A warm Love Bytes welcome to author J.T. Hall joining us today to talk about new release “Forest of Thorns and Claws”.

Welcome J.T 🙂

Hello and welcome to the blog tour for Forest of Thorns and Claws! This M/M shifter (weretiger) romance is a standalone novel set in the rainforests of Indonesia. The book features a lonely veterinarian and wildlife conservationist from the UK, Dr. Donovan McGinnis, who meets a man from the local Sumatran village, Kersen, after rescuing a snared tigress. I hope you’ll read on to learn more about Donovan and Kersen’s adventures. Also, remember to leave a comment on this post… one lucky winner will get a $15 Riptide gift card!

 

My Hope for Readers

 

Some books are like candy; you just want to enjoy them for a brief moment and then move along to something else. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with such books—I personally have an insatiable appetite for disaster books. (And movies. I don’t care how bad they are.)

 

A book should entertain first, but with my paranormal romance, Forest of Thorns and Claws, I wanted to write something a little meatier that would require some digestion afterwards. I still wanted a sweet romance, some exciting suspense, and a touch of humor. In addition, I also hope that readers will gain a new understanding about the plight of this planet’s remaining rainforests and the danger to animals living there like the amazing Sumatran tiger.

 

I’m a cat person by nature. I like dogs—there are three dogs at my house between mine and my partner’s—but I’m more finely attuned to cats. I love the intelligence in a feline’s eyes when you look at them. I love their aloof, independent nature. Dogs may be eager to beg for attention, but when a cat bestows it and wants you to pet her, it’s like a gift.

 

Since I was nine, most of my life I’ve had one cat or another who sleeps curled up against me. This is how things are even when there is also a dog in the bed curled up with my other half!

 

So because I love cats, I also have great love and admiration for all the great cats, from lions and lynxes to panthers and of course the tiger. When I learned how truly endangered some of the tiger species are today, it broke my heart. For example, right now there may be fewer than 400 Sumatran tigers left in the wild.

 

Think about that number for a moment. Four hundred—my high school graduating class had 565 students. A 747 jet holds about 416 passengers. So basically that’s the estimated number of Sumatran tigers that are left, stranded in three small national parks on one island. And still they are being killed by poachers