Catriana's Muse: 155. Special Guest: Margay Leah Justice!

Catriana's Muse: 155. Special Guest: Margay Leah Justice!: Why Wolves? Whenever I discuss my latest book, Sloane Wolf, people often ask me, Why Wolves? And I h...

The Dark Heroine by Abigail Gibbs

For lovers of Twilight and A Discovery of Witches comes a tale about the blurred lines between family, love, and loyalty from a 17-year old Oxford-bound debut author

Do you fear me Violet Lee?
Do you know what I could do to you?

A chance encounter on a deserted street plunges Violet into a world beyond her wildest imaginings-a world of elegance and beauty where aristocratic vampires live for decadent pleasures…a place from which there is no escape…
But beneath the splendor lies a darkness, embodied in the charismatic but dangerous heir to the throne, Kaspar Varn.

As Violet and Kaspar surrender to a passion that transcends their separate worlds, they soon discover that it's a passion that comes at a price…
(From Edelweiss)


My Thoughts:

This book is presented as a piece for lovers of Twilight and A Discovery of Witches and boy, does it deliver! I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I first started reading it, but I got hooked fast and just sped on through to the end, eager to discover what happened to Violet and Kaspar. This is an amazing little treat of a book!

It has everything: Engaging, complex characters, legends, prophesies, more twists than a pretzel, and at its heart, a love story. Violet and Kaspar are destined to be the next Bella and Edward but with one little exception: Violet is Kaspar's equal from the start. She is no meek miss and she matches him wit for wit, insult for insult. She is not afraid of him. She's fascinated by him, but not obsessive in her fascination, and she is loyal - to Kaspar and her family. So when she is faced with a tough decision, it is not something she takes lightly. She wants to protect everyone she cares about and do what is in the best interest of all. And Kaspar - oh, my! Devilish, desirable, incredibly hot, and torn between his heart and his duty to his family. The very definition of a romantic hero. Watch out, Edward, you may have met your match!

What I love about this book is that it is filled with characters you want to love and root for, but who can sometimes disappoint you, and the story is not predictable. Just when you think you know what's going on, something happens to make you realize you might not know as much as you thought. It keeps you guessing, it keeps you intrigued, and you might just gobble it up whole, like I did. I can't wait to read more from this author.

Kindle Fire Giveaway Tour 'Bottled Abyss' by Benjamin Ethridge

Me and the bloody stuff…

By Benjamin Kane Ethridge

It comes up often. Confronted with my writing genre, I feel the need to constantly explain the deviant, red, squishy, crazy, terrifying content of my books. Horror is a genre that people continue to lump in with slasher / torture movies, so just bringing up the genre name gets noses twitching and lips snarling into the “Ohhhh I don’t like those sorts of stories” formation. Now, I’ve ingested a steady diet of slasher movies in my day, and though the subgenre had run its course and then some, I have no problem still making a yummy sound. It is a rarity though to find me writing hack ‘em ups. Actually, I won a contest for the one and only slasher story I ever wrote, entitled “Gorgon,” in the now defunct Doorways magazine. Since then, I haven’t considered writing another. Not even once.

Anyhow, I’m not a slasher writer. I’m a writer who enjoys writing fantasy and science fiction, but has had more success with darker spins on those genres. So, writing horror was a survival thing for me. I haven’t had much luck yet with my straight fantasy or science fiction—because it’s a rigid market with many creators. Thus, I horror.

Okay, and what does that entail? Well, making a cocktail of course. My ideas ferment out of the fantastic or scientific scenarios I happen to be daydreaming about the most and then I add blood and stir. It doesn’t take much to get my imagination going. My latest novel BOTTLED ABYSS started with the vision of a bottle, the contents an absolute liquid darkness. That’s it. No characters. No plot. No story. I didn’t even know the River Styx, a major element of the finished product, would be involved. For me, I can’t know those things that early on, because it would defuse the bomb I’m prodding to explode.

Now, how does that set me apart from other writers in the genre? Without painting myself on a lofty mountaintop, I will instead suggest I stand on a different mountain, no better, and no worse. I know full well I haven’t read everybody out there, so I’m not going to be as foolish and brash as to proclaim myself unique, a literary wondergod possessing an insurmountable imagination. Going from the books I’ve read, I can only describe a tenuous truth. For who knows? There might be another novel dealing with the theme of death much the way BOTTLED ABYSS does. I just don’t know, because I haven’t read it.

