Debut of the Month - All About Winter's Shadow + Giveaway

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Book Profile

Debut - Winter's Shadow ( Goodreads )

Author - M.J. Hearle

Genre - Paranormal Romance

Release Date - June 1st 2011

Available - The Nile

Blake Duchamp... He's all that Winter Adams can think of. Ever since their fateful meeting at Pilgrim's Lament. Ever since he looked at her with those emerald eyes.

Ever since he saved her life. But Blake isn't all that he seems. There is a strangeness about him, something dark and otherworldly. Something dangerous. In his attic is a secret he would kill to defend, but Winter seems to have a special ability to make him forget his duty. And he is her only protection against the gathering darkness.

The only problem is, to protect Winter, Blake must risk exposing her to an even greater danger. Himself

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The Insiders Scoop

1) Writing Winter’s Shadow from the perspective of a teenage girl was quite the challenge. Though I have known many I, unfortunately, have never been a teenage girl. Luckily, I found as there weren’t many difference’s between a shy, imaginative teenage boy and a shy, imaginative teenage girl. The devil’s in the details, so they say. For example, at one point I had Winter going to bed with rollers in her hair, her face slathered in a beauty mask. I thought this is something all girls do until it was kindly pointed out to me by my mum that I might have been getting modern teenage girls confused with housewives from the 1950’s. So, thanks Mum!



2) It was my publishers suggestion I use the initials ‘M. J.’ rather than ‘Michael James’. The strategic thinking being that young women might be less likely to pick up a paranormal romance written by a man, and M. J. is gender neutral. I don’t mind. I enjoy the mystery of it all. Who is M. J. Hearle? (If anybody finds out please let me know!)


3) The book was originally called SHADE, unfortunately that title was already taken by another YA paranormal, so we had to come up with something else. Titles like BREATHLESS and HAUNTED were bandied about but I felt they were a little generic. In the first draft the lead character was called Elodie Winters (in part as an homage to Buffy Summers) so I thought why not call the novel, Winter’s Shadow? The sequel could be called Winter’s Light, the third book Winter’s Fall etc. My publisher was the one who suggested we change Elodie’s first name to Winter and I kicked myself for not thinking of it sooner. This goes to show just how valuable a good publisher is to the creative process.




5) Creating the Dead Lands was an incredible challenge. Originally I kept everything very vague and abstract hoping that the readers imagination would fill in the gaps. One of the reasons I did this was because I’m lazy. Shameful to admit, but true. The other reason was creating an entirely new world and monsters, while fun, is also very, very hard. There’s a reason so many authors fall back on the ever reliable vampire or werewolf. After struggling to answer questions about this new mythology of mine – from my agent, publisher, friends, pretty much anyone who read the book – I realised I had to sit down and figure it all out. I bounced ideas off my Dad, my Mum, and my girlfriend until I had established all the rules of my new supernatural mythology and was able to write a kind of Winter’s Shadow bible. This bible has been invaluable while I’ve been writing the sequel.

~Giveaway~

Okay, the giveaway! Pan Macmillan have kindly donated FOUR (4) copies of Winter's Shadow for you lucky readers! I'm will be personally shipping them out so let's make it International! Commenting is NOT required but it would be greatly appreciated since I'm putting in my own money to ship these beauties out, M.J. worked hard to get these posts in and Pan Mac for donating the books!

Rules of Entry - ( Please read carefully)

- International

- FOUR (4) Winners

- NOT required to comment but it will get you extra entries and it's GREATLY appreciated
- +1 Entry If You Comment on My Review ( Here )

- MUST be 13

- MUST fill out this FORM

- Ends 7/5

Badass Bookie xx