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It's True!

My Paranormal Romance Suspense Novel Lexi's Run is back from editing and nearly complete. I'm now in the process of rewriting the ending.

If you are interested in being a beta reader for this work, your efforts will be rewarded.

Here's what I'm offering:

• A chance to read this completely new, expanded, and revitalized novel before anyone else
• A signed copy of the novel when/if goes to print edition
• The opportunity to take part in making final tweaks to a story and satisfaction of knowing your opinion is valued
• My sincere thanks, gratitude and admiration for your help

Here's what I'm asking :

• Read the advanced copy of the novel and provide feedback to me on everything from missed grammatical errors to characters you love or hate
• Willingness to provide a review for the novel on Amazon when it is published
• Consider the opportunity of helping me spread the word of the novel to others that might enjoy this story

Although much of my work is erotic or may have erotic elements, this novel does not. The story does involve a blossoming relationship between the main characters hampered only by occasional threats to their lives. This story covers the development of a loving, emotional relationship while the development of their physical, sexual relationship will be discovered in other stories.

So, please, might you consider helping me make this the best story possible? If you are interested, please say so in the comment section below or contact me on my personal or author facebook page.

Fifty Shades of Fantasy

Wasn't that a catchy title? I wanted to title this post "Realistic Fantasy" but simply could not resist the temptation of the title above.

Truth is, I recently succumbed to all the hype over the E.L. James trilogy and to begin reading it for myself. About half-way through the first book, something struck me as profound--although the story uses a realistic backdrop, the situation is just far enough beyond reality to qualify as fantastic fiction.

I don't mean 'fantastic' as in 'great' (I'm sorry, but the quality certainly is not great) rather, I mean 'fantastic' as in beyond the realm of the realistic. That is, in fact, what attracts most readers to fiction.

When the word 'fantastic' is mentioned, I feel we've ventured into my territory. I would consider many of my stories in the realm of the fantastic, but at a polar opposite to stories such as FSoG.

Let me splain.

The premise of my stories are based in the fantastic. I like to take the paranormal existence of my characters and make them believable by grounding them in the real world. Realistic fiction takes normal (human) characters and attempts to bring their actions into the realm of the fantastic.

So, in a sense, many paranormal and fantasy stories must concentrate more on the realistic in order to help the reader suspend their inherent disbelief of the subject matter. I find this aspect of paranormal stories fascinating.

For instance, in my latest novel, Lexi's Run, my main character, Alexis, is a shape shifting werewolf living among an entire community of shape shifting werewolves.

How could I make her seem real?

First, I made sure that her community lives in secret among mere mortals. See, now I bet you're already thinking, "Yeah, this could be happening right now. In fact, this might explain the weird behaviour I've witnessed in my neighbor, Joannie."

Second, I made sure that Alexis lived as much of a normal human life as I could outside of her secret existence. She grew up in the small North Georgia town of Ellijay, Georgia, nestled at the foothills of the Appalachian mountains. He parents took her to all the local fairs, she attended college in Atlanta, and did all the things that a normal human would do. She just did them through the filter of werewolf royalty.

This way the reader gets to know Alexis as a person, and then is okay when I throw in that extra little fact that she just happens to be a shape shifting werewolf.

This is one of the reasons I like reading paranormal romance, and I'm hoping it is the reason other enjoy the genre as well.

You see, when one is reading a paranormal story a jumping off point must be provided, otherwise the story may be too unbelievable from the start. This is in direct contrast to a story such as FSoG where normal characters do things that, in real life, one might consider out of the ordinary. But that, in itself is a kind of fantasy. And isn't that what reading is all about? It is this ability to experience things as if we are the main character doing things we would never personally do.

But I still like it best when I can experience these things through the eyes of a demon, faerie, werewolf, or dare I say ... even a vampire.

Werewolf Love

I would never have thought when I began my first novel that I would be writing about werewolves. I was attempting to write a character study (more or less) dealing with the dichotomous problem faced by a woman wanting a normal relationship but unable to sustain one.

Of course, what I came up with was a demon succubus. Hey, why not? Using a character such as this allowed me to explore the problems many face of wanting a lasting relationship, but somehow sabotaging themselves.

But, given the nature I invented for my succubus, how would she ever find a lasting relationship if she kills all her lovers? Who could possibly survive her love? That's when werewolves made their entrance into the story. I would just have my main character fall in love with a werewolf. In my mind anyway, a werewolf can survive a succubus. Oddly enough, I later found the very concept I dreamed up, was used in a television show called Lost Girl.