Okay, enough sidestepping the question. I’m a different than some writers in that I don’t often retell common stories or expand on known genres or sub-genres. Even though writing a zombie or vampire novel would probably be wise from a marketing standpoint, my head doesn’t want to explore that well trodden terrain. Maybe it will someday, but for now, I enjoy telling uncommon horror stories outside popular subgenres. My first book BLACK & ORANGE is a novel about a cult with ties to our world and another dimension. Horror novels about cults certainly exist and are plentiful, but I’ve never read one like my book. With BOTTLED ABYSS, I’ve yet to read a similar mythological horror novel. I find it more exciting than writing a cowboy romance comedy zombie thriller. Would I enjoy reading a story like that though too? You bet. Devising one? Not so much.

I see many writers doing a fabulous job making familiar stories and genres into something fresh and new. That isn’t me though. I’d much rather focus on the unfamiliar. I’d like to create new genres, instead of living inside old ones.

Will I always do this?

As long as somebody is willing to publish it, would be my answer. Again, I want to stress that I don’t feel superior in my decision to approach my content this way. I’m not unique in that I want to tell entertaining stories. That’s what most of us writers want to do. This is just the way I’ve chosen to go about it, using the vehicles I enjoy and making sure to bloody up their grills and tires with enough carnage to satisfy my audience.

Now to the Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Halloween Spooktacular Girveaway Hop

I am so happy to be participating in this fabulous blog hop, hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and The Diary Of A Bookworm. For my giveaway, I have an e-copy of my book, Sloane Wolf, so my giveaway is open internationally.

For a chance to win, you must be a follower of this blog. Please lave a comment telling me how you follow and a way to contact you. Following me on Facebook or Twitter earns an extra entry - please leave a separate comment. Good luck and have fun with the hop!

Reader alert! Stephanie Laurens launches online cover consult for next book!

About the book:

#1 New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens has returned to another utterly irresistible branch on her beloved Cynster family tree:

The only thing more troublesome than a Cynster man…is a Cynster lady who believes love is not her destiny. Famously known in London Society as “The Matchbreaker,” Henrietta Cynster’s uncanny skill lies in preventing ill-fated nuptials-not in falling victim to Cupid’s spell.

But then she disrupts one match too many and feels honor-bound to assist dashing James Glossup find a suitable bride for a marriage-of-convenience.

A task infernally complicated by the undeniable, unquenchable attraction that flares between James and Henrietta, who continues to believe she will never fall…

And Then She Fell…enamored with bringing her readers intimately into the publishing process!

Just wanted to share with you, quickly, Stephanie Laurens’ online cover consultation for AND THEN SHE FELL, her forthcoming (April 2013 ) historical romance return to the beguiling Cynster Girls series of titles!

http://app.snapapp.com/laurenscoverconsult

Phoebe Pope and the Year of Four Cover Reveal and Giveaway

Phoebe Pope and the Year of Four by Nya Jade

Expected Pub: Nov 2012

The students of Green Lane Academy roam their halls unaware that below their manicured campus exists a prestigious school of an entirely different kind . . .

Sixteen-year-old Phoebe Pope has enrolled at the Campus Below: a spy academy for shape-shifters hidden deep beneath the grounds of a boarding school whose humans unknowingly protect it. There, thanks to a carefully planned schedule, she leads a double life: spy trainee Below and normal teenager Above.

As if two course loads, concealing a secret power she alone wields, and coping with her father’s recent death weren’t enough, Phoebe finds herself developing major feelings for actor and teen heartthrob Colten Chase, who attends the Campus Above and appears to be majoring in winning Phoebe’s heart. But when officials learn that Phoebe may be at the center of a startling prophecy, she becomes the target of shape-shifting assassins who will stop at nothing to suppress the truth.

Now Phoebe’s lessons about Shaper’s enemies and spycraft take on great importance as a menace stalks the campus, with Phoebe as its target. Meanwhile, what began as an unlikely relationship with Colten, quickly morphs into heartache when she suspects that something sinister lurks beneath this movie star’s glitter and fame. Suddenly, Phoebe’s caught in a mesh of lies, betrayals, and danger where she doesn’t know who to trust, and needs to rely on herself–and her secret power—to get to the truth and to stay alive. 

