Prince of Granola by L.A. Sartor, Excerpt and Author Interview

Prince of Granola–don’t you just love that title? And this cover! Please welcome L.A. Sartor as she shares with us about this exciting new release!

Blurb:

Only One Will Win

Cacao – long a symbol of wealth, love, and power – now the center of a powerful rivalry.

The fabled Costa Rican Plantation of White Treasure, source of the rarest form of the cacao bean, is up for sale. Though two fierce competitors have been invited to bid on it, only one can win.

For Drew Hopkins, purchasing the plantation is the perfect solution to escape a life she never wanted.

For Robert Prince, it’s the perfect route to revenge.

Drew, the founder’s daughter and now CEO of HH Chocolate, heads a company whose sales are waning.  Robert, CEO of Prince Organics, a man driven by excellence, despises everything and everyone labeled Hopkins.

But it wasn’t always that way.

Will their forced proximity at the lush and exotic plantation rekindle old flames or will it fan the fires of antagonism?

 

 

Dear Reader Blurb

 

Dear Reader:

Cacao has always been a symbol of wealth, love, and power. From the ancient Maya and Anasazi peoples who drank the pleasantly bitter brew to the European noblemen and religious hierarchy who began to dine on it at their gilded baroque tables, to current times where you can indulge in gold-leafed truffles in boutique chocolate shops or bar-shaped candy off a grocery shelf, chocolate has been cherished, fought over and delighted in.

If you’re interested in an in-depth history of chocolate, The True History of Chocolate by Sophie D. Coe and Michael D. Coe is a must read.

Be sure to check out the exciting excerpt below!

Author Interview: 

Hello! I’m delighted to have you here with us, sharing about your writing process. First, please tell us a little about yourself and the kinds of stories you like to write. Would you say there is an underlying theme behind your stories?

Hi, McKenna, thank you for having me as a guest on your blog.  I prefer stories with a happy ending, be it a romance, adventure, suspense, or mystery.  And guess what? I currently write all four genres, though my cozy mystery won’t be out until 2019. 

You asked if there was an underlying theme.  YES, there is. Even though the characters all have differing motivations and conflicts, I think my theme is always about trust. Trusting another person with your life, your love, your heart, your child.

What part of the world do you call home? Can you tell us a little about where you grew up and where you live now?

I was adopted as an infant by an American couple in Germany, spent several years there before moving to Pacific Palisades, California.  Loved it there. Adventure, beaches, palm trees, sunshine.  Then we moved to Colorado when I about 10. I was heartbroken to leave CA.  Now a gazillion years later, I can’t imagine not living in Boulder with a view of the icon Flatirons. The ocean still calls to me and I get my fix 3-4 times a year.  I’d be happy with a beach home to visit anytime I desired, and my forever home in Boulder.

How long have you been writing? Did you write as a child or is it something you developed a passion for later in life?

Funny you asked if I wrote as a child.  Ha, I thought I was unique, but I’ve learned that many writers start very young.  I was about 4, and no I couldn’t write, but I told my stories to mom, who wrote them down and I “illustrated them”. I gave up my passion after a junior high school teacher told me and my parents that I’d never be a writer because I didn’t want to learn grammar, I just wanted to tell stories.  Much later I regained the need to write. And it is a need. Today I have seven books published. I’ve made #1 Amazon Bestseller and won awards.  I’m truly happy to be where I am.

 

“Writers should write what they know.” What does this statement mean to you as an author?

I think it’s very limiting in, or at least it seemed that way to me when I started, and as I’ve met other authors, they’ve shared the same restriction they feel creates in that phrase.

We know sorrow, suffering, love, happiness, fear–the emotional list is nearly endless. We might not know how an attorney works or the law, or a bakery, or how an AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle) works, but that is all information we can find on the internet or library, as well as query people in the field.  I didn’t know anything about cacao when I started Prince Of Granola, my new release. Or how go from bean to bar, or much about Costa Rica.  I found experts who either emailed me answers or invited me to their business to watch the process.  But I did know about the pain of separation, rivalry, betrayal. 

