Can you give us a brief overview of your latest book? Is it part of a series?
When the Moon Shines starts off the Six Shooter and a Shifter series with a bang. I’m currently halfway through writing the fourth book, and after that, there will be one more to round out the series. I’ve written quite a lot of books at this point in my career, and throughout those other books, I’ve often had to rein in my boundless imagination for one reason or another. The Six Shooter and a Shifter series is what happens when I give myself permission not to hold back, to let loose, and go hog wild. ;) The adventure takes place in a one-way portal world. Once you go in, there’s no coming back out. The town of Traitor’s Den is themed after the Wild West, only the man who set the town up via a curse didn’t know all that much about what a true Western community is supposed to look like. Nobody behaves while in Traitor’s Den, and the longer anyone is there, the naughtier they get…
Have you ever had a minor character evolve into a major one? Did that change the direction of the novel at all? Did the character become the hero/heroine of their own book?
All the time! When I write, I fall in love both with my worlds and my characters. Often enough, a side character will worm their way into my heart and become so real to me, so dang fascinating, that I just can’t help exploring more. In that case, this character will later on star in their own series, which works out well since so many of my series and books are interconnected in a larger world. Readers love seeing their favorite characters weave into new series, and so do I. :)
If you used a graphic designer/publisher’s designer, how involved were you during the creative process for your cover?
I’m always extremely involved in the design of any one of my covers. I work with several different and highly talented graphic designers who are very skilled in taking my idea and transforming it into a stunning cover that both represents my story accurately and also makes readers want to pick up the book and dive right in.
Do you have an ARC review team? How did you recruit your reviewers? BookFunnel? Readerlinks? Booksprout?
I do have an ARC review team, but I don’t really recruit reviewers. They usually come to me, asking if I have any openings on my team, or occasionally, I’ll post about the opportunity in my Facebook reader group if there are a few open spots.
What is your writing process? Do you listen to music or do you like silence?
My writing process is quite simple, really. I sit down in my creative studio and let the muse and my characters guide me where the story wants to go. I never listen to music while I write. Silence is the best for me, as then there is no external stimuli interfering with my traveling to my story worlds.
Do you outline your story or just go where your muse takes you?
I never outline. I tried it a couple of times over the years, but by the end of the first chapter, I’d already be so far off where I thought I’d be based on the outline, that I’d end up having to scrap it. After about 70 books, I’m quite comfortable trusting the muse to take me on a fun adventure. I rarely know what I’ll be writing before I sit down to do it.
Did you hire an editor to review your manuscript before publishing?
Always. I work with a great editorial team that includes a content/line editor and a proofreader. I write pretty tightly to begin with, but their help in improving my books is invaluable.
Do you find it difficult to juggle your time between marketing your current book and writing your next book? Do you try to write everyday or carve out certain times during the week?
Yes! As an established author, there is always so much to do other than simply writing the next book. Despite the support of a small team, too often I find that there are more tasks for me to complete than I have time for. Whenever that happens, I usually train my focus on writing the next book. I think it’s always the best thing to do. I usually write five days a week. I’m pretty much always writing a book or two…or three. I enjoy writing more than one book or series at a time.
Besides writing, do you have any other passions?
I love to paint, draw, and art in most other ways too. I love to adventure, hike, travel, and be active in general. I love to spend quality time with my family. And I love to read amazing books!
What’s next for you?
More books, more adventure, and more fun! I’m currently writing the final book and a half in my Six Shooter and a Shifter series, while also writing another brand new series that’s still an upcoming surprise. Once I complete these two series, I’m on to the next that captures my imagination. I love creating new, magical worlds. It’s the best!
When the Moon Shines
Lucia Ashta
(Six Shooter and a Shifter, #1)
Publication date: April 1st 2022
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Western
Welcome to Traitor’s Den. I hope you like it here, because there’s no leaving the small western town that’s more theme park than authentic. Once you walk through the portal, you’re stuck as a boot heel in a half foot of mud.
I’ve never seen the outside world and I don’t care. The cannon-toting, trigger-happy residents here are like family, even if most of them are a few spoons short of a full set. Eventually, everyone grows on you, kinda like nail fungus. But the booze flows freely, and Tiger keeps me company. He’s as much a prisoner as I am.
I don’t figure there’s much point in wanting what you can never have. I’ll eventually accept one of my boyfriend’s marriage proposals and then keep policing the one-way town while I pop out the babies he wants. I was born knowing how to make chicken salad out of chicken shit.
At least I won’t be bored. Denners aren’t fans of following the rules, and the longer they’re in town, the worse they behave, thanks to the spell that keeps us all trapped here.
Just when I think I’ve made my peace with my lot, the portal pops open and two men shoot through, throwing punches before their feet even finish landing in my town. When they finally look at me, all I see is problems. Big, ginormous, entirely-too-handsome problems. And that’s before I even take into account the little “surprise” they brought through with them.
No one’s ever looked at me the way they do.
They aren’t the kind of men who back down after claiming something.
Or someone…
Did I say I had my life in Traitor’s Den all figured out? Hell, I couldn’t have been more wrong.
* A sexy fantasy western with growly shifters, sketchy vamps, peculiar mages and creatures, and one badass cowgirl sheriff. Within this small town, magic and gossip flow as freely as whiskey, and work and pleasure are nearly the same thing. Weird things happen on the regular in Traitor’s Den. Come and join the quirky family, where everyone’s packing. Oh, and don’t mind the tiger.
Author Bio:
Lucía Ashta is the Amazon top 20 bestselling author of paranormal romance, urban fantasy, and paranormal women’s fiction filled with wild magic, spicy romance, and quirky characters that make you snort-laugh.
A former attorney and architect, she’s an Argentinian-American who lives in North Carolina’s Smoky Mountains with her husband and daughters.
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