Shifter | Author Alicia Dean

Please help me welcome Lisbeth Sarai…

Twisting Tropes

Like most authors, I write the kind of books I’d like to read. The wide range of genres and styles you’ll find in my back list reflects the diversity of my reading tastes. Check out my books and reviews on Goodreads and you’ll see what I mean.

I tend to value most highly books that are original and surprising. Perhaps the worst sin a story can commit, from my point of view, is to be predictable. Alas, romance is frequently guilty of this transgression. Tropes practically define the genre, especially these days. Authors explicitly label their work according to the tropes it exploits: enemies to lovers, forced proximity, reverse harem, slow burn, secret baby… Nothing turns me off more than knowing, before I even open the book, what is likely to happen.

As an author, I strive for the originality I seek in the work of others. One way I (try to) achieve this is by deliberately twisting tropes and turning clichés on their heads. I delight in up-ending my readers’ expectations. Meanwhile, looking at familiar situations or characters from a fresh perspective provides great opportunities for enriching the narrative.

Few sub-genres are more stereotyped than paranormal romance. Everyone knows that vampires are centuries-old, dark, brooding, and full of power. Werewolves live in packs where roles from alpha to omega are clearly defined. The two races of supernatural creatures rarely encounter one another, but if they do, they are mutually hostile.

My new paranormal romance Fangs, Fur and the Single Girl plays with these well-trodden themes. My vampire hero has been undead for a mere six years; he was turned by accident. My werewolf has never met another of his kind. And although the two initially hate one another, their love for my heroine eventually overcomes their antipathy.

I do hope I can coax readers to step outside their comfort zone a bit and take a chance on this tale of love, lust, power and commitment. You might not recognize the tropes, but I do guarantee a happy ending.

ON SALE for ONLY 99 cents!!!

Blurb

The city is full of fanatics who believe vampires are real. Bianca knows that’s a fantasy. Then a blond, blue-eyed blood drinker walks into her office and turns her universe upside down. Trying to escape from the vampire’s seductive influence, she collides with a wolf shifter whose mere presence inspires irresistible lust. How can Bianca resolve her feelings for her two mutually hostile lovers?

Excerpt

The blond vampire reached over to her dressing table to pick up a leather-bound notebook. “It’s lucky you use a physical day planner instead of a calendar app.” He sighed again, apparently out of habit. “I admit, I came looking for you tonight. I was desperate to see you. I thought we should discuss—well, I’ll be honest, I was weak. I imagined that perhaps we could—I kept remembering your warmth, your scent…” He shook his head as his voice trailed off. “It’s so easy to deceive myself. To let the hunger think for me.”

“Oh, Jim!” She bounced off the bed and enfolded him in her arms. Though his skin was like cool marble, fire sizzled through her at the contact. A steady pulse beat between her legs. An ache grew in her chest, an echo of his pain. She could soothe him, heal him, if only he’d allow it. Leaning in, she pressed her lips to his, silently urging him to surrender.

For a fraction of a second, she felt his answering passion. Then he turned his head away to break the connection.

“Don’t. Please. Don’t tempt me, Bianca.” Extricating himself from her clutches, he pinned her with his gaze. His normally blue eyes deepened to wells of blackness. “Stay away from vampires, for your own safety. Away from me, and definitely away from that harpy at the club.”

“How did you arrange for the police? Did they really have a warrant?”

Jim’s embarrassment was obvious. “It seems I have some ability to plant ideas in the minds of suggestible individuals. I didn’t realize I had that kind of power, but when I saw that creature—Elena? —messing with your thoughts, I figured I had to try.”

“Well, I’m very grateful. I probably should have known better than to accept her invitation in the first place.”

Jim rose from his chair and began to pace. “I agree. You took a grave risk.”

Bianca slumped back down on the bed, her eyes following his back-and-forth progress. “But she’s a business associate. Elena Lazarescu’s a major force in the vampire ecosystem. She’s a wizard at branding. Just think about how many potential subscribers she could deliver…”

He whirled to face her. “Bianca! Just listen to yourself! ‘Vampire ecosystem’? ‘Wizard at branding’? After you came close to being Elena’s victim! Didn’t you see what was going on at her club? Pathetic humans being drained to feed her blood hunger and that of her clique. This isn’t about business or marketing, fashion or fads.”

“But—”

“Your readers live in a fantasy world, but vampires are real. And they’re not trendy, romantic or sexy. They’re monsters, driven by an insatiable craving they’ll do anything to satisfy.” The young man glared at her, fists clenched at his sides. “I’m a monster, Bianca—no matter how I try to fool myself.”

She was on her feet again, hand on his arm. “No, Jim—you’re not like her. You’d never hurt me.”

He yanked himself from her grasp. “I already have, don’t you see? This bond between us—”

“So you feel it, too…”

“It’s the blood, Bianca, the blood we’ve shared. Nothing more. And it will destroy us both if we let it.”

