Interview with author Ashley Dawn

Today at Reviews and Interviews is author Ashley Dawn to talk about her newest series novel Shadows of Pain as part of a virtual book tour.

Bio:
Author Ashley Dawn was born and raised in rural Arkansas where she developed her love for writing while helping in her parent's office. She graduated with an accounting degree from the University of Central Arkansas but is currently working as a legal assistant. Ashley has been writing professionally for the past eight years and has three published books. Her first book, Shadows From The Past, was originally published by Tate Publishing and is considered more of a traditionally published book while the second, Shadows of Suspicion, was published by self publication using AuthorHouse. She is currently working on multiple projects including a standalone mystery about a serial killer that remains untitled.

You can find out all about her current books and future releases on her website. Ashley also has a review blog to share her love of reading, Ashley’s Bookshelf, where she reads and reviews books of all genres. She and her family make their home in Texas.

Welcome to Reviews and Interviews, Ashley. Please tell us about your current release.
Shadows of Pain is the third in my Shadows series. All of my characters from earlier books flow in and out of the story line but it focuses on Kami Reynolds and Daniel Jenkins. Kami, an FBI agent and Daniel, and LAPD officer have been attracted since they met, but there have always been issues standing in their way. Now, with a killer after them, their issues resolved, it seems like the worst time for a relationship to start but maybe it is just perfect for them.

What inspired you to write this book?
I absolutely fell in love with Kami’s character in my first book, Shadows From the Past and Daniel always had more of a story to tell. The two of them have always fit together, but needed their own story. That is what Shadows of Pain has done, given the two of them their own story and continued the story of the whole Reiley and LAPD group.

What exciting story are you working on next?
I’m currently trying to focus on a new book that isn’t related to my Shadows Series. It is titled Right to Remanin?, at the moment anyway, and is about a nurse, Lisa, and an attorney, Pierce. They have a past, but when Lisa’s niece is threatened by a serial killer, she turns to him for help. They have to struggle to keep Kymm safe and themselves alive.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I guess I really considered myself a writer when I completed my first book, about eight years ago. Before that, I’d always dabbled in writing but had never focused on it as something I really wanted to do. When I started writing Shadows From the Past, it was like everything fit and writing became my passion. I absolutely love writing and sharing my thoughts!

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I only wish I could write full time. At the moment, I work as a legal assistant full time and am the mother of two little ones so most of my writing happens either late in the evening--like 1 a.m.--or on a weekend. If I can get the kids in bed and housework done, it is wonderful to spend the evening lost in my own world, if not, my husband is great about giving me time on the weekends when he is spending time with the kids. I don’t get a whole LOT of time to write but I do make the best of the time I do get!

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I would say that the most interesting quirk I have is the fact that I write down the whole story. I mean literally take a legal pad and pen and write down whatever story I’m working on. From there, I do type it up and edit etc after that but the only way I can make the story work for me is to sit down and hand write the whole thing!

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a vet. There were several things actually, a biologist, vet, zoo worker...pretty much anything that had to do with animals. I loved and still love all kinds of animals but the path to those jobs just didn’t work. For the vet, I was terrified of needles and that pretty much cut that out. Zoo worker and biologist just aren’t in demand because there are so many people who want that type of work and besides, that is when I fell in love with writing!

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
Thank you for taking the time to stop by and get to know me a bit better :) and thank you, Lisa, for having me on your blog today!

It was my pleasure, Ashley. Thanks for being here.