T's Stuff: Between the Shadows by Casi McLean

Author: Casi McLean

Narrators: Kristin James

Length: 8 hours 28 minutes

Publisher: Casi McLean

Released: Sep. 24, 2018

Genre: Time Travel Romance

She never expected to confront deadly villains…let alone fall in love with one…

After her friend, York, encounters the ghostly image of a young woman, Mackenzie Reynolds seizes the opportunity to initiate a time jump, thrusting them back to 1865 Georgia. Resolved to thwart the girl’s untimely fate, Kenzi stumbles into a deadly conflict over a stockpile of stolen Confederate gold.

An injured Civil War survivor, James Adams departs for home with a war-fatigued companion he’s determined to help. After pilfering a horse and kidnaping a woman, he never dreamed his hostage would steal his heart.

Kenzi and James must unravel a deadly plot, while helping York save his ghost woman from a brutal death. But can she leave York in a violent past to save James’s life?

Award winning author, Casi McLean, pens novels to stir the soul with romance, suspense, and a sprinkle of magic. Her writing crosses genres from ethereal, captivating shorts with eerie twist endings to believable time slips, mystical plots, and sensual romantic suspense, like Beneath The Lake, WINNER: 2016 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence for BEST Romantic Suspense.

Casi's powerful memoir, Wingless Butterfly: Healing The Broken Child Within, shares an inspirational message of courage, tenacity, and hope, and displays her unique ability to excel in nonfiction and self-help as well as fiction. Known for enchanting stories with magical description, McLean entices readers in nonfiction as well with fascinating hooks to hold them captive in storylines they can't put down.

Her romance entwines strong, believable heroines with delicious hot heroes to tempt the deepest desires then fans the flames, sweeping readers into their innermost romantic fantasies. Ms. McLean weaves exceptional romantic mystery with suspenseful settings and lovable characters you'll devour. You'll see, hear, and feel the magical eeriness of one fateful night. You'll swear her time travel could happen, be mystified by her other worldly images, and feel heat of romantic suspense, but most of all you'll want more.

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Kristin “KJ” James was born and raised in the Nashville, TN area. Acting has always been a passion of hers. Starting on the stage as early as preschool, KJ pursued her passion into college where she received a BA in Communication with a double emphasis in Theatre and Public Relations from Mississippi State University. After college she found herself more and more drawn to voice overs. Several classes, coaching sessions, seminars, research, and a closet-turned-studio later, and she now records and produces audiobooks on a regular basis. She has also done several radio commercials for clients such as Advance Financial, TriStar Health, and GAC.

When she’s not in her booth, you can find her crocheting, playing video games, or running agility with her dogs.

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4*
Between the Shadows is a Time travel book. It is part of the Lake Lanier Mysteries series. it is book 3 in the series. In the book York and Mackenzie Reynolds must travel through time back to 1865 to save a ghost woman. York has found a woman in our time but there is something very strange about her looks and the boundaries she can pass. York convinces Kinsey they must travel back to 1865 and save Isobel before she is brutally raped and murdered.

They travel back in time to Georgia at the end of the Civil War. Once there they run across James, a soldier from the war who is trying to get home. Along with James is Brady another soldier who the war has turned into a brutal man. James takes Kinsey hostage in order to escape death from York and Collin, Isobels brother.

It is pretty much love at first site for York and Isobel, and for Kinsey and James. Now the tricky part is can Kinsey leave James in 1865 to return to the present in order to save James' life?

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Casi McLean. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

