 
Please welcome our Guest Author, Shannon McKenna – author of the upcoming Edge of Midnight.
 Hello to everyone, and thanks, Sybil, for inviting me to participate on your blog today! I’m honored to be here.
EDGE OF MIDNIGHT comes out at the end of the month, and I’m so excited! It’s been a long time coming, although to be truthful, it was the very first single title romantic suspense idea I ever had, even before BEHIND CLOSED DOORS. I had a huge, thick sheaf of notes on it, it was tentatively entitled with a dorky clunky, title, FIRESTORM, I think, (all my titles get nixed by my publisher, and a good thing, too—I suck at titles) and then, whoosh, BCD came along and elbowed it right out of my head, my computer, my life. I believe this was because the BCD hero, Seth Mackey, is just that way. Rude and obtrusive. He pushed everything out of his way (or into it, in the heroine’s case). And then the McCloud brothers just sort of waltzed into Seth’s story and became real in my head, and Sean himself began to take form, in the fringes of the next few stories.
I think I left him for later partly because he was the youngest, and for God’s sake, it takes so long to write these books! Time passes, the clock ticks, those poor guys were getting older! They have to get on with it and find their ladies! But I also waited because he was such a mystery to me, and I was afraid to mess it up. I wanted to discover him slowly, not to muscle him into a story and try to make him behave. He was such a clown, but I knew it was probably just a front, and that he would end up being more complex than I would ever expect, what with his troubled childhood, and his twin being killed, and all that bad business.
But people have been asking for him for six long years! It’s about time!
The process of writing these books is still and always an agonizing mystery to me. The level of suffering and doubt remains constant throughout the process, although the reasons for suffering mutate and change in the course of the book. In the beginning, it’s the classic Terror of the Blank Page, the horrible fear that this time it will be a huge dud and everyone will be disappointed and hate my guts, and the pages that creep out are dull, stupid, boring, dead sounding clunkers, blah blah blah, you get my drift. This tedious anxiety goes on for months, until the deadline starts to loom like a fire breathing dragon.
And then—and only then—the story starts to squeeze out of me. Then, right before or even some time after the deadline, it’s like a flash flood of bubbling ideas, cross-pollination of plot points, subplots sewing themselves up as if by magic, dialog pouring out, characters coming to life and surprising me—all of that is a wonderful and exciting period, if it wasn’t for the price I pay on the home front. Which is to say, the dirty house, the buzzing insomnia, the burned dinner, the piles of dirty laundry, the angry toddler who feels abandoned, the uncomfortable feeling of not having exercised my body for two months . . . it’s bad. Painful.
And having said all that, I know it’s a strange, inexplicable contradiction, but I still love my job, and I am still amazed and grateful that I can earn a living this way. As they say here in Southern Italy, I “kiss the feet of the Madonna,” even though I’m not Catholic. Hey, the Madonna is great. I’ll kiss ’em anyway. She looks nice—I’m sure she doesn’t mind.
Oh, how I wish, though, that I could figure out a steadier, more plodding, workaday method of making the books come out. But would it work? Even if I did manage to make people leave me alone for six hours a day, or even, God help me, four? Or three? Could I arrive at my deadlines with a finished product with less desperation, fear, dread, stress, etc? In Stephen King’s book On Writing (King is my hero, by the way, or one of them) he says he sits down in the morning and doesn’t stop till he’s written two thousand words. Wow. Bully for him. If only.
I’m experiencing a lot of uncertainty about what comes next in my writing career. I did just finish Nick Ward’s story, entitled EXTREME DANGER (out next February, I believe!) and then I have one book left to write before this contract ends and the Great Unknown opens wide before me. I’ve left a lot of doors open; for instance, I’ve got a bunch of brothers and a sister for Zan Duncan, the hero of HOT NIGHT, so that’s another possible series to develop. And I’m currently writing a romantic suspense novella for the Bad Boys series which features Robin MacNamara as the heroine, the little sister of “Mac,” the hero of my novella “Meltdown.”
