Shadow Slayer Shadow Series Book Two by Laura A.H. Elliott - YA Paranormal Romance - Shadows Will Do Anything To Become Human


Shadow Slayer
Shadow Series 
Book Two
by Laura A.H. Elliott

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Ghost Press
Date of Publication:  September 28, 2012
ISBN: 978-1479388189
ASIN: B009CJ5DXE
Number of pages: 184
Word Count:  54,298
Cover Artist: Laura Elliott 

Shadows Will Do Anything To Become Human

Shadows will do anything to become human. You see their influence every day. You say things you don’t mean or do things that aren’t like you. You look different. Friends you’ve known forever suddenly never call. 

As a freshman, Roxie just wants to fit in which is impossible because she barely runs into her friends at her huge high school. Adrianne’s disappearance and Hayden’s attention rock Roxie’s world. But nothing rocks it like the most gorgeous guy at school, Drew. And nothing is more important to Roxie than astral projecting back to Planet Popular to solve the mystery of the map. 

But that changes when Drew invites Roxie to homecoming. Hayden warns her that something’s wrong. Why would a guy like Drew like Roxie anyway? Drew must want something. Hayden’s right. Drew is different. Planet Popular was just the beginning. Part of a bigger world, the Shadow World. 

There’s a war brewing between the world of humans and the world of shadows. When the shadow invasion begins at Roxie’s high school, she’ll not only fight for her life but the lives of her family and friends when she discovers she’s the Shadow Slayer, the one human who can save Earth from the shadow onslaught. But Roxie can’t even kill a spider. 

Oh yeah, there's an evil English teacher, an enchanted play, a sword of Sandonian steel, a homecoming of horrors, and seven magic words too.

Book Trailer:  https://youtu.be/Xx830AT-g2s  

Amazon

An Interview with Laura A.H. Elliott

Welcome to JB’s Bookworms with Brandy Mulder 

 Tell us about your newest book.

Actually Shadow Slayer is one of my oldest books. 😂  My process of writing the series got interrupted (more on that later).

When we meet Roxie O’Grady in book 1, 13 on Halloween, she’s twelve and about to turn thirteen. She loves to dance. She’s in eighth grade, but she isn’t the kind of eighth grader who rules middle school, though. Far from it. She’s trying desperately to get on the social map somehow. So, she throws her first ever birthday party and invites all the popular kids. They all come and give her a birthday gift that’s literally out of this world. I love this book because it takes a humorous, sometimes scary look at one girl’s quest for popularity, no matter what the cost. In book 2, Shadow Slayer, Roxie is fourteen and finds the agony of fitting in at high school nothing compared to falling for the hottest guy at school (who isn’t what he seems), and saving the world from the shadow onslaught. Shadows are kinda like vampires without the fangs.

Roxie hosts some pretty crazy parties! If you want to join in Roxie’s annual Halloween party (and get lots of reader bonuses) sign up here, we can’t wait to see your dance moves!

Writing isn’t easy. What was the most difficult thing you dealt with when writing Shadow Slayer?

As it turns out, what I wrote about in Shadow Slayer, actually came true for me in real life. I wasn’t able to write ya fiction for a long time. It’s only now that I’m back to writing in this genre again and I’m rededicating myself to completing the series. Book 3 and 4 will be released over the next few Halloweens. After writing this book a decade ago, the shadows actually came for me. Shadows in the series are a metaphor for the dark side of people. People who are otherwise good, but have problems that have made them cruel or just plain nasty. Basically what happened to Roxie in Shadow Slayer happened to me. She and I were both betrayed by someone very close to us. Writing a story that actually came true for me felt pretty spooky. So spooky that I couldn’t write fiction, particularly ya fiction, for years. But as I overcame my fears, I discovered exactly what Roxie finds out in this series––our worst experiences don’t have to define us.

Tell us a little bit about your writing career.

I’m a ghost! Boo! Ha! That means that I make my living writing for other people and help give them a voice when they wouldn’t otherwise be able to get their story out in the world. I’ve enjoyed helping writers and entrepreneurs write bestsellers and screenplays and go on to influence millions of people all over the world through the articles they’ve written in major outlets, speaking engagements and appearances on television, radio and podcasts.

As a teenager, my love for story began in the Amazon where I water skied with piranha while learning of head hunters and curses. My first travel article about a visit to Dracula’s Bran Castle in Romania was published in The Los Angeles Times in 2005. Since then, I’ve been a contributing travel writer for publications like World Travel Magazine and LA Parent. I’ve covered celebrities, news, and entertainment at E! Entertainment Television and The Los Angeles Times. One of my favorite projects was working on E! True Hollywood Stories. I find it fascinating to uncover the story-behind-the-story and do so as a bestselling ghostwriter of memoir, business, biography, and self-help books. I have a passion for women’s journeys of the heart, particularly ones that take them around the world. I love to laugh and enjoy writing narratives that make readers laugh. I also have a passion for travel, having visited 24 countries and traveled around the world twice.

