{BLOG TOUR}: Vision of Shadows by Vincent Morrone

Boy, do I have a treat for all of you today! The talented and always fun, Vincent Morrone is here to answer some questions and talk about his new book, VISION OF SHADOWS!

Welcome, Vince! Care to start by telling us a bit about yourself?

Born and raised in Brooklyn NY, I now reside in Upstate NY with my wife. (Although I can still speak fluent Brooklynese.) My twin daughters remain not only my biggest fans, but usually are the first to read all of my work. Their home is run and operated for the comfort and convenience of their dogs.

I've has been writing fiction, poetry and song lyrics for as long as I can remember, most of which involve magical misfits, paranormal prodigies and even on occasion superheroes and their sidekicks.

As they say in Brooklyn: Yo, you got something to say to Vincent?

Check out http://vincentmorrone.com/ where you can learn about Vincent and leave him a comment.  You can also connect with Vincent on Twitter https://twitter.com/Vince524 and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Morrrone.

What prompted you to start writing? And what was your inspiration for this specific book?

I’ve always loved to read. And growing up, I always l loved to come up with stories. When I was little and I played with my Spiderman action figure, it wasn’t enough just to have him swing through the house, I had to have a story. A villain to defeat, a girl to rescue. (My sister’s Barbie sometimes would be the woman. Shhh, don’t tell her.)
As far as Vision of Shadows, I just heard her voice in my head and it went from there. I knew I wanted to do something that could be funny, emotional and dangerous. I figured a teen who talks to ghosts was the place to start.

2. Can you tell us a bit about your writing process? Are you a plotter or pantser?
Definitely a plotter. (But quite often, I do wear pants.)

For years, I had tried to sit down with just a basic concept in my head. That was how the big boys do it, right? But I found I would only get so far and then I didn’t know where to go. Short stories were one thing, but keeping that narrative going for a novel length work just wasn’t working. That’s when I realized I could plot out the story and give myself a guide. I never filled in all the details, but I had a game plan and that was very important.

Sometimes, when I’m writing the first draft, I just plow through a scene even knowing it’s not working. Just get everything you need in there and then fix it later. In VoS, there was a very important scene where Bristol talks to her curmudgeon of a grandfather and he gives her a history lesson on their town and the feud between the Blackburn’s and the McKnight’s. I knew it was coming off too dry, but I wasn’t sure how to fix it. In the past I would have put it to the side and waited until I figured it out. But now I knew just get it in there and come back. That’s why God gave us revisions. In the end, I added a new element to the scene (She is a girl who see’s ghosts, after all) and I was pleased with how it turned out.

That’s what works for me, but every writer has their own way. And everyone has to find what works for them.

3. What's your writing space like? Do you have an office or do you prefer to write whenever and wherever you can?

It’s wherever I am with my laptop. I usually write at home in my recliner, but I’ll use the kitchen table. I’ll sometimes work from the break room at work where there’s a computer available. I’ll take my laptop with me when I get the oil changed on my car or sit in the parking lot while my daughter has her ice skating lesson.

4. This is your first book, correct? And it's being published by Entranced Publishing. I hear that you're the only man in a publisher full of women. So, tell us, is the estrogen choking you yet? Or do you find it easy to be surrounded by all those lovely women?

I’ve often found myself in the company of more women than men. At one point at home, I lived with my wife, my 2 daughters, my wife’s elderly grandmother and 2 female dogs. I had estrogen dripping down the walls.

I love being a part of Entranced. Sure, it would be cool to get another male author on board. So that while all of you ladies are sending around pictures of Ryan Gosling and/or Alexander Skarsgard (Yes, I’m talking about you ST Bende!) I’d have someone to share pictures of Scarlet Johansson.

5. I also hear that you're the father of two teenaged, twin daughters. How's that going? Do you find it difficult to balance parenting with writing?

How is it going? There are days I want to rip off my own arm just so I have something to beat myself of the head with. But I wouldn’t change my life for anything. They’re my biggest fans. And sure, it can be difficult sometimes to find time to write and be with them, but hands down if they need my attention, they get it.

Both my girls are really smart (Smarter than me) and wonderful young ladies. I can honestly say that without a doubt, they are my greatest accomplishment.

6. Okay, now, let's get serious for a moment. Talk to us about your bacon addiction. While you're at it, feel free to tell us the strangest thing you've ever eaten in relation to bacon. (e.g. bacon wrapped deep fried Twinkie.)

Actually, I’m more of a bacon purist. I have had bacon wrapped sea scallops. And I’ll use bacon when I’m sautéing green beans with garlic, but bacon doesn’t need to be added to anything. Bacon is its own food group. I actually just had some as I wrote this.

7. Anything else you'd like to add?

Vision of Shadows is a 40 plus dream finally come true. I’ve wanted to be an author for as long as I can remember. It took me a long time to figure out how to craft a story. I let the dream get away from me for a while, but I dug in and now the roller coaster ride is about to begin!

8. Great! So, now tell us about this book.

Is Bristol Blackburn about to meet the love of her life...or her killer? 

After the death of her parents, Bristol Blackburn's life is thrown into chaos and she's forced to move to Spirit, a small town where shadows are stirring. As she learns to navigate her new school and figures out how to keep her psychic abilities secret from her family, Bristol comes face to face with the boy who makes a regular appearance in her dreams: the gorgeous, possibly deadly, Payne McKnight. Soon she’ll find out if Payne will be the love of her life, or the end of it — and she has no idea which possibility scares her more.

And that's not even the worst of it. Strange shadows are haunting her dreams, and they're up to something that could put Bristol and the lives of everyone she loves in jeopardy.

You can add Vision of Shadows to your to-read list on Goodreads:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18108617-vision-of-shadows

You can buy Vision of Shadows on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HLAI80G/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_k1xWsb1MH5M6R