Of course, my werewolves were different. In fact, my werewolves were created eons ago by demons such as Azra and Tarmin. More about that later. The werewolves in my world are just like other humans, living among the rest of the population. They do tend to keep to themselves, and they have a definite hierarchy within their group. My werewolves also (for the most part) mate for life. Now there may be a rogue out there having relationships with more than one partner, but that will be another story. Also, my werewolves communicate just like married humans, oftentimes arguing or engaging in banter. Here's an example of this using Alexis and Joseph from the novel Lovestruck Succubus.

Joe Johnson sat in a darkened car next to his wife and mate, Lexi. The car was a rental and they had been sitting inside of it for nearly four hours watching Raif Lungren's apartment building. The air outside had cooled some but there was no breeze and now the day's heat radiated off the buildings and the concrete. Hot moist air filled the car making their skin stick uncomfortably to the seats. The windows were cracked open but they could not run the air conditioner for fear of attracting attention, even on the deserted street in the dead of night. The inside of the car stank of coffee, french-fries, and body odor.

They had watched Raif walk home from work. They had watched a woman follow behind him. They had watched her hide beside a tree for more than two hours. Now, they watched as she moved to the apartment entrance door, and they would wait until morning if they had to, just to see if the woman stayed in his apartment for the night. They had been watching Raif for more than two weeks. All of his activities had been noted and relayed back to their pack leader and alpha in Northern Georgia. But the woman was new, and why she was hiding outside his apartment building they had no idea, although the arrival of this new woman did bring some excitement to their normally dull observations. Lexi wrote notes on a small notepad. She listed the general characteristics of the woman approaching the apartment building, approximate height, hair color and length, and clothing worn. She noted the time, 1:43 AM, and wrote it down.

"Did you see that?" Joe poked at Alexis, and then pointed at the apartment entrance.

"See what? She just went into the apartment building." Alexis gave him a stern look through the darkness, peeved about his habit of poking her when he wanted her attention.

"No, Lexi, I didn't see her open the door." Joe always called her Lexi, and she called him Joe, unless they were mad at each other, and then it was Alexis and Joseph.

"What do you mean? I'm sure she opened the door and then went inside, you just missed it."

"I don't know. It looked to me like she went through the door."

"Maybe you need more coffee." Lexi held the thermos up for him. "I think all this stakeout stuff just makes you loopy."

Joe resigned the argument, thinking she was right and he was probably just seeing things that were not there. He lifted his Styrofoam cup out to her and smiled in acceptance of her terms. Lexi filled his cup, smiled back at him and settled back in her seat. They fell into silence, Joe slowly slurping coffee, Lexi huffing and shifting abruptly in her seat in annoyance at his loud, sloppy drinking.

They had sat in the car another forty minutes when the apartment building door flew open and a kind of half-human half-wolf creature came through at a full run.

This scene from Lexi's Run served as part of the introduction of Joseph and Alexis (Joe and Lexi) in the first Novel. It is told from Joe's point of view. It may seem strange to some readers that the second novel went backwards, but I thought this was a great way to highlight the relationship of Joe and Lexi. I thought it would show how they became so familiar with each other. They weren't always so informal. In fact, this next scene shows how they almost never got together.

Joseph walked across the old crumbling asphalt parking lot, and over patches of loose gravel in front of the abandoned auto parts store toward the bar. As he crossed the alley, he heard a voice and, looking into the darkness, he saw a man and a woman in the shadows by a garbage dumpster. The man said something, and the woman jerked her hand away from him. Joseph's body reacted before his mind even realized the two were not standing in the dark for romance. The woman was backing up, and the man was advancing toward her.

"You alright Ma'am," he heard himself say as he closed the distance between him and the assailant grabbing at the woman.

He made it to the man in five easy steps. The man was preoccupied with the woman, allowing Joseph the opportunity to wrap his arm around the man's neck and drag him away from the woman, making sure to jerk his knee into the man's back at every step backwards. Joseph kept dragging the man backwards until he was brought off balance and went to the ground. He rolled the man over as forcefully as he could and then knelt down with his knee in the man's back, yanking the man’s arms around his back to meet his knee. Joe grabbed his zip straps out from the left side of his waistband, and tightened them around the man's wrists before bringing his attention back to the woman.

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Joe looked up at the woman, standing among the dark shadows of the alley.

He could only make out her general shape in the dark, but he was certain he saw her eyes, just for a brief moment, nearly glowing, something primal reflecting in them through the darkness. His eyes adjusted to the darkness of the alley, and the two standing in front of him came into better view. He recognized the man as Lefty, the local sleaze ball, and the very skip Jake contracted him to bring in. His luck was certainly changing from earlier in the day. The thug wannabee down and secure, Joe turned his attention back to the woman again.

