Why Wolves? #fallingintolove with Sloane Wolf by @Margay Leah Justice #PNRblogfest

Lyndi Lamont's Paranormal Blogfest

Margay Leah Justice is here to tell us “Why Wolves” and talk about the inspiration for her Falling Into Love romance, Sloane Wolf.

Wolf peeking around tree

(Image courtesy of FotoSearch.com)

Whenever I discuss my latest book, Sloane Wolf, people often ask me, Why Wolves? And I have to say, why not? Wolves are fantastic creatures that mate for life and are truly faithful to their mates (from what I’ve read), and we humans could learn a lot from them.

As it pertains to my book, however, it was rather serendipitous that I ended up writing about wolves. I didn’t intentionally set out to do so, but a series of events conspired to make it happen. The first event came in the form of a book that was ultimately made into a movie that got me to thinking – and anybody who knows me can tell you that when I get to thinking, things begin to happen…in a writing sense that is! I can turn the smallest nugget of an idea into a story, if motivated enough to do so, and that is how this story started out, as just a nugget. So there I was, inspired by this other book/movie enough that certain scenes kept kicking up in my head (ahem, fight scene), but content just to imagine it in my head.

reclining wolf

(Image courtesy of FotoSearch.com)

Until event number two happened. That would be a contest that an electronic publishing company was running with the theme of – you guessed it – wolves. And so I thought, why not? I had some interesting scenes kicking around in my head, the contest was for a novella length story, so I had enough to accomplish that. And with the help of event number three – discovering an article about gray wolves returning to Massachusetts after a 100-plus year absence – a true story began to formulate with legends of wolves and why they “reappeared” in the state after such a long absence. Wow, I thought, this was really going to be something, if I could get it all together in time.

Trouble was, once I started writing, I just kept on writing and I over-shot the word count. One thing I forgot when I set out to enter this contest: I have never been able to write short. I keep trying, but I usually have so much to say, it doesn’t conform well to short stories or novellas. Not wanting to cut anything to fit the guidelines, I simply finished the book for me. And by the time I was finished with it, I knew that I had to try to get it published anyway, I felt that strong about it. And after several fits and starts, I finally found the right publisher for it in Muse it Up Publishing.

So there you have it. The serendipitous events that led to the birth of Sloane Wolf.

Sloane Wolf coverBlurb:

For more than a hundred and fifty years, the gray wolf has failed to roam the hills of Massachusetts, leading to the belief that they are extinct. But with a spattering of sightings across the Berkshires, the legend of the gray wolf comes to fruition. The product of that legend, Micah Sloane will go to great lengths to protect his kind from the threat of outsiders, who seek to exploit the legend for their own interests. One thing he didn’t count on, however, was finding his soul mate in the company of such men.

From the first time she predicted a stranger’s imminent death when she was little more than a child, Shiloh Beck knew she was different. Wishing to cultivate her gift, her parents made the fateful decision to enroll her in a private school for paranormally gifted children. Unbeknownst to them, the school was just a front for a research facility simply called the Institute, whose secret board members weaned gifted children from their families to exploit their gifts. Shiloh has spent the better part of her life trying to escape the Institute and reunite with the family she was told had abandoned her.

From their first meeting, Micah and Shiloh share a connection that goes beyond the normal to bond them in a way that love alone cannot. But before they can build a life together, they must deal with the fall-out when the legend of the wolves collides with the men behind the Institute.

Where to buy: Amazon and Muse It Up Publishing.

Excerpt:

She must be hallucinating. That’s what this whole thing was; just one big whopper of a hallucination. What kind of reality allowed for the fact that a human girl could drop from a tree and when she arose, she was a wolf?

Not possible.

No, her mind corrected, not probable. And yet it was. She knew what she saw. So the image had been a little fuzzy – kind of like now – but she knew it was true. The legend that Jon had alluded to. True. The wolves were back in Massachusetts after more than a century-long absence. And Ava Sloane was one of them.

So who were the other three?

The thought had scarce formed in her mind when her attention was drawn to them like metal to magnet. They stood in a semi-circle at her feet. Watching her. Their eyes curious, but impassive. Unease skidded down her spine. Here they were – in a cave? – out in the middle of nowhere, the nearest human several miles away. They could do anything to her here and no one would be the wiser. Poor inexperienced hiker, victim of a vicious animal attack.

