Interview + Giveaway: Destruction (The December People #1) by Sharon Bayliss

Destruction (The December People Series #1)
by Sharon Bayliss

Genre: Contemporary Fantasy
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press
Number of pages: 249
Cover Artist: Michelle Johnson

David Vandergraff wants to be a good man. He goes to church every Sunday, keeps his lawn trim and green, and loves his wife and kids more than anything. Unfortunately, being a dark wizard isn't a choice.

Eleven years ago, David's secret second family went missing. When his two lost children are finally found, he learns they suffered years of unthinkable abuse. Ready to make things right, David brings the kids home even though it could mean losing the wife he can’t imagine living without.

Keeping his life together becomes harder when the new children claim to be dark wizards. David believes they use this fantasy to cope with their trauma. Until, David's wife admits a secret of her own—she is a dark wizard too, as is David, and all of their children.

Now, David must parent two hurting children from a dark world he doesn’t understand and keep his family from falling apart. All while dealing with the realization that everyone he loves, including himself, may be evil.

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And check out the book trailer!
http://animoto.com/play/xvVcJSOr0M8Gt0VKhjI0cA

Shut Up & Read would like to welcome Sharon Bayliss!
Thank you for joining us today!

Q: Tell us a little bit about your main characters.

My characters are complicated. The protagonist is a man who cheated on his wife and has a secret family. That's right, I said the protagonist. J Since they are dark wizards, the characters are flawed, but they are capable of real love and heroism.

Q: What was your favorite scene to write?

The family comes together to celebrate the winter solstice and they perform a ritual to celebrate the darkness. It's a hopeful scene among darker events.

The quiet didn’t feel as awkward as David would have expected. No one giggled or even coughed or sighed. His lungs felt larger. He could breathe. This darkness didn’t feel frightening. In fact, David couldn’t remember ever feeling so safe. The darkness was the foundation that everything else was built on. The garden where the universe grew. The simplest, most basic thing in existence. And it was spectacular.

He supposed that was the answer that waited for him. That darkness in itself was not evil. Darkness was peace. Potential. Home.

Q: What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

I essentially have no real time to write. I write while my kids watch cartoons. Or occasionally on weekend nights if I can manage to stay up!

Q: How has your environment/upbringing colored your writing?

Well, I'm a winter witch. And, when I was a teenager I found out my father had cheated on my mom and had two secret children. Okay, that's not true. J

Q: If you could be any character from your book, who would you be and why?

I absolutely torture my characters, so I would never wish that on myself. However, in some ways, I think it would be cool to be like Emmy, at least in sprit. She's bold and brave, and says and does whatever she wants! And, it would be cool to be a witch, of course.

Q: What do you do to unwind and relax?

I feel most relaxed when I'm outside with my family. I like watching my kids play on the playground or taking them out in the running stroller or bike trailer. Also, yoga! And er…wine.

Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

There are lots of places I'd like to go. Right now, I'm feeling pretty stressed, so I'm thinking an adults-only tropical beach with my husband and a large margarita.

Q: What book are you reading now?

Fade by A.K. Morgen

Sharon Bayliss is the author of The December People Series and The Charge. When she’s not writing, she enjoys living happily-ever-after with her husband and two young sons. She can be found eating Tex-Mex on patios, wearing flip-flops, and playing in the mud (which she calls gardening).

She only practices magic in emergencies.

www.sharonbayliss.com
@SharonBayliss
www.facebook.com/authorsharonbayliss
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6889514.Sharon_Bayliss