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.
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
a100-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.
***
(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.
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(Excerpt}
Shiloh nearly leapt off
the sill as his hand touched her knee. It took every ounce of willpower she
possessed to remain seated and appear undaunted by the gesture. “I am…much
better now…thank you,” she said, becoming more unnerved by the presence of his hand
by the minute. Oh, this was not good, not good at all. The longer it remained there, the stronger her impulse
to bolt became. Oh, no…
What was it about this man that rattled her so and with so little
effort on his part? Sharing the same air with him was enough to send her pulses
to the moon—and her mind somewhere else, something new for her. Being this
attracted to a man was beyond her realm of experience. She didn’t know what to
do with it—or about it. Should she do anything? Should she pretend indifference?
And why wasn’t he so deeply affected?
It wasn’t fair.
Still confused, she gave
him a weak smile, intent on backing up her previous claim with the gesture. She
feared it failed miserably. When Micah returned her smile and lifted his hand
from her knee, she felt precisely one second of relief before he shook her
world again by caressing her face in parting. She stumbled
back against the frame of
the window, her lips parting on a startled breath as a lightning bolt shot
through her at his touch. Something flickered in his eyes at her reaction—pain,
perhaps—and he retracted his hand, balling it into a fist as he turned away
from her, preparing to depart.
In an instant, she
realized her mistake. Along with it came the knowledge she couldn’t let him go
away angry or upset. After everything he and his family had done for her, she
owed him that much. She grabbed him by the shirtfront to stop him, and a shock
of awareness shot from her hand directly into his heart, just beneath it. She
could see it in the gaze he leveled on her then, could hear it in his breath
trapped within his lungs, feel it
in the missed beat of his heart. But then, all sense abandoned her, and her heart skipped a beat as he held her hand firmly to his
chest with one of his own and lifted the other to her head, anchoring it
against the window frame. Slowly, his eyes never straying from hers, he leaned
across the space separating them. His lips brushed hers, like a whisper, before
he withdrew, tilted his head to the side, and advanced again. This time the
kiss was fuller, penetrating her every defense, both physical and emotional,
but still not long enough for her. He retreated once again after a fraction of
time and hovered before her, scarcely an inch away. Watching her. Waiting.
Her heart beating a
frantic tempo now, Shiloh abandoned all of her reservations and her good sense
to swoop in for a more vigorous kiss. So vigorous, in fact, she knocked him off
his perch through the open window. Only quick reflexes honed to perfection at
the Institute prevented her from tumbling after him.
Bracing herself against
the sill, she leaned out the window as far as she was able and watched his
descent from the slanted roof to the ground below. She lost sight of him the
moment he slid beyond the reach of the light from her window. But then she
heard him land with a thud —and a howl—on the ground in front of the back porch
when he failed to catch himself on the roof edge. She clasped a hand over her
mouth to silence her reaction and waited. When he didn’t rouse right away,
panic shot through her and she leaned out another few inches.
“Micah? Are you okay?”
“Fine,” he answered after
a few moments, appearing beyond the overhang of the roof as if to prove it to
her. “Nothing hurt but what’s left of my pride.”
Relief coursed through her
at his statement, and she allowed herself the laugh she’d literally held back
before. Her mirth was cut short, however, by his next words.
“Hey, Shiloh! We’ve got to
stop falling for each other like this.”
His laughter followed her
as she ducked back into the room. She could still hear it even after she closed
the window, though not as well. Oh, Lord. She
rested against the cool pane of glass and touched her still-tingling lips with
shaky fingers. Was she? Falling for
him? Was that what this crazy-mad feeling inside of her was?
The question plagued her
long into the night.
***
Let me ask a few questions of your main character, Shiloh Beck, star of Sloane Wolf, a paranormal romance story.
I wish I could. Sometimes, I don’t understand them myself. All I know for sure is I can sense what others are feeling. Whatever they feel, I feel, to. Sometimes, I can even see the images in their minds – if I let myself. The Institute was trying to teach me how to turn that outward – to reverse the process, so to speak, and inflict certain feelings upon other people – but I don’t like talking about that.
Can you explain what The Institute is?
I’m not sure what, exactly, The Institute is. To
me, it’s the place where I grew up, the place that kept me from my family. It’s
the place where others like me are brought to cultivate our “gifts,” so we can
learn how to live in the outside world with people who aren’t gifted. Funny
thing is, none of us are allowed out into the outside world, so we never truly
learn to adapt.
Tell us about Micah Stone. He seems a bit
egotistical…or should I say, somewhat bossy.
You can say whatever you like because you’re
right – on both points. Micah is somewhat bossy, but I guess he has good reason
to be with a family like his. Someone has to keep his siblings in check and
since he’s the oldest…let’s just say he takes that whole “leader of the pack”
thing a bit too literal sometimes. As for egotistical, yes, I suppose he is,
but have you seen him? I mean, really, the guy has good reason – but don’t tell
him I said that. He’s hard enough to deal with as it is!
So what was it like meeting Micah for the
first time?
Hmm, it was…interesting. I mean, he’s so good
looking, you kind of feel like he can’t possibly be real. So when we first met,
I have a feeling I wasn’t very coherent! And he noticed, which made it more
embarrassing. I think I stared a lot, too. Ugh. But then he turned on the
arrogant attitude, so it kind of broke the spell a little.
So tell us Shiloh, how is it to work with
Margay? Did she do a good job of telling your story as it happened OR was she
attempting to embellish it all?
Sometimes it’s scary how close she gets to the
truth of things. I’ve tried my best to keep it to myself – sometimes knowledge
is dangerous, you know – but she has a way of pulling it out of you. She’s
relentless. She won’t stop until she gets to the bottom of things and that kind
of makes me worry where this might all lead. I know the Institute isn’t done
with me – the Enforcer is still alive, after all, so I know he’ll be back – and
I don’t think I’ve seen the end of the black wolf, either. He’s connected to me
in some mysterious, familiar way, and I know Margay won’t stop until she knows
everything. I just hope she knows what she’s in for. It’s not wise to tangle
with the Institute. And embellish? Oh, no. I think she downplayed it.
Where can we find Margay Leah Justice? Please give us Margay’s links
& buy pages.
Links:
http://margayleahjustice.blogspot.com/
http://moonlightlacemayhem.blogspot.com/
http://twitter.com/Margay
Buy Links:
MuseItUpPublishing: http://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=242&category_id=107&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1&vmcchk=1&Itemid=1
Smahwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/116104
Thanks again for sharing with us, Margay.
We'd love to hear from you, dear readers. Please leave a comment in the box below so Margay knows you were here.
Thank you so much for having me here today!
ReplyDeleteMargay: Just proves you need to listen to the voices in your head. Sometimes they're right!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your book and another great release from MuseItUp.
Thank you so much! I appreciate it!
ReplyDelete