A.G. Porter is the author of The Darkness Trilogy, a YA Paranormal Thriller, and Pieces of My Heart, a book of poetry. She is currently writing a spin-off of her Darkness Trilogy characters, as well as her next poetry book. When she isn’t writing, she’s either busy being the coolest librarian on the planet or spending much needed time with her family. Ms. Porter lives in New Hope, Alabama with her husband, Billy, stepson, Brenton, and their 4 dogs.
The Shadow Rayna Stone is an eighteen-year-old girl from a small Alabama town that just wants to save a little money for college. A summer job at an upscale resort surrounded by snobby, rich folks isn’t her idea of fun—until she meets eyes with the owner’s son, Liam and things begin to look brighter. But then she starts seeing things that she can’t explain and having dreams that are haunted by a being she calls The Shadow. The Shadow shows her things about some missing girls that she wished she had never seen and her dreams seem to be coming true. As if that isn’t enough, she learns that her ability gives her an insight into the feelings of others around her. When Rayna learns that Liam does feel something for her, she wants to tell him she feels the same, but something is warning her to stay away. Not because he is dangerous, but because she is.
The Forsaken Six months ago, Rayna Stone came face-to-face with a demented serial killer and survived, but not unscathed. Everyone knows that she is the “girl who almost died.” She’d rather hide, but she tries to live her life, go to school, get a job, and try not to let her Gift overwhelm her. Her nightmares have changed, but they’re still trying to show her something. All she can see are The Eyes and they must be watching her for a reason. Ron is still out there and The Shadow still haunts her dreams. Her Gift is getting stronger and she has obtained very powerful and more deadly abilities. While this might sound desirable, Rayna can’t help but think that means her Gift is preparing her for a war.
The Redeemed Nightmares. The oncoming war. More Gifted emerge and not all of them are on her side. Secrets about her father are revealed. Who are The Children of The Light? Will Rayna be able to resist the powers of The Shadow with Jayce’s help? She had planned to face down her demons with Liam by her side, but now that he’s lost his soul, is he really lost to her forever?
Question after question, obstacle after obstacle present themselves in the last installment of The Darkness Trilogy. It’s coming to an end—the battle, the war. The only question Rayna Stone wants answered is whether she and her friends make it out alive.
My novel Treasures of Dodrazeb: The Origin Key is an historical sword-and-science fantasy adventure. Click here to read an excerpt.
An invading Persian warrior becomes obsessed with Dodrazeb, a strange isolated kingdom that possesses incredible technology. Ancient Dodrazeb’s puzzling choice to hide from the world pulls him deeper into layers of mysteries as its sly princess does everything she can to expel the invaders. What are the Dodrazebbians so desperate to keep hidden?
Get your copy on Amazon.com! Available in both e-book and paperback.
Q. The Darkness Trilogy is a scary young adult paranormal thriller. Tell us about the story and its main characters.
It all starts with my main character, Rayna Stone, when she attends a summer internship at an upscale golf resort in Guntersville, AL. It’s there that her supernatural abilities awaken, putting her and her friends down a very dangerous path with a being known as The Shadow.
Q. Why are you drawn to frightening themes?
I think it stems from my love of the paranormal genre. I’ve always been drawn to it.
Q. Why did you choose to write in the YA genre?
Because I love it. Even when I finally made it into adulthood, I was still reading in that section.
Q. Do you find it more fun to write heroes or villains? Why?
I love my heroes, but villains are fun as well. I think villains are much more intriguing for an author because we are not and never will be, or at least I hope so, that horrific. Especially supernatural villains. They are able to do some very terrifying things and not care about the consequences.
Q. What’s different or unique about your story from other YA paranormal tales?
For one thing, my story takes place in Alabama and there really aren’t many southern YA paranormal thrillers. Rayna is also a Christian so she utilizes her faith to help her in her quest to defeat the bad guy.
