Shawna Thomas on setting and putting her characters through hell

I announced recently that I would be hosting some guest bloggers here at Isn't It Romance? and Shawna Thomas has the dubious honour of being the first. My plan with these guest posts is to ask readerly questions that interest me of my guests. But before I start interrogating, some details.... Shawna's novel Altered Destiny releases today and is a fantasy with romantic elements. You can buy it here.

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Altered Destiny, the blurb:

Selia has run her family's tavern since she was fifteen and can hunt and fight the equal of any man. When she rescues a badly wounded man and nurses him back to health, she has no idea she's about to change not only her life, but also the destinies of two peoples...

The battered warrior is Svistra—a race of bloodthirsty savages determined to destroy her homeland. Or so the stories claim. Jaden reveals a different truth: how his ancestors were driven into the barren northern mountains. Now they are strong and war parties are pushing south wanting their land back.

The son of a Svistra Commander, Jaden is looking for a way to bring peace to both humans and Svistrans. He tries to ignore his growing passion for Selia, but when she is captured he has to decide what he would be willing to sacrifice to save the woman he loves.
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Tumperkin: The thing that strikes me about the blurb is the sense of upheaval and trauma. Did you set out to write a book full of high stakes drama? Was it something about the characters or the story you wanted to tell that made that appropriate?

Shawna: Wow, what a good question. When I start writing a book, it's all about the characters. I want to learn about them, what makes them tick, get a feeling for the interaction between them. Then I torture them. So no, I didn't set out to write a book with drama, but reading a book without drama is like reading an 8 year-old's diary. Not so exciting. LOL (I recently found my diary when I was 8). However, in learning the characters, I discovered an almost impossible situation. One in which no one was completely right and everyone was, at least in part, in the wrong. No easy solutions. I like that.

Tumperkin: I can relate to that. As a reader, I love the ambiguous places in books, where there are lots of shades of grey to explore and ponder. I don't like too-easy answers.

So, why fantasy?

Shawna: I love the fantasy genre because you can go all out. You are only limited by your imagination. That said, I like worlds that make sense. Currency, language, religion, even paranormal beings all need to mesh into a believable world. I think my love of history helps me there. That said, and this is something I've never revealed before, this story is actually set in a post (as in hundreds of years after the event) apocalyptic North America. I don't highlight that fact, but there are hints throughout the book.

Tumperkin: oooh, interesting! Why post-apocalyptic?

Shawna: I honestly don't remember choosing that setting. It came about naturally. I was trying to find a reason a race of people would need to consume blood (like mosquitoes, only sexier. ; )) so I was researching and hit upon radiation which caused a mutation in the body's DNA. This mutation prevented the body from absorbing certain amino acids necessary for life. The fantasy part of my brain took over and the Svistra were born. By the way, only female mosquitoes consume blood. Male mosquitoes drink plant nectar. Yup, we know who wears the pants in that family. ; )

Tumperkin: Thanks Shawna!