Interview & Giveaway: Author Amanda Bonilla, Shaedes of Gray

Amanda Bonilla lives in rural Idaho with her husband and two kids. She’s a part-time pet wrangler, a full-time sun worshipper, and only goes out into the cold when coerced. When she’s not writing she’s either reading or talking about her favorite books.

Today author Amanda Bonilla is stopping by Michelle's Book Blog:


Welcome to MBB.

1.  Tell us a little about yourself.

Hi Michelle! Thanks so much for having me. I’m really excited to be visiting your blog today! Well, to start, I write urban fantasy romance. I’m 37 years old, and I live in a small rural town in Idaho with a population not much more than 3,000. I’m married to the local fire chief, have two kids, two dogs, one cat, two bunnies, four ducks, one goose, and twenty chickens. We’re rockin’ the farm vibe. I coached high school volleyball for five years, and am a self-proclaimed 90’s music junkie. My kitchen is full of pink appliances. I love any movie with superheroes or vampires. And I think The Big Bang Theory is the best show on TV. 

2.  Shaedes of Gray is your first novel in the Shaede Assassin series and Darian is our heroine, what inspired you to write Darian's story?

I was lying in bed one Saturday morning and Darian just sort of popped into my head. She was standing on the roof of a building in the middle of the night waiting for someone, and contemplating the tricky moral gray area she’d allowed herself to slip into. I knew from that first moment that she was an assassin, a snarky bad-ass, and definitely not human.

3.  What type of research did you do before setting out to write about an assassin?

My research on assassins wasn’t extensive. As a Shaede, Darian can become a shadow once the sun sets. She doesn’t have to worry about being sneaky and she only takes out the bad guys. Knowing that, I realized that she wouldn’t waste her time taking out her marks from a mile away with a high-powered sniper rifle. So I did a lot of research on swords and daggers, gave her weapons that would allow her to see the whites of her victims eyes as they paid for their wrong-doings. A nice, clean slice to the throat is her signature move. But I also wanted her to be a little on the naive side, and didn’t give her any extensive expertise. Darian is way too big for her britches. She’s not nearly as tough as she thinks she is.

4.  Describe your typical writing day.

I usually start my day around eight or nine in the morning. I work best with minimal distractions, and believe it or not, sometimes the local coffee shop is a better working environment that my house. I spend an hour or so in the morning updating my social networking sites. I try to be active with my blog, Facebook page, and Twitter. After that, I focus on writing. I set word goals for myself. I refuse to go to bed until my word goal is met. I keep it realistic. I don’t set a goal of 10,000 words a day or anything. I usually start off with 1,500 words. If I meet that goal, I can relax. And sometimes, I surpass my word count and crank out a chapter or so a day.

5.  If you could sit down with one author, living or dead, who would it be and what would you ask them?

Oh wow, this is tough one! There are so many authors I’d love to meet! I guess I’d have to say Bernard Cornwell. I absolutely love his historical fiction. He has this great way of incorporating ancient religion into his stories and giving it a mystical essence. He writes amazing protagonists that just make your heart ache for them. And don’t even get me started on his battle scenes. I learned how to write a good fight scene from reading Cornwell. I think if I could ask him anything, I’d ask who his favorite protag is. And then I’d probably talk his ear off for hours about who mine is. ;)

6.  When you read, what is your favorite genre(s) and who are your go to authors?

I read every spare second I get. Right now I’m reading mainly paranormal romance and urban fantasy. I can’t get enough! My go to authors are J.R. Ward, Jeaniene Frost, Patricia Briggs, Kresley Cole, and one of my new favorites, Darynda Jones. I know if I pick up one of their books, it’s going to be amazing.

7.  Can you tell us what you are working on now?

I just finished a novella in the Shaede Assassin Series that is a prequel to SHAEDES OF GRAY and will be available for download in June 2012. I’ll be working on edits for book 2 in the Shaedes Assassin series, BLOOD BEFORE SUNRISE in the next couple of months and trying to finish up book 3 which is yet untitled.

8.  Where can we find you on the web?

You can visit my website: Amanda Bonilla
or my blogs: Swords, Boots and Shadows Blog
and Magic and Mayhem Writers
I’m also on Twitter: 
and Facebook: 

Thank you for stopping by today.

Thanks again for having me, Michelle!

Now for the giveaway:

Amanda is offering a copy of Shaedes of Gray to one lucky reader.  Just leave a comment with a valid email addy and you are entered to win.  This giveaway is open to all followers with a US or CAN mailing address.


Using Random dot Org, winner will be chosen and announced on Monday, 12-19-11.


Good Luck and Happy Reading! 

For more info on the blog tour.