So, don’t be limited by thinking you can only write about nursing if you’re a nurse (heck, you’re an angel) you can write about anything by tapping into the emotions you’ve experienced and then doing your diligence with research. And if your story is about a nurse, then you’re simply that much further along.

Are you a panster or a plotter?  Do you outline extensively or write your story as you go along?

I used to proudly wear the panster badge.  It’s a bit tarnished now.  While I always knew my beginning and my ending, it would take me months to create a middle.  Then I dealt with huge rewrites and editorial revisions.  Now I’m developing my own plotting worksheet from various classes that have resonated with me.  That worksheet is work in progress. 

And lil’ miss panster, aka, me, is becoming the queen of spreadsheets for various reasons, like, ugh, expenses, but also I need book bibles for my series.  I just did a blog on them here if you’d like to see what I’ve done. 

What’s your idea of a perfect vacation?

Since I live in Colorful Colorado, and I mentioned above that I have to have my beach fix, my favorite spot is by a warm ocean.

Part of our day (our, meaning my amazingly patient husband should be with me for a perfect vacay) would be in the water and on the sand, with yes, sunscreen, and no, not with a mai tai in hand, that’s for after I’m done with the sun. Then go sightseeing. I always find things to add to stories this way and I make a record of them either with a camera set on video so I can record the image and my thoughts or my iPhone doing the same thing.

Later in the evening we’re either dining out extravagantly or eating local. I get recommendations from Triple D, friends and yes, internet research.  Drink in hand, we watch the sunset. After dinner we stroll the beach, darting either into or away from the tide. And a last cup of coffee before we share a kiss and dreamland claims us.  Sound sappy? Probably, but that’s perfection for me.

Do you see your writing as a hobby or is it your goal to be a full-time writer at some point in the future?

I was able to retire from my part-time “day” job at a somewhat early age. And instead of just enjoying writing, I turned it into full-time job.  I was obsessed with writing, it took over. While my husband was patient, it became obvious to both of us that I needed to find balance in my life.  My childhood phrase was “Lessie Do It.” I’m still pretty driven, even today.

So, it’s been more of a challenge than I thought to find the balance, and six years later, I’m not sure I’ve yet achieved that goal. I know I’m better at putting aside my laptop when I reach my word count goal for the day. I don’t get angry at me and the world if I miss a day (but I do try and make it up) and I almost never write while on vacation. I may jot notes, or record them and transcribe them in Dragon Naturally Speaking. And the recorder is never in a place I can’t put my hand on it immediately. Because you know, I do my best thinking in the shower and often, wrapped in a towel, I’m running for the recorder. My husband and writing retreat buddies are used to this.

Research: love it or hate it?

Absolutely love it.  As I mentioned above, information and people with information can be found by being diligent about looking.  And people, wow, they are generally so willing to help.  For instance, in my second adventure book, Viking Gold, I made connection with a Colonel (ret.) in the Danish Air Force who’d been studying Nazi sub and airbases.  The information he gave me, completely turned my story around and made it so much better than my original concept.  The submarine base in Trondheim Norway gave me chills. Today it’s pretty benign, but its history!  And so I used it, changed it a bit, but not enough to ruin the reality. I could go on and on with stories that SES told me about WWII but I’ll spare you.  😊

*How much do you think that a good blurb and good cover art figure into the success of a story?

It’s huge. I’m redoing a few of my covers and blurbs because I am able fix them now and make them better. I didn’t have the skills before, and I often didn’t know what I wanted to change in a cover or a blurb so how could I tell my cover artist?

I think it’s important to keep both fresh and updated.  To reflect the times with the blurb and be as professional as possible with the cover.  I like to try to tell a bit about the story in the cover.  In Dare To Believe, my first book and a romantic suspense, I’m creating its third cover. While the first two were done by a wonderful graphic artist, I felt the cover needed some minor tweaks.

