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| Shelby K. Morrison, Author SHATTERED |
Shelby K. Morrison just released her debut novel, SHATTERED, described by reviewers as “a
captivating...thought provoking...action packed psychological thriller!” full
of surprises. The novel tracks a college student from Beaverton, Oregon, who
senses she is being watched.
Morrison currently lives in Utah, but was born in
Oregon and grew up in California and Utah. She plans to try on multiple genres and is currently writing a fantasy story. She says she is addicted to doing
research, but also enjoys DIY projects, and especially “hanging out” with her
husband and two shih-tzus.
Q: In what genre[s]
would you place SHATTERED? Mystery, thriller, or SciFi? Or all three? Who will
enjoy reading SHATTERED the most?
Shelby K. Morrison:
After doing some thinking, listening to my readers and learning about genres,
I'd actually place SHATTERED among the psychological thrillers. The sci-fi
aspect is so small that those that aren't sci-fi fans would steer clear when
they really shouldn't. No spaceships, no aliens. Readers that enjoy a good thinker
and some fast action will enjoy SHATTERED, no matter the age. If they are tired
of the traditional who-dun-it mysteries and want something fresh to nag at
their thoughts, SHATTERED is the book for them. Also, any readers fascinated by
conspiracy theories should definitely pick up SHATTERED. It could also be
categorized as an action adventure.
Q: What are the
attributes of an engaging mystery? Is a mystery also a thriller? If not, what
makes a thriller? How did you create a “thriller/mystery” or “psychological
thriller?”
Shelby K. Morrison:
For a mystery to be engaging, I feel the reader should want to find the answers
as much as the protagonist. They should get frustrated when they reach
dead-ends, they should be concerned about the looming deadline. A mystery can
be a thriller if there is the possibility of death, if you are not only
absorbed in the mystery but also the safety of your characters. I've created a
thriller/mystery with SHATTERED because the reader is learning with Alex, yet
also afraid for Alex. They know just a little more than she, but just a little.
They are curious, frustrated, anxious to find the answers in time. A mystery
with a deadly deadline. Was that redundant?
Q: How do you entice
readers to care about your characters, especially your protagonist, Alex Bowen?
Do you base your characters on real people?
Shelby K. Morrison:
SHATTERED is a particular story, where the readers might not connect completely
with Alex until mid-way through the book when a large secret is revealed.
Might. However, I try to allow my readers to understand Alex bit by bit as the
story progresses. Apart from that, I strive to make my protagonists as human as
possible, with annoyances, bad habits, flaws, weaknesses. Alex, for example, is
very naïve in the beginning of the book, very trusting. Ian, a secondary
character, hates riddles. And on it goes. Characters shouldn't be the perfect
person, they should be real. Sometimes the reader may want to slap them and
other times they may want to hug them. I don't base them on real people because,
honestly, book characters need to be larger than life. Real, only better. They
are real people in my head, for whatever that's worth.
Q: Does the concept
of “heroes” vs “villains” apply to SHATTERED? Do you need a villain to produce
a hero?
Shelby K. Morrison:
SHATTERED doesn't have a strong obvious villain. Certainly you will know who
the villain is meant to be, but that doesn't make them a true villain. If that
makes sense. It's all perspective. To some, the villain in SHATTERED is no
villain at all. Some could venture as far (very far) as to say that the villain
could technically be viewed as a hero. But to Alex, this is her villain, the
dragon she must slay. You don't necessarily have to always have a dragon to
slay, to find a hero. You just have to have a character who stops at nothing to
do what they feel is right.
Q: How or what
inspired you to conceive of your story about a college student being watched?
Is it based on a real event?
Shelby K. Morrison:
Haha! I would certainly hope not! No, most of the story is my imagination.
However, large, and I mean LARGE, chunks are based off of true life. Strung
together, a complete work of fiction. Broken up, huge truths. This might be
scary to readers. And it should be. That's the point. Mainly the tiny bud of
the idea (it's altered much more into what it is today) started when I thought
"What if everything you knew was a lie?" I can't say much more, lest
I spoil it. However, if you visit my website, I do go into more detail about
the inspiration of SHATTERED. Only read after you've read the book.
Q: Did you write
SHATTERED purely to entertain, or did you also want to deliver a message and/or
educate your readers?
Shelby K. Morrison:
I wrote SHATTERED to entertain. Yet, as it grew into the story it is today, it
became plump with a message. But, to make it clear, I didn't write it with a
message in mind. The message came with the territory. A message that the world
is moving at an alarming rate. If we don't put our foot down, draw the line somewhere,
it will swallow us whole. We need to take a step back and ask ourselves,
"Is this really what we as humans want? Or are we just drifting with the
tide, accepting the world as it morphs into something our ancestors wouldn't
recognize?" But the message isn't a glaring one, just one that will
probably dance through most readers’ minds as the book comes to a close.
Q: How relevant is
setting—in Oregon or at a college—to telling your story?
Shelby K. Morrison:
College and Oregon are just to relay the life Alex led before tragedy struck.
The real setting is the island. Oops, spoiler! But SHATTERED didn't always take
Alex to an island. It originally took her to France. But that was boring,
difficult to convey, not ripe with danger. An island, though. That is
dangerous, mysterious, threatening. Setting is key for the emotion you want
your readers to feel while reading. It's like asking if the set to a play is
important. Always. Sometimes that one little (big) tweak can totally transform
your story from okay to great!
Q: Do you control
your characters when writing, or do they lead you to write what they want?
Shelby K. Morrison:
I'd say the control goes 30/70. I can't make my character do something if their
character just wouldn't. It's like someone writing a story about me and writing
that I picked up a crab. Sorry! Nope, no crabs. Even if it would help the
story, my character wouldn't do it. So I can only encourage my characters, not
force. If I desperately want them to do something out of the norm, I need a
different character. This can all be avoided by designing the character you
want from the get-go so they always do what you hope. That's my method,
anyway.
Q: What’s next?
Shelby K. Morrison:
I'm currently working on a Fantasy title. Gasp! I know, genre leap. But I'm
just starting out and haven't found my niche yet. The goal is to have it
published by the end of the year or early 2015.
Q: Tell us about
Shelby K. Morrison. What do you do when you’re not writing?
Shelby K. Morrison:
When I'm not writing, I'm researching. It's an addiction. When I'm not doing
that, I enjoy DIY-projects, bargain shopping, taking up a random artsy hobby
for the month or hanging out with my husband and two shih-tzus.
About Shelby K.
Morrison
Shelby K. Morrison was born in Oregon and grew up in
California and Utah. SHATTERED is Shelby's debut novel, with many more to come.
Shelby plans on exploring other genres down the road before claiming a
specialty. She currently lives in Utah with her husband and two dogs. When she
isn't writing or reading, she enjoys researching, crafting, bargain shopping,
and DIY-projects.
About SHATTERED
What
would you sacrifice to learn the truth? That is the question Alex Bowen, a
headstrong college student from Beaverton, Oregon, must ask herself when she
learns she's being watched. But who's doing the spying? And why have they
chosen her?
Thrown
from her world of comfort, yet determined to discover the truth, Alex soon
finds herself cut off from family and friends and forced to make allies
wherever she can find them. With dead ends at every turn, and more than one
pursuer closing in, she quickly learns some questions are best left unasked.
Now, with her life and sanity on the line, Alex must resist her enemy's mind
games if she wants to expose every dark secret. To succumb would result
in her true identity being lost forever and countless others suffering the same
fate. But to succeed, would shatter everything she knows.
Links
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ShelbyKMorrison
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