Introducing my guest, Abigail Owen, and her new release from The Wild Rose Press. Check out her fun interview and sexy cover!
- Where did you get the idea for Andromeda’s Fall?
This book came out of a single scene that popped into my head. A female cougar shifter up on a rock, clearly on patrol to keep her people safe. But she has something to prove and is being observed by a male cougar shifter above her. That’s it. From there I had to figure out who they were, how they got there, what she had to prove, and where they went from there. It got the idea when I was only about 2 books into writing my Svatura series and so had to wait until I finished those before I started on this. It was one of my favorites to write so far – especially because I my female lead is the kind of feisty heroine I like best!
- Are there any tricks or habits you use when creating a story?
I write the first draft very quickly (2-3 weeks) and then spend my more concentrated/targeted time on later drafts. Something about getting the bulk of the book on paper – even if I re-write all of it later – helps me get past the mental hurdle of writing a book. I love the drafting – figuring out what to fix, tighten, fill in, smooth out. It all comes together for me during that process.
- What do you dislike that most people wouldn’t understand?
Peanut butter. I can’t stand it. Gooey, mess of nastiness that just sticks to the roof of your mouth. Ugh! Just about anyone from the U.S. I tell this fact to can’t believe it and proceed to fondly remember all their peanut butter treats (as if that might change my mind LOL). However, every person from a country other than America I’ve talked to wholeheartedly agrees it’s terrible stuff. 🙂
- What genre have you never written that you’d like to write?
I would LOVE to write historical romance, but I have very little patience for all the research involved (despite the fact that I minored in history in college). And I like multiple eras – Regency England, Ancient Rome, Middle Ages, Vikings, Wild West, WWII. The next project I plan to tackle is a bit of a steam-punk/time travel take on the American Wild West that hopefully will allow me to minimalize the research necessary.
- What is your favorite quote?
Anything from Dr. Seuss. The man had a wonderful take on life and I hope my children soak up some of that goodness. I just recently did a post on my favorites of his quotes on my blog!
- What celebrity would you most like to be stranded on an island with?
My first instinct is to go with some really good looking male lead, but since we’re stranded, I need someone with skills and who doesn’t seem like a prima donna. So Bear Grylls would be perfect right? I’d be set in the survival department! I could also handle someone like Miranda Lambert – she knows how to hunt and can sing to keep us entertained. But muscle might be required, so I guess she could bring Blake Shelton (who’s also a hunter – skills again). But then I’d be very third wheel, so I’d either go with Kristin Bell (also outdoorsy and seems really nice) or with any one of my celebri-crushes who still fits my criteria of skills and no temper tantrums: Ewan McGregor, Rob Kazinsky, Hugh Jackman.
Question for the readers: Which do you like best…shifters or vampires? And why?
Blurb:
Andromeda Reynolds is being hunted. After witnessing her mother’s violent death at the hands of a pack of wolf shifters, Andie has devoted her life to protecting her community of cougar shifters from a similar fate. But now, a greater threat lies within her own dare, and she must run. If she stays, Kyle Carstairs will force their mating, seeking the added political power their union would provide.
Andie would rather chew off her own foot than end up with Kyle. Though, knowing him, she won’t live long either way. Andie’s only hope of survival is to mate Jaxon Keller, the Alpha of the Keller Dare with which she is seeking asylum. But before she can get to him, Andie must first go through A.J., one of the Alpha’s Protectors.
What Andie doesn’t realize is that A.J. has secrets of his own. All Andie knows is that the incredibly frustrating shifter insists on challenging her story, her skills, her trust… and her heart.
Excerpt:
He glanced down at her. “You really are a tiny thing, aren’t you?”
Andie scowled. “Don’t let my size fool you. I can pack a wallop when I want to. Even with a broken arm.”
A.J. laughed. “I’m sure you can.”
Andie stared straight ahead, her mouth thinning. She hated being patronized. Men were so dense sometimes. They never took her seriously until she showed them exactly why they should.
Keeping her left arm protected, Andie suddenly dropped. One leg shot out and she spun low to the ground, sweeping A.J.’s feet out from under him. As he landed on his back, she was on top of him, her knee on his windpipe—not crushing, just sending a message.
Before she could gloat too much, though, she was flying through the air. Andie tucked into a back flip, landed on her feet, and then spun and launched herself backwards in a one-handed back handspring. A.J. had just gotten on his feet when her legs wrapped around his neck. She used her momentum to drop him back to the floor.
Andie rolled and ended up in a crouch close by. A.J. held up his hands in surrender. “All right, wildcat. You’ve proved yourself.”
Andie glared at him. “Don’t doubt me. And don’t insult my intelligence by pretending you just lost either,” she said in a severe voice, made harsher, perhaps, by the fact that she’d just realized exactly how incredible his blue eyes were. They were a vibrant color made even more interesting by the black ring that rimmed the irises. And she was more than irritated with herself for having noticed that at all.
He levered himself up off the floor. “Fair enough.”
The only thing that kept her from proving her point more—because she could tell he’d held back—was the small amount of respect she could see in his eyes. With a brusque nod, she followed him down the hall.
Bio
Award-winning author, Abigail Owen was born in Greeley, Colorado, and raised in Austin, Texas. She now resides in Northern California with her husband and two adorable children who are the center of her universe.
Abigail grew up consuming books and exploring the world through her writing. A fourth generation graduate of Texas A&M University, she attempted to find a practical career related to her favorite pastime by earning a degree in English Rhetoric (Technical Writing). However, she swiftly discovered that writing without imagination is not nearly as fun as writing with it.
Author Alicia Dean 