Shay West was born in Longmont, CO and earned a doctorate degree in Human Medical Genetics from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical. Dr. West currently lives in Grand Junction, CO with her two cats. When not writing novels, she plays with plushie microbes and teaches biology classes at Colorado Mesa University.
She is the author of the Portals of Destiny series and the Adventures of Alexis Davenport series. She has also been published in several anthologies: Battlespace (military scifi), Orange Karen: Tribute to a Warrior (fundraiser), and Ancient New (steampunk/fantasy).
You can find Dr. West and more of her work at Shay-West.com.
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https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4687346.Shay_West
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22402628-dangerous-reflections
Alexis Davenport wants to go home. She hates her new school, her mother for moving her away from her friends, and her father for walking out.
To make matters worse, Alex is haunted by images of strange girls reflected in her mirror. It’s bad enough juggling homework, a relentless bully, boys, and a deadbeat dad; now, she must save the world from an evil presence hell-bent on changing the past – and our futures. Who knew her A+ in history was going to be this important?
Q) What inspired you to write this story?
I was getting ready for work one day, staring into the mirror, putting on make-up when I thought about how cool it would be if my reflection changed to someone elses face. Not scary, but cool LOL The story for Dangerous Reflections sort of took off from there.
Q) How long did it take you to write?
I’d have to say about eight or nine months. I was working as a post-doctoral fellow and research took up a lot of my time. I just write when I could, kept plugging away, and heaved a huge sigh of relief when I finished the rough draft.
Q) What is your favorite thing about writing?
Losing myself in another world, delving into my characters heads, bring them to life. It’s also quite fun to watch my characters do and act in ways I never expected, often leading to some pretty awesome plot lines and twists.
Q) What is your least favorite thing about writing?
When it’s a struggle just to type a single sentence. I’ve never had writer’s block or anything (knock on wood!!) but sometimes my day job just takes a lot out of me and I can’t muster the energy to write. I try to do it every day but I also don’t beat myself up if I just feel more like zoning out with Doctor Who or Sherlock instead.
Q) If you could be any famous person for one day, who would you be and why?
Whoever is closest to Richard Armitage *swoons* That man is quite delightful, is a year older than me, doesn’t currently have a girlfriend, and would just be so much fun to hang out with. I could listen to that baritone voice of his for hours. So if you are reading this, Mr. Armitage, I would love to be your date for any red carpet events in your future :D
Q) What is the oldest thing in your fridge and how old is it?
This is probably going to shock people but I am obsessive about getting rid of old stuff in my frig. I would guess the oldest thing is maybe one of my condiments and it’s maybe only a few weeks old. I got food poisoning once and have been so careful to check dates and throw stuff away if I have the slightest concern. Leftovers HAVE to be eaten the next day or they get thrown out. My freezer is usually full though since I freeze leftovers I can’t eat the next day LOL
Q) What can readers expect from you in the future?
There are two more books in the Adventures of Alexis Davenport series (Twisted Reflections and Desperate Reflections) that will be launching within the next few months. I finished an urban fantasy novel called The Harvesters (detectives must stop a group from another world from murdering people on Earth) and it is in the hands of my book manager as we speak, just to see what she thinks and if she thinks it will sell (FYI she is about half way done and said she LOVES it). I’m currently writing a paranormal fantasy called Angel Fyre (Two teens hold the key to changing the turn of the battle between angels and demons). And for those that like scifi and fantasy, I have a complete trilogy (Portals of Destiny) available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
