Christina's published works:
The Shadow Chronicles - Chasing
Shadows and From the Shadows
Firehouse 343 – Fire Born
From the Shadows synopsis:
Shapeshifter Juliette Singleton left her home to escape the oppressive
concern of her family...and the memory of being raped. She finds little solace,
however, as her sleep is plagued with nightmares, forcing her to re-live the
brutal assault over and over again.
Race Covington, a chimaera, thought he was the only one of his kind.
Then he reunited with Juliette, whom he had known as a child, and discovered to
his delight that he was not alone after all—and the both of them discovered
that they were destined to be together.
Meeting her mate leads Juliette to open up about the attack and begin
the healing process, while Race believes meeting his means it is definitely
time to escape the employ of a dangerous and vindictive vampire. They decide it
is time to start their lives over again—together—but going home proves to be
harder than they expected when they are forced to confront a dangerous foe
neither could have ever imagined.
Excerpt:
I must have been more tired than I thought,
either from my virtually sleepless nights or from having to expend so much
energy to stay a dog, because I fell asleep soon after he turned the TV to a
football game. I wasn’t much into watching the game when I’d rather be playing
it, so I’d closed my eyes thinking I’d get up and sneak out when I heard him go
to the bathroom.
Next time I opened them, however, the TV was
off and I was alone in the room, the only light coming from the parking lot
lights shining through the blinds on his windows. Thankful that my energy
hadn’t run out while I slept and caused me to automatically revert to my human
form (as I knew sometimes happened to an exhausted shifter), I raised my head
and looked at the clock on his cable box, noting that it was just after
midnight. Shit, I thought sourly.
None of the busses would be running at this hour and I had no money for a
cab—how the hell was I going to get back to my hotel room?
Obviously I had no choice but to walk, but if
I did so as a dog I chanced being picked up and taken to the pound, which was
definitely not a situation I wanted to end up in. My only other option, as I
saw it, was to go in human form…and to do that, I was going to have to steal
some clothes. I felt bad about having to turn thief on someone who had only
been nice to me, but there was nothing else for me to do. Stepping down off the
couch and stretching, I then walked down the little hall and into the bedroom.
On the wall directly in front of me was a closet, to my right the bathroom, and
to my left was a large area with a bed and a desk. I didn’t see a dresser so it
appeared that all his clothes were in the closet.
Glancing in the direction of the bed, I
listened for a brief moment to the sound of the stranger’s steady breathing. He
was sound asleep. I phased back into my human form and stepped to the closet,
sliding the left-hand door open as soundlessly as I could. I grabbed an OSU
hoodie off its hanger and quickly pulled it over my head. Now I needed pants. A
second’s glance told me that the side I had opened was all shirts, so I slid
the door closed and stepped over to the right. Opening that door, I found the
matching bottom and took them off the hanger. After sliding the door closed
again, I stepped into the sweatpants as quickly as I could, tightened the
drawstring and knotted it so they wouldn’t fall down, then turned and walked
cautiously out of the bedroom.
I paused when I reached the front door,
wishing I could have thanked the man for being so nice to me. But it was
impossible, I thought with a sigh, and reached up to turn the deadbolt.
“Were you really going to leave without even
saying goodbye?”
Author Interview:
What inspired you to write your first book?
I’ve wanted to write for a very
long time. In fact, when I was about 20, I started writing a romantic suspense
novel I’d titled The Princess Spy,
and I think I got about seven or eight chapters into it before I stopped
writing it. I don’t recall the reason why I stopped, but I would certainly love
to find the notebook it’s written in so I can polish it up and finish it.
How did
you come up with the titles of each book?
For the Shadow Chronicles, I
wanted something thematic, so each of the books will have the word “shadows” in
it. The same goes for my romantic suspense series, Firehouse 343—the first four
books will have the word “fire” in it.
Is there
a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
None that I
can think of. I just hope that readers enjoy it!
Are
experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
Not in any of
the books I’ve written so far, but I was in a car accident this past January
that I’ll be writing into my next Firehouse 343 novel.
What books have most
influenced your life most?
Paranormal
romance, romantic suspense, and mysteries/thrillers influence me. I know these
are genres and not individual books, but I really couldn’t put a finger on any
one particular book or books that have influenced me more than any other. I
think any book that I read and really enjoy influences me in some small way.
If you
had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
I think I have two—Nora Roberts
and Deborah Cooke. Both of them not only write sexy, irresistible male heroes,
but strong, capable female heroines, and I really like it when the female
characters start out strong and end strong.
What book
are you reading now?
I actually
read a book called The Marine’s Babies
by Laura Altom on my recent birthday. It’s one of Harlequin’s American Romance
line of stories.
Are there
any new authors that have grasped your interest?
Kristine
Cayne, Shayne McClendon, and Mina J. Moore, to name a few. Their books are
really entertaining reads that I’ve enjoyed quite a bit. I met these wonderful
ladies through Facebook and we have become pretty good friends.