"It's alright, I got him under control," He said to the woman, as he jerked Lefty up by his cuffed wrists.

Standing closer to the woman, he got a better look at her. She was looking not too pleased that he stopped Lefty from doing to her ... whatever it was he was thinking of doing. In fact, the smug look on her face made her seem completely ungrateful that he just saved her life, or, at the very least, her honor. Her pale skin reflected the dim light from the crescent moon overhead, and contrasted sharply with her dark hair. Joseph didn't usually think much of women one way or the other since his mother died, but even in the dark, he saw something special in her, a kind of confidence, a deep, animalistic skill for survival. He was beginning to wonder if he hadn't shown up, if she would've taken care of Lefty herself. Then she spoke, and removed any doubt about her confidence.

"I'm alright," the woman said. "I didn't need any help." She crossed her arms, and moved into a stance that, even in the darkness, came off as arrogant.

"Yeah, I could tell, you had everything under control," he said, with as much sarcasm as he could muster.

She glared at him; a cold hurt showing in her eyes, even through the dark, and he regretted the words as soon as he said them. Truth was, the woman looked like she could take care of herself. She was taller than most women, with a solid build. She was more voluptuous and toned than stick-thin, and her eyes showed strength. Even in the dark alley, her eyes conveyed volumes. Joseph liked beautiful eyes, and he liked a strong woman. He decided to take on a different approach in talking to her.

"I didn't get your name."

"I didn't give it." She turned, and began to walk away. "Like I told you already, I had everything under control until you showed up."

"Sorry if I interrupted your ass-kicking, but I've been looking for this guy." Joseph left out the fact that he had just started looking for him.

"Well, you got him," she said, not even looking back as she walked toward the street. "Can I get back to work, now?"

"You work here?"

"No, asshole, I don't work here.” She turned and looked back at him, planting her feet at shoulder-width. “Not on the street. I'm a waitress at the Pink Pony." She huffed and turned again, walking toward the alley entrance.

"Oh, I didn't mean ...” But it was too late. She'd already rounded the corner and disappeared.

"Wait," Joseph yelled after her as he moved as quickly as he could toward the street, pushing Lefty in front of him.

He reached the crumbling parking lot just as the woman stepped into the building, the door closing behind her.

"My name's Joseph," he yelled as the door closed.

"Damn you, Lefty," Joseph yelled in his ear as he jerked him toward his truck and pushed him along, making him stumble across loose gravel. "You just cost me a date."

"More like, I just put the two of you together," Lefty countered. "Who are you, anyway?"

"Nobody really, Lefty.” Joseph told him as he opened the passenger door of his truck and threw lefty inside. “I'm just the guy that gets paid for collecting trash like you and bringing them to jail."

It seems these were just two normal people meeting for the first time but soon, it is revealed that Lexi, and her relationship with Joseph is nothing close to normal. I write all this because I am attempting to warn my readers and possible future readers that the direction of this ongoing story is going to change even more with the third novel. What started as a story about a lonely demon succubus is becoming a story of the relationship between demons of old and the shape-shifting werewolves they created in an attempt to rid the Earth of humans.

My werewolves are not demons but they are definitely paranormal. They have special healing abilities, advanced hearing and smell but they are not completely immortal. They do grow old, and eventually die, as shown in Lexi's Run. Nonetheless, they do have the ability to shift to any form between human and wolf.

When it comes to love, there is only one kind for my werewolves—everlasting. With few exceptions, they stay with their mate (chosen or selected) for life. I hope this article provides some insight into my personal world of demons and werewolves. I hope that you would make it your world as well. And, I hope you stay with me because, in the next installment of this ongoing saga, things are going to get a little bumpy.

Some Fine Tuning

It appears Lexi's Run is on track for a September release. With edits underway, I thought it would be a great time to take another look at something that I feel can make or break a novel before it has a chance to be read - the cover.

Since the second novel marks my commitment to the Immortal Desires series, it stands to reason that I should create a brand or some item that remains constant and identifiable throughout the series.

Enter the series banner.

Take a look at the covers below and comment with your opinion on whether this works as something that ties the series together.

I've also remade the cover for the first novel as seen below:

What do you think? Does the branding work?

The cover you see for the first novel comes from the ebook version. The paperback version still shows Azra's face behind the night skyline of Atlanta, Georgia. This cover will soon replace both version currently on sale.