Q. Readers often don’t realize that writers do lots of research, even for speculative and fantasy stories, before they complete a book. What kind of research did you do for this story?
I did a lot of research in the geography of Guntersville. It’s a real place! I spent a lot of time on the campgrounds as a child, but Guntersville is huge. I wanted to make sure I got the area I was talking about right. I also research myths and legends of different spiritual beings.
Q. Which works and authors would you say influenced the book? How?
Definitely R.L. Stine and Dean Koontz.
Q. What was your favorite scene to write?
Oh, wow. I’m not even sure. I really like writing a certain character’s scene. Jasmine is this snarky, sassy girl with zero filter. I want to be like her when I grow up so I definitely enjoyed writing any scene with her. Besides that, the epic fight scenes!
Q. What was the hardest part of the book for you to write?
The end of the trilogy! It was bittersweet.
Q. What inspired you to write this story with these characters?
I actually had the idea for this story beginning in the 9th grade. It evolved when I started to experience sleep paralysis. Look it up!
Q. Do you have plans for more books in this series? Other books possibly in a different genre?
I do. I’m writing a spinoff right now.
Q. What made you decide to get serious about writing? How long were you “dabbling” before you felt the time was right to publish your work?
I seriously think I just woke up one and told myself that if I ever wanted to finish a book I better start now. I wrote off and on again for years, but that bug bit really hard one day.
Q. A lot of writers seem to despise the editing process. Do you like it or hate it? How do you approach the task of editing?
I’m with the despisers. I hate doing it. I will read through my own works to see if I catch anything and just to make sure I didn’t go off the deep end somewhere, but I don’t edit my own writing.
Q. Why did you decide to self-publish?
I went round and round with Literary Agent. It didn’t work out, but I’m thankful for the experience. After that, I decided to go it alone. I have learned so much along the way. I would highly recommend a new author to reach out to other self-published authors so they avoid all the pitfalls. Network! Go to conventions and book festivals. I wish I knew someone when I started out!
Q. You seem to have a dream job for a writer—you are the manager of a branch library! Tell us how being a librarian has impacted your writing, and how your writing has influenced your career.
I think just being reminded on a daily basis that there are people out there who genuinely love a good story, a book, keeps me motivated.
Q. When you aren’t crafting amazing stories, what do you do for fun?
Sleeping. LOL! I spend a lot of time reading and just being with my family. I also volunteer a lot so I normally stay pretty busy. I have a little one on the way (yay!) so my schedule isn’t going to slow down anytime soon.
Q. What advice do you have for writers who want to become published authors?
Just write and write what you want to. It’s OK if the first book you write isn’t great. Write another one. It’s like anything else in life, the more you do it, the better you’re going to be. It’s that simple.
Q. Is there anything about the writing life that you think is misunderstood by the public?
The amount of time, money, and our souls we put into our craft. We don’t just sneeze out a book. It takes years for some of us and a lot of hard work.
Q. As a reader, what about a book turns you away?
Anything that’s over-the-top explicit just for shock value.
Q. What’s your all-time favorite book? Why?
This is an impossible question to answer! I can name a few series I’ve gone back to and read several times, but to pick one? I can’t. The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Odd Thomas, and the list goes on. I like them all for many different reasons.
Q. What’s your all-time favorite TV show? Why?
There are so many! Doctor Who, Supernatural, The Walking Dead, GoT…
Q. What’s your all-time favorite movie? Why?
It’s probably Jurassic Park or Edward Scissorhands or Terminator 2 or Aliens or A Nightmare before Christmas or anything Disney…see, I can’t pick just one.
Q. Where is one place you’d like to visit that you haven’t been before? Why?
Ireland! I want to go on a castle tour.
Contact Information:
Author Name: A.G. Porter
Facebook: @TDTAGP (A.G. Porter, Author)
Twitter: @agporter1
Book Links: A.G. Porter’s books are available on Amazon.com
S.D. McPhail 