Q&A With Author Casi McLean

Between The Shadows is a new addition to your Lake Lanier Mysteries. How many books are in this Series? Can you tell us about the stories?
- Lake Lanier Mysteries has three books, which means aside from the writing, editing, proofing and publishing, I have three trailers, and three sets of marketing. My head is spinning. But I’m never too busy to talk about my Lake Lanier Mysteries series.
- Book #1, Beneath The Lake, focuses on a ghost town buried under Atlanta’s man-made Lake, Sidney Lanier. The heroine, Lacy Montgomery, is a young lawyer who crashes her car then was thrust into the lake. She awakens in 1949––34 years before she was born.
- Beyond The Mist takes two minor characters from book #1 and spins them from the portal beneath the lake to 2001 New York and the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.
- Between The Shadows highlights two more characters, taking them back to 1865 and a deadly struggle with villains attempting to steal the (still missing) Confederate gold.
- I love this series, not only because I live near the lake and never tire of the endless lore attached to the area, but also because the legends lend themselves so well to my time portal concept.
You have a good following on twitter. Since you started before the social media buzz, what impact has social media relationships had on your current success? How did you build your following in your niche? How much has it changed your book launch process?
- I reached 10,000 followers a few weeks ago and was excited to cross that goal. I built my following on Twitter by following back and having interesting, eye-catching tweets. I rarely tweet anything without a great graphic or .gif to keep my followers engaged.
- My Facebook profile is approaching the limit, so I’m trying to interact more on my pages. Instagram and Pinterest are fun, too. I’d like to do more with both of those platforms. As for my book launches, I use every venue I can to reach potential readers. I wish there was a magic wand to make marketing easier, but until I find one, I’ll just keep talking to everyone who will listen and hope they give my stories a read.
Do you do any book signings, interviews, speaking and personal appearances? If so, when and where is the next place where your readers can see you? Where can they keep up with your personal contacts online?
- I love online events where I can meet myriad readers in one place, while sitting in the comfort of my favorite chair. You can’t beat that...but I also enjoy talking face-to-face with people. I’ve done quite a few speaking engagements, centered around my brand as well as my books. I love interviews and have several videos on my website of past engagements.
- I participate in book fairs, and I occasionally have signings. This time of year, fall with winter on the horizon, the Atlanta area buzzes with festivals and special events. I’m always busy in autumn, but when the temperature drops I hibernate and write. When the holidays are over, my next event will be in March at the Dahlonega Book Festival in Dahlonega, GA.
You have great covers. They carry a theme and your brand with them. How does your book cover creation process work? Do you hand over the basic theme or do you have more of a hands-on approach? Do you get your readers involved in its development?
- That’s a great compliment. It means a lot because I honestly believe people do judge a book by its cover. The visual is so important, a first impression hook to draw in a reader. If a book doesn’t capture a reader’s attention, an author loses a potential fan before they read the tagline, first paragraph, or back cover.
- I’ve designed most of my covers. The two I didn’t create, was only because my publisher required all covers to be created in-house. Even then, I had a lot of input in the process. I’m very hands-on, so I typically don’t have readers suggest cover details, though I sometimes consider their ideas for story directions. My covers come from my soul. They are a part of my story––a peek into the mystery unfolding inside my books.
Several of your novels have been converted into audio books. What has been the impact on your regular sales? Has the audio books gained a new audience for you?
- First let me say I love Kristin James’s narration. I heard her when I was listening to another audio book and knew she was the narrator I wanted for Between The Shadows!
To answer the question, absolutely, and my fan base has increased exponentially. One of my favorite new fans has Multiple Sclerosis, which keeps her homebound. She loves what she refers to as fairy tales for grown-ups, but her vision often keeps her from the books she loves, so audiobooks open her world.
- I’m so thrilled my stories can reach people who have disabilities, as well as those who find it difficult to carve-out time to read. To me, audiobooks present a win-win situation. I love listening to audio stories as well. As an author, I'm at my computer for hours on end, and I find listening to my favorite authors allows me to read more books without adding unnecessary stress to my eyes.
You have written a novella series called Destiny. Can you tell us if it has had an impact on the sales of your novels? Are shorty’s one of your styles of writing or are they created to give readers a sample of your work? Do you feel short reads are a product of our email and smartphone age?