Hey, here’s a thought, check out the cover on my website and tell me if you think the blurb at the top says enough or should I say what I’m trying to convey on the cover, Color Won’t Return To Cate’s World Until Haley Is Found?

I’d love to hear your opinion.  After all you all are readers, exactly the people I want to reach. (And if you’re a writer, hey, same goes. We read after all.)

Do you miss your characters when you come to the end of their story? Do you find ways to write sequels for them or do you become entranced with a new set?

I do write series, because I’ve found that readers love to find a character from a prior book in the new one. They and I (yes writers should be readers) feel like we’re in remembered territory even as new characters with their own conflicts, motivations and goals come into play.  It’s like a treat. 

In fact, my WIP Dream Of Me This Christmas Eve is being written because readers asked me to write about a particular minor character. We didn’t even meet in her Forever Yours This New Year’s Night, but apparently people liked who she was.  Caroline Young will now have her own story around October of 2018. The 4th book in the Colorado set Star Light ~ Star Bright series. I’m pretty thrilled that 1) people responded to me and asked about her and 2) that I finally found the right story for her.

Excerpt from the Prince of Granola:

Robert watched as Drew, garbed in that ridiculous jumpsuit, followed Isabelle up the steps to the hacienda. Just before disappearing into the house, his nemesis hesitated, turned, and gave him a brief, provoking smile.

The furrows on his brow deepened. If this continued for four days, he’d have a permanent set of ridges.

How was it that the one person he avoided whenever possible was here now, after the same plantation?

It was ridiculous that Señor Camerillo would think of selling his rare cacao beans to HH Chocolate. They weren’t in the same league as Prince Organics. Or for that matter, any other gourmet chocolate company.

HH made mass-market chocolate bars, holiday-themed shapes, and bite-sized foil-wrapped squares, all with barely enough cacao in them to call them chocolate. And Robert knew that HH was finally in the financial straits his father had predicted when he’d walked out of HH’s headquarters the last time.

Henri Hopkins had been old-school through and through, refusing to move with the times. Robert knew that Drew had started working there right after grad school, but by the time Henri had relinquished the reins of the company to her, she had a dying business on her hands.

His thoughts returned to Drew’s brief taunting smile. How dare she?

What, taunt, provoke? Why not? We’re adversaries after the same goal. And I should have done it first, showing her that she didn’t have a chance. Let her be stewing. “Jeez, get a grip. You’re not stewing.”

“Pardon? I did not quite catch that.”

Robert glanced over at the señor, realizing he’d spoken aloud.

“It was nothing,” he assured the puzzled man.

But it wasn’t.

The last time he’d seen her was over a year ago, during a corporate panel discussion hosted by the number one business show on television. She’d been charming, articulate, and had the moderator in the palm of her hand. After the show was over, Drew answered a few questions from various business reporters, then fled the room as if she couldn’t stand to breathe the same air as him.

Yet just now he’d allowed her, however momentarily, to seize the upper hand as he focused on that taunting smile instead of simply ignoring it.

Doubled with that punch to your gut and groin when she pulled off that helmet and all that glorious chestnut hair tumbled around her shoulders.

About the Author:

I started writing as a child, really. A few things happened on the way to becoming a published author … a junior high school teacher who told me I couldn’t write because I didn’t want to study … urk … grammar. I went to college, moved a few times, came home and found the love of my life (that is another novel worthy story, but for later), and got married.

I have always been a voracious reader and one night after throwing a particularly bad book at the wall (even putting a small ding in said wall), I realized that I could do better.  I told my husband, and he said go for it. I called Mom and she revealed the junior high teacher story and she told I’d been writing all the time up to that point.

That blew me away. I didn’t remember any of it.  But I started writing again, nearly the next day, pen and paper, learning, making mistakes, winning contests, then moving away from novel writing to screenwriting, getting a contract for a script and doing really well in screenwriting contests. But I wasn’t really making a career from any of this.

