Welcome to S.M. Spencer!

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Author Name: S M Spencer – the Absent Shadows Trilogy

When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I think the desire to be a writer started in my teens. I read a lot and would often get caught up in the characters, living their stories long after I’d finished the books. I had a great deal of respect for authors that could do that, and I wanted to be like them.

How long did it take to get your first book published?

I canvassed a number of agents and a couple of e-book publishers and got responses that varied from cold to lukewarm. The main message coming through was that the genre was very crowded, so I figured I was wasting my time trying to get a publisher to put their money into the series. But with encouragement from friends and family I decided to simply bite the bullet and do it myself.

What is the name of your latest book, and if you had to summarize it in less than 20 words what would you say?

The Absent Shadows Trilogy: young Californian visits her aunt in Australia and finds herself caught up in a world full of vampires and ghosts.

How long did it take you to write that story?

The Absent Shadows Trilogy took a few years – but it is three books, and I was still working full-time when I started it.

What can we expect from you in the future? 

I’m finishing off a contemporary/rural romance story that is the first of what will be a series, and I’m in the midst of a science fiction/thriller story.  I will most likely write more in the paranormal romance genre as I hope to write the continuation of the Absent Shadows story.

What genre would you place your books into?

The Absent Shadows Trilogy is YA paranormal romance, because it has no graphic sex or violence.

What made you decide to write in that genre?

I was working around the corner from Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Markets, up near the Flagstaff Gardens. Walking around at lunchtime, I started sensing that I was smack dab in the middle of the perfect setting for ghosts and vampires—and the story just developed from there. Of course, the late night ghost tours I’d done in the area, where I’d learned the history of the cemetery under the market’s carpark and about ghost sightings all throughout the area, really helped. And like many, I was caught up in the resurgence in popularity of vampires.

Do you have a favorite character from this story?

I love all my characters, but I think I like Crystal the best. She is caring, and beautiful, and gentle and all things feminine. But at the same time, she is strong and powerful, and not to be messed with. She is Aphrodite and Athena wrapped up in one awesome little package.

How long have you been writing, and who or what inspired you to write?

I’ve been writing seriously for about the last five years, but I was inspired to write when I was just a teenager. When I finished Daphne Du Maurier’s Frenchman’s Creek, I couldn’t get the story and characters out of my head for the longest time. Years later, I went to Cornwall, and found what I thought could have been the setting for the book and relived those pages once again. I had so much respect for this ability to create a story that had such a lasting effect on me as a reader that I wanted to do the same thing.

Are there any hidden messages or morals contained in your story?

Trust your intuition, and follow your heart.

Which format of book do you prefer: eBook, hardback, or paperback?

I prefer to read eBooks and paperbacks. I find most hardbacks too heavy to sit and read, although they do look nice on the shelf.

What is your favorite book and Why?  Have you read it more than once?

I tend to have a new favourite every time I finish a good one. A recent favourite is The Glade, by a fellow indieBRAG Medallion honoree, Harmony Kent. But I also really loved Harmful Intent, by Robin Cook. My favourties have included such classics as Gone with the Wind, The House at Pooh Corner, Something Wicked This Way Comes and of course, the Lord of the Rings series.

Do you think books transfer to movies well? Which is you favorite/worst book to movie transfer?

I think books with good characters, as well as lots of dialogue and action, become great movies. Books that are more cerebral, that are in the head of the key character, are harder to translate to film.

Your favorite Author is?

Do I have to pick just one? I go through various genre moods. I devoured all the Harry Potter books as well as The Chronicles of Narnia (didn’t everyone?) but also enjoy finding an author with a continuing series, like Patricia Cornwell, John Lescroart and Janet Evanovich. I particularly enjoy a good mystery/thriller with a romantic element. And I can’t leave Ray Bradbury, Stephen King, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and Daphne Du Maurier off the list either. Seriously, it goes on and on and on …

Destiny Excerpt:

Sometimes, when something bad happens, time seems to slow to a crawl. 

Like that time I was running to visit my friend who lived down the street. I was only about ten at the time, but it seemed like it was yesterday. I remember exactly how it felt as I ran down that street toward her house. And how, when I was only part way there, I stepped on an acorn and my foot rolled out from under me. As I fell, the pavement got closer and closer to my face—in horrible slow-motion. I hit the ground with my hands stretched out in front of me, scraping the skin off both palms. They barely bled but man they hurt like crazy.

Yes, I could replay that memory like a slow-motion movie in my head even now—years later.

But this … well, this wasn’t like that.

What happened next was like a series of still photos. Tom flew out of the bedroom in a blur, but stopped just long enough for the image of his face to be burnt into my mind. His eyes were no longer soft brown, but were instead a glowing red, and his normally tanned complexion was now pallid grey. But what really stood out was the blood that ran down from the corner of his mouth.

Then I heard Sam’s voice—loud and harsh. ‘Go!’

Tom was gone and I heard the door slam.

I closed my eyes for no more than a long blink—it couldn’t have been more than a second—but when I opened them, Sam was in the bedroom, bending over Claire. Was he doing something to her neck? She was so still.

I ran to the doorway but stopped short of going in. I couldn’t draw a breath to scream or talk. I just stood there, frozen.

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

Series Description: 

The Absent Shadows Trilogy is the story of nineteen year-old Lili McIntyre who decides to trade her California summer for a mid-winter visit to Australia in hope of finding inspiration and direction in the country where her father was born.

When she arrives in Melbourne, the first thing Lili finds is the last thing she’s looking for—a brooding man who makes her heart race every time she sees him. Against her better judgement, Lili finds herself drawn into a relationship that tests her very beliefs about life, reality and fantasy.

Follow Lili’s journey across Australia as she searches for her destiny, faces some of the hardest decisions of her life, makes incredible sacrifices, and encounters deception in places where it is least expected.

About the Author:

S M Spencer was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area of California.

As a young teenager she was introduced to the world of romantic suspense through the works of authors such as Daphne du Maurier and Mary Stewart. These books stirred in her a passion that would last a lifetime: to become a writer.

Feeling the need to experience life before embarking on a writing career, Ms Spencer completed a business degree. Her career eventually landed her in Melbourne, Australia, where she has lived ever since.

SM Spencer now writes from her home in a semi-rural part of Australia, where she lives with her husband, horses, cats and dogs. 

S M Spencer’s first series is called Absent Shadows Trilogy. To find out more about the series, and obtain free samples of each of the books, visit Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=series_rw_dp_labf?_encoding=UTF8&field-collection=Absent%20Shadows%20Trilogy&url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text

You can also follow her on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/SMSpencer.writer  for advice about upcoming promotions as well as updates on the books she’s currently working on.

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