Indie Fall Fest: Shane Morgan Interview, Dream Cast, and a review of The Right Song!

Today I am really excited to have blogger-turned-author Shane Morgan here to answer a few questions I fired off at her, supply a dream cast for The Right Song and I had the chance to read and review her newest book! Stay tuned to check out it all.

Don't forget to drop by the kick-off post and enter our HUGE giveaway!

And stop by Pretty Little Pages where there’s a feature on Bridie Hall today!

 

The Right Song by Shane Morgan

Goodreads – Amazon – iTunes – Kobo – Nook 

Pain never truly goes away, until you find something deeper and meaningful that cures the heart and fills it with love.

That is what Aurora desperately wants to believe. That somehow her music can save her, or even touch the unreachable heart of the guy she has liked for years.

Rora yearns for his attention and wants to experience this so-called love that could possibly end her long suffering and inspire her to chase after her dreams.

In deeply understanding the feelings of others and herself, will Aurora give up on ever finding true happiness, or will an intriguing soul teach her about the greatest song ever written?

*Possible spoilers ahead*

I wasn’t sure what to expect when reading The Right Song. I saw a lot of promotion for the book ahead of its release and it intrigued me. Being a singer, lyricist, and writer myself, I was interested to see where Morgan would take the story. I was pleasantly surprised. 

Aurora is a girl who lost her parents in a tragic way on a day that normal people would celebrate. She was in elementary school when it happened and it definitely shapes the person that she becomes. In middle school she joins a few guys in a band and pursues being a guitar player, but there are references that she wanted to be a singer before the accident. Throughout the novel, she brushes off singing because she doesn’t feel like she has talent, so it was difficult for me to believe that she could blow up so quickly—especially when she doesn’t believe in herself. But I do feel like she grew throughout the novel, so I did enjoy that aspect of it. The story is about her finding her voice again and feeling confident in herself enough to pursue it.

I thought it was strange that she wrote all the lyrics, yet Alex ended up singing it. Kind of reminded me of Fall Out Boy. Pete would write all the lyrics for Patrick to belt his heart out with. I always thought Pete would have been the singer had he had a better voice…but Aurora always had the voice, just not the confidence. 

Her aunt raises her from a young age and it kind of reminded me of Jenna from the Vampire Diaries, so I liked that aspect a lot. I was happy when Leah found her happy ending.

Throughout the novel she has three love interests that emerge. Some might think that is overdoing it, but I enjoyed it because she doesn’t get physical with them all. I know I am probably in the minority when I say I was rooting for Aurora and Alex from the beginning. I was in a band myself (I was the singer) and there was always sexual chemistry with my guitarist, so it let me relive a lot of my old school days. I loved how sweet and genuine he was and how he was her best friend first. 

Then there was Milo, and honestly, there wasn’t anything wrong with him. He was one hell of a guy. Although he was near perfect, as a reader, I never really cared for Aurora to explore her feelings further with him. I kind of wished Milo would have gone after Emma instead. 

Lastly, there was Daegan. I’m still trying to figure out how to pronounce his name, but I digress. He was dark, mysterious, and sometimes an asshole. But really, he’s just damaged. I’m always drawn to the bad boys, so I figured he would be right up my alley…but honestly, I wasn’t invested in their storyline until probably halfway through the book. I wasn’t sure why that was, maybe it was because I was still lusting after Alex, who knows? Anywho, Daegan and Aurora are both broken and together, I feel like they fit. It took a while for me to feel that way, but I did eventually. 

I rather enjoyed Morgan’s writing style and progression of the novel. I saw some reviews that said the story was short and I have to disagree, at over 300 pages, I felt like it was almost too long. But I liked seeing Aurora grow into the person she always secretly wanted to become. 

I loved Emma and I wished she wouldn’t have had to go through the breakup with Drew—but it felt raw and it felt real. Something that teens do have to face in real life. I loved how supportive she was of her best friend and their band even after they weren’t together. 

Overall, I felt like this was a really solid novel. I sat down to read it and was able to blow through it in one day, which has to say something, right? I look forward to reading more from Shane Morgan!