My husband told me repeatedly that independent publishing was becoming a valid way to publish a novel and people were making big dollars.  I didn’t believe him even after he showed me several Wall Street Journal articles. I thought indie meant vanity press. 

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

I started pursuing this direction seriously, hit the keyboard, learned a litany of new things and published my first novel. My second book became a bestseller, and while I’m not rolling in dough, I’m absolutely on the right course in my life. Prince Of Granola is my 7th book.

Please come visit me at www.lasartor.com, see my books, find my social media links, some screenplays and sign up for my mailing list. I have a gift I’ve specifically created for my new email subscribers. And remember, you can email me at Leslie@LeslieSartor.com 

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Author Interview with Jennifer Julie Miller

Hello! I’m delighted to have you here with us, Jennifer, sharing about your writing process. First, please tell us a little about yourself and the kinds of stories you like to write. Would you say there is an underlying theme behind your stories?

Wow, let me see. I have a boy job by day. I’m a Brazer at a local factory and I have done that for 18 years now. I have only been writing since 2015, and I am the proud author of four books. I have two grown kids and now I have both of their better half’s also. I have a very rotten granddaughter who reminds me to play, with very supportive parents, aunts, sister, and friends. I have been blessed with my very own Happy Ever After. I am married to my high school sweetheart, who makes me smile every day, and after all these years I still miss him when he isn’t around. Rick is my very best friend in the world and I’m lucky enough to be married to him.

I began writing in 2015, after my husband had a dream about a girl and her magical Water Skippers…. He got up one morning and said, “Come on, we need to go buy a few things.” He took me to a local office max. I honestly, had that deer in the headlight look. I had no idea why we were there, anyway, he says. “Pick out a nice notebook and a pen I have something I want you to write.”  We came home and he told me all about this dream. This is what my very first book Water Skippers is all about… A dream my husband had.

The underlying theme is Love, Love…. Our lives are so much more than sex and arguing. There is no greater gift than to love or to be loved and my books hit that hard.

That is so fascinating–an entire series born out of your husband’s dream! I love too how supportive he is of your work. I have that too, but so many women writers I know struggle to find support among their families for what they do. 

What part of the world do you call home? Can you tell us a little about where you grew up and where you live now?

A little town in southern Ohio, called Ironton.

I’m a small town girl myself! There’s a lot to be said for growing up and raising a family in a small community.

How long have you been writing? Did you write as a child or is it something you developed a passion for later in life?

I didn’t know what I wanted to do until I was in my forties… so it took me awhile to figure out what I wanted to do when I grew up…

Hah! I know what you mean! I think a lot of writers try out different professions and hobbies until they realize it was all just prep for writing. What is the draw for you in your chosen genre? Why THIS kind of story?

I only like to read things that aren’t real.. life is real enough, so of course I want to escape into my writing the same way.

Have you written in other genres?

No.

City Boy/Girl or Country Mouse—and why?

I am all country girl, but I can play dress up also.

I know what you mean! I wear practical clothes but love pretty lingerie and having my nails done. 🙂

“Writers should write what they know.” What does this statement mean to you as an author?

I think things that are experienced are easier to write.

That’s an interesting way of looking at it! Are you a panster or a plotter?  Do you outline extensively or write your story as you go along?

I have to have the ending in my head, but other than that. I write as I go.

What’s your idea of a perfect vacation?

1000 miles from nowhere, with room service.

Do you have a favorite character that you’ve created? Why does this character resonate with you?

Ragon my pet dragonfly is my favorite.  He represents all the good we have in all of us.

Oh, that’s nice! Of the stories you’ve written, which one would you recommend a new reader begin with?

Water Skippers. It’s the first book in my series and they are the magical creatures in all of my books. They are my little heroes, and they always help the guy get the girl.