Author Links:

Twitter: www.twitter.com/TheNyaJade

Facebook: www.facebook.com/NyaJadeFriends

Website: www.NyaJade.com

Giveaway:

Singer-songwriter Nya Jade is celebrating the upcoming release of her debut YA novel, Phoebe Pope and the Year of Four, with a Tiffany & Co. gift card giveaway!! 

• (2) $100 Gift Cards. 
• US only

Tiffany & Co. gift cards are redeemable at all Tiffany & Co. locations, as well as at tiffany.com.

a Rafflecopter giveaway --

Jane Austen Giveaway Hop

Hello, All! I am so happy to be participating in the Jane Austen Giveaway Hop! Jane Austen is one of my favorite authors and of course, my favorite Austen story is Pride and Prejudice. In honor of my love and passion for this story, and in honor of Halloween, I am going to offer an Austen mashup book to one lucky commenter:

For a chance to win this, just be a subscriber to my blog - new or old - and leave a comment with your mail addy in case you win. For extra entries, follow me on Twitter or Facebook. Leave a separate comment for each entry.

Hello Fall!

Spotlight on Mary Calestro of Muse Charmer

What can you share with your fellow authors?

by

Mary Calesto

One of the great things about the writing community is how willing we are to share information and knowledge with our fellow authors. The wealth of classes offered not just through the Romance Writers of America, but also through other organizations, shows just how generous we really are. After all, having worked within other genres of writing, I cannot think of another that is so willing to share information so freely and openly.

However, there’s another aspect of this sharing which I feel is something that’s relatively new to the writing community, and that is information products. Those involved in coaching and blogging know information products are a great way to build passive income, but then again published authors also know this because that’s how books sell. A writer works to market his or her backlist and frontlist titles, and readers (hopefully) buy them, providing monthly or quarterly royalties to the author. Information products work on the same way, except, there’s no royalties – there’s simply the entire purchase price (minus any vendor discounts/paypal processing fees/etc.) to the author.

These “information products” are simply books, and many of them are more like novellas. A slice of knowledge, some well-researched information, and an author, especially one who is multi-published and well-loved by fans and reviewers alike, can position him or herself as an expert. This leads to many new opportunities for an author. For example, if an author has published quite a few Regency romances, then a “Romance Writer’s Guide to the Regency Area” would make an understandable information product. Same, too, with an author whose degree or career knowledge would benefit other authors.

Of course, there’s more than information products. Many writing groups, such as local RWA chapters, really appreciate well-written, articles for their newsletters. Your blog can become a great resource for writers (and thus introduce new readers to your books). There are so many ways to share our knowledge, if we simply do share.

I think, in part, that’s why I started the Muse Charmer. Having been in this business so long, and seen so many things, I feel a need to share with other writers. Share my experience, my knowledge, even my stories as a warning, because like other authors, I, too, have run into publishers who were wonderful and those who really weren’t.  Sharing knowledge is important.

Creating Realistic Characters with Mystical Press, Plus a Giveaway!

A special thank you to Margay for having us as her guest today. She was very gracious to squeeze us in on her calendar! Mwah!

Nothing gets a rejection faster than unrealistic characters. From the opening page, everything revealed about them builds expectations. And a story falls flat when the characters fail to uphold those expectations. The result is a contrived story that will make readers put your book down…and that’s the last thing we want!

Behold, 3 Valuable Tips for Creating Realistic Characters

Tip #1—Give Your Character Personal Motivation

Only one thing drives a story forward: Character motivation. A plethora of authors make the mistake of drafting detailed storylines and plugging their characters into place. Though a storyline may give direction, Alan Watt advises we should hold our stories loosely in his book The 90-Day Novel: Unlocking the Story Within.

If the character isn’t motivated to achieve something personal, the story drags. In other words, if your characters don’t care, neither will your readers.

Storyline with No Character Motivation: Tad Smith is determined to follow family tradition and climb Mount Everest—both his father and grandfather tried and succeeded. Tad and his crew encounter trials and tribulations on the treacherous journey and Tad even loses his best friend George along the way. In the end, he reaches the top…but at what price? Tad learns a hard-knock lesson in priorities that forever changes his life.

