Author Spotlight: An Interview with Krystal Shannan/Emma Roman

26 October of 2015 by Jean

Today I want to introduce you all to an author that writes under two names:  Krystal Shannan and Emma Roman.  You will find that her Krystal persona writes primarily paranormal romance while her Emma persona writes contemporary.

Author Bio:

Krystal Shannan goes to sleep every night dreaming of mythical realms with werewolves, vampires, fae, and dragons. Occasionally a fabulous, completely human story slips into the mix, but powers and abilities usually crop up without fail, twisting reality into whatever her mind can conceive.

As a child, her parents encouraged her interests in Ancient Greek and Roman mythology and all things historical and magickal. As an adult, the interests only grew. She is a child of Neverland and refuses to ever stop believing in fairies. She is guilty of indulging in and being a Buffy the Vampire Slayer groupie as well as an Angel fan. For those of you unfamiliar with the world of Joss Whedon, you are missing out!

She also makes sure to watch as many action and adventure movies as possible. The more exciting the better. Yippee-Ki-Yay… If you don’t know the end of that phrase, then you probably don’t like the same movies.

She enjoys reading romance in all genres, but especially paranormal. Her favorite book is ACHERON by Sherrilyn Kenyon. But really, if it has a ‘Happily Ever After’, she’s on board!

Krystal writes stories full of action, snark, magick, a little bit of humor, and heartfelt emotion. If you are looking for leisurely-paced sweet romance, her books are probably not for you. However, for those looking for a magickal ride, filled with adventure, passion, and just a hint of humor. Welcome home.

Krystal Shannan/Emma Roman lives in Texas in a sprawling ranch style home with her husband, daughter, and a pack of rescue Basset Hounds. She is an advocate for the American Society of Autism and does her part to spread awareness about the disorders associated with Autism, sharing the experiences and trials she’s traversed with her daughter.

Needless to say, life is never boring when you have an elementary-aged child and four or five 4-legged friends roaming the house. They keep her and her husband busy, smiling and laughing.

Her stories as Emma Roman reflect her love for the Lone Star State, sexy cowboys, high-powered action, and romance.

So let me tell you what I see from reading Krystal’s combined bio’s and the chats I’ve had with her.  This is one caring and talented individual that hasn’t let life’s challenges deter her from exploring the love and magic in life.  I had a few questions for Krystal…

Jean:

You write under two names, Krystal Shannan, and Emma Roman.  Why did you feel the need to separate your writing under two personas?  I know that this was a common practice at one time, but these days you see so many authors that are now branding books that say So and So writing as someone else.  If an author is going to let it be known they are writing as both identities why separate your writing under different names in the first place?

Krystal:

I felt the need to develop a second pen name for marketing reasons only. My name Krystal Shannan is heavily branded as paranormal romance, with cover styling and font styling and after speaking to numerous people, I decided the best option was to brand a new name. One that would fit the genre better. And prevent me from spending thousands of dollars rebranding my Shannan name to make it less “genre specific” stylistically.

 

Jean:

Mastered: Teagan (featured in 11 Alpha Doms) is a BDSM Romance in the Sanctuary, TX series.  Is it also a paranormal?  Is this your first BDSM romance?  Do you think you’ll write more?

Krystal:

MASTERED: TEAGAN is a paranormal romance and set in the world of my Sanctuary, Texas series. It is my first BDSM romance and I really enjoyed getting to flex new muscles with this story. The research was fun too! I do have plans to write several more MASTERED novellas to accompany this one. Hopefully, those will happen in 2016, I’m still putting together my writing schedule for next year.

 

 

Jean:

Will the upcoming Somewhere, TX Bachelor series (December Release) be paranormal?  What connects the stories in this new series?

Krystal:

The Somewhere, TX Bachelor series is not paranormal. They are straight, contemporary, marriage of convenience/wedding books. Although, they are all set in Somewhere, TX and some of my Krystal Shannan paranormal characters do cross over into the books. The first three books in the Somewhere, TX Bachelor series revolve around 3 billionaire brothers who find themselves in a very uncomfortable bind. It’s been so much fun finding out how each brother approaches the problem and attempts to solve it. I think my readers will love the Stinson brothers. I know I do.

 

Jean:

You have a new facebook group:  The Lair.  What can you tell our readers about the group?

Krystal:

THE LAIR! I’m so excited about this reader group. We have a “genre of the day” where readers and the moderators recommend books they’ve read. Instead of an author-centric “buy my book group” it’s a reader-dominated “I read this book and it was awesome, you should read it”. It’s so much fun to interact with everyone and talk about books without feeling pressured to buy everything that’s posted. We’ve only been operational a couple of weeks and I’ve already found new authors to read and I couldn’t be happier. I hope everyone else feels the same and please come chat books with us! >>> https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheLairReadersGroup/

Jean:

What can you tell us about A Runaway Sleigh in the Charity Box Set?  What’s the charity all about?