As some of you may know already, I take great pride in being a completely independent author, even creating my own cover artwork. In the updated cover for Lovestruck Succubus, I moved the photo of the man and woman down to minimize the, uh, exposure of the woman's nakedness. Although this image may seem to risque for some readers, I feel it best depicts the main character of the story, Azra. As most paranormal readers know, the Succubus like to be on top.

The new cover above will likely be the final for publication of Lexi's Run. The new cover for Lovestruck Succubus will appear after the book goes through a late rewrite and the second edition is ready for publication.



For those who might be wondering, writing is underway for the next novel in the series, Demon Among Wolves, and will likely be ready for release next September.





Compare and Contrast

I've been watching a new show on the SciFi channel on Sunday nights. It's called "Lost Girl" and, I swear someone read my novel, Lovestruck Succubus and stole many elements of my character for the television show.

Okay, I'm not coming out and accusing anybody of anything here, but the similarities are striking.

In the television show, Bo (the main character) is a Succubus who feeds off men through sex (well, just kisses, since it is television, after all) with fatal results. My Succubus, Azra, feeds off men for her very survival. She needs their energy like a mortal needs food.

Bo, the television Succubus, found herself a love interest that she manages to not kill, a Werewolf. Oddly enough, Azra, my Succubus, finds a Werewolf boyfriend, who, like the television show, happens to be a police detective-go figure! Of course, my Succubus actually tries to kill the detective, unaware that he is a Werewolf, only to shift into his form.

Okay, so maybe that's where many of the similarities end. My Succubus, has the ability to shape shift into a womanly form the man she is with finds most desirable. She is not looking for her parents, but she is trying to break the bonds of a highly regimented society with a tyrant for a leader.

Also, in my story, her kind (demons) actually created Werewolves many millenia ago, in an attempt to rid the Earth of mortals. Of course, she does not know this. Only her clan leaders know this, and they're angry that it didn't work. Now her own clan leader is even angrier that she's fallen in love with one of them.

But don't take my word for it. Watch the television show, and read my novel, then decide for yourself if those darn television writers stole my idea.

Find my novel at amazon by clicking HERE It's even available in paperback HERE

Find my novel at Barnes and Noble by clicking HERE or in paperback HERE

Character Assassination

I've been working on the first draft of the follow-up to my first novel, Lovestruck Succubus since about August of 2010. Okay, not so much a draft but would you believe general outline? Well, maybe I've gotten just a little farther than that. Problem is, in this next novel, I'm going to have to kill of some characters and I must say ... it's killing me.

No, I'm not going to divulge which character (or characters) I've slated for execution. You'll just have to wait and read the next installment to find out.

I suppose this is why it is taking me so long to finish the story. I've grown to love all my characters, even the bad ones, and I loath to let any of them go. I read a lot, and know that many stories start with characters that don't make it to the finale, but they're usually minor characters--and these are major players I'm talking about here.

What about you? How do you feel about major characters taking the long nap in stories? Are you okay with it, as long as they're bad seeds? What if one of the heroes of the story dies? Do you throw the book and run from the room, texting all your friends to avoid this author as you go? Or, are you okay with it?

Just a refresher for those of you who've never been privy to my ramblings about future stories (I know, something a writer should never do. Leave me alone, snobby writers) or who've simply forgotten, the next story in the series is titled Demon Among Wolves. In this installment, Azra is living in Ellijay with Raif, who accepted the pack's offer to join them.

She must maintain the facade that she is a shape shifting werewolf like the rest of them. In the course of the story, we'll find out that Tarmin was not as bad off as Azra thought he was when she last saw him. He is working in the background, building an army of demons to rid the world of that nasty virus they created eons ago called werewolves. He figures taking out Azra will be a bonus. Meanwhile, Azra is doing her best to keep the rest of the pack believing she's one of them while she mysteriously starts to become, not more like them, rather, more like a mortal human. Something is amiss, and she soon, but maybe not soon enough, realizes there be spies in the family.

It all climaxes in an epic battle in which lives are lost, sacrificed, and spared in order to move forward. I won't give away the ending, but suffice it to say, no one will be spared their innocence, and the few that remain to rebuild will be few.

Anyway, this is where I struggle. by creating this epic battle in which lives are lost, I am forced to decide who lives, and who dies.

 I leave you with this. Does it matter to you if characters die in a story? Are you okay with it if the lives sacrificed are for a greater good?

What are your thoughts? Comments and criticisms welcome.