What are the three most important things in your life—the things you can’t do without?

My husband, family, and books…. I need more than three hahahah.

If you could have one super power or magical element from popular science fiction movies or literature, what would it be and why?

I want to be a dragon.

Nice! Do you see your writing as a hobby or is it your goal to be a full time writer at some point in the future?

I would love to write full time, just can’t afford to.

I hear you on that one. I’d love to be a full time author myself. What advice would you give to someone starting out as an author? What’s the one piece of advice you wish you’d been given?

Have very thick skin.. This is a crazy rollercoaster ride. Don’t stop; write until your fingers fall off, because when someone tells you they love it… It’s all worth it. 

Remember the little things, like the first time you held a guys hand, or that amazing awkward first kiss. Take the time to look up at the stars, and take the time to play in the rain. It’s the little moments in life you will always cherish. 

You are so right there! How often does your real life experience figure into your story telling? Do you base characters or stories on your actual experiences?

There is a lot of my own life, and especially the way I feel about things in all of my books. All of my books are me. My mom says it’s like being inside of my head…. So many of the stories in my books, have really happened in my own life. 

Research: love it or hate it?

I don’t do it… this is fiction, just go with it.

Editing: love it or hate it?

Ohhh the misery, but I like to learn new things.

How much do you think that a good blurb and good cover art figure into the success of a story?

It means everything.

Have you ever been intimidated by reviews?

Ohh yea, I have cried like a baby.

I think we’ve all had that experience. I recently wrote a blog post about handling bad reviews as a reminder to myself and others how to deal with the stinger you get sometimes.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, do you find what you listen to influences the story at all?

Yes,  it helps tune out all the background of the world around me.

Do you miss your characters when you come to the end of their story? Do you find ways to write sequels for them or do you become entranced with a new set?

When I finished my last set I cried. It was like I had lost a member of the family.

What are your writing goals for 2017? Your personal goals?

I honestly don’t know.. my set will be put in a box set for Christmas, but other than that I’m open.

Where can your readers find you and your stories online?

Http://Amazon.com/author/jjm5325903.  I am also on Twitter www. Jenniferrick@twitter.com…. Also I love to talk so email me at Jenniferjuliemiller@gmail.com…. And I have a website https://jenniferjuliemille.wixsite.com/mysite..

Book One: Water Skippers

Book Two: A Dragonfly’s Whisper

Book Three: Earth Shadow

Book Four: Shadow Reborn

Author Interview with Jay Shaw

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy links:

Welcome author Jay Shaw here today for some nosy questions on my part, and to find out more about her paranormal story, Wolfhaven, the first in the Duality series.

Hello, Jay! I’m delighted to have you here with us, sharing about your writing process. First, please tell us a little about yourself and the kinds of stories you like to write. Would you say there is an underlying theme behind your stories?

Hi McKenna, thank you for having me. I’m delighted to be here.

I’m a mum of two teens who stays up early and wakes up late. I love snuggling down on a wet windy day and losing myself in a wonderful book. Other passions of mine include photography, sci-fi and action movies – hopefully with some romance mixed in, reading, steak with mushroom sauce, cheesecake, and hot military men in combat boots and thigh holsters.

I write sci-fi, paranormal, action, and contemporary, romances.  I find a single genre boring to both read and write, so I tend to blend them together. Life’s a melting pot of awesomeness, both in the complexity and variety of people, and the endless possibilities out there. It’s why you’ll find both M/F and M/M pairings, set in wild and wondrous worlds you’ll want to escape to and explore, over and again.

I know exactly what you mean, Jay! I write some paranormal stories, but some urban fantasy and contemporary too. I like to mix it up. 🙂

I’ve never been too fond of labels, pigeonholes, or boxes, so I write stories I enjoy, and hope they find their way to other eager readers who will read and love them as much as I do. As for my characters, they will, through trials and tribulations, adventures and discoveries, ultimately find their one great love – a love that all of time and space will lie down and be still for. 