Krystal:

The Runaway Sleigh is a sweet contemporary romance story about two people who’ve both suffered loss. Peter responds by cherishing Christmas and the memories he made with his wife and the Carolyn withdraws, avoiding anything about the time of year when her husband left her. Peter is a secondary character in my Bachelor books and I really wanted to tell his story. He works on the equine therapy ranch just outside of Somewhere.

The charity the box set is supporting is the Autism Society of America. In particular, we are supporting the Austin, TX affiliate office. It is the closest one to me and after careful research, I chose this particular autism organization because they focused on supporting the local families.

Here’s a little about them.

Through the exchange of resources, problem-solving ideas, understanding personal struggles, celebrating individual successes and sharing “lessons learned”, affiliates can make your journey with autism a little bit easier. Most affiliates are volunteer-led by groups of parents, professionals and community leaders; Autism Society affiliates provide:

 

Information and Referral services assisting individuals to find education assistance, recreational/social activities, support groups and other autism related programs and services.

 

A supportive place where individuals on the spectrum, their families or others affected by autism can find help and guidance at any point in their life.

 

A sense of community, where you can find encouragement, comfort and companionship. Affiliates can assist with locating autism friendly and inclusive places and activities.

 

Advocate at the local and/or state levels to implement changes in systems where improvement is needed so that all of those affected by autism may live a high quality of life.

 

Awareness and education through newsletters, speaker series, conferences, trainings and much more.

 

As the first national autism organization, the Autism Society’s strong foundation is based around its affiliates. Fueled by passion and the desire to support all touched by autism, the Autism Society’s Affiliate Network has grown throughout the years but still holds true to the belief that the best source of information and support comes at the grassroots level.

 

You can read more at >>> http://www.autism-society.org/about-the-autism-society/affiliate-network/

 

My daughter is autistic and also deals with some sensory and auditory processing disorders. Nearly all the authors in the set know someone with an autistic child or have one in their family. I look forward to growing this project each year and raising more and more awareness about a disorder that affects 1 in every 68 children.

Be sure to get your copy of the anthology which includes The Runaway Sleigh.

100% of the proceeds from sales of this anthology will be donated to the Autism Society of America.

 

Countdown your Christmas holiday with a fantastic assortment of holiday romances written especially for this set. Humor, drama, suspense, and military heroes abound. Fall in love with new characters from a series you’ve never read and learn more about characters from your favorite author’s series you’ve been dying to hear about.

 

Each book is EXCLUSIVE to the anthology and NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED. Help us support a cause near and dear to each author in the set and to so many we love.

 

From NYT & USA Today Bestselling Authors & More!

 

~ Allie K. Adams ~ Merry TREXmas ~

Christmas turns to chaos when all the McKoys get together for the holidays. It takes a 12-yr-old autistic boy and his faithful companion to teach them all the true meaning of TREXmas.

~ Jami Davenport ~ Hearts On Ice ~

Drawn together by tragedy and broken apart by practicality, can two lost souls find each other again during a magical holiday season?

~ Riley J. Ford ~ Romance. Avalanche. Love. ~

Selma and Shaun decide to celebrate their anniversary with a Christmas ski vacation. When he reveals a huge secret he’s been hiding, she is crushed by an avalanche of emotions. She questions whether they’re meant to be together…until a real avalanche hits.

~ Geri Foster ~ Holiday Mischief ~

The five Avery Sisters create a little Holiday Mischief and find romance in the process.

~ Tammy S. Falkner ~ Yes You ~

You might remember them. They have two children named Reagan and Lincoln. Find out how their love story started in Yes, You. One bad boy, one good girl. The question – Who? Me? Yes. You.

~ Catherine Gayle ~ Mistletoe Misconduct ~

He says everyone deserves a second chance. She thinks it’s high time for him to turn that idea around on himself.

~ Tawdra Kandle ~ Underneath My Christmas Tree ~

When two hearts ignite, the most unexpected gifts can turn up under the tree.

~ Chris Keniston ~ Love Walks In ~

Annette Deluca believes you only get one chance at the love of a lifetime. It’s up to Michael Becker and his young autistic son to prove her wrong.

~ Katy Regnery ~ Marrying Mr. English ~

Long before the English brothers met their wives and girlfriends, their father, Tom, captured the heart of their mother, Eleanora. Travel back in time to Christmas 1981 and find out how it all began!

~ Krystal Shannan writing as Emma Roman ~ The Runaway Sleigh ~

Kidnapped from her front yard by Santa, a woman who hates Christmas finds unexpected joy in a holiday she swore to ignore for the rest of her life.

~ Becca Boyd ~ As We Dream By The Fire ~

Sadie never expected a handsome firefighter to crash into her living room on Christmas Eve, but when her tree catches on fire, he could save more than her life…

~Jodi Vaughn ~ Christmas In Cloverton ~

A blizzard, a lost cat, and a little bit of Christmas destiny gives Eliza a chance with the man she’s loved from afar for too long.