WIP Wednesday

Last week, I introduced the other main character in this story, Joseph Johnson. I know he may not have seemed like much of a main character but those that know my writing style, know I like to build a character by offering little pieces of their personality to the reader throughout the story until the reader falls in love with that character (I hope) and empathizes with them.

This week I go back to Alexis as she goes back to the Pink Pony Bar and Grill for her first night on the job. I'm hoping that you've noticed by now, a stark lack of paranormal stuff going on. I'll throw a few hints in there once in awhile just so you remember that Alexis is a shape shifting werewolf, but I want to first establish her as a person as normal as you or I. This scene will reveal a little more of her personality while also introducing another character: Louis "Lefty" Thompson, local grease ball thug wannabee. While his story may be comical, he may still prove dangerous.

Enjoy.

Alexis closed her eyes as the door shut behind her, until her eyes adjusted to the relative darkness inside the Pink Pony. The bar hosted only a few customers, early-birds, desperate and lonely, or simply unemployed, with nowhere else to spend their time She felt their eyes on her, watching as she walked, as quickly as she could, to Sam, who was standing behind the bar, watching her like the customers. Only she did not feel his stare on her in the same way she did the others. Their stares carried an almost measurable weight. Their stares assaulted her as if each one of them were in a line, poking her shoulders, and other parts of her body, as she walked by. Her skinned crawled, and she had to fight the urge to shift, and prepare for a fight. She stopped twice by the time she reached the bar; giving serious consideration to turning a walking out, fearful that she couldn't go all night feeling apprehensive, and on the verge of shifting.

"Don't worry," Sam said as he dipped a glass into the bar sink and then placed it onto a folded towel. "They'll stop staring by the end of the night."

"Yeah, this could take some getting used to."

"Well, you'll have to get used to it quick." Sam turned the cup over and dropped three ice cubes into it. "Gotta be observant in a place like this. Gotta be aware of your surroundings at all times."

"I'm observant enough," Lexi said, surprised at the cynicism she heard in her own voice.

"How 'bout a little test then, just to see how observant you really are." Sam stared at her as he tipped a bottle of bourbon over the tumbler. "Don't look around. Look at me and tell me how many customers are in the bar right now."

Lexi pictured the bar in her mind. The only thing she had to go on was the glance she made after the door closed and she opened her eyes, but that was enough. She only needed one look, and once her eyes adjusted to the dark, she could see every dark corner of the bar as if she were outside in broad daylight.

"First, there's the guy in the white button up shirt and tie sitting at the small round table by the bathrooms. He's nursing a drink, probably vodka, because he finished work an hour ago but doesn't want to go home yet. He probably comes here every night for an hour or so as he works up the nerve to go home. His wife's probably got his balls hanging out with the laundry. That's why he drinks vodka. He doesn't want her to know he stops here before going home. Good so far?"

"Go on," Sam said. "You must've seen more than just one person here."

"Sure," Lexi said, her confidence resounding in her voice to the point of arrogance. She was sure Sam would be impressed at her observations. "Then there's the old man hunched over a coffee mug. He's a regular too. Probably comes here every night because he's got nothing else to do. He probably sneaks a flask of whiskey in with him and spikes his coffee with it. You probably know about it, but feel sorry for him. He wears an old green Army jacket—probably a Vietnam Vet, retired, and living on a fixed income. You probably give him his coffee for free."

"That's George, and you're right. He doesn't really have anywhere else to go." Sam placed a large round tray onto the bar top, and put the tumbler of bourbon on it. "Anybody else?"

"Yes, there's another," she said. "The first two don't bring in much business but they're harmless. The third customer is different. He's sitting so close to the stage, he could probably lean forward and lick the brass pole—and he's probably thinking about doing it too. He's probably packing since he's wearing a jacket in the middle of summer. He keeps his hair combed although it doesn't look like he gives equal time to washing it. Looks like he's the kind of customer that'll stay here all night until you have to throw him out, or he happens to follow some kind of trouble out the door. How'd I do?"

Sam pushed the tray across the bar top to Lexi. "You did pretty good, Paulina. Probably better then I would've done. Now, go give grease ball over there next to the stage his drink."

Lexi sat the drink down on the table in front of the man with the greasy hair.

"Thanks, baby," the man said as he pulled a five-dollar bill from his wallet. "You new here? What's your name? You don't want me calling you baby all night, do you?"

"Name's Paulina," she said as she reached for the bill.

The man pulled the bill away before she could take it from his hand. "How bad do want it, baby." He shook the bill just out of her reach.

Lexi smiled at him, and threw her hand out to grab the bill, but he jerked it away. She could’ve easily taken it from him, if she wanted, but figure she’d play the part. She noticed half his right index finger was missing, and wondered what kind of stupid thing he did to lose it.