Her unease multiplied by a thousand and for the first time since this far-fetched sequence of events unfolded, she allowed herself to give in to the fear lurking in the back of her mind. Not that she had any choice in the matter, given the vulnerability of her present state; lying injured on the floor of a dark cave as four sets of glowing eyes watched her. Panting out a panicky breath, she tried to scurry backward, to put as much distance as she could between them and herself – which was nearly impossible given the confines of the cave. A wrenching pain in her shoulder put a quick end to her flight, as did the back wall of the cave. A starburst of light erupted behind her eyes as her head bumped against the stone, exacerbating the pain she’d already suffered from her fall from the tree.

Her eyes never leaving the wolves, watching as they approached her, she frantically patted the cool, packed earth about her, searching for a weapon. A stick, a stone – anything she could use to defend herself against them. Her gaze wavered as the darkness pressed in on her again. She fought it, fought off her brain’s impulse to put itself in safety mode. A losing battle. Hard as she tried to remain conscious, her brain’s sense of self-preservation kicked in and it began to shut down, robbing her of consciousness.

But before the darkness completely overtook her, she could have sworn she saw the creatures slowly morph from magnificent silver beasts into the even more magnificent human forms of Micah, Cam, Grayson – and yes, Ava – then back again before they even reached her feet.

Author’s Bio:

A versatile author who likes to write in multiple genres, Margay Leah Justice is the published author of three books: Nora’s Soul, Sloane Wolf and The Scent of Humanity. In her free time, she can be found penning her new story, reading (of course!) or knitting up something warm and toasty for her family.

Connect with Margay at:

Blogs: http://margayleahjustice.blogspot.com/
http://moonlightlacemayhem.blogspot.com/

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/margay1122

Twitter @Margay: http://twitter.com/Margay

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MargayLeahJustice

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/margay1122/

Thanks for being my guest, Margay. I’m a big sucker for wolves, too. They are such beautiful animals.

Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter the drawing for this month’s special giveaway, a Halloween basket with autographed books, candy, Halloween socks and assorted author swag.

Lyndi Lamont

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Interview With a Vampire by Author Guy Ogan #PNRblogfest #IRInk

Lyndi Lamont's Paranormal Blogfest

The charming Guy Ogan is here with an interview of his vampire character, Gary Logan, from his Immortal Relations series. Welcome, Guy.

Interview with vampire Gary Logan:

Gary Logan, my primary male character, is here to tell us a little about why he became a vampire. As you know most vampires are “changed” against their will. Gary on the other hand fell in love with a lady who happened to be a vampire (she had been attacked and only two policemen happening on the scene kept her from being drained rather than changed). Gary is one of only two characters in my series who asks to be changed to stay with someone they love. There are others who are changed to save them from death due to disease.

Guy: I understand you have some kind of special power. Can you tell us about it?

Humans would count the speed, strength and immortality of being a vampire as special powers; however, our group of vampires are developed even further. With the help of Sophie (my vampire son’s human wife) we have developed the ability to reach out to one another and experience the physical joy of each other during sex and communicate mentally at great distances.

Immortal Relations cover

Guy: When did you discover your powers?

Most of the vampire powers were taught to me very soon after being changed. You can read about that in the early parts of Immortal Relations. Only a few people realize that the entire series of books started out as notes in a three ring binder I kept as a record of my entry into the vampire world. My discussion with the great Vlad Dracula in book three is where I learned about “flying.” I’d started practicing a little over thick parts of our Canadian forests when it was raining, very cloudy or at night. Of course, now that we have “come-out-of-the-coffin*” (actually we were “outed” by the Marxist government in Washington, D.C. – how they hate us!) I now fly in daylight getting “thumbs-up” if seen by my wonderful neighbors in the Cayuga area!

Guy: Did you have special education or training to hone your power?

Yes, Sophie helped train us in the method of enjoying being in each other’s mind during sex and then we carried that ability further to communicating with one another and reading the minds of humans. The latter has come in handy when our vampire children went to university or in the military. We taught it to Fred, the shape-shifting werewolf who is in love with Glenda, my half-human, half-vampire granddaughter. Both are now enrolled in Prague’s University. They “tested-out” of the more mundane classes so will attain their undergraduate as well as graduate degrees in less than three years. They’re currently taking joint MBA and Law degrees (read about them in the first half of book three).

Guy: Do you consider your power a gift or a curse? Why?

