Tag: #TheFreeWolves

There’s a Stranger in Town #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

November 30, 2020

Every story starts with a stranger in town or a journey. “Pa, we’re takin’ the wagon to Virginia City,” every story ends with “Golly gee, Wally. I thought we were goners.” True or False?

I really wanted to say, ‘nope, that’s not the way it works.’ And if I dig hard enough, I can probably find examples to contradict it. But there’s lots of truth to the premise.

Let’s start with my Free Wolves series. It’s backwards from the theory because each of my main characters is the stranger that came to town. Dot, Tasha, and Lori are the outsiders trying to fit in and find their place. Here’s Tasha’s (from Wolves’ Knight)  beginning:

Her tactical knife slid easily from its ankle sheath. With a curse, Tasha leaped out of the leather chair and slid across the wooden conference table, praying she’d make it in time.

Although the stories are from the same ‘world’ they feature different characters and each story can be read as a stand-alone. Each story introduces a new stranger and a new situation.

The Harmony Duprie Mysteries are different. The Marquesa’s Necklace, the first one, opens with the stranger in town.

I first noticed him at the other end of the row when I glanced up to find another book. I recognize most of the regular patrons, and he wasn’t one of them.

But because each story is told in the same world, the little city of Oak Grove, the villain may not be a stranger but someone from Harmony’s town. Perhaps someone she didn’t know well, or doesn’t know at all. Or perhaps it’s someone she thought was a friend. (I’m trying not to give too many clues!) The Samurai’s Inro is a good example of this. (Yes, a minor character is from out of town, but the book doesn’t begin with him.)

In the sixth and final book of the series, the Ranger’s Dogtags,  Harmony becomes the stranger in town after going on a journey. I got both tropes covered there! 

How about those endings? “Golly gee, Wally. I thought we were goners.”  There’s lots of books that this doesn’t hold true for—I’m thinking mostly of women’s fiction and romances. For my own books, I’ll argue that one a technicality. My stories combine romantic elements with action and adventure. Yes, my characters are placed in life-threatening situations, but I wrap every story up with the romance. Because I believe in happily ever after. 

The next thing I knew, he’d pulled me into his arms and his lips were devouring mine.

I may have been a wee bit distracted with kissing him back, but I swear my toes curled, birds sang, and fireworks exploded in the background.

And magic happened.

Let’s find out what our other authors have to say by following the links below.

And, until next time, please stay safe,

November 30, 2020

Every story starts with a stranger in town or a journey. “Pa, we’re takin’ the wagon to Virginia City,” every story ends with “Golly gee, Wally. I thought we were goners.” True or False?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

A picture is worth 1000 words #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

 

August 3, 2020

Do you draw your main characters so that a forensic sketch artist could put them on the cover, or do they belong to the reader?

As most of you know, I’m a pantser. I don’t outline my stories ahead of time, they are written as my characters reveal the story to me. That extends to their descriptions, as well.

Sure, I know if they are male or female or wolf or fox or slim or heavy. or athletic. I’m pretty sure what color of hair they have. I have an idea how tall they are.

But I couldn’t tell you the shape of their nose or how far out their ears stick. I don’t know if they are flat-footed or walk with a limp. I may figure out these things if they become important to the story, but only if the characters tell me about them. So, for most of the book, I have only have a vague idea how what my characters look like.

But, in the case of my Free Wolves series, that changes when it’s time to work on the cover. I give my cover artist the details I know, and we get to work on finding images that suit the book. It can be tough, because my female leads are not your standard shape-shifter women. But here’s a shout-out to K.M. Guth, because she’s got a knack for finding the right picture or pictures we need. She’s able to translate the bare details into works of art.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have made small changes to my characters to match the final covers. Tasha, from Wolves’ Knight, started off with brown eyes, but when we found the picture that ended up being the cover, the model had blue eyes. Rather than make K.M. try to change them, I made it a minor plot point how unusual it was for a wolf shifter to have blue eyes.  By the way, I love the intensity in Tasha’s gaze (Wolves’ Knight) and the determination in Lori’s. (Wolves Gambit.) 

Now Harmony, my main character in the Harmony Duprie Stories, had a different evolution. The first covers were more cartoonish, a deliberate ploy to emphasize the light-hearted nature of the books. When circumstances dictated a change in covers, we opted to go a different direction. Not real-life, but more stylized.

 

 

 

 

 

 

With the second cover, the reader’s imagination is free to decide to what Harmony looks like. I’ve built in the basics: the brown hair worn in a bun, the brown eyes, and the glasses. the rest is up to the reader. Of course, she loves to change her appearance and that’s the fun part. Next, I had to plan out who I’d be. I closed the curtains, fired up my laptop, and hit up the makeup tutorials. I had several ideas in mind but had to make sure my limited skills were up to the challenge. From The Samurai’s Inro

So, two different series, and two different ways of creating my characters’ descriptions. As a reader, which do you prefer? Feel free to tell me in the comments.

Don’t forget to check out how the other authors develop their characters’ descriptions. Just follow the links below.