"Come on, baby," he said, a disgusting grin growing from the corners of his mouth, revealing stained teeth. "Talk to me. You gonna dance for me later? How bad do you want my money?"

"I don't want it bad enough to dance for you," Lexi said, trying desperately to keep her emotions under control. "But I bet if Sam over there breaks his shotgun out from behind the bar, he'd let you talk to that." She didn't know if he actually had a shotgun behind the counter. She just figured most owner/bartenders would have something stashed away to protect themselves.

The man stopped fooling around and gave her the bill. She took it, turned on her heal, and tried to keep from running at full speed back to the bar.

"What an ass," she said to Sam. "What's with that guy?"

"I guess you've been formerly introduced to Lefty," Sam chuckled under his breath.

"Lefty?" Lexi was surprised people still used nicknames like that. "What is he, in the mob, or something? Is it because of his finger?"

"No, he's a wannabe mobster. He’s kind of a low level patsy for the local crime boss, and yes, he got the nickname because he lost half his trigger finger in a failed robbery."

"How, exactly, do you lose half your trigger finger in a robbery attempt?"

"Rumor has it that he was trying to rob a local convenience store with a fake gun. The store clerk pulled a shotgun from behind the counter, and in his haste to get out of the store, he got his hand caught in an automatic door."

"How could he lose half his finger in a door? Don't those things have some kind of override?" Lexi was beginning to feel like walking back to his table and laughing in his face, but she kind of felt sorry for him at the same time.

"Well, that's the funny part. According to the rumor, his fake gun was caught on the other side of the door, and instead of just letting go of it, he tried to force it through the crack, losing part of his finger in the process." Sam made a slicing motion across his finger with his other hand as a low chuckle escaped him. "The police arrested him at the hospital. They had to go retrieve the end of his finger from the crime scene to process him, but by the time they were finished with it, the doctors said they couldn't sew it back on."

Lexi had to bite her finger to keep herself from laughing out loud. She suddenly didn't see him as quite the threat as before.

Hope you enjoyed this scene. Next week, I'll return to Joe's point of view as he starts out after a skip. You will finally get to see Joe in action as a bounty hunter. I know he's not oozing sexiness yet, but as the story progresses, I'm hoping you'll become infatuated by him.

As always, comments and feedback are welcome.

WIP Wednesday

Presented today is the last scene in the first chapter of my, as of yet, untitled work in progress. Alexis is leaving Ellijay, wondering, for the first time in her life, if she'll ever return. She loves the town. She loves her family. It is Leonidas, she cannot take.

Leo, along with her own family, still hold to old-fashioned beliefs that she sees as gender-biased, and unfair. After all, she's been to college. She knows how the current society functions, and she firmly believes she could safely live among regular humans. Who knows, she might even be able to carve out a normal life.

Alexis looked out the window of the taxi, more to hide her face then look at scenery. She wondered if Leo had left a mark on her throat, and tried to look at her reflection in the glass. She only saw the North Georgia Medical Center as the taxi sped along Main Street. She turned to look out the left window as they drove past the Gilmer County fairgrounds, her anger and hurt still making her cheeks burn, as she remembered the first time Leo had shown his true nature. She was just eight years old and at the county fair with her parents. She remembered it as a time when everything was true and innocent, a time when she still enjoyed her secret identity, and felt like she was a kind of superhero, hiding her powers from the normal, unassuming humans. That was, until Leo found her waiting in a line at the fairgrounds, threw her to the ground, and took the money her parents gave her for ice cream. He beat her up on many more occasions as they grew up, and there were rumors he did much worse to some of the other girls in the pack.

Alexis finally began to relax as the taxi crossed the bridge over the Coosawattee river, where Main Street turned into state road five, and the little town of Ellijay gave way to the great expanse of farmland and wilderness. The sun hovered low in the sky, harsh light coming through the front windshield forcing the taxi driver to flip his visor down, and Alexis to look blindly out her window into the blur of trees and fields. She wasn't sure where she was going to go, or when, if ever, she would return to Ellijay, but just getting away was good enough for now.

By the time Alexis saw the sign announcing she had reached the Resaca city limit, the sun had disappeared below the horizon. The meter attached to the dash of the taxi was already above ninety dollars as the taxi driver made a right turn onto Dixie road, leaving Resaca behind for more fields and wilderness.