While this is nice, there’s not really anything driving us to read this story. A bunch of guys climb a mountain, stuff happens to them along the way and in the end they learn a lesson. But there’s nothing to care about. Let’s revise a little, shall we?

Storyline with Character Motivation: Tad Smith’s father believes he isn’t strong enough to carry on the family tradition of climbing Mount Everest…but Tad is determined to prove his father wrong and gathers a crew who are just as resolute. With his best friend George at his side, Tad and his crew encounter trials and tribulations on the treacherous journey, but giving up is not an option. If Tad accepts defeat, his father will be right, and the crew is determined to conquer the mountain for fortune and glory. George is fatally injured and, with his dying breath, tells Tad he can do anything…he just needs to believe in himself. Tad demands his crew turn back. He won’t lose anyone else to his personal ambitions and vows to continue alone. George’s sacrifice will not be in vain. The crew refuses to abandon Tad and they all agree to continue. In the end, they reach the top and Tad can finally gain the respect of his father...but his father doesn’t care and refuses to acknowledge Tad’s achievement. Only then does Tad realize the truth—he didn’t need his father to believe in him; he needed to believe in himself. The crew receives honor, glory and riches for their efforts, but their victory is bittersweet as they toast to George’s empty chair.

This revised storyline is more about the characters’ relationships versus a bunch of guys climbing a mountain. It’s about brotherhood and learning how to believe in yourself. The story has potential because the character motivation is linked to personal goals.

Tip #2—KNOW Your Characters

Many authors make their characters do things with the sole purpose of driving the storyline in a certain direction. All authors should ask themselves one question as they write: “How would my character respond in this situation?” Let’s say you’re writing a sci-fi story and a vicious, drooling alien is about to attack a defenseless child. Your shy, bookworm heroine suddenly finds hidden courage, draws the nearby Samurai swords on display and hacks the alien into sushi. You may need your character to do this, but unless you establish a hidden strength in your shy character early in the story, the actions come off as phony.

Here’s another way of putting it. Imagine someone you’ve known most of your life (e.g., your overprotective, neat-freak grandmother) and plug them into your latest story. Now rephrase the question, “How would Grandma respond in this situation?” Grandma might glance at the swords, but in reality she would pick up her trusty broom, stand like a lioness in front of the child and scold the alien for the slimy mess it’s making before whacking it into submission. The point is you wouldn’t have Grandma wielding Samurai swords and hacking the alien into sushi because you know Grandma hates sushi. All joking aside, you get the point?

This is the level of depth you must establish when creating your characters. You must know them—inside and out.

Tip #3—Listen to Real Dialogue between Real People

Dialogue is a great way to reveal information in a story. However, a lot of authors take this tip to an unrealistic level. Let’s use Tad for our example and engage him in some dialogue with his father.

“I’ve told you a hundred times, Tad, you’re not strong enough to climb Mount Everest. You’ll never have the honor of achieving the family tradition your grandfather and I obtained.”

Tad clenched his fists at his side. “You’re wrong, Dad! I’ve been training for years, just like you and Grandpa did. I’m going to make you proud. You’ll see!”

“It has less to do with physical strength, son.” Jeremy poked his finger into Tad’s chest. “Have you forgotten you were in therapy for three years trying to recover from your mother’s death? Don’t you remember how your grandfather almost died climbing that mountain? He trained for ten years and had two failed attempts before he succeeded. Everest changed him. He experienced hallucinations, lost friends!”

Question:  if Tad’s whole purpose is to follow in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps, doesn’t he know all this already? Two people don’t rehash information they both already know. The only purpose of this dialogue is to inform the reader about their history. It sounds stilted, forced and contrived. Also, there’s no mystery to make the readers want to keep flipping pages. Let’s try again:

Jeremy crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. “I talked Bradley out of sponsoring you.”

“You did what?” Tad clenched his jaw, waiting for an explanation, but his father offered none. He steadied his breath. “I have plenty of other sponsors I can—”

“And I’ll talk them out of it, too.” Jeremy stalked forward until he was nose-to-nose with Tad. “You know how I feel about this.”