What are
your current projects?
Right at the
moment I’m planning a new book which may be a stand-alone, but has the
potential to be the first in a series. It will depend on how it turns out. When
I’ve finished it, I plan to write the next book in the Firehouse 343 series.
If you
had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your books?
There’s nothing major, but if I
were so inclined, I might re-word a few scenes to make them work differently.
Do you
recall how your interest in writing originated?
I don’t really
know how or when, except my earliest memory involving writing goes back to when
I was in grade school, and I’d written some short story (just a few paragraphs,
I imagine) that was apparently good enough to be brought to the principal’s
attention. It involved dinosaurs. But ever since then, when I’ve had to do any
creative writing, I’ve strived to make it interesting.
Is there
anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Naming
characters can be a challenge. Sometimes I get an idea in my head of their personality
and can’t find a name to fit. I also sometimes find it difficult to write
action sequences, or to transition from one scene to the next.
What was
the hardest part of writing your book?
Getting it
finished, really, was the hardest part of From
the Shadows. When I first started writing it, I had a pretty good flow, but
unfortunately I go through these periods where I just can’t seem to get
motivated. The writing still goes on in my head, but getting the work done is a
struggle. A lot of that has to do with outside stress in my life that’s not
related to my writing. Thankfully I’m in a really good place right now, so the
creativity is flowing!
Did you
learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
Writing and
editing and character development are hard work. Keeping the plot flowing and
tying everything together really does take a lot of effort. Writing isn’t just
sitting down and writing; there’s so much more involved than just typing or
writing the words—especially if you’re an indie like me and you have to do most
of the post-writing work yourself.
Do you
have any advice for other writers?
Go for it. If
you have an idea rolling around in your head, sit yourself down and write it.
Just get it all out and worry about making it presentable later.
Do you
have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Thank you so
very much for buying my book. I really hope you enjoyed it enough to come back
for more!
What
would you do in a zombie apocalypse should it occur on Black Friday?
I would be
hoarding bottled water and canned goods, I ain’t gonna lie. I’d be getting my
hands on some strong slicing weapons like swords or machetes, and I want a
crossbow with as many arrows as I can get my hands on.
If you
could interview one of your characters, who would it be and why?
Lochlan
Mackenna from The Shadow Chronicles. He’s got a secret that he hasn’t told
anyone, and I’d try to get him to tell. He’s also a flirt and he’s sarcastic,
which I love. I’d also want to interview Logan Kilbride from Firehouse 343.
Like Lochlan, he’s a sarcastic, flirtatious guy, and what woman wouldn’t want
to get to know a sexy, single firefighter better?
Fave
character(s) not your own?
In books it
would be Sherlock Holmes and Eve Dallas. In the movies, James Bond and Aragorn.
On TV, Dean Winchester and the Tenth Doctor.
Is there
any musical group or singer that inspires your writing?
Oh,
absolutely. When I’m writing, I like to think of songs that would make for a
good soundtrack to certain scenes, just like in a movie. I often hear 3 Doors
Down, Linkin Park, and Nickelback in my head, and I’ve also thought of Hunter
Hayes, Kelly Clarkson, and Patty Loveless, among others. I’ve made lists of the
songs that got me through my books and plan to get them up on my blog one of
these days.
Links:
Bio:
Christina Moore proved she had a talent for writing fiction
in grade school when a story about a dinosaur so interested her teacher that it
was brought to the principal’s attention, and she was highly praised for her
creativity. Although she doesn’t recall the details of that childhood tale, the
feeling of accomplishment stayed with her throughout her life. Deciding in her
teens to indulge in her passion for storytelling, Christina delved first into
fan fiction, which she has written off and on for several years. Her mother
said to her when she was just 14 that she “could write this stuff,” and a
long-time friend once told her she had the talent to be a professional writer;
so after procrastinating a lot longer than she should have, she put her mind to
writing something she could sell.
After working on her first novel during NaNoWriMo 2010 and
editing and revising the story throughout the next year, Christina made her
professional debut in January of 2012 with the paranormal romance Chasing Shadows, followed by an erotic
short story entitled The Beauty in the
Black Room and the romantic suspense novel Fire Born, both also published in 2012. Currently she resides in
Ohio, where she has lived all her life.
When not allowing the characters
in her imagination use her to tell their stories, she enjoys a great movie,
good times with family and friends, and being “hu-mom” to two Chihuahuas and
two Siberian Huskies. Christina always keeps a notebook handy to jot down ideas
for future stories and is currently working on her fourth novel.
Sarah Ashley Jones was raised in San Diego, California, but currently wrangles her husband and four dogs in Clarksville, Tennessee. When she's not writing she works in a pottery studio and comes home covered in paint on a daily basis. She has a slightly unhealthy obsession with cupcakes and chapstick. She is an eternal optimist and can often be found dancing and singing to music at any given time. It's rare to see her not smiling or laughing, but if you do, just bring her a cupcake and it will cheer her up.
