I absolutely adore Shelley Wilson, author of Oath Breaker, and she has become a genuine friend since I began blogging so I’m delighted to welcome her back Linda’s Book Bag today to stay in with me and tell me more about one of her novels.

I’ve previously interviewed Shelley here on the blog and she has explained here why she also writes for the self-help market. Speaking of which, I have reviewed one of Shelley’s self-help books, Motivate Me: Weekly Guidance for Happiness and Wellbeing here too.

If you’re an author who’d also like to stay in with me to tell me about one of your books, please click here for more details.

Staying in with Shelley Wilson

Welcome back to Linda’s Book Bag, Shelley. Thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

Hi Linda, thanks for inviting me along for a lovely night in. I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve brought my slippers and a bag of popcorn!

(That sounds like my kind of evening – nice and comfy and some snacks!)

Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

As you know, I’m a huge fan of paranormal, mythology, and fantasy stories. My reading pile resembles the library at Hogwarts! As an avid fantasy reader, it was inevitable that I’d write for the same genre, so I’ve decided to share my latest young adult book with you. Oath Breaker is about werewolves and hunters so you might want to grab that cushion, Linda!

(Oh you know me too well!)

The reason I decided to bring Oath Breaker with me is to try and tempt you over to the dark side, oops, I mean paranormal side. People often shy away from this genre because they don’t understand it, but at the heart of any story are the characters and their goal. It’s the mc and their band of merry men that entice the reader to turn the page. One of the best reviews I received for Oath Breaker was from a reviewer who doesn’t like fantasy or young adult novels but saw the positive feedback I received and was tempted to give it a go. She messaged to tell me she was reading it and would be honest with me. As I know YA isn’t her thing I had no expectations. When I received a glowing four-star review, I was blown away. She had connected with the characters, could feel their pain, joy, and passion, she wanted the heroine to succeed and was happy when the bad guys got what they deserved. Yes, there are werewolves in it, but at the heart of the story is a sixteen-year-old girl with a strong heart.

Never be afraid to read an alternative genre to your usual choice, you might be surprised.

(Actually, I agree. I do avoid paranormal or horror very often, but I have always been surprised by how brilliant the books are when I read them. I may be approaching my 60s but I love YA fiction so I think you may just have persuaded me to read Oath Breaker!)

What can we expect from an evening in with Oath Breaker?

Okay, I’ll admit it. There might be a little bit of blood and gore, but no more than you’d find in a crime novel, or a horror book. Oath Breaker starts when a giant wolf jumps through the window and rips out the throat of our heroine’s dad. Don’t worry; she’s fine – a bit shook up, understandably, but she’s okay.

(Er, yes. Understandably!)

Not sure what’s going to happen to her now, Mia wishes she could find her brother who walked out ten years earlier after their mother died. Instead, a mysterious uncle arrives and takes her to a boarding school deep in the woods. However, Hood Academy isn’t a normal school, it’s a training academy for werewolf hunters.

Mia trains as a hunter, but she doesn’t feel right about it. Thanks to the school bully, Felicity, our heroine spends a fair bit of time running away. She meets a handsome young man in the woods who tells her about the wolves and his fears that the academy is evil.

Mia discovers a dark secret beneath the school and learns a tough truth about her family and the wolves.

Will she destroy the pack, or will she follow them?

(This sounds really exciting Shelley.)

As you know, I’m a sucker for a vampire story (no pun intended!), but I’ve never felt the pull to write my own vampire novel. Werewolves on the other hand just sprang to mind when I was helping my daughter with her creative writing homework. She had to think about re-writing a fairy tale. I offered up an idea of turning Little Red Riding Hood into a werewolf assassin. My daughter (chick flick lover) was not impressed (I’m sure you can picture the eye roll), but I couldn’t get the story out of my mind, so I developed it into Oath Breaker.

(I love hearing where authors get their inspiration.)

What else have you brought along and why?

I hope I’ve managed to convince you to give Oath Breaker, and the young adult paranormal genre a go, but if not I’ve brought along my character scrapbook, hopefully, this will calm your nerves after all the claws and teeth action.

I’m a visual learner, and this seems to have transferred over to my writing. Before I start a new book, I’ll create a Pinterest board and add images and ideas for the novel. I also choose celebrities to ‘star’ in my book. When I’m writing, I see the story playing out in my head like a movie so picturing a specific character as an actor/actress brings the role to life for me. It’s also a great excuse for spending an hour drooling over handsome chaps! My scrapbook is full of character inspiration for Oath Breaker.

Adelaide Kane (Reign) is my inspiration for Mia with a younger version of Alex Pettyfer (The Last Witness) as Cody. Elizabeth would be played by Nicola Peltz (Bates Motel), and Lucien Laviscount (Waterloo Road) is Adam. Sebastian and Miss Ross were inspired by Dylan McDermott (The Practice) and Halle Berry (X-Men). It’s huge fun to cast famous celebs in your work in progress. You can check out Oath Breaker’s Pinterest board here.

Thanks so much for staying in with me to talk about Oath Breaker Shelley – you never know, it might reach the top of my TBR sooner than you think.

Thank you for inviting me over, Linda, I had so much fun. Now, pass the popcorn!

Oh! Were we meant to share it…

Oath Breaker

Will she follow the pack…
Or will she destroy them?

A dead mother.
A violent father.
A missing brother.

When Mia’s father is murdered, it’s her estranged uncle that comes to the rescue, but what he offers her in return for his help could be worse than the life she is leaving behind.

Taken to Hood Academy, a unique school deep in the forest, she discovers friendships, love, and the courage to stand on her own.

As she trains hard, Mia takes the oath that seals her future as a werewolf hunter, but not everyone wants Mia to succeed.

Screams in the night. Secret rooms. Hidden letters. Mia becomes an important piece in a game she doesn’t want to play.

Will the truth set her free, or will it destroy her?

Published by BHC Press you can purchase Oath Breaker through the links here.

About Shelley Wilson

Shelley is a multi-genre author of non-fiction self-help and young adult fantasy fiction. Her How I Motivated Myself to Succeed is being dubbed as the sequel-that’s-not-a-sequel to her bestselling book, How I Changed My Life in a Year. She writes a personal development blog (www.motivatemenow.co.uk) as well as an author blog (www.shelleywilsonauthor.com) where she shares book reviews, author interviews, and random musings about writing. Shelley was thrilled to win the Most Inspirational Blogger Award at the Bloggers Bash in 2016, and to scoop second place in the same category in 2017. She is a single mum to three teenagers and a black cat, loves pizza, vampires, and The Walking Dead, and has a slight obsession with list writing.

You can find out more about Shelley on her author blog or via her personal development blog. You can also follow Shelley on Twitter @ShelleyWilson72 and find her on Facebook (or here on Facebook for YA writing) and Instagram.

You’ll find all Shelley’s books here.