Coffee & Convo welcomes Dannye Williamsen author of the paranormal suspense novel Second Chances.
Is Second Chances part of a series?
Yes. The Threads That Bind is the sequel.
Tell us a little bit about Second Chances.
Haunted by an apparition who threatens her life and the lives of her friends, Freddie Marsh, a successful commodity analyst, searches for answers and finds herself facing her worst nightmare. The darkness she senses in this ghostly stalker is more than her imagination. Reluctant to embrace the powers she has always dismissed, she follows the guidance of a wolf known as Avatar, who knows well the power of the darkness stalking her.
The confrontation with her ghostly stalker disrupts the status quo. Now, as every corner of her life is invaded, Freddie's self-sufficiency is lost. She must trust others if she is to survive, and most of all, she must risk trusting herself because using the paranormal ability she fears is the only way she can survive.
Her stalker's rage at the perversity of his world long ago unleashed his power, and now the intensity of his negativity hurtles them both toward the edge of extinction.
"The past is rarely the past. It weaves a thread through every thought, every breath for generations to come." -The Book of Metanoia
What do you think readers will enjoy most about Second Chances?
Of course, I would like to think that they’ll enjoy the story, but I also hope that they pick up on the underlying theme. I have tried to create my characters to have depth as well as diversity in their experiences, and my deep interest in psychology definitely played a part in this effort. The quotes I use from the Book of Metanoia are my own. I have been writing these for a number of years, and they just naturally found their way into these two novels.
Where can we find Second Chances?
Second Chances can be purchased at the following sites:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004C44GIW [Kindle]
http://www.selfpublishedauthorsmarketplace.com/ under fiction: suspense/paranormal
Tell us a little about yourself.
Although I’ve always loved to write, I didn’t start doing it seriously until the turn of the century. Prior to that I had a varied career in management. I started out in construction of apartment complexes, managed a coal mine in Arkansas, owned a couple of nightclubs, was project manager for the first rebuild of a cable TV system in the United States, and I was an International Technical Analyst for Financial Instruments for ContiCommodity in the late 70s. When I married, my husband and I owned a dental laboratory. I also do some life coaching.
A proud moment for me was in 2002 when I received a letter notifying me of my inclusion in the Marquis Who’s Who in America. Years ago when I was in high school, I wondered what it would be like to be selected because it was considered a prestigious honor. Since then, I have been included in the Who’s Who of the World, Who’s Who of American Women, and Who’s Who in Finance and Business. It took a long time, but it finally happened!
Some say that at 62, I’m in the third act of my life, but I prefer to think of it as the first act in a new play. Because of my interest in self-publishing, I started the Breakthrough Bookstore in 2011 to help change the way the reading public views self-published books by creating a special venue just for them. I based it on a win/win business plan: There is no charge for listing so if the authors sell books, they make money and then I make money through advertising fees from Amazon and Smashwords. It’s been hard work, but I’ve enjoyed every minute of it!
Why did you decide to become an Indie author?
I self-publisheda 5 CD audio called It’s Your Move! Transform Your Dreams from Wishful Thinking to Reality back in 2004 because finding an agent for a debut nonfiction audio book seemed unlikely. The audio book did win a Bronze Award in Foreword Magazine’s 2004 Book of the Year Awards. There was such a learning curve involved in the writing, recording, and manufacturing process that I chose to produce my and my husband’s subsequent nonfiction books ourselves.
Once I was ready to publish my novels, Amazon.com had launched CreateSpace. It was such a wonderful alternative to putting up front money, not to mention having more control over your work that publishing the novels through CreateSpace was a no-brainer for me.
Is Second Chances your debut novel?
Yes, it is. The sequel to my debut novel is The Threads That Bind, which can be purchased at these sites:
http://www.selfpublishedauthorsmarketplace.com/ under Fiction: suspense/paranormal
Any future writing plans you wish to share with us?
As soon as Breakthrough Bookstore gets through the “birthing stage,” I have another novel that I have started, tentatively titled Center Stage. I also have a book of poems I want to release that trace my life from the 9th grade to my 50th year. I have added a commentary to connect the poems. The book is titled The Seasons of my Soul.
