Ramblings From This Chick: Interview with Author Jamie Shaw and Giveaway

Thursday, August 6, 2015

Interview with Author Jamie Shaw and Giveaway

Meet Jamie Shaw author of Chaos.

Born and raised in South Central Pennsylvania, Jamie Shaw earned her M.S. in Professional Writing before realizing that the creative side of writing was her calling. An incurable night-owl, she spends late hours crafting novels with relatable heroines and swoon-worthy leading men. She's a loyal drinker of white mochas, a fierce defender of emo music, and a passionate enthusiast of all things romance. She loves interacting with readers and always aims to add new names to their book boyfriend lists.

First off, can you tell us a bit about you?

This question is always so hard! Well, I guess you can probably tell I’m an author of New Adult. :) It’s a genre I fell in love with a few years ago as a reader, and my first book just came out in January. I write about rock stars because I’m a huge fan of rock music. Some of my favorite bands include Mayday Parade, Taking Back Sunday, The Dangerous Summer, The Maine, and Brand New.

Did you always want to be a writer?

I love this question because the answer is no! In fact, until I graduated college, I actually hated to read (I had never read anything that wasn’t a required reading, and that sucked the love out of it for me!). My love of reading didn’t begin until my early twenties, when I discovered YA and romance. My love of writing came a year or two after that, and once I was bitten by the writing bug, I knew there was no going back!

What kind of writer are you? Panster or Plotter?

Both. I always begin a book with a loose plot, and then as I go, I outline. But I usually end up straying from the outline quite a bit because my characters drag me in new directions.

Where do your ideas come from?

Almost every author you ask will give this same copout response — “Everywhere!” — but it’s true. I get inspiration from music, from TV, from books, from my friends, from my own crazy life with my husband. Music, especially, is really inspiring to me because it gets me in the mood for the scenes I need to write.

A la Twitter style, can you describe your book (or series) in 140 characters or less.

Easy: “NO!”

Hahaha. But I guess I can try. ;)

In high school, she was a forgettable one-night stand. Now, she's a rock star, she's in his band, and she's determined to be unforgettable.

What are some of your favorite kinds of stories to read?

I’m a sucker for YA, NA, and anything paranormal. Seriously, give me a paranormal YA any day of the week. I love books that take me someplace else.

Do you have a favorite book and if so what is it?

I’m going to cheat a little here and answer with my favorite series (a paranormal YA): The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare. Seriously, don’t even get me started on how much I *LOVE* that series (and really, anything by Cassandra Clare). The entire series from start to finish was just… God, I can’t even describe it because it was so, so, sososososo amazing. The ending was absolutely beautiful, and I could honestly talk about those books for days.

What are the scenes that are the hardest for you to write?

Scenes where my characters have their hearts broken. When I write, I really get into the story—I feel what my characters feel—and when their hearts break, mine does too. In RIOT, I cried sad tears for one of my characters because I just hurt for him so much. In CHAOS, I cried too, but I’m relieved to say they were happy tears! You’ll have to read the book to see if you can guess which scene.

If you could have dinner with any three authors, who would you choose and why?

I’ve been lucky enough to have dinner with many of my favorite authors (Jennifer Armentrout, Jay Crownover, Tiffany King, Sophie Jordan), but there are a few more I can think of:

Cassandra Clare — I’m just such a fangirl of hers, I’d totally embarrass myself. Like I said before, the Infernal Devices series ruined me for all other books.
Julie Kagawa — Julie’s Iron Fey series was the first YA/romance I ever fell in love with. It was the series that made me love to read. It changed my whole life, and I could spend an entire dinner with Julie just gushing about it and thanking her profusely. Plus, I’d love to meet the creator of Puck and Ash!
J.L. Bourne — Bourne wrote the Day by Day Armageddon series, which is a zombie series that rocked my world. It is SO good. I’m a zombie fanatic, and Bourne is a military officer who knows his stuff. I’d love to spend dinner picking his brain about doomsday scenarios and zombie stuff!

Last question, are you working on anything right now?

I actually just had a baby six weeks ago, so right now, he’s my big project. :) But pretty soon, I hope to get to work on a few writing projects I’ve had on the back burner. One of them is the fourth Mayhem series book, which will be Mike the drummer’s story. Readers have been clamoring for his story since the first book, Mayhem, and I have tons of ideas for it!