“What more can I do prove I’m ready for this? Don’t you think I’ve trained hard enough over the last ten years?” Tad crossed his own arms in defiance. “I’ve endured—”

“You don’t get it!” Jeremy threw his hands in the air. “Conquering Everest isn’t about physical strength, son!” He stabbed his index finger into Tad’s chest. 

“You’re not strong here! You’re not like me, and that mountain will kill you like it almost killed your grandfather. That’s why he was never the same after he came home.”

Tad fought the stinging in his eyes and inwardly cursed when tears slipped down his cheek.

“See what I mean? You can’t even handle a simple truth about yourself. You couldn’t even deal with your mother’s death.” Jeremy stomped to the door. 

“You’re not going,” he said over his shoulder. “That’s final.”

This dialogue reveals their feelings for each other while leaving many things unsaid that scream through the undertones of their behavior. Also, keep in mind the information left out can be woven into the story later where it’s more appropriate. The most important thing is to let the dialogue unfold naturally.

We Can Help!

There is so much more that contributes to realistic, believable and even memorable characters: backstory, foundational behavior that establishes a character’s personality through actions, psychology and human nature. The list goes on and on.

This fall, Mystical Press Services is releasing a list of classes geared toward character development: Character Development Essentials (CDE) Power Class (coming soon) and Crafting Believable Characters (CBC) Class Series (available for pre-order now). We have another class coming in early 2013 titled Creating Memorable Characters (CMC). Why so many? Because crafting believable characters is paramount to writing a great story. When you register on our site, be sure to let us know which blog referred you so your hostess will be recognized. Registered users will be informed when new classes are added to the catalogue.

Prizes!!!

We encourage you to share some of your experiences with creating characters or valuable tips you may have learned along the way. If you have any questions, please ask! Leave a comment or question and we’ll enter you in a drawing for a $25 eGift good toward any services or classes at our website. Good luck and thanks for participating!

Editor Bios

Mystical Press Services is the culmination of two authors and professionally trained editors—Arial Burnz and AJ Nuest—who help authors bridge the gap between the form rejection letter and publication. In fact, we believe in this venture so passionately, our tagline is “Helping authors achieve their dreams.” We also assist authors for self-publication. Come dream with us!

Plotting Princesses: Princess for the day...Margay Leah Justice & Sloan...

Plotting Princesses: Princess for the day...Margay Leah Justice & Sloan...: Welcome to Margay! Let's get all the inside stuff about her  and Sloane Wolf (and how did she get that title?) How did you ge...

GETTING INTO CHARACTER with Margay Leah Justice

GETTING INTO CHARACTER with Margay Leah Justice

Interview With Dr. Evan Nichols, Hero of Kelly Whitley's Into The Red

Hello, paranormal romance fans! Kelly Whitley here. Thanks to Margay for inviting me to take over her blog for the day.

I’m interviewing my character Dr. Evan Nichols, the hero in Into the Red, my paranormal romantic suspense.

What is your name and occupation? Evan Nichols. I’m an oncologist, specializing in blood diseases. I take care of humans at the Cancer Specialty Clinic here in town, and take care of vampire patients at the Alliance Hospital outside of town. That’s where I do research, too.

How old are you? (looks at ceiling) I’m technically fifty-eight, but in vampire years that’s about the same age as when I transitioned—thirty-three. My best friend Gage says I’m practically a juvenile, since vampires live between 850 and 1000 years. He’s over 300, so I call him old man. (grins)

How did you come by your current occupation? The usual route. College, med school, residency, fellowship. The vampire health care started after my transition. The Alliance—that’s our governing organization—dictates talent allocations within the race. That maximizes resources. Gage is a computer expert. Tara—my wife—specializes in rock climbing. She helps train Purgers, the military’s Special Ops guys.

Do you like your job? Why or why not? I do. I get to use my healing touch to help human patients without their knowledge, and my research is improving the odds of survival for female vampires and their infants during childbirth.

Who is the person/creature you dislike the most? Poisoners. They’re vampires who go rogue and then start to use human blood to get high. It’s very addictive, and drives them insane. It only happens to male vampires, and being alone is a risk factor. The Purgers are responsible for hunting them down and eliminating them.

Were you a Purger? I was, twenty-five years ago—right after my transition. The Alliance reactivated me and Gage to hunt down the recent Poisoner crop. Now I’m back on reserve.