What part of the world do you call home? Can you tell us a little about where you grew up and where you live now?

I’m a Kiwi, from New Zealand, where I was born and raised; and where, for the foreseeable future, I intend to remain. I grew up in the suburbs of Auckland, breathing fresh air and sunshine, pretending I was Princess Leia with my arms out flying X-wings in the back yard, while four or five Luke’s and Han’s battled invisible Stormtroopers with stick-lightsabers.

There were roller skates, bicycles, rolling down the grassy slope in cardboard fridge boxes with my brother, the neighbours’ kids, and the dog, mudslides, bouncing on the trampoline with as many of our friends as could possibly fit, and not coming home until the streetlights flickered on. Yes, I grew up in the time before the internet, and cellphones came with a battery the size and weight of a brick, lol. Some might beg to disagree, but I think I turned out all right.

Today, I live in a small town fifteen minutes’ drive from the beach, where I juggle life as a mum, and semi-reclusive writer, who – on occasion – does lunch with her close-knit group of most-excellent friends.

Your childhood sounds amazing–I’ve always wanted to visit New Zealand, it looks amazingly beautiful! I’m more a mountain girl than a beach girl, but you make it sound tremendously appealing! 

How long have you been writing? Did you write as a child or is it something you developed a passion for later in life?

I’ve always loved the written word. Stories about handwritten letters lost to time and history, only to be discovered generations later, always fascinated me. My imagination was nurtured on a diet of Star Wars, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, MacGyver, and supplemented with Danielle Steel novels, and Wilbur Smith adventures. But aside from a high school English assignment where we had to create a myth/legend to explain the existence of a natural landmark, I didn’t write as a child. My passion came later; when after my marriage ended and I was trying to work out what the next chapter in my life would involve.  It took a few years and many false starts before I realized writing was my thing.  With the encouragement of a new friend, I signed up for Nano, and wrote WOLFHAVEN’s first draft that November. Two months later, I’d published my first book. I had found my passion and my path.

That’s AMAZING. I tried NaNo once, and it nearly crippled me as a writer. I’m so impressed that not only did you complete the challenge, but you turned it into a published novel as well! 

Have you written in other genres?

The short answer is, yes. I doubt I’ll ever be one of those authors who stick to one genre their entire career.  There’s too much potential out there, too many stories in need of telling. The genre I feel the most at-home in is science fiction romance. I love the freedom it offers, the chance to create and explore new galaxies and the beings that inhabit them is too good to pass up, lol. There will be more paranormal, and sci-fi, romances to come in 2018. But for the moment I’m discovering a love for contemporary romance.  My current work-in-progress is book two in a Movie Star Romance series.

 Contemporary romances definitely have their appeal–sometimes a story can only be told in a contemporary fashion–but like you, I crave the excitement and storytelling potential that comes with paranormal and sci-fi settings!

How often does your real life experience figure into your story telling? Do you base characters or stories on your actual experiences?

Not usually. Characters introduce themselves to me fully-formed and it’s not until I’m writing them do I learn who they are beyond what I learned in our initial meeting. If I need a food, drink, music, transport, or likes/dislikes, that don’t immediately come to mind, then I’ll turn to my preferences and see if any of them fit the character or situation. Sometimes by sifting through those, I discover what doesn’t work and that can actually be more useful. 

Editing: love it or hate it?

Love it. The hard work’s done. You have your draft, words on paper or screen that together weave a magical spell to entrance your readers. I love seeing the pattern of a story and being able to conjure it into the best version of itself I can.  Nothing beats that sense of self-satisfaction and achievement when, at last, you see your vision come to life; and you breathe a full breath for the first time since your first pen-stroke or key-clack.

Yes, I love the editing part too–sometimes the hard part for me is to stop tweaking–I can always see room for improvement! 

Have you ever been intimidated by reviews?

