shadow are written from the point of view of my main character,
Sebastian. His internal thoughts and monologues just flowed in a way that was
really fun. I didn’t have to work much at all with him – except to trim him
down when he got too wordy.
You’ve written two
novels and are working on a third novel. What’s your favorite time management tip?
I don’t really have good time management tips, since every day is
different, filled with their own distractions. I have learned to carry a
notebook and pen with me, ready to write down ideas or bits of a scene. I’ve
written in doctors’ offices and carpool lines. I also try to get as much
writing done while my kids are at school as possible. I’ve had to learn to
write even when I don’t feel inspired.
Are you a plotter or a pantser, i.e., do you outline your books ahead
of time or are you an “organic” writer?
I definitely prefer to write “in the moment”. I start with dialogue
most of the time, and then I just expand from there. I have a general idea of where
I’m going, and I know how I want things to end, but I like just sort of running
away with the material for a while. But there always comes the time when I have
to stop and map things out – usually with sticky notes pasted on the walls
around my desk.
If you had one take away
piece of advice for authors, what would it be?
Don’t be afraid to write crap. I can’t tell you how discouraged I was
during my early years of writing because I would write so many things that were
just awful. Well, to be honest, I still write a ton of stuff that’s just awful.
I mean, totally cringe worthy. But believe me, not one word is wasted. It
teaches you what works and what doesn’t. It shows you where you need to grow
and improve. You can’t see the good without first seeing the bad.
Did music help you find your muse with this book? If yes, which song
did you find yourself going back to over and over again as you wrote?
Music always plays an important part in my writing. It definitely helps
me set the emotional tone of the character or scene, and I love listening to my
playlists when I’m mulling over story thoughts. My playlist for The Romany Outcasts Series is pretty long,
but when writing for the character of Sebastian in the series, especially Grey, I found myself listening to Turning On My Own by Satellite and Hello Love Goodbye by To Be Juliet’s
Secret.
Tell me more about Grey (The
Romany Outcasts, Book One).
Here’s the official book blurb.
Can
you still love with a heart of stone?
Sebastian
Grey always thought he was a fairly normal teenager – good friends, decent
grades and a pretty sweet job in his foster brother’s tattoo shop.
But
when Romany gypsies arrive in town, Sebastian discovers that his world is not
what it seems. There is an age-old feud between his family and the gypsies –
and this isn’t the only secret his brother has been keeping from him. His life
is not his own. The girl he’s been dreaming about has just turned up at school,
and he feels compelled to protect her at all costs.
Even
if that means life might never be normal again.
How about an excerpt from Grey?
Absolutely. Here’s a bit from Chapter
2.
‘Sebastian,
are you still there?’
I transferred my phone to my other
hand as I buckled the seatbelt. ‘Yeah, I’m here.’
‘Weren’t you listening to me?’ Katie
asked.
I paused, trying to remember what
we’d been talking about. The two hours since lunch had been a blur, and my
brain was mush. ‘Um . . . ’
Katie sighed on the other end. ‘The
project Ms Lucian talked about in class today,’ she continued impatiently. ‘When
are we going to work on it?’
‘I’m sorry,’ I replied, starting the
engine. ‘The pounding in my head’s making it difficult to think.’
‘Another headache?’
‘You know me and sunny days,’ I said
dismissively. I stepped on the gas and coaxed my old van onto the road. ‘But
about the project. I don’t know if I can do it this week. Can I get back to
you?’
‘Yeah, just don’t wait too long. I
know we’ve got almost a month to work on it, so Ms Lucian’s not going to cut us
any slack, and the rest of our group is totally avoiding me about the whole
thing.’
Katie hated procrastinating on
anything related to schoolwork. This was probably killing her. ‘Look, don’t
worry about it. I’ll talk to the guys, and we’ll come up with a day to work on
it. I promise, we won’t let you down.’
‘Thanks, Sebastian,’ she replied,
sounding relieved. ‘You’re not nearly as much of an idiot as the rest of your
species.’
I chuckled. ‘I think you mean
gender.’
She giggled. ‘No, I don’t.’
‘Talk to you later, Katie.’
‘Bye.’
I tossed the phone on the passenger
seat and rubbed my temples. By the time I made it through town and steered my
van into the parking lot of the Gypsy Ink,
my headache had traveled, setting up residence between my shoulder blades. The
last thing I felt like doing was homework.
I shuffled through the waiting room,
giving a brief wave to Kris, who was busy behind the counter. I’d grab a quick
snack and then lay out flat on the floor of the apartment for a while. Just
until the aching eased. I paused in the hallway just outside the door of Hugo’s
workspace. I didn’t have to say anything. My brother knew I was there.
‘Hey, Sebastian.’ He glanced up from
his sketchbook. ‘What’s up?’
‘Do you have any sports cream?’ I
leaned against the wall and squinted as a sharp pain lanced through my
shoulders. ‘My back’s killing me.’
Hugo’s brows settled low over his
dark eyes. ‘In the drawer beside my bed.’
‘Okay, thanks.’
I continued down the hallway,
followed by the weight of my brother’s stare. He probably thought I was trying
to get out of work, which wasn’t a bad idea. I chucked my bag on the bed and
rummaged through Hugo’s nightstand until I located the tube of medicine. I
worked the cream into my back, but it felt as if someone was digging long
fingers between my shoulder blades, attempting to separate muscle from bone.
I gave up with the cream and
stumbled to the bathroom on a quest for aspirin. Just as I reached for the
medicine cabinet, another shock of pain doubled me over. I gripped the edge of
the counter and straightened. My gaze flicked to the mirror. For a moment, I
almost didn’t recognize the face staring back. I was crazy pale, even for me,
and my skin made the hazel color of my eyes look dull. But then I noticed
something else. Another chunk of gray was poking through my disheveled hair.
Where can readers find more about your stories, books and you on the
Internet?
Website Links:
Website: http://christijwhitney.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/christiwhitney
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christijwhitney/
Tumblr: http://theatrepirate.tumblr.com
Buy Links:
Amazon:
Barnes and Noble:
Kobo:
- 1 e-book copy of Grey (Kindle gift e-book through Amazon US)
- 1 e-book copy of Shadow (Kindle gift e-book through Amazon US)
Christi J. Whitney is a former high
school theatre director with a love for the arts. She lives just outside
Atlanta with her husband and two sons. When not spending time with them or
taking a ridiculous number of trips to Disney World, she can be found directing
plays, making costumes for sci-fi/fantasy conventions, obsessing over Doctor
Who, watching superhero movies, or pretending she’s just a tad bit British. You
can visit her online at www.christijwhitney.com or connect on Twitter
(@ChristiWhitney).
Thank you for hosting me on my tour. I really appreciate it!
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