Blog Tour + #Giveaway: Shadowed Seats by Marguerite Ashton @msashton_writer @XpressoTours

Shadowed Seats
Marguerite Ashton
(Oliana Mercer, #1)
Publication date: August 21st 2017
Genres: Mystery, Young Adult

Oliana knows that every family has a secret, but she never expected hers to come from the grave.

High school senior Oliana Mercer dreams of attending the prestigious Reyersen Drama Academy and pursuing her acting career. But when tragedy strikes, Oliana discovers secrets hidden from her by her adopted parents, dimming the lights on her perfect world. As the sins of the past surface, Oliana finds herself caught up in a tug-of-war between two families while the love for her boyfriend is tested. Determined to find some form of happiness in life, Oliana becomes student director in the high school’s senior play. When her best friend, Devin Worthy, dies during dress rehearsal, Oliana is re-cast as the lead. Everyone thinks the death was a suicide, except Oliana, whose search for clues may be enough motive for the killer to murder again.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

Interview with Marguerite Ashton

How many books have you written and which is your favorite?

Thanks for having me on your blog!

I have written ten books. But out of my young adult series, that is a tough one to answer. The more I think about it, it would be Shadowed Seats from the Oliana Mercer series. She was first introduced in my book Burned Bridges, and I just knew that I had to build on her back story and follow her on her journey.

If you’re planning a sequel, can you share a tiny bit about your plans for it?

Yes. Shadowed Seats is the first of a seven-book series with more in the works.

Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?

For now, it’s important for me that Shadowed Seats builds on each book in the series so that she can have a chance to share her story. Oliana had a rough start, and I need to see her grow with each trial and tribulation. She’s strong-willed, and I can’t wait to see what will be her final moment!

How did you come up with the title for your book?

This is a process for me where I jot down titles and see what works. My husband is good at helping me bring down the list from eight suggestions to two. I have been known to take up to two weeks to decide. Without my title, I will not start writing the manuscript.

How long did it take you to write this book?

It took me a year of research and rewrites to complete Shadowed Seats.

What does the title mean?

When I choose titles for my books, it focuses on my main character and her world.

What did you learn when writing the book?

I learned that writing short stories breaks up the big projects and helps provide a fresh start between writing sessions.

What surprised you the most?

How fun it is to write short stories. I never planned on writing one until my mentor suggested giving it a try.

Have you ever killed off a character your readers loved?

Oh yes. In my book, Promised Lies, the first edition. I was heartbroken. As I started working on my outline for the second book in the series and realized it was a mistake to kill my character.

So, I rewrote it and turned it into a novel. 83,000 words later, I managed to bring Morgan Danvers back, and I can’t wait to see what other mischief and sass she will provide in the next book.

What do you do to get inside your character’s head?

I like to switch up my environment. Music or relocate to another one of my favorite writing spots so I can connect with my characters.

Author Bio:

When Marguerite Ashton was in her twenties, she took up acting but realized she preferred to work behind the camera, writing crime fiction. A few years later, she married an IT Geek and settled down with her role as wife, mom, and writer!

Her blog, Criminal Lines: Settled Writer Past 40 is her outlet while building dollhouses and plotting out her next book.

Marguerite lives in Wisconsin and enjoys RVing.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

—