1.       If you could have coffee with any character from your novels, who would it be and why?

Although I'm not a coffee drinker, I would definitely drink it with Daegan from "The Right Song", because he's my favorite male character that I've written.

2.       At what age did you decide you wanted to pursue a writing career?

I've always enjoyed writing, but I never considered pursuing a career in it until two years ago when I was encouraged by my family to go for it and share my stories with others. But honestly, I've never been this passionate about anything else so I know that I've truly found something that I'll do for the rest of my life.

3.       Do you remember the first book you ever wrote? And if so, what was it about?

I've written short stories in my teens, and have started a few novels over the years but didn't finish them. The first book I finished and self-published was "Unresisting," a YA fantasy about a girl who could produce fire from her body.

4.       Are you an outliner or a pantser?

Both. It all depends. I've had instances where ideas come to me on a whim and I just write, allowing the characters to lead me wherever. While on the other hand, I'll sit and think of a story and plot it out from start to how I want it to end. I outlined "The Right Song" and "Our Kind of Love", but for the books before those two, it was all on feelings.

5.       I read the Right Song and really enjoyed it. I’m a singer, writer, and lyricist myself, so it was nice to be able to connect to it on multiple levels. Are you also a performer?

Only in the shower! :) I'm happy you enjoyed it. The story was inspired by my love for music and songwriting. I've written tons of lyrics over the years but have never shared any until this book. I'm too shy to sing in public, but I have considered becoming a songwriter like Aurora did. You can find a lot of my traits in her character.

6.       What is your favorite social media site and why?

Hmm...I like Facebook for staying up-to-date with authors I like, but I don't really use it unless I'm doing giveaways for my followers/readers, or if I want to share something about my latest book. As for twitter, I mainly use it for my blog, like tweeting about reviews or other promo stuff. I like Instagram for sharing scenery that inspires my writing. If I have to choose, I'd say Facebook. I find it easier and better where I can partake in open discussions, etc. 

7.       What is your favorite genre to write and why?

I love YA fantasy. It's my first love and it's the genre I find easiest to write in. As for contemporary romance, I take a lot from my own life (not on purpose it just happens) when I'm writing in that genre and it can be emotionally draining. So, fantasy is my favorite. It's more of an escape and I can have fun writing action scenes and coming up with weird ideas to make the story interesting. That's why my upcoming release will be a YA fantasy. It's a breath of fresh air, going back to my first love. 

8.     You seem to have had quite a bit of novels released in a short amount of time. On average, how quickly do you write?

You want to know the truth? I've been working on "The Right Song" since before "Impossibly Love," which was released in October last year. I have a lot of unfinished novels that I'm working on. "Finding Julian" was written during NaNoWriMo last November, so that was the first one I'd written and released in 30 days. But I did write "Impossibly Love" and Impossibly True" in the span of three months each, and "Our Kind of Love" was also completed in three months, so that's my average now I guess.

9.       What would you say has been your biggest accomplishment since you began writing?

My biggest accomplishment is actually finishing a story and putting it out there, as well as the feedback that I've received. There's no better feeling than holding your own book in your hand, or having someone tell you that your story really touched their heart. I mean, sure it would be nice to land on a bestseller's list, but my focus is not on that. I love that I get to do something that I'm this passionate about, and I love that I get to share it with others. And you know what, there's not one author who doesn't have a sense of pride or confidence in saying that they're a published author. It makes me smile to say that. 

10.   What gives you inspiration?

Readers who message me and tell me to keep writing because they want the next book, and definitely my husband and family. I'm blessed to have wonderful people in my life who uplift me and encourage me to continue. I feel like there's always a story to tell, and until I'm unable to, I'll continue writing in hopes of telling a story that many will connect to and make it their own.

Shane Morgan is a bestselling author of contemporary romance, suspense, and urban fantasy. She lives in the beautiful town of Narragansett, Rhode Island with her amazing husband, who doesn't mind being surrounded by books, or inspiring the male characters in her stories. Aside from writing, Shane enjoys blogging, reading, listening to indie music and watching movies.

Connect with Shane:

Website – Goodreads – Facebook – Amazon – Twitter