The Blue Effect
Renegade Heroes
Book One
Rose Shababy
Genre: Adult Urban Sci-fi/Fantasy
Date of Publication: September 8th, 2014
Cover Artist: Regina Wamba
Book Description:
Blue Brennan is jaded and bitter despite her pinup girl looks and quick wit. Night after night, she scours the Seattle club scene looking for someone or something to fill the emptiness inside.
When she meets the mysterious Kasey, her world stops… literally. He claims she has the ability to control time and stuns her even further when he reveals his own gifts.
Blue is inexplicably drawn to Kasey and reluctantly enters his world filled with a new breed of humanity. They’re misfits like her, blessed or cursed with powerful abilities, struggling to hide their differences from the rest of society.
Then the group discovers a nameless, faceless sociopath with nightmarish powers; and he’s coming for Blue. She’s left reeling when they discover her gifts are the key to defeating his terrible evil and saving them all.
Now she must race against the clock to harness her own powers and save her new friends. Can she be more than a renegade? Can she be a hero too?
As I scanned the crowd my eyes fell on one person out of sync with the rest. Close to my age, maybe a little older, he obviously didn’t belong in the club. His clothes, messy looking slacks and a gray t-shirt, hung on his lean frame. He finished his look with a tartan scarf and brown fedora that seemed more at home on an old man than one in his twenties.
He pulled his hat off and shaggy brown hair fell across his eyes as he danced. Well, he didn’t dance so much as sway to the music, his eyes closed while a hint of a smile graced his lips. As he danced, he bobbed his head back and forth and his hands moved like graceful waves. His shadow grin seemed to infuse his entire body. He danced by himself as if he didn’t care what anyone around him thought, as if he danced for himself and no one else. He looked completely out of place, yet he appealed to me and I felt myself wanting to go to him.
I was shocked by the surge of jealousy that rushed through me as I stared at him. His face broke through my drunken haze and I realized this man was no paper doll. His face belonged to a truly happy man. Hell, he looked fucking ecstatic.
He had the face of an angel.
Did you always wanted to be a writer? If not what did you want to be?
I’ve pretty much wanted to write my whole life. I got a little distracted along the way, but I finally found my way back. For a while I thought I wanted to be a therapist. I studied psychology in college, but finally realized that I needed to work on my own problems before I could help anyone else! Lol I’m grateful to have found my way back to writing. It feels so much more authentic, so much more “me.”
When did you first consider yourself a “writer”?
When I completed my first novel (still unpublished). That’s when I knew I could do it. Now, I’m just an unpaid writer. So far.
How long did it take to get your first book published?
This is my debut novel and after careful consideration and turning down a publishing contract, I chose to self-publish. That said, I’ve been working with real intent toward this goal for the last six or seven years.
Do you do another job except for writing and can you tell us more about it?
I’m a customer service representative for a printing company. We have customers all over the country, many within the medical field. I work directly with customers from the start of a job to the end and everything between. We print everything from business cards to pens to bookmarks to coffee mugs to brochures to banners and so on. It’s not very exciting (although I get a great price on swag)!
What is the name of your latest book, and if you had to summarize it in less than 20 words what would you say?
The Blue Effect. The tagline pretty much nails it: Sometimes it takes a rebel to be a hero.
Who is your publisher? Or do you self-publish?
Self publish, although I’ve started my own company. I had an offer on the table a little while ago but turned it down. I like the idea of independent. I believe that we need more independent companies and I wanted to be part of the new era. I think it’s wonderful.
What can we expect from you in the future? ie More books of the same genre? Books of a different genre?
The Blue Effect is book one in the Renegade Heroes series. I have three books planned thus far, the storyline beginning with the first and finalizing in the third. I don’t have any plans for a fourth, although I’m not ruling that out. I love superheroes and science fiction/fantasy, so I can see myself continuing with that theme, although I do have some other books I’ve been working on that aren’t in that genre. We’ll see what happens!
What genre would you place your books into?
I’ve been calling The Blue Effect Urban Sci-fi/Fantasy
What made you decide to write that genre of book?
As I said, I love superheroes and science fiction/fantasy. I wanted to give a little tip of the hat to the comic book/graphic novels genre that I love so much but I’m not much of an artist, so I wrote a book instead! I’d love to work with a graphic artist to create actual graphic novels. That would be amazing. Maybe someday!
Do you have a favorite character from your books? And why are they your favorite?