"Looks like you're in luck," the taxi driver said as he turned the car left into the parking lot of a Pilot Travel Center truck stop, seemingly grown out of nowhere. He pointed in the general direction of a large McDonald's parking lot. A few cars stood silent in the parking lot, along with a big Greyhound bus.

"Is that the bus to Atlanta?" Alexis said.

"Gotta be," the driver said. "It’s the only bus leaves out of here. It only runs twice a week, from here to Atlanta."

Alexis shoved her credit card forward before the taxi even made a complete stop; worried the bus might pull away any second. She didn’t care how much the ride cost. At this point, she was willing to max out her parent's credit card to get away from the oppression of Ellijay, her pack, and Leo. She looked over at the bus and saw a line of passengers forming by the door. She snatched the card out of the driver's hand, tossed a twenty-dollar bill to the front with a quick thank you, and was on her way to the bus by the time the doors opened, allowing the customers to board. The driver was standing outside the doors checking passengers for tickets. She pushed through the twelve or so passengers to ask the driver where she could buy a ticket.

"Go to that big building behind the McDonald's," he said, as he pointed to a building that looked like a garage in the middle of the huge dirt parking lot.

"Thanks," Alexis said, as she turned on her heel and ran toward the building. She was careful not to run too fast. The last thing she needed was some stranger taking notice of someone running at an unnatural speed, and making a stink about it.

"Hurry up, though. I can't hold the bus very long," the driver yelled to her, as she ran toward the building, waving her credit card at the man in the window.

Alexis made it onto the bus and showed her ticket to the driver with a weak smile. She found a seat near the back of the bus and looked out the window into the darkness as the bus pulled onto the road, and almost immediately onto the on ramp of interstate seventy-five. She smiled to herself as the bus merged into traffic, and felt a weight slipping off her shoulders as she mentally left her old life behind. She had no idea what the future would bring, but it had to be better than the past. The darkness and the movement of the bus relaxed her, and she felt suddenly tired. She scooted down in her seat and let the swaying motion sooth her, until her eyes closed, and she drifted into sleep.

Hope you enjoyed this little excerpt. In the next chapter (posted here throughout the next several weeks) several new characters will be introduced, and more trouble will begin. As always, please feel free to post your comments, suggestions, bitches, or complaints. For your reading pleasure-enjoy.

The Name Game

I'm making steady progress on my current work in progress, but something is nagging at the back of my mind. I've yet to come up with a reasonable name for this story. I'm afraid that, without that extra motivation provided by a unique and catchy story title, my muse will scoff, and suddenly fly away, leaving nothing but blank pages and self-doubt where motivation and desire once resided.

The two main characters in this story come from my first novel Lovestruck Succubus. Joe and Lexi were minor characters, but their unique personalities, and possibilities within their relationship, led to the formulation of their own story. This current story actually grew out of a short story idea about a woman learning to pole dance for exercise, and falling into a life of crime fighting. Of course, there was to be a romance there, with a man that saw her for what she could be, no for what she was at the time. This woman was physically, very rubenesque, so I had a wonderful story title picked out called, 'Her Delicate Curves.'

Somehow, and I really cannot remember exactly how it happened now, Joseph and Alexis came into the picture and hijacked the story. This is now the story about how Joseph and Alexis first met, and how Joe first becomes a shape shifting werewolf and bounty hunter for the Ellijay, Georgia clan of werewolves.

Of course, those that know me, know I just cannot leave well enough alone. They must find themselves in trouble with the local mobsters, and on the run for their lives. Believe me, I know what happens, and I just can't wait to write this so my readers will know as well, but it still has no title.

Any suggestions? I suppose I may be forced to give out some samples or advanced reader copies before I publish this and see if a reader might have a title suggestion. The only thing I fear in writing this is that, without at least a working title, and the intrigue and motivation it provides for me as I write, I may suddenly lose faith and declare the whole thing not worthy of a title, or completion.

I just don't know. I've never written this far into a project without a title before. Any of you other writers out there have this issue? Have you ever completed a project without an idea for a title? I'm usually the opposite, bringing a title out of the mist in the first few weeks of writing, if not before.

How about readers. Any ideas of what to call a story about a secretive shape shifting werewolf meeting a hardened ex-military bounty hunter, falling in love, and mistakenly turn your friend into a werewolf?

Making a Werewolf

For those of you who have read my novel Lovestruck Succubus you know that the story begins with Azra's quest to find a loving relationship like the mortals she feeds upon with each attempt ending in death of the mortal man ... until she's cornered by Raif, but he's not so mortal.

Those of you who have not read the novel, might I suggest you give it a try.