There’s another brother in that MacNamara family, Danny, who now desperately needs his own novella. I feel responsibility for his happiness! Plus, people often ask me about the mysterious Tamara, who I would love to write about, except that she’s such a soiled dove, I get a really dubious response from my editors about the possibility of proposing her as a romantic heroine. She’s been around the block a few too many times for their tastes. And I understand that. But damn. I like her. She intrigues me. Ah, well. We’ll see.
But my secret dream would be to try my hand at fantasy adventure romance. A few years ago, I got a fun, sexy idea for one, and it’s been buzzing and niggling at the back of my mind ever since.
But hey. The romantic suspense thing is working out for me right now, and like anything else in life, it’s scary to contemplate making a big change, and messing with my good thing. If I could just work on it without a deadline (hah! When have I ever written a word without a deadline?) or in my free time (hah! What frigging free time?) then maybe . . . just maybe . . . oh, enough griping. Life is good, no matter what.
I guess what I have just revealed to all the embarrassing truth that I have no idea where it’s all going. I take it from day to day, and from book to book, in total crisis mode. I have no master plan. I guess I need one. But a fantasy adventure romance with paranormal elements, or even a series like that . . . it’s my dream. I’m a huge fantasy buff myself. Cut my teeth on Tolkien, and in recent years have really adored Guy Gavriel Kay and Jacqueline Carey.
But we’ll see…
Thanks, Shannon! Fellow readers – below is a list of Shannon’s releases.Â
31 Jul 07 
, 1 Jul 07 
, Oct 06 
, Apr 06 
, Jun 05 
, Mar 05 
, Aug 04 
, Oct 03 
, Nov 02Â 
, Oct 01 
I can’t believe it has been 6 years since her first book! And I still have it after 6 years.
Man, time does fly 🙂
Oh, Shannon when you said this:
Even if I did manage to make people leave me alone for six hours a day, or even, God help me, four? Or three? Could I arrive at my deadlines with a finished product with less desperation, fear, dread, stress, etc?
I knew I’d found a kindred writer’s soul! 🙂 But whatever you do to make the words flow–and however you do it–don’t stop!
(And dear Madonna, what a view you have . . .)
Yeah, Edna . . nice to hear somebody gets it . ..
This morning, my two year old refused to hug me, gave me the cold shoulder and said, “No, Mommy, I can’t be with you right now. I have to work.”
Augh! Guilt tripping at age two! What’s she going to do when she’s thirteen?
And Katiebabs,it’s true, I can’t believe its only six years! Feels like forever. And it feels like a wink.
love, Shannon
Augh! Guilt tripping at age two! What’s she going to do when she’s thirteen?
You. Do. Not. Want. To. Know. 🙂
(Okay, that’s enough fooling around on your blog, Sybil. I am going to work, so I can experience that angst and dread that Shannon just talked about.)
Hi Shannon! Just wanted to pop by and say hi. Having had the pleasure of reading an early copy of EOM, I can tell everyone that it is fabulous. The kind of book that makes me look at my own work in progress, sigh, and wonder why I even bother. I can’t wait for Nick’s story, especially if his heroine is who I think it is. I may have to pry an early copy out of you know who.
And I can relate on the titles – I’m currently having a title crisis of my own.
I think a Tamara book is a great idea.
Editor here, saying hi (Jami tipped me off). I feel guilty for making you work that hard at the last second. But you got a 4- and-a-half-star rave review from Romantic Times again. They said EDGE OF MIDNIGHT was passionate and intense and dangerous and heart-pounding and that it had intricate storylines tying in the edge-of-your-seat ending with flawless ease. So maybe you write better with a snooty toddler dissing you and heaps of laundry piling up? As E.C. says, you don’t want to know what a thirteen year old will say to you. They say mostly bad things. Or nothing at all. Young louts will call at all hours. Some will attempt to befriend you, the kind mother of the newly minted goddessette. Ask them to move heavy furniture — they need something to do while yearning hopelessly for your daughter, who is sure to openly pity you and your feeble attempts to control her. Only solution: Swiss boarding school. Try to get that covered in next contract with a specific clause. Author shall receive reimbursement for enrollment of author’s child in Alpine academy patrolled by German shepherds and ugly middle-aged men with sparse hair. Author shall also receive reimbursement for extended stay at luxury spa, to be chosen by author, including cabana fees and pedicures, until said child has reached 18.