Hell yes! Everyone says don’t read them, reviews are for readers. But, what with still being a new author, I can’t help but get giddy over the fact that someone took time out of their day to read my book. Good reviews have a tendency to add pressure to meet readers expectations.  Bad reviews cut me to the quick and give me stage fright. It’s best to offer up a thank you, and remember not everyone reader is going to love your creation. And keep writing stories as they’re meant to be told. A story will always find its reader.

 Yes, it’s funny how one negative review can negate 50 glowing ones in your mind, isn’t it?

Do you miss your characters when you come to the end of their story? Do you find ways to write sequels for them or do you become entranced with a new set?

No, because their stories don’t end.  I don’t type The End. I prefer to think my characters’ journeys continue on without us, and I hope it leaves the readers with the ability to imagine and wonder what the characters are up to next.

Sequels are funny things. When I’m writing what I think is a stand-alone, secondary characters will step up and demand their own books, or something will happen that earmarks itself as a potential plotline I hadn’t anticipated.  It’s a wonderful feeling.

That’s an awesome way of looking at it! 

Tell me about the world-building you chose for Wolfhaven. How does it differ from shifter stories? It looks complex and layered to me–what was your inspiration for the structure of the society you created?

I’m not a plotter. When I start a new story it’s usually begun life as a single character introducing themselves, or a question requiring a fifty-five thousand word answer. WOLFHAVEN started this way.  I was scrolling through Pinterest when the name Asena caught my eye; its meaning was “Mother of Wolves”. I pinned it and as I scrolled some more another name appeared on my feed; Connell – “Strong Wolf”.  I was onto something. 

Within those first few precious moments of inspiration I knew, Asena was leader of a wolf pack and Connell was her grandson. I also knew Connell didn’t want the destiny expected of him.  From then on the world of WOLFHAVEN expanded as I wrote. Each time I needed something – a conflict, a character with certain traits or desires, a location – it unfolded before me, clear as day.  I knew the world in this story would represent two points of view, and everything would be in tandem with each other.  Nothing in life is ever black-and-white, and I was keen to show that through both characters and the world they inhabited. It’s why the series is called Duality.

Everything is about balance; life and death, wolf and human, pack against pack, dictatorship versus leading by example, two brothers with opposing views which actually aren’t so dissimilar when you look closer, summer and winter, love and hate, organized religion versus being in tune with nature, differing sexualities and lifestyles. WOLFHAVEN has it all.  This duality wasn’t something I set out to weave into the story, but rather a side effect of a story about coming of age and discovering how to make your destiny unite with who you’ve always known yourself to be.

I think WOLFHAVEN differs from other shifter stories mainly because wolf and human are an integral part of themselves and their lives. The connection is never questioned or doubted, and there is enough complexity and interesting potential for future stories. I’d like to believe it offers the reader a chance to think beyond the page, to imagine what living in the WOLFHAVEN world would be like; to be a wolf patrolling the borders, inhaling a million and one scents as the cooling wind ruffles their fur.

 

WOLFHAVEN Blurb: For three generations, an uneasy truce has existed between the shapeshifter packs of Wolfhaven and Silver Ridge.  But Equinox is fast approaching; and all is about to change.

Connell, grandson of Wolfhaven’s chief, is hungry for adventure; and eager to explore the world beyond the boundaries of where he grew up.  Is this a plan set for failure?  Only Lupa, Goddess of Wolves, can know; for it is she who bends destiny to her will. 

Thayer, heir apparent and Connell’s older brother, has found love with Lena – Mistress of the Moon – and daughter of Silver Ridge’s alpha.  Yet, the course of true love never runs smooth.  Lena is matched to another.  A wolf of her father’s choosing.  

Fierce and strong, Kellan is Arden’s second and will make the perfect mate.  If only Lena wished it.  Silver Ridge, a world of zealotry and submission, is no place for a freethinking female.  Especially not one, whose lover whispers of a world beyond her father’s reach.