They say Hind-sight is 20/20. If you could give advice to the writer you were the first time you sat down to write, what would it be?

Never give up! Sometimes the story has a timeline of its own and it’s important to honor it.

What was your most difficult scene to write?

Usually I have a hard time writing scenes that lead to heartache because I have to access those experiences.

Are themes a big part of your stories, or not so much?

Yes, but I never write about a theme. I write for the characters and the theme reveals itself in the writing.

What are you working on now?

I’m working on books 3 and 4 in the Shadow Series.

Is there a release date planned?

Yes! Over the next few Halloweens 🎃

Who is your favorite character from your own stories, and why?

I love Roxie mostly because she’s just trying to figure life out and stumbles like we all do. She’s funny and selfish at times, but she’s also fierce and a great friend. I like the way she grows over the series into someone we would hardly recognize when we first meet her in Book 1, 13 on Halloween. There’s a tremendous transformation and I love reading about characters who have interesting character arcs.

Most writers were readers as children. What was your favorite book in grade school?

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White. I also loved the Sneetches by Dr. Seuss.

What are your plans for future projects?

I am interested in finishing this series and also publishing a book I’ve been working on for even longer! A narrative nonfiction novel about how my family got caught up in WWII.

Is there anything you would like to add before we finish?

Thanks for hanging out with me bookworms:) Would love to see you on Insta or TikTok (I’m a total newbie, but love it!)

Good luck with the Shadow Slayer release, and thank you for being with us today. 


There's More!!!   Guest Post





I stroke one cheek and then the other with blush and remember standing with Drew at the bonfire. The last night we went out as boyfriend and girlfriend. The last night he was human.

On your 13th birthday, you get the call. By your 14th birthday you find out what the call is.

Everyone I know is in the audience tonight––Ally, Mom, Dad, Brian, even my brother, Mitch, because he came home for my birthday. We’re having our family dinner tomorrow night since tonight the cast party’s at Drew's house, unless I decapitate him first.

“Roxie five minutes,” Hayden yells into the girl’s locker room. As usual I’m the last one out. I sweep my hair up to the side and try to remember my first line. For some reason it’s the one I always forget.

I open locker 316, grab my sword and just as I step outside of the locker room, Wanda runs up to me and starts talking non-stop about her nerves and how they’re getting worse and worse.

“What’s that?” she asks. I stop cold in my tracks at the backstage door.

“There are lots of words for things that don’t exist––the unseen. Like monsters and aliens and dragons and vampires and ghosts,” I say sort of in a trance.

“Yeah, so?” Wanda says, wringing her hands.

“If they don’t exist, why are there words for them? All the stuff I thought was crazy really isn’t crazy at all,” I say, finally getting what Drew was trying to tell me at the bonfire at the estate at homecoming. What the human Drew said before I danced with his shadow. My role in the unseen, the shadow world. Still, I don’t know so many things. Like, what happens to a shadow once I slay it? And where do humans go when their shadows invade? How can I save my human friends?

“Roxie, I caught you! I was so late because Brian’s car got a flat. He fixed it so great, I couldn’t believe it. It’s like he went to badass school or something,” Ally says, laughing.

“Ally. Finally!” We hug. I swallow hard. Brian. Fixed. A. Flat. I mean it’s not brain surgery. But believe me, if it doesn’t have an LCD screen, my brother Brian doesn't think it exists. He doesn’t know how to fix a flat. O.M.G. Brian is probably a shadow too.


About the Author:


As a teenager, Laura’s love for story began in the Amazon where she waterskied with piranha while learning of head hunters and curses. In addition to being a ghost, she’s the author of five books and is a contributor to lifestyle and travel magazines. She has a passion for travel, particularly life at sea, and makes her home in Santa Cruz, CA with her husband, daughters, and their families. No matter the language barrier, perceived danger, altitude, squalls, fashion faux pas, or ingested gluten, she writes to inspire with a focus on journeys of the heart—always on the lookout for great champagne and a pair of red shoes.

You can find her at Laurasmagicday.com, @Laurawriting on Twitter, @book_laurasmagicday on TikTok, and on Goodreads too.

https://twitter.com/Laurawriting

https://www.instagram.com/laurasmagicday/

https://www.tiktok.com/@book_laurasmagicday

https://www.laurasmagicday.com/shadow-series/reader-bonuses/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5043385.Laura_A_H_Elliott




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