Buy Links

Kinky Literature – https://www.kinkyliterature.com/book/1508-fangs-fur-and-the-single-girl/

Amazon US – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CXF755SM

Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CXF755SM

Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1540924

Barnes and Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fangs-fur-and-the-single-girl-lisabet-sarai/1145179250?ean=2940167695276

Kobo – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/fangs-fur-and-the-single-girl

Apple Books – https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id6480071026

Add on Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/210320373-fangs-fur-and-the-single-girl

Add on Bookbub – https://www.bookbub.com/books/fangs-fur-and-the-single-girl-by-lisabet-sarai

About Lisabet

Lisabet Sarai became addicted to words at an early age. She began reading when she was four. She wrote her first story at five years old and her first poem at seven. Since then, she has written plays, tutorials, scholarly articles, marketing brochures, software specifications, self-help books, press releases, a five-hundred page dissertation, and lots of erotica and erotic romance – over one hundred titles, and counting, in nearly every sub-genre—paranormal, scifi, ménage, BDSM, GLBT, and more. Regardless of the genre, every one of her stories illustrates her motto: Imagination is the ultimate aphrodisiac.

You’ll find information and excerpts from all Lisabet’s books on her website (http://www.lisabetsarai.com/books.html), along with more than fifty free stories and lots more. At her blog Beyond Romance (http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com), she shares her philosophy and her news and hosts lots of other great authors. She’s also on Goodreads, BookBub and Twitter. Join her VIP email list here: https://btn.ymlp.com/xgjjhmhugmgh

Welcome to my weekly feature where authors share about the hobbies, careers, or passions of their characters.

I’m pleased to introduce today’s guest, Marilyn Barr…

Dear Readers,

It has been a difficult few months on the job but I have finally found my bearings at Bergan Pharma. Despite my multiple FDA filings for innovative drug products and tireless hours working for pennies, nothing prepared me for the unique (dare I say supernatural) challenges as their Director of Regulatory Affairs. My new coworkers have worked their magic to take the world stage as the leader in biologics despite choosing to have their headquarters in the middle of nowhere: Strawberry, Kentucky. I have three new biologic drug products to bring to market in the coming months and if we work around the clock, the company will make more money then we can spend in a lifetime. It is these leadership qualities they wanted when they hired me. No one can drive a pharma company like me.

It was a hard sell to my wife and son, but eventually, they saw the benefits of living over an hour’s drive from the nearest school or town center. I am so excited they are moving into our new home tomorrow. I can hardly stay away even though I relocated to Strawberry Kentucky alone months ago. Gifting my wife a giant plantation home with acres of gardens was a stroke of genius on my part. No more sensory overload from her job at the garden center. She can manage her sensory processing disorder in isolation. I assume it is what she wants but our truce right now is shaky at best. It is my hope that a new town and a fresh start will bring us back from the brink of divorce.

Perhaps she will be happier with no more meetings with the principal about our son’s disciplinary problems. He will be homeschooled by her. I am grateful to Brad and the Board of Directors of Bergan Pharma for their generous signing bonus, so I could make this happen, including my new BMW. They simply made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. If only I had known the unwritten job duties and how they would turn my world upside-down, when I signed on. How did I score such a deal? I explain it on my drive home through the hills of Kentucky in Strawberry Shifters Book 1: Bear with Me:

“It had been an early Christmas present when the head-hunter called me about Bergan Pharma. They needed someone to get their products approved by the FDA, which is my specialty. You could say I possess a certain set of skills coveted by the industry, but less James Bond and more Bob Cratchit. Up until that call, I hopped from one slave driver to the next. Every company promised innovations but really, they were all the same.

First, a trust-fund kid parties through undergrad who uses a nerdy “friend” to barely slide through with a degree in something dumb like underwater basket weaving. Next, they build a start-up pharma company and the nerdy friend drives a group of employees into the ground for the success of “their” invention. Finally, the partners have a happily ever after of saving a little slice of the world while making the big bucks.

They marry and have kids to start the cycle over. It’s my job to make all the bar napkins, lab books, scrap paper musings, and alcohol-fueled business models into a cohesive professional package. Sometimes I am assigned a minion to help me, like a blue-haired neighbor or barely legal “friend” of the boss to manage the dozen boulder-sized binders.

I have over forty New Drug Applications— miracle-working piles of binders otherwise known as NDAs—somewhere in the FDA pipeline. They have been filed with five different companies. My name is all over their site as a name for inquiries only, never profit share. My bosses have always obliged with a signature for that part.”

My wife asked that I learn to listen to her in our months apart. When she arrives in Strawberry tomorrow, she will see I’m a changed man. No more struggling to get by, no more putting work before her, and no more tuning her out. I have it all: the dream job, the flashy car, the plantation home, and a fresh start for my family. What could possibly go wrong? Follow my family on their adventure in the wilds of rural Kentucky in Strawberry Shifters Book 1: Bear with Me.

Best regards,

Grant Luther

Amazon Buy Link: Amazon

Author Bio:

Marilyn Barr currently resides in the wilds of Kentucky with her husband, son, and rescue cats. When engaging with the real world, she is collecting characters, empty coffee cups, and unused homeschool curricula.

She has a diverse background containing experiences as a child prodigy turned medical school reject, biodefense microbiologist, high school science teacher, homeschool mother of a savant, and advocate for the autistic community.

She would love to hear from readers via her website: http://www.marilynbarr.com.

Author Social Media Links:

Amazon author profile

Goodreads

BookBub Author Profile