Will Connell’s dreams of freedom and adventure be thwarted, as Thayer and Kellan challenge for the right to claim Lena as their own?  Or will Lena resolve to put the traditions of her pack and the demands of her father over those of her own heart?

 

Excerpt from WOLFHAVEN

Connell woke amid the confusion of his pack sprawled all around him.  Some were in human form, their limbs tangled with those of their mates as they slept; no space between their bodies.  Others had chosen to enjoy Equinox in wolf form.  He had been alone when he left the clearing, unnoticed by any of his writhing packmates as they fucked with abandon under the full moon.  Its ethereal glow highlighted the curve of a spine here, and the shadows where bodies arched in the rictus of pleasure there.

Connell couldn’t help the flash of Thay and Lena in his mind, the mating that had turned his life into something he didn’t recognize.  Many had approached him, made brave by Equinox, to  proposition their chief.  He had gently refused them all and suggested alternative interested parties in his stead.  Connell wanted more than a casual coupling. 

The council lodge was deserted when Connell had curled into a ball of creamy white fur, tail   tickling his nose, and fallen asleep.  Now though, a slumbering tapestry of every shade of brown and red and cream imaginable was spread across the octagonal floor.  They had found him after moonset and chosen to stay close, rather than return to their own cabins.  Perhaps it was a safety thing, but the growing warmth in Connell’s chest said otherwise.

He stretched his senses outward, ears pricked to catch the smallest of sounds.  All was still.  As if on a wave Connell felt the room close in around him.  His position, the expectations of his pack, his fear that he lacked what it took to meet said expectations, his anger at Thay – every emotion swirled thick and potent in Connell’s gut.  He had to leave, flee, and run until he could run no more.  Maybe then the answers and the insight would come, and he’d be the chief his pack needed.  The chief they deserved.  Connell was up on his feet, moving to the doorway lit with morning light on white snow; luring him forward with the clean crisp scent of freedom and solitude.

The snow was cold under his paws and against his belly as Connell bounded toward the track at the edge of Home Boundary.  Patrol would be hard going, but the exertion was what his wolf craved.  Too long confined by his human as Connell had taken his brother’s place at their grandmother’s side.

Connell stretched his wolf, pulled at the snow with his forelegs to gain speed and distance from Wolfhaven and his sleeping pack.  He let his mind loose, gave it free rein, and took in the stark beauty of the wilderness he had always called home.  Familiar scents came to him as he ran, reached out to welcome him on the still air; sharp bite of frozen water, a stag somewhere to the east, a flutter of feathers on a cedar perch as he passed beneath. 

He heard Dex shadowing his tracks, watching his back even as he gave Connell space.  It was a comfort Connell had not been aware he’d needed.  He was grateful it was just the two of them out here in the undisturbed quiet.  Dex had left Arabelle’s warmth to be out here with him.

Connell snorted, annoyed at himself for allowing his mind to go there.  Dex deserved happiness and the comfort a mate would provide.  But for some reason Connell couldn’t help resenting whoever his friend finally chose. 

He snarled in annoyance and drove onward, muscles bunching and releasing.  His breath a cloud of white around his muzzle, as he reached the giant cedar and turned into the climb; only to startle to a halt at the scent of blood flooding his snout.

That was terrific! Thanks so much for stopping by, Jay! I hope you’ll come again and share more of your stories with us!

 

Biography

Jay Shaw is a New Zealand author, a mum of two teens, and a lover of books. She’s an incurable romantic who stays up early and sleeps in late, writes in bed, loves both action and romance movies, survives on a diet of M&Ms, bottled water, and steak with mushroom sauce. 

Jay has a preference for tall, dark-haired, military men in thigh holsters and combat boots, but isn’t opposed to the occasional shirtless cowboy in tight denim. 

Her favorite books to write are fantasy and sci-fi stories about characters who will ultimately find their one great love. A love all of time and space will lie down and be still for.