Mini Interview with Miranda Shanklin author of Soul Journey

Miranda Shanklin resides in Central Illinois with her husband and their two children. When she is not working at her day job as a paralegal, running her children to practices or supporting them at events she is writing. 

She has been an avid reader most of her life and has always dreamed of writing her own books someday. Now that her children are reaching their teenage years she is finding the time to sit down and chase her dream.

Miranda loves to hear your opinions and uses the feedback to improve. You can find her on Facebook * Smashwords * Goodreads * B&N * Amazon or email her at mlshanklin@gmail.com.

 How did you come up with the title? It just came to me. When I had the idea behind the book the name was just there.

What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment? This is my first book so I really haven’t had any criticism yet. I have heard from quite a few people that they loved the book and that is the best compliment that I could ever receive. My goal is to write stories that people are able to lose themselves in. The fact that they are telling me that they really enjoyed it is the best feeling ever.  
What song/s would you say is the best fit for this series? Evanescence – Bring me to Life

You have multiple personalities, tell us about them. I am a mom so my world has revolved around my children that needed me. I was the kind of mom that would do without to make sure that my kids had everything they wanted (not just needed but wanted too). I have been giving and patient with them as they have grown.
Now that my children are becoming teenagers and no longer need (or want) me around as much I have found that I frequently get lost in my head. As my imagination has taken over I started to write to prevent from being the mom that kept my kids at home or followed them everywhere to keep them safe.

I am a professional. I have a degree for paralegal and have worked in law offices for the last ten years. The difference between the professional that interacts with people all day and the neurotic mess at my house as I realize my kids don’t need me as much is like night and day.

I also volunteer at the dance studio that my daughter competes for. I have become an assistant coach to a dance team and found that I really can be patient with other kids.

I am a mass of contradictions. I love to be there for my kids but I spend time worrying that I am falling behind on my writing. I support those I love but refuse to ask for help if my responsibilities get overwhelming. I long for help but when offered it I refuse it because it would be easier if I just did it myself.

What are your pet peeves or interesting things about you that you dislike? I have a tendency to want things my way. I get a little crabby when I have a certain way that I want things done but I am either unable to do them that way or someone changes it. I am a creature of habit so if my routine changes it takes me awhile to adjust. I wish I was more able to just go with the flow and not get stressed over the little things.

80’s or 90’s Music? 80’s It is what I grew up on.

Favorite phrase to say? I know, right?

Favorite color? Pink

Dream car? 1969 Ford Mustang convertible.

Favorite movie? Coyote Ugly. I don’t think I will ever find one that will take the place as my favorite over that one.

It has been many lifetimes since the cycle began.

The cycle that still haunts Annisa Lawson.

A spell cast in desperation to help, which only caused heartache.

Now, Annisa has found her way out of the varying repeats of her past; only to bring more danger to herself, and those around her. Now she must learn to survive with the help of her friends: Chase,

Penelope, and Landon have all gone through each life cycle with Annisa. Sometimes helping, sometimes hindering. Now that Annisa has broken the cycle of their collective punishment, she finds that she needs her friends more than ever to keep their enemies, known, and unknown, at bay. As the group of friends learn of their souls' journeys through their many life cycles, they must also learn to control the magick they have discovered within themselves and each other, in order to defeat the most feared assassin in their world. 

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Excerpt:

"Every witch has an element at which they excel. It could be earth, air, fire or water. There is also Spirit, but this is a rare occurrence among our kind. That discussion will be for another time. Most have a small amount of ability in a second element but they all have one that their power manifests. That is all except for you four. You four were created to be the Counsel’s personal security, therefore, you were given the ability to use all four elements. You are the only ones with this ability. You are the most powerful of our kind. You were created with a bond that would hold you all together and ensure you would work as a team. The problem is that the Counsel didn't foresee that you would not just do what you were told and follow orders. They didn’t take into account your individual personalities. Your punishment was so harsh because they'd created a very powerful group with the intention of having complete control and quickly realized that they had no control. Now they had created their own threat when they'd been trying to protect against it. They wanted a group so powerful that no witch would be able to get by them and therefore the Counsel’s safety would be ensured."

"Your magick comes from your soul. It can never be taken away from you. Each element brings with it certain abilities. Earth is nurturing and can bring healing, understanding, growth and resilience. Air is helpful and can bring levitation, life, sustainability and perseverance. Fire is consuming and can bring heat, intensity, strong reactions and destruction. Water is flowing and can bring renewal, speed, cunning and adaptability."

I know those are all very broad terms and could mean so many things. You are all taking in a lot of information at once. Tonight we're going to start with earth. I am an earth user and I will show you some of the abilities that come with that. Each night this week we will go over a different element and show you what we can do. Keep in mind that it took us years of practice to get to the level we are now. Don't get frustrated if you're not able to do something that we show you. Sometimes it takes practice. Is everyone still with me and ready for me to move on?”

We all looked at each other with looks of excitement in our eyes. This is the part that we'd all been waiting for, to actually see magick at work and begin to learn how to work it ourselves. We all turned our eyes back to my dad and he smiled and continued with our first lesson.

This sounds great to me. :D  

How does it sound to you?

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