Hilary, can you add a similar clause to my next contract?
Shannon, please write Tamara’s story! She’s really pulled herself together in the last couple of books. She deserves her hero.
okay, back to my own pitiful WIP…
But you have boys. They will actually like you. Mom = food. Mom = compassion. Mom = good advice. Dad = watch it.
I am not at all dubious about Tamara. Intrigued? Yes. Enthusiastic. Yes!
Shannon, if you write it, they will come.
Kate
Hi, jamie! glad you liked EOM! Hilary, your post made me giggle madly. I think my Katie is going to be quite a handful as she grows, she’s so manipulative and subtle and complicated now, it’s scary. So Swiss boarding school might be just the thing.
So, gee, everybody’s had a change of heart about Tamara! Last time I suggested it, I got teased that she was too much like Grace Jones, and she would tie the hero to a chair. A real danger, now that I think about it.
I guess if I did a Tam book, she would have to have an alpha hero to end all alpha heroes to counteract her yang energy.
All Tam fans will be pleased to know that in EXTREME DANGER she plays a big role and gets to kick some butt. Sometimes I worry about letting her take up space in a book, because she threatens to overshadow the heroine.
Tamara. Hmmm. Yes, it is time for Tamara and the world is ready for her (in fact, the world needs her). And yes, her hero will have to be the alphiest alpha male ever and if you could throw him in the shower and get him wet for no reason at all, that would be great. Speaking of, a lot of New York is under water–we have been barraged by potent thunderstorms, to use the overheated language of the weathercasters, and flash floods — so am heading home. Squish squish, said the sneakers. Screech screech, said the subway car. Do you expect me to go out in that???? asked Leroy the dachshund, looking horrified and returning to his fuzzy blanket under the kitchen table. Love to all.
You mean Tamara doesn’t get Nick??
(sobbing softly)
And Hilary, you mean I don’t have to have proper motivation for getting my heroes into the shower? To think I’ve been worried about my character’s actions making logical sense. off to write a shower scene!
I enjoy romantic suspense alot but would love to see you do that fantasy adventure romance. I love fantasy and I think it would be great to see you write one. Thank you for being here Shannon.
Hey, Jami! Yeah, sorry, Tamara doesn’t get Nick, but they’re at least good buddies. Well, in their complicated way.
Now that Hilary’s gone home, I can tell you that I got Nick wet LOTS of times. Lake scene, shower scene, hot tub scene, rainstorm scene.
I have no shame. Besides. I’ve developed a taste for wet men myself, at this point.
So glad everybody thinks the world is ready for Tam!
Shannon
Just to let you all know . . . it’s now midnight here, and I am fading, so I’m off to bed, but if anyone feels like asking me any more questions, please go ahead and I’ll get back to them tomorrow~
Thanks again, all, for the opportunity to hang out and say hi!
Love,
Shannon
Oh, hey, Cherie, just saw your post. Thanks! I will do that fantasy someday. It keeps tugging at me!
Thanks for the encouragement.
Shannon
This sounds good. And I say go for it on writing the fantasy I’d read lol.
Hi Shannon. I am very glad to meet you here. You are very hard to find on-line.
After the McCloud brothers out of the way, I turned my eyes to Tamara (sorry, Nick). She is the most intrigue character I ever met in the books. I would take bad girl over the innocent one any day. I like her when she appeared in BCD and even like her more in OOC. Please, please, please write about her.
And what is wrong about tying the hero to the chair? I would love that scene.
