Evolution Thursday: Siobhan Muir

Siobhan Muir lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, with her husband, two daughters, and a vegetarian cat she swears is a shapeshifter, though he's never shifted when she can see him. When not writing, she's dreaming about the heroes and heroines who make up her world. An avid reader of science fiction/fantasy since she was a kid, she began to write her own versions of fairytales and completed her first fan fiction novel at the age of 13. No, it will never see the light of day.

Always interested in human interaction, Siobhan believes in happily ever after, redemption, and communication, all of which you will find in her paranormal romance stories.

Siobhan can be found on her blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

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Siobhan, what gave you the idea for Her Devoted Vampire?

Actually, it was my husband who gave me the idea. He said all romance was bunk, so I asked if I could try to write one he liked (and since I'm a paranormal author, I picked a vampire). I tried to write it in such a way that would be believable to a man while still enticing the female readers. He now loves my stories (and I ask for his help in getting the male psyche right). 

Do you recall the first scene you wrote?

This was one of those strange stories that wrote start to finish. I started with the coffee shop meet-cute (as they say in Hollywood) and let it go from there. Some of the other scenes were added later, but that's the one I started with.

Did you have a scene that you loved but ended up cutting?

Not in this story. I actually added scenes to Her Devoted Vampire that made it more believable.

I usually have an a-ha moment, where an insignificant detail becomes something really important. Did you have a moment like that? Will it spoil the plot to tell me what it was?

I did, yes. I'd written the beginning of the story with Bridget, the heroine, reading a trashy romance as an escape from the mundane-ness of her life. At the time, I only used it as device to entertain my husband, but the line that really got me was Bridget's inner thought after she reads the excerpt of her book (and no, I can't reveal it to you). It was so telling and summed up what was to come, I just sat there a moment, mouth agape, thinking, "Whoa. That's really cool."

Are you surprised where the story took you? Or if ended up where you planned, were you surprised how you got there?

This story went where I wanted it to go, but I was surprised at how many others it engendered. There are characters that wanted their own tales and then I got to thinking about their siblings, friends, and coworkers. Suddenly I had four werewolf stories, another vamp tale, and a contemporary romantic suspense all explode out of this one little story. I didn't realize it would be an introduction to a whole world of stories.

What story idea is sitting in the class right now, raising his hand madly, begging you to call on him?

LOL, just one? I have about four, three boys and a girl, all waving and demanding it's his/her turn. Which is great for the readers - there will be at least that many out per year (if the characters will let me finish them).

Thanks so much for playing along!

Thanks so much for having me, Wendy.

In addition to paranormal romance, Siobhan hosts "Thursday Threads," a flash fiction competition for blog badges and notoriety, open to whoever stumbles upon her blog. Why yes, astute visitor, it IS Thursday. Rules are simple...she gives you a prompt. You write a story around in 250 words or less and post it to the comments of today's TT post. I hope you try it out.

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Bridget doesn't believe in vampires or werewolves, but that doesn't stop one from kidnapping her.

Bridget Shanahan’s life seems bleak and boring until she gets mugged and abducted from her favorite coffee shop by the sexiest man she’s ever met. Unfortunately, he’s a lunatic who believes he’s some kind of vampire savior surrounded by a security force of werewolves. And he’s determined to keep her.

Fredrick Macgregor has been having visions of this woman in danger for the last six months. A woman he must protect because she’s the Avatar of the Goddess. However, when he brings her home, she doesn’t believe he's a vampire or that she is the Avatar, and she definitely doesn't want to stay. But the sense of danger persists and he'll do anything to keep her safe, even if it means risking the loss of the only woman who makes his endless life bearable again.

Available from Amazon, Barnes & Nobel, and Kobo.