The main character of The Blue Effect, Blue Brennan, is by far my favorite character I’ve ever written. She is bold and sassy and curses like a truck driver. She’s refreshingly honest, independent and fierce. I had so much fun with her. The most amazing part of writing her was discovering that I was really writing about myself, albeit somewhat exaggerated, but she is me in so many ways. Or who I’d like to be. Writing her made me appreciate some of my own qualities in ways I never had before.
Do you have a certain routine you have for writing? ie You listen to music, sit in a certain chair?
I have an office in my house with a full cubicle. It’s in my basement so it’s nice and cool and private.
Do you read all the reviews of your book/books?
The Blue Effect is my debut novel, so I haven’t had any reviews yet. I plan on reading them! I’m nervous, of course, because I’m certain there will be bad reviews (even the best writer’s get them) and who wants to hear bad things about something they poured their heart and soul into?
Do you choose a title first, or write the book then choose the title?
Titles are a tough one! I usually have a working title, although so far it’s never been the title that stuck!” The Blue Effect” was “Blue’s World” for the longest time, then I considered “A Clockwork Blue” but decided I didn’t want anyone to associate my novel with “A Clockwork Orange.” I had a whole list of possible titles!
Are character names and place names decided after their creation? Or do you pick a character/place name and then invent them?
I usually have an idea of a person and a story before I pick names and places.
Do you decide on character traits (ie shy, quiet, tomboy girl) before writing the whole book or as you go along?
A little of both. In The Blue Effect, I had an idea of the kind of person I wanted Blue to be, as well as Kasey, one of the other main characters. They evolved somewhat as I worked on the book, but the basics of what I wanted is still there.
Are there any hidden messages or morals contained in your books? (Morals as in like Aesops Fables type of "The moral of this story is..")
I would say that the message I’d like people to take with them is that heroes aren’t really people with powers and amazing abilities, rather, they’re just people. They’re you and me and the ability to be a hero exists in all of us. Having the courage to do what’s right, or even something as simple as donating blood are ways we can show the heroics that exist inside us. You know the saying, Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear… that’s what it’s all about.
Which format of book do you prefer, eBook, hardback, or paperback?
I have a Nook and a Kindle. I got the Nook first and I thought that I would still read regular paper books, but to be honest, I rarely pick up a regular book anymore. The ereaders are just so easy to carry around and you have an entire library at your fingertips. I love it.
What is your favorite book and Why? Have you read it more than once?
I can’t pick just one! I love The Stand by Stephen King, Watership Down by Richard Adams, Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve read each of those. They’re all a little dense, so each time you read them you find little things you forgot about or missed in prior readings.
Do you think books transfer to movies well? Which is you favorite/worst book to movie transfer?
I think they can, but a lot of the time it doesn’t work because you lose so much of the nuances of thought that books can provide. I think the worst book to movie I ever saw was Queen of the Damned (Anne Rice). It was a terrible hodgepodge of two books, so much of the story got lost and ground up. Just an awful movie. One of the best, in my opinion, was The Green Mile (Stephen King). Usually Stephen King’s books get murdered when they make the transition to film. Again, my opinion. The Green Mile retained everything important and the actors did a tremendous job of portraying the characters. I don’t know how anyone can watch that film and not cry, not feel the heartache of the story.
Your favorite food is?
Sushi. Or Indian curry. Especially yellow curry with a kick. Yum.
Your favorite singer/group is?
Ani Difranco
Your favorite color is?
Purple
Rose Shababy and her family reside in eastern Washington State. Rose grew up in the Northwest but swears she’s going to move to warmer climates someday. She’s claimed this for over 20 years, however, and has yet to move more than 75 miles away from her mother.
Rose has a deep love of all things Star Trek and yearns to travel the heavens, as well as an intense desire to be bitten by a radioactive spider.
Unfortunately she sucks at science and math so she hasn’t been able bring her dreams to life, instead living vicariously through books, comics, television and film. She hopes to someday make a million dollars so she can afford to buy her way to the international space station, but she’d settle for being able to fly around the world and leap tall buildings in a single bound.
Rose also loves to cook and worked for years in a gourmet Italian grocery and deli where she learned to hone her skills. She prepares culinary masterpieces for her family, but fervently wishes the dishes would wash themselves. Especially now that her dishwashers/children are nearly grown and only one still lives at home.
Rose likes to use her free time wisely. For instance, she likes to daydream, will often read for hours until she falls asleep on the couch with an electric blanket and a warm tabby cat curled up on her hip, as well as spending cozy weekend days watching Syfy movies like Sharknado and Mega Piranha with her husband.
If Rose were a cartoon animal, she’d prefer to be a wise old owl or a sleek and sexy jaguar, but in reality she’d probably be a myopic mole with coke-bottle glasses.
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