SHADOW DANCER, by Courtney Rene

Courtney Rene

Shadow Dancer Book Summary:

Sunny has a gift that she has no idea how to use, until she meets Leif, a boy from the kingdom of Acadia, on the other side of the shadows.

 Leif teaches Sunny about Shadow Walkers and how to use her new found gifts. As they grow closer and their gifts grow stronger, a threat arrives. The Shadow Guard has been sent to bring Sunny back to Acadia, to determine if she is a threat to the king as the rightful ruler of Acadia.

 As Leif and Sunny prepare to defend themselves, Sunny finds that Leif has also been sent to bring Sunny back to the kingdom but for very different reasons. As a battle for possession of Sunny wages, she is struggling to come to turns with her feelings of inadequacy regarding controlling her gifts as well as the hurt regarding the lies and deceit of everyone around her.

The Interview

When did you first want to write for a living?
Actually writing for a living never really crossed my mind. I have a day job that pays the bills, so any money I make writing is like a perk. Just a wonderful excuse to buy a new pair of shoes or go stock up on H&D Gummie Bears. I guess if I can ever make enough money to pay the billls then I wil think about it, but so far, not even close.

What made you decide on horror?
Stephen King. I just love his stories. Have since I was a small child and was sneaking his books. I wanted to be just like him. Then along came Anne Rice and I was hooked. Horror is not my only genre though. Its just my favorite.

How long have you been writing?
Since I was very young. Before I could write them down, I would tell them to anyone that would listen. My first real hand written and picture drawn book was completed in the 1st grade. So yeah, forever.

What kind of inspirations do you have?
My children inspire me often, but then so does the nightly news. Also, I spend a lot of time just watching people and trying to guess their stories. Sometimes, that’s all it takes. I see a weird guy in suspenders and workboots eating an icecream sundae, and the next thing you know I have a story working. I get my inspiration from everywhere and everything. You just never know what is going to strike me as workable.

Favorite authors/or books?
Authors - Stephen King, of course; Anne Rice; V.C. Andrews (the older works not the newer stuff); My favorite books change all the time. Currently and lately my favoite book is "Ride the Wind" by St. Clair. I have read that book several time and each time I am enthralled by its story, its knowledge, its feeling, its descriptions. In fact I need to go and dig it out, I could use a really good read.

What can we expect to see from you in the near future?
My second book in the Shadow Dancer seriers "Shadow Warrior" releases late March 2012 (yay!) so you should definitely look for that.. I am also hunting for a market for my YA werewolf book "A Howl in the Night". Hopefully I can find it a home somewhere. And I have several ideas percalating as usual. You never know what I will come up with.

A Little More About Courtney
Courtney Rene lives out in the country, in the State of Ohio with her husband and two children. She has been an avid reader and writer since she was a small child, and in fact wrote her first story while in the second grade. You can still usually find her when she is not writing, with her nose in a book.

Her favorite genres to read are fantasy and historical fiction. She is a graduate and member of the Institute of Children’s Literature. Her writings include magazine articles, short fiction stories, several anthologies, and her novel, Shadow Dancer, published through Rogue Phoenix Press. A complete listing can be found on her blog. Please feel free to contact her at ctnyrene@aol.com or http://www.ctnyrene.blogspot.com/.