Who is the person/creature you respect the most? I’d say Tara, my wife. She’s tougher than nails. (grins)

Is there anyone special in your life? Tara. And we have good friends in Gage and his mate Mia. The community here is tightknit, and we tend to socialize in that group—it’s safer.

What’s your favorite meal, and do you fix it yourself or have someone fix it for you? I cook, but not anything fancy or gourmet. The steaks at the Savoy downtown can’t be beat.

Favorite color? Used to be black. Now it’s blue, because Tara likes me in blue; says it sets off my eyes.

Football or baseball? Football. All the way.

Favorite exercise? Running, weightlifting, and sparring at the gym with Gage.

I hear you’re planning a winter/summer vacation. Where are you going? Is anyone going along? No vacation right now.

Favorite holiday? Christmas.

Favorite song? Anything jazz.

If you had one wish, what would it be? I’d like kids some day, but until the mortality improves, I don’t want to think about it. For now, finding Tara is a wish come true.

BLURB:

Human blood is an illicit and highly addictive drug--if you're a vampire. Known as Red, its side effects are insanity, and eventual death. A group of Red-addicted vampires known as Poisoners are killing women as part of an extortion plot involving a lost ancient vampiric tome, and they’re leaving a trail of bodies in their wake. The discovery of each new victim risks exposure of the entire vampire race to humans. Then one victim survives…

Dr. Evan Nichols, oncologist and vampire, lives a monk-like existence, by his own choice, focusing on patient care and research to benefit his vampire brethren. It’s been twenty-five years since his world turned upside down—the night he lost his fiancee and discovered his hidden vampire heritage. Now his government has ordered him to take a mate—or they’ll choose one for him. It’s a horrible prospect, and one that might push him over the edge—until Fate throws him together with a human female.

Wary of relationships, Tara West has poured her energies into work and inventing cutting edge climbing equipment. She doesn’t like the gorgeous Dr. Nichols, yet finds herself unaccountably drawn to him.

When a crazed vampire attacks and poisons Tara, Evan rescues her. With time running out, he has to create an antidote to the poison before he loses his chance at love.

In order to make the vaccine which might cure her, he has to find the bastards who poisoned her and take their venom—before they die of their addiction. If he doesn’t reach them in time, saving her will be impossible.

Thus the journey begins—into the Red!

Buy links: Amazon   Muse It Up Publishing

Contact links:  Website   Blog  Facebook   Twitter   Amazon Author Page

Women Redeemed 2.0 Webcast and iPad Giveaway

Join authors Kim Ketola, Teske Drake and Dawn Scott Jones for an evening of encouraging chat about healing and hope for women on the evening of October 10th. The authors will join together for a Live Webcast Event to share their stories.

BUT … wait there’s more! Between 10/1 and 10/10 enter to win a brand-new iPad from Women Redeemed!

 

One fortunate winner will receive:

• iPad with Wi-Fi
• Cradle My Heart by Kim Ketola, Hope for Today, Promises for Tomorrow by Teske Drake and When a Woman You Loved Was Abused by Dawn Scott Jones

Hurry, the giveaway ends on 10/10/12. Just click one of the icons below. The winner will be announced that evening at the Women Redeemed Webcast!  In coordination with the launch of their fall releases, Kregel will be hosting a live webcast event on October 10th at 8 PM EDT featuring authors Kim Ketola (Cradle My Heart), Teske Drake (Hope for Today, Promises for Tomorrow), and Dawn Scott Jones (When a Woman You Love Was Abused). The webcast will allow women to come together to share their struggles and fears in order to move toward healing and hope. Women will able to support one another and discuss shared experiences in a non-threatening, open and loving environment.

Don't miss a moment of the fun, RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 10th!

Fangs, Fur and Fey Giveaway Hop

Announcing the 

Fangs, Fur & Fey Giveaway Hop

October 2nd - 8th

Hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer & Reading Lark

I'm very happy and excited to be participating in this blog hop and for one lucky reader, I have a copy of my wolf shifter book, Sloane Wolf. As this is an electronic copy, this giveaway is open internationally. To win, just follow my blog and leave a comment telling me that you do(mandatory). If you follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Linksy or Network blogs, you can get another entry (optional). Just leave a separate  comment telling me that you do.

Blurb:

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.