Big fan here. And so glad that you’ve finally got another release coming out! We’ve all been waiting (and waiting…) for another McCloud brother 🙂 Yay!
Damn, I missed it! A little birdy told me Shannon was here. So, uh, although er’body is gone I just have to say a few things. One, Shannon, Edge of Midnight ROCKED! Dear God in heaven that book TOOK ME THERE!!!! One particular scene I read, girl, you had me jonesing!! I had to get up, walk around the room, fan myself, hot flashes racing and ALL THAT, until I could go back and finish it, DAYUM!! Second, I am soooo gonna get you, Hilary! I think I BEGGED you a couple of months ago while hangin’ with you in NY, to have Shannon write Tam’s story, si? Girl, Grace Jone’s types of chicks need love to, for real! Tam is the MAN…uh, I mean, girl! How happy am I that I’m not the only one who loves that ball bustin’ chick! WOOT!!!
Okay, back to my cave. I uh, have something to turn in to a certain editor…teehee
XO
~K
Oh, gosh, looks like I might have to put in a chair tying scene . . .
Hey, May B. Why am I hard to find? If you write to me, I always write back! sometimes it takes me a while when I have a deadline, but I always do!
Hope you like EOM, Lori, and Kim, I love your descriptive reactions! Now I REALLY want to know which scene it was that had you all het up. You’re so right–Grace Jones types need love too.
Good luck finishing GET YOUR SEXY ON. I can’t wait for it.
Hugs to all,
Shannon
That entire book was one big ole thrill fest for me, Shannon! The dialogue was tight–I love the “real” way your characters speak! I downright giggle sometimes. I remember reading one of the characters call another a pussywhipped asshole *g*
I’m a complete sucker for an over the top Alpha man, and Sean fit that to a “T”. I also really liked Liv. BUT, the particular scene I was referring to, hmmm, don’t want to give anything away, but it had to be one of the hottest scenes I’ve evah read. It was the scene where Sean “allowed” Liv, in his own way, to be the dominant. Good gawd amighty! ::blushing::
I typed THE END on Get Your Sexy on, less than twenty minutes ago, thus me being up so late! I can’t wait to send it your way, mami 😉
Off to bed to sleep for the next 24 hours!
~K
Ms McKenna, I still vividly remember my first book from you. It was Behind Closed Doors, I bought it from an Amazon birthday voucher and ravished it in one evening. The next day and the day after I read it twice more. I can’t help myself, when I find a book that’s perfect I simply have to read it at least twice in a row and once a year. You were one of the first Brava authors I really, truly enjoyed and, of course, I discovered you simultaneously with Liz Carlyle, the goddess of Regency, that makes your novels even more endearing to me 🙂
Never meant to say that you didn’t answer you e-mail. Just that do not see you around board and blog.
Agreed with Katherina, YOU are the one hooked me with Brava. Back then I had a policy NOT buying anything except for paperback. You changed that.
Hey. No idea if you guys are still checking this board, but I had to write back just in case–I am awfully fond of the scene you mentioned Kim! hee hee I’m glad it worked for you!
and CONGRATULATIONS on typing The End. Doesn’t it feel just great?
And Katharina, thanks for your sweet compliments! Wow, twice in a row! That’s a HUGE honor. I appreciate your telling me so.
And thanks to you, too, May. It takes a lot to make me buy a book in any format but mass market. I only buy Diana Gabaldon, Harry Potter and Guy Gaviel Kay books in hardcover, myself!
Anyhow, it was great chatting with you all!.
Hugs,
Shannon
Hi Shannon. Great blog. Edge of Midnight and Behind Closed Doors sound great.
I love all her books.
You will not be disappointed in any of Shannon’s books
the news simply broke my heart..I’m Sad that Nick and Tamara won’t be together,I think they both have same demons and truly deserve each others,one is a fed and other is ex Lawless woman..mmm what a combination.I thought Nick & Tamara would be happilly ever after together,but I was wrong.