What's Raif's secret to survival against Azra? Why, he's a werewolf, of course! He is a werewolf of my own making - more of a were shapeshifter, but in my mind, a werewolf nonetheless. Where did this strange shapeshifting were come from? The answer is simple. years of myth and legend.

A little werewolf history ...

Werewolves, in their current form have been around since the medieval times or the dark ages. Wolves became so large and overpopulated that unbelieving souls would think they had to be some kind of half-human half-wolf creature that would steal their livestock, and children, in the night.

Werewolves remained popular in children's fables and literature but real popularity came in 1935, when Universal made the movie "Werewolf of London" the first werewolf horror film. Back then, Werewolves were restricted to shifting during full moons, and could be taken out by a silver bullet. Really anything with silver was believed to work. In fact, The Werewolf in "Werewolf of London" was killed with a silver-tipped cane.

Nowadays, Werewolves can be beastly creatures, or humanoids with the ability to shift whenever they desire. In the Twilight series, Jacob was more of a were-shifter than a Werewolf. I like the depiction of the Werewolf as a shapeshifter able to shift into full-wolf form at will. Some people will disagree, but I like that Werewolves have been shown as teenagers, survivalists, and even romantic heroes and heroines in the recent past.

My Werewolf, my way ...

In my Immortal Desires series, Werewolves come in two classes. First, there are the naturals - those Werewolves born of other Werewolves. Second, are the ferals - those werewolves that began their life like everyone else, and were turned into a Werewolf through some form of blood transfer from another Werewolf.

I like the distinction because I believe that there is no such things as a classless society. There will always be the haves, and the have-nots, The oppressed, and the oppressors. Of course, I designed a flaw in my Werewolf class system. For instance, what if a natural creates a feral, and later, that feral has a child with another feral or natural - doesn't much matter at this point. That child would be a natural. Yes, I know this may create tension and conflict within my Werewolf society, but that is what makes a great story.

Family lineage is very important in my Werewolf society. The Alpha is normally determined through succession and is mated to a female of equal lineage. The mating is usually through arrangement between families, and is binding for the rest of their Werewolf lives. Which brings me to my next thought. My werewolves have immortal abilities but they age and die like mortals.

How can my Werewolves be killed? Well, not by a single silver bullet, but they can be killed. You'll just have to read my series to find out how. How they are killed (before their natural time) has much to do with how they were originally created.

How were my Werewolves created, you might ask? Think Van Helsing, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and Underworld thrown into a blender and left on frappe for a minute or two.

Now, be careful reading here. Because if you think too hard, you might just see my future series come full-circle before the remaining books are completed.

My Werewolves, Shapeshifters, however you choose to label them, were created in ancient times by Demons. Yes, Azra, my Demon Succubus, is part of those beings that created the first Werewolf. Demons created a kind of virus that they put into just a couple of humans in a time few can remember. They did this in attempt to rid the world of humans, Why, because the world was once populated by Spirits. Some call them Angels. When humans came along, some of these Angels took on the task of controlling human population and growth. The Demons were not happy with the task they had been given and figured, if they could be really efficient in ridding the Earth of mortals, they would again, be allowed to reclaim their status as Angels. They figured the best way to get rid of mortals was to get them to kill each other off.

Only, their plan did not work as well as they thought. the Lycanthropic virus they created simply did not propagate quickly enough and the Werewolf population never gained a strong foothold. So, The Demons just tolerated the Werewolf ever since. And, since the Werewolf was created by Demons, they were, for the most part, immune to some of the Demon powers.

My Werewolves do have the ability to shift at will, and in any form between human and wolf. The first shift occurs on the first full moon after infection. On this first shift, my characters shift into full wolf form and must hunt and take their first kill. From this point on, my Werewolves will need to shift occasionally and hunt in order to tame their wild nature. When they try to withhold the shift, it can happen slowly and painfully. If they plan to shift into full wolf form (the form they take in order to run fast or hone in on prey by smell alone) must remove their clothing or it will be ripped from their bodies.

Sex? Yes, please. My Werewolves can have sex just like a normal person, but they have the option of shifting into any form from human to wolf during the act. Nothing like a little freaky Werewolf sex to liven things up.

So, there it is, Werewolves as I see them. Werewolves interacting with Demons, or at least, one Demon Succubus. If you think you might like my brand of Werewolf, Try my novel. And, please, if you like it, let me know. I love to interact with readers. In fact, one reader told me they were interested in the relationship between Joe and Lexi Johnson, my tracker/hunter team of Werewolves. The comment grew into a story idea, and soon I will publish the story of how Alexis and Joseph met and fell in love.