We have used all of these powers to not only enjoy each other physically, as well as to communicate, but to help safeguard mankind. From that perspective the powers must be considered as great gifts. We have stopped a potential nuclear war between Communist China and The Russian Federation, cleaned up the messes caused by terrorists and helped bring them to justice and kept two potentially Extinction Level Events on Earth from happening as well as threats from outer-space that could have destroyed Earth.

Guy: How does having this power complicate your life?

It sometimes seems we’re cursed with the frequency we’re called upon to save mankind, often from their own stupidity, such as from the types of leaders whom they have given control over themselves…amazing!

Guy: If you could swap your power for another one, what would it be?

We actually have taught humans the ability to share each other’s physical joy during sex. Now if we could just teach them to do diligent research into the types of people they place in leadership positions, I’d consider that would be worth trading my “flying” for!

Guy: What does your lover think of your abilities?

My two “owners” who both changed me so we could be together forever (they stress we are co-equal in our highly erotic partnership) think our abilities are great! For those who prefer less sex in the novels they read, book two has a summary of the major points of book one with far less sex. Book two is helpful when reading book three but each book will stand alone.

Here is what my Immortal Relations series is about:Immortal Relations Love and War

Are all those who are “different” than you automatically bad? Certainly the vast majority of books published about vampires paint them as “in league with the Devil” and “evil personified.” Often they are shown almost like “shape-shifters,” able to take on the appearance of beauty, while underneath lurks a hideous killer of unspeakable ugliness. I’m told I am the first author to have my vampires owning funeral homes where, by law, the blood of the deceased must be replaced with a preservative. This is properly done following funerary laws (no “fangs” involved – how revolting that would be – yuck)!

Immortal Relations starts with a true-life event that occurred to the author’s parents. It was finding out about this situation that spurred the author to write the series. The first book explores love and aspects of its physical expression (sex) so it’s appropriate for open-minded adults. Read Richard Rasmussen’s comment on the first book at Amazon.

The second book Immortal Relations, Love and War carries the story forward and has a summary of important parts of the first book in the form of a conversation between two of the main characters (this makes it a good starting point for those for whom stories with sex is an issue). While I still consider this novel “adult fare” I found a way to lessen the “explicitness” of the togetherness…I think you may laugh at the way it’s done. The second in the series has a lot about how power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Watch the Chinese Communists try to capture the riches in Siberia and run up against not only our guardian vampires but the love of the Russian people for their homeland. Greedy OPEC Ministers try to destroy Russian oil production in order to destroy the economy of Russia and The West – actions that could become more than just ideas in a novel.

Coming Out CoverImmortal Relations Coming Out explores the destructiveness of the new Soviet style of Socialism taking over America and how the country is heading down the path to the loss of its Constitution and personal freedoms guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. These are all strong stories not for the faint of heart!

Born in Washington D.C., early in WW-II, I spent my early years in Texas with my mother and her parents while my father was overseas. His overseas exploits had my mother say something which became part of the foundation for my series “Immortal Relations.” I graduated from TCU (B.S.), Ball State University (M.A.) and Hardin-Simmons University (M.Ed) and am a Retired Major, USAF & retired Psychologist and Program Adminstrator with the Texas Dept. of Criminal Justice.

My first Adult Paranormal-Romance Novel is titled, Immortal “Relations.” As an advisory, it has “explicit togetherness” in it (sounds so much nicer than just saying “sex”). The first book starts when “my character” finds a picture that proved “his” late father had a tryst while assigned overseas at the end of WW-II and goes there in hopes of finding out more. There he meets a stunning younger lady who knows far more about his father than she should.

During my military service I submitted many technical articles and in my work in the counseling field wrote, “Can Anyone Help My Child?” about the assessment and treatment of A.D.D. and A.D.H.D. I live in West Texas with my wife and our Pomeranians. I believe, “Dogs are God’s gift to mankind to teach us Love & Loyalty!” All my books are available on AMAZON & KINDLE and can be ordered through Barnes and Noble.

Guy, thanks for dropping by today. I love the idea of vampires running the world’s funeral parlors. Brilliant!

Who is your favorite vampire character from books or movies? I’m presently in love with Matthew Clermont of Deborah Harkness’s All Souls Trilogy.

Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter the drawing for this month’s special giveaway, a Halloween basket with autographed books, candy, Halloween socks and assorted author swag.

Lyndi Lamont

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