BBT: In The Shadows Book Tour + Giveaway

We welcome the In The Shadows Book Tour at Reader Girls today. Presented by Bewitching Book Tours, In The Shadows is the first novel in the Shadows Trilogy written by Julieanne Lynch. We welcome everyone and thank Ms. Lynch for her guest post.

Book blurb: “In The Shadows”, the first of The Shadows trilogy, is an urban fantasy of vampires and the supernatural, and much, much more. In the shadows you will find lust and passion, battles for power and for blood, and death and fear around every corner. In the shadows you are carried away to an unknown future. Your destiny awaits, and you are no longer who you thought you were. You have a thirst, for blood perhaps, but a thirst for very much more than that.

Giselle was a normal girl with an attitude common to most girls of her age. Her family might not have been perfect (whose is?) but she loved them, and her future looked bright. She had an awesome best friend and a steady boyfriend, but how could she possibly have been so wrong about someone she loved? And how could she have been prepared for the darkness and for what she was to become? (published July 21, 2011, Strict Publishing International)

“In The Shadows is a must read for anyone who loves urban fantasy.” ~Review by Dawn and Wini Book Lovers

“ Julieanne writes so eloquently you can feel and picture everything Giselle is going through, with no question as to what role every character in the book plays.” ~Review by Ada McEwan 

“Julieanne is a great story teller with a vivid imagination for the supernatural. I absolutely love everything about it.” ~Reviewed by Firefly and Wisp

Guest Post: Writing In The Shadows 

When writing In The Shadows I wanted to make my characters believable, ones that my readers could connect with, but whilst doing this, I also wanted to add my own flair of fantastical drama. In doing this, I created both realistic and unrealistic scenarios. Some events in the book relate to everyday life for a coming-of-age female; a girl to a woman.
Through this, the younger female reader should be able to relate to the choices, decisions and emotions that Giselle feels. The confusion. And this also goes for a mature woman who will recognise certain unfolding events within the book.

I address the issues of pre-marital sex, and how this confuses the over-riding hormones of any teenager. This was an important attribute in the book simply because as a young adult growing up, there lies so much confusion about the feelings they experience. There are a lot of pressures on a young woman to perform, especially when confronted with estranged emotions and unfamiliar territories that occur as one grows up. It is a part of finding your footing, planting roots and this is the transition Giselle is facing.

I also wanted to create memorable characters, and in bringing to life the sinister side of Atarah and the comedic yet dark personality of Antoine, I helped to not only produce
more realistic situations but also, in other areas, helped to take away some weight; this reminds the reader that they are reading a fantasy novel. I like to blend normal everyday life in with the surrealistic. That way,the reader is immune to some of the devastating or euphoric moments that develop; as is with life.

Of course my love of the dark gothic worlds of classic literature prompted me to create my own dark, sinister world. One where we see creatures such as Afanas unfold and leave us second guessing their true intentions. Giselle is never quite at peace. This is where I put a darker spin on the unrealistic and realistic scenarios that occur. Bad things do not always happen to other people. That is one of the main morals ofthe story, to be honest. Life is not always what it seems, and no single situation or person should be taken for granted.

In general the whole story works because I deliver something new, something which hasn’t been done before and if anything, I feel that my audience will come away feeling entertained and looking forward to the next book in the series and until then, I shall keep creating my worlds of chaos.

About the author: Fiery Librian Julieanne Lynch is an author of urban fantasy books for both adults and teens. Originally from Northern Ireland, Julieanne now lives in the Republic of Ireland, where she works on her Shadows Trilogy and other series full-time. Before becoming a writer, she considered a few different career paths, a rock star being one of them. She studied English Literature and Creative Writing at The Open University, and considered journalism as a career path. However, she decided writing was the way for her and believes all of her education and reading prepared her for it. 

An avid reader, Julieanne has always had an encompassing fascination with folklore. When not writing, she enjoys crime series such as Criminal Minds, CSI, NCIS and Cold Case, and loves anything with Vampires, listening to metal, meeting new people, drinking lots of green tea, and sharing her dreams with her children. She is a self-professed goth wanna-be,and is happy when left to write into the early hours of the morning. Author's website

Giveaway News: the opportunity to win ebook copies of In the Shadows & 2 prize packs that consists of: In the Shadows signed cover art, key ring, magnet, personalised mug, business card, and pen. Giveaway is tour wide and is open to international shipping. Go here for more info.

Thanks to Julieanne Lynch and Bewitching Book Tours.