- Originally, I wrote my shorts to give readers a taste of my style, but I’ve come to realize short stories, novelettes, and novellas give readers more options. A novel can be daunting, especially in today's busy society. Finding time to read isn’t easy, and I never enjoyed a book as much when I was pulled away by life situations after reading only a few chapters then had to backtrack and re-read to remember the storyline. With varied story lengths, readers can choose to read a book in one sitting, over a weekend, or on vacation, depending on their schedule.
What is your primary genre? What has been your best marketing approach to this group?
- Huge question…when my teacher chose to read A Wrinkle In Time to her fourth-grade class, I fell in love with time travel. Later, my interests evolved to romance, suspense, and stories with a touch of supernatural. As an adult, I love stories that hook me with the first paragraph and keep me turning pages through the end.
- My primary genre includes all those elements. I write what I love to read, and I’m never quite sure where my characters will entice my imagination. My Lake Lanier Mysteries, a time slip, romantic suspense series, emerged from the strange phenomenon and eerie lore attached to Atlanta’s man-made Lake Lanier. What if the initial construction created more than a lake…what if blasting triggered a seismic shift to open a portal connecting past to future? Organic interest grew from local Atlanta residents, but who doesn’t love a good mystery?
- Still, with the vast number of books published every day, the competition is fierce. I reach out to book clubs and social media, but I’ve found teaming with other authors in the same genre, and providing incentive to readers attracts more fans. That’s why I created MoonlightAndMystery.com
Do you maintain a reader list? What are the methods you use to find your readers and create the list and the relationship? Do you use social media, forums, newsletters and/or support groups to build your list?
- Social media definitely helps spread the word, but the key word there is social. I try to vary my presence and treasure every contact. Lately, though, social media challenges authors by limiting unpaid exposure. So, for me, the most important tool is email. Readers sign up through my websites, and I send out a monthly newsletter.
- To stand out in a tsunami of books and authors, I think it’s important to let the readers know what’s in it for them. Most newsletters don’t survive the inbox delete button…or worse, the unsubscribe link. I want my readers to look forward to my email, so I make sure to give them benefit, and never flood their inbox. Moonlight And Mystery has a lot of contests, freebies, virtual mysteries, and fun to attract readers and keep them interested, while my personal site, casimclean.com, centers more on Casi McLean, my work, personal interviews, audio clips, reviews, etc.
You have a great blog. You do a great job keeping readers informed, marketing your books and helping other writers gain exposure. What is your primary goal? And where in the world do you find the time to create great novels, take care of the social media and maintain your blog?
- Sometimes I feel like I’m glued to my computer, but I have two driving forces. I think my brand centers my work. If you wander through my Internet presence, you’ll soon discover I have a burning passion to inspire others to live their dreams.
- The theme continues hidden in the pages of all my stories. Perhaps that’s why I gravitated to novels with happy endings. Reality or fantasy, hope springs eternal in my world. What drives my writing more than anything else is my readers. Hearing and reading their comments inspires me to write better and never let them down…and a little hidden inspiration never hurt anyone.
You have several great book trailers. (See links below.) They look very professional. Do you know how much impact they have had on your book’s success? Tell us about the process that you used to create your trailers? Do you use the trailer in your character development? Are the pictures and background the way you see your characters and scenes?
- Thanks so much. I love my trailers, but the process isn’t an easy one. My son is an audio-visual technician and his team created the trailer for my first publication, my memoir, Wingless Butterfly––Healing The Broken Child Within. I had so much fun on that set, I feared I missed my calling.
- Afterward, he taught me some tricks of the trade and I’ve created all my trailers since then. Everyone has different ways of learning. I’m very visual. Tell me how to do something and I'll probably need to hear the directions in small segments. SHOW me how to do something and I’ll nail the process. So, yes, the pictures set forth my vision and feel of my stories.
- Sometimes, in the middle of writing a story, I look for pictures to solidify my vision of a character. Like I mentioned earlier in this interview regarding audiobooks, visuals reach out to a whole new stream of readers, who may prefer movies, but read books if a storyline grabs them. What better way to grab visual people? I reach more readers and build a stronger fan base.
What do you have on the drawing board next? Rumor has it that you have another book on the horizon called Reign Of Fire. Can you tell us the timeline for its release and give us a little tease?
- This year has been a whirlwind, starting with my September 15th, 2017 release of Beyond The Mist, book #2 in my Lake Lanier Mysteries and now, book #3, Between the Shadows. Reign Of Fire will be released November 18, and will be sold exclusively in the Love Under Fire boxset. Reign Of Fire begins a new political thriller series for me, so follow me on social media. You won’t want to miss this.