Shadow’s Voice by Natalie Johanson

Please welcome Natalie Johanson author of Shadow’s Voice

Natalie Johanson will be awarding a signed physical copy of book (US only) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Shadow’s Voice

by Natalie Johanson

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GENRE: Fantasy

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INTERVIEW:

1. What or who inspired you to start writing? I’ve always been a story teller. When I was little, I was writing stories about horses and they’re friends. Later I was writing stories about Star Trek Voyager, which had completely sparked my imagination in ways I didn’t realize until I was much older. Eventually, I started writing my own stories down.
2. How did you come up with ideas for your books? I dreamed up one of the main aspects to Shadow’s Voice. I’ve always had really weird dreams, and I mean WEIRD dreams. One night I had this dream where wolves were hunting the town, or maybe it was me…I’m not really sure. These wolves were made up of a foggy shadow, mist thing. Very creepy. I couldn’t really make out their features except their red, glowing eyes. I woke up and ta-da! The wolves for Shadow’s Voice were born.
3. As far as your writing goes, what are your future plans? I hope to keep on writing. I have a sequel for Shadow’s Voice in the works and I hope to have the finished…soon? I have a loose plan for a third book and plenty of half-baked ideas for other books stashed away on my laptop.
4. If you could be one of the characters from any of your books, who would it be and why? I think I’d be Captain Mariah Sayla. She’s a hard ass, and a bad ass. There’s respect from her officers and a little dose of fear.
5. If you were the casting director for the film version of your novel, who would play your leading roles? I have my own ideas about who it would be, but I’d like to keep that to myself. Part of the glory, the magic of reading is you get to make the character who you want them to be. Maybe you identify with a part of her or imagine her as you. If I say I’d cast so-and-so as the main character, I might ruin part of how you saw her and I don’t want to take that magic away from someone.
6. When did you first decide to submit your work? Please tell us what or who encouraged you to take this big step? I decided to submit my work when I made the decision to write it. I knew I wanted to write and finish it for me, but part of that was seeing it bound with my name on the spine. So, I knew right away I wanted to publish it. When I decided to finally send my manuscript was hard, because I knew it would be hard and a little painful. I edited it, rewrote it, edited it some more and then bit the bullet and sent it out.
7. Do you outline your books or just start writing? I make a loose outline of the big, important points that I write down but for the most part I have an idea of the plot in my head. For the most part I just write. A lot of time I don’t write chronologically. I’ll write scenes as they come to me and…figure out a way to integrate it later. Sometimes it works…sometimes, not so much.
8. Do you have an all time favorite book? I absolutely love the Green Rider by Kristen Britain. I drew a lot of inspiration from her books.
9. Have you started your next project? If so, can you share a little bit about your book? Yes! I’m working on the sequel to Shadow’s Voice. I recently cut about 100 pages from it because I decided to completely change the plot. So that’s a little intimidating but I’m excited. It picks up right where Shadow’s Voice left off and continues with Rose’s challenges.

10. Who is your favorite actor and actress? I absolutely adore Mary McDonnell. Especially in Battlestar Galactica and Major Crimes. She is an amazing person and actress.

BLURB:

Rose Trewin is on the run. Pursued by memories of her father, she runs from city to city, seeking normalcy. But Rose can’t escape her past, or the magic running through her veins, the magic that allows her to slip through the shadows unnoticed. The magic her father once used to mold her into a mercenary sent to destroy his enemies.

Now her magic is growing and changing, becoming something new and untamable. Rose is unable to rest. Wolves wrapped in fog follow her relentlessly along the countryside. Desperate, she uses her magic to escape, but the shadows are pushing her towards the center of a

conspiracy.

Now, her country teeters on the brink of a civil war as a Lord Governor gathers power against the king. An enemy, with magic similar to her own, emerges in the chaos of political intrigue. Faced with a country at war and a king brought to his knees, Rose must accept who she is and harness her powers in order to save her country and herself.

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EXCERPT:

With the dagger in her bodice, she slipped into the hallway, peering through the shadows in each room as she passed it. It was an easy enough trick, looking through the shadows as though they were nothing more than windows.

She found him back in his room, bent over at the short table in the corner. The soft glow from an oil lamp distorted any more details. Rose looked up and down the hallway, saw no one else, and stepped into the shadow casted by the still lit candles. She fell into the darkness, became part of it, and was in Gavin’s room. She didn’t know how it worked, where the magic came from, or why she could use it when no one else apparently could.

When she’d still attended the lectures at the small schoolhouse in town, before her father made her work, she was told there were different planes of the world. The gods lived in one, the world in another. Rose often wondered if the shadows were another plane, and that was what she was touching.

It scared her back then. It scared her still. Maybe if she wasn’t afraid of it, she’d know what she could truly do with it. Rose had never pressed herself with her magic. Never challenged herself.

She drew her small knife as she moved closer. She paused in the shadows, the cool mist that always seem to be present ghosting over her skin. This would be difficult. His back was straight and rigid. Even through the loose sleeves of his shirt, long lines of muscle were visible. She had one shot, one try for this to be easy and finished. Good thing I’ve had practice. Rose moved closer in the light shadow.

Excerpt Two:

Nico, back in that small clearing, was limping backward with his sword held defensively in front of him. A strange man paced back and forth in front of Nico, a sword held in one hand and a dagger in the other.

It is not my problem, she thought to herself and started to pull back, but stopped. When did she become this callous? She’d done terrible things in her past, more to stay hidden from her father but when did that make her soulless? She watched Nico struggle to stay on his feet. He had been kind to her, had tried to help her, and Rose had been about to leave him to his death. When had she become so cold?

Rose growled at herself and dropped into the mists of her shadows. She would not let herself become that person. Her head pounded, and Rose grit her teeth against the ache. It was a few quick steps through the darkness and Rose was back in the clearing with Nico and the mercenary. Rose stayed in the shadows, a shapeless form flowing in the darkness, looking and waiting.

Two were following Nico but only one was here. Where was the other?

“Where is it?”

Nico shook his head and adjusted the grip on his blade.

“The information you stole, where is it?” the man sneered. “I’m killing you either way, but if you could save me the time of hunting down any partners you have…”

The man raised his sword, and Rose saw her moment. She emerged from the shadows, saw stars as the pain in her head exploded, and kicked out hard with her foot. The clearing echoed with the man’s scream as her foot crashed into his knee.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Natalie Johanson grew up and lives in the valley of Salt Lake City surrounded by the beautiful Rocky Mountains. Her days are spent trying to herd her two cats, Holmes and Watson. Natalie’s summers are spent camping with her fiancée or doing obstacle races with her best friend. She usually spends her winters hiding from the snow. This is the first of what will hopefully become a trilogy, but sometimes the characters do what they want.

Website: nataliejohanson.com

Facebook: @nataliejohansonauthor

Instagram: @natalietheauthor

Links to buy:

Publisher: https://widopublishing.com/product/shadows-voice-by-natalie-johanson-2/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/194796612X

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Natalie Johanson will be awarding a signed physical copy of book (US only) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f2984