SC: T ell me a little bit about your main character of this
book.
CS: Asha is the main character of Unbalanced. She was born
with the power of fire, and her temper is as hot as her element. After a
mysterious and deadly fire kills her family, Asha is forced into hiding with
her guardian and handler Father Sean. Asha works to control both her crippling
guilt and her frightening power. Father Sean sees the potential in young Asha
and sends her out on various missions as a trained mercenary with a gift for
explosions. Though her personality reflects her element, Asha is an extremely
skilled fighter with a sharp military mind. She is tough, serious, and mostly
angry. Her passion and temper rule her, but after meeting her sisters for the
first time, she changes from angry rebel-mercenary to fierce protector.
SC: . Do you believe in the paranormal and if so, do you
have an experience you can share?
CS: I do believe in the paranormal.
Years ago, a very strange thing happened to me once. I was
at a friend’s place for the evening after a long night out of dancing and fun.
Her place was a refurbished outbuilding, a makeshift shed transformed into a
suite, and she needed a space heater to heat it in the winter. We were both
tired from dancing so hard all night, we passed out quite quickly.
The unsettling moment was when I heard someone calling my
name. It came from far away at first, like a distant murmur, but it got louder
and louder until I recognized the voice. It was the voice of a great love who
was killed in a car accident when I was a senior in high school.
His voice continued to get louder like an increasing alarm,
until he shouted in my ear, “Courtney, wake up!”
I was startled awake, my heart thumping in my chest. I still
felt him in the room, like he had just left the moment I opened my eyes. My
heart pounded with that unnatural speed of ‘something huge just happened’ but I
didn’t know what. I looked around for him, because still in a
sleepy-dream-like-haze I expected him to be there, for his shouted voice still
echoed in my ears. But then I realized
as my heart slowed, the room was full of smoke.
I’ll never forget the visual of the smoke hovering and
collecting in layers in the small room.
One of us, probably me, had knocked a decorative pillow off the bed onto
the space heater. The cushion was slowly burning, causing the room to fill with
smoke.
I still believe, though we may not have burned up or
suffocated in that room, my boyfriend was there to warn me. And when he wasn’t able to wake me up easily,
he had to shout in my ear.
SC: Whew! Sounds like your friend arrived just in time. What titles are you working on now that you
can tell us about?
CS: Unbalanced is the first book in the Unbalanced Series,
and I am currently working on Unbent the second book in the series. Unbalanced
deals with Asha, the fire element’s story, while Unbent deals with Mere, the
water element’s story.
SC: Thanks so much
for stopping by. Speaking of Asha, let's look at your novel now.
Unbalanced
Unbalanced Series
Book 1
Courtney Shepard
Genre: Urban fantasy, light romance
Publisher: Champagne Books
Date of Publication: June 1st, 2015
ISBN: 9781771551502
ASIN: B00Y6A2RVU
Number of pages: 224
Word Count: 75,000
Cover Artist: Trisha FitzGerald
Tagline: Four sister, one destiny.
Book Description:
Every generation four sisters with power over earth, air, fire, and water are born to fight against a fanatical, secret faith. The Order exists only to sacrifice the sisters for their power. With each success their strength and control grows. They have never failed, for their rule depends on it.
The sisters, separated at birth, are unaware of what hunts them...but they are coming.
A handsome stranger discovers Asha in hiding, and swears allegiance to her cause. She falls for him; though he is not who he says he is. Betrayed and imprisoned inside the Order, Asha is without her power for the first time in her life.
As the war heats up haunting secrets and true motivations are revealed, but the sisters must unite and override their instincts and trust the untrustworthy if they are to fight their terrifying destiny.
Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/1YMFi48_zIA
Excerpt:
With a crack and
rumble, the ground surrounding the cabin broke apart and water burst from the
earth. It sprayed as strong as any fire hose up and over the cabin. The
pounding force was like a waterfall in reverse, and the flames sputtered and
died.
She had never
seen anything like it, an enormous water fountain extinguishing fire burning
that hot. The cabin door, charred and still smoking, flew off its hinges and
onto the flooded grass.
Three figures
ran out into the early morning glare. Asha took off her helmet and slouchy
hood, but her eyes weren’t playing tricks. She could see them clearly, even
across the distance, and her stomach dropped. They stopped short, facing an
army with guns raised. No.
“Fire!”
“Stop!” Her
scream was too late; the soldiers fired. She didn’t have time to act; they were
sitting ducks. She prepared for their thrashing bodies, but like a swarm of
hovering locusts, the bullets stopped in mid-air and dropped.
What? She
couldn’t get her mind around the scene unfolding before her. She’d lost control
of her body. Her muscles wouldn’t move.
“Hold your
fire,” Clay shouted, but the soldiers continued shooting.
His brothers
were the only ones not attacking. They had to be as shocked by the falling
bullets as she was. She couldn’t blame them. She was as still and as useless as
a rock, unable to move or act, only watch in growing disbelief. Three young
women stood against an army.
“Asha,” yelled
one of the girls, her eyes were even brighter green than Clay’s. “We’re your
sisters. We’ve been looking for you.”
Sisters?
About the Author:
Courtney Shepard is a freelance writer living on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia. After initially studying for a career in journalism, she switched to fiction writing.
Unbalanced is the first book in the Unbalanced Series published by Champagne Books.
Thank you so much for hosting me!!!
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