Until next time, please stay safe.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

August 3, 2020

Do you draw your main characters so that a forensic sketch artist could put them on the cover, or do they belong to the reader?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

 

Wolves’ Gambit #MFRWhooks

  By Book Hooks

Meet Lori Grenville from Wolves’ Gambit. She was the runt of the pack, but is determined to not let her size get in the way of her life’s mission.

Excerpt

She didn’t have time to shift. Instead, Lori threw herself to the ground and rolled. The wolf missed, but swiveled on its back paws, bunched its muscles, and prepared for a second attack. Without a weapon, she could only hold it off for a few seconds.

So she did what any human would do. She screamed. Only she dropped the pretense and screamed with her mental voice. The sound of a rabbit’s dying scream. The shrill, high-pitched cry for help didn’t need to be aimed at only one person. It would wake everyone within range. There’d be a lot of headaches in a very short time.

The wolf stopped in its tracks and shook its head. That was all the time Lori needed. A metal snow shovel had been left leaning against the building after the last snow months ago, and she grabbed it. She gripped it in both hands and swung.

Her aim was true. The shovel thudded against the side of the wolf’s head and it staggered. But Lori knew of a more vulnerable spot. She adjusted the direction of the next swing. The awkward angle resulted in a less forceful blow, but still, she hit the tender nose.

The wolf snarled, its teeth glistening, and leaped.

She whirled out the way and swung the shovel at the same time. The blade met the wolf’s front haunches. A cracking sound sent a chill down Lori’s spine. The wooden handle was breaking. She’d only get one more hit. It had to be a good one.

The wolf heard it too. Out of reach of her makeshift weapon, it paced, tongue hanging from its mouth. Left to right, right to left. Only Lori’s eyes followed it. She watched for the telltale signs. The tightening of muscles, the focusing of the eyes, a lowering of the head. The wolf was toying with her. Her heartbeat kept pace with the wolf’s steps. Too fast.

But where was the guard? He’d had time to come to her rescue. Was this one of Carlson’s men? She’d been a fool to trust him. He was just another pack leader. Take advantage of those less powerful and discard them when they are no longer useful.

She wondered how sharp the edge of the blade was. Sharp enough to rip through flesh? There was no time to check. She needed to stay alert for every twitch.

The charge happened in the blink of an eye. One second he was on the ground, the next flying towards her. She didn’t wait. With a loud cry, she held the shovel straight in front of her like a lance and ran to meet the attack.

Blurb:

Wolf-shifter Lori Grenville was rescued from near-slavery and a brutal pack leader by the Free Wolves. To pay back the favor, she’s dedicated her life to helping others in the same situation, leading shifters to safety and a new start, risking her life in the process. She’s faced down alphas and has no qualms in undermining pack structure.

Now she’s challenged with the task of restoring an alpha to his rightful place. If she gets it right, she can stop a war from ripping apart two packs and spreading across an entire state. If she fails, she’ll be among the first to die.

There’s still the option of walking away and letting the Jaeger and Destin packs destroy each other. That means she’ll fail in her original mission of rescuing the daughter of the Jaeger alpha before the girl is forced into marriage for political gain.

Lori hasn’t failed in a mission yet. This one may be the exception.

Although Wolves’ Gambit is the third book in the Free Wolves urban fantasy/paranormal series, each book can be read as a stand-alone. And, for the first time, Lori’s story is on sale for 99¢.

Buy Links:

Apple

Kobo

Nook

You can find more about the Free Wolves series HERE

Favorite Character

  By Open Book

From all the characters you’ve created, which is your favorite and why?

I bet you think you know the answer. After all, how many times have I talked about wanting to spend an afternoon with Harmony from the mystery series, drinking ice tea and and chatting?  Well, you would be wrong.

And if you guessed Dot, the main character from Wolves’ Pawn, the first book I ever published, you would be closer, but still wrong.

No, my favorite and probably least-known of my main characters is Lori Grenville of Wolves’ Gambit.

Yeah, she’s an underdog. And that’s one of the reasons I’m so fond of her. Despite her small stature, she doesn’t let anyone push her around. Instead, she finds ways to use her size to her advantage. She’s found a way to turn a personal tragedy into a lifelong-mission to help others.

Of course, that isn’t the way I’d planned her. She was supposed to be a smart aleck, take nothing too seriously spy of dubious loyalties. While I managed to retain some of that in her personality, it isn’t her main focus.  Her loyalty is to herself and her cause, and she’ll tell you so.

What I love most about her is her creativity. I didn’t believe her at first when she told me the story of how she killed a wolf using a snow shovel. But it’s in writing now, and on the internet, so it must be true.

If you haven’t read Wolves’ Gambit yet, here’s your chance. It’s a standalone story, so you don’t have to read the other books in the Free Wolves adventures first. Here’s the link to the page on this website that will lead you to everywhere you can buy the book. Wolves’ Gambit 

Once you get done with your purchase, don’t forget to check out the other blogs and see what their authors favorite characters are. Maybe I’ll see you there!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

From all the characters you’ve created, which is your favorite and why?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.