Which would you rather date—a rock star, an actor, or a writer? And why?

From the moment she saw Shawn Scarlett perform at a school talent show, Kit Larson has loved two things: the guitar, and the gorgeous, green-eyed boy who inspired her to play. But one careless night in high school shatters her hope of ever being more than a notch on his bedpost.

Six years, two bands, and one mostly-mended heart later, Kit’s about to make her rock star dreams a reality as the new guitarist for Shawn’s band, The Last Ones to Know. He may not remember their reckless night together, but Kit has never forgotten… and she’s determined to make him eat his heart out.

The release of their new album means a month cooped up on a tour bus, sleeping inches away from the ridiculously sexy musician she’s never quite gotten over. And as Kit gets to know the real Shawn—not Shawn Scarlett, the rock god, the player—their attraction becomes too hot to resist. But the past is paved with secrets, and when they finally surface, Kit could lose everything: the band, the music, her dreams… and Shawn.

Purchase: | Amazon | Kindle | B&N | iTunes | Kobo |

Check out the Mayhem series:

On our walk through a short hallway, the blonde apologizes for the rude welcome and tells me her name is Rowan, and then we turn into the cavernous space that is Mayhem. A massive bar lines one wall, a stage lines the other, and in the middle of the room sits a row of card tables and six foldout chairs—like some kind of makeshift setup for the judges of American Idol.

I cross the club to lean my guitar against the stage and, in an attempt to convince myself Shawn isn’t about to magically appear at any freaking moment, I say, “So it’s just going to be us?”

“No—” Dee starts, but she’s barely gotten the word out before a back door opens and bright afternoon sunlight spills onto the floor, paving the way for all four remaining members of The Last Ones to Know.

Joel Gibbon enters first, his blond hair giving him away. In high school, it was a gelled mess that stood up all over the place; now it’s a disciplined mohawk that cuts a line down the center of his head. He’s followed by Mike Madden, who looks the same and yet somehow more manly, like he grew into himself. Adam Everest walks in next, looking even hotter than he did six years ago. His hair is still long and untamed, his jeans still look like they got into a fight with a paper shredder and lost, and his wrists are still adorned with stacks of mismatched bracelets. The blonde girl walks to meet him, and I feel sorry for the way she’s going to feel when Adam decides to stop calling.

And then, I get my first glimpse of Shawn Scarlett just before the door closes behind him. My eyes fight to adjust back to the dim lighting, and when it does, he’s all I can see. He has that same dark hair, that same scruffy jaw, that same look about him that makes it hard for me to breathe.

“Guys, this is Kit,” Dee says while Shawn continues stealing the breath from my lungs. “She’s up next.”

They all look me over as they gather close, with only Adam and Joel managing to contain their ogling. When I see the way Shawn is raking his eyes over me, a satisfied smile sneaks onto my face. After six years of not being able to forget him, this single moment is making it all worthwhile. Whether he remembers me or not, he’s staring at me like I’m the hottest chick he’s ever seen.

These pants were so worth it.

“We thought you were a dude,” Joel says, wrapping his arm around Dee’s shoulder and giving me an excuse to play it cool.

“Yeah,” I say, withdrawing my gaze from Shawn even though I can feel his green eyes still tracing over the curves of my exposed skin. “I gathered that when your girlfriend tried to close the door in my face.”

“Have we met before?” Shawn asks, and a laugh almost bubbles out of me. Have we met? Yeah, I guess you could call it that.

He’s staring at me with a slight squint to his enchanted forest eyes, but I refuse to let them charm me. Instead, I meet them with a smirk and say, “We went to the same school.”

“What year were you?”

“Three under you.”

“Didn’t you used to come to our shows?” Mike asks, but I stare at Shawn for a moment longer, waiting to see if my smile, my eyes, or my voice jog his memory. The rejected teenage girl in me wants to claw his face off for forgetting me, but rationally, I know he’s given me the upper hand in a game I wasn’t aware I’d be playing. One I’m making up the rules for as I go along.

When Shawn stares and stares and still can’t place me, I turn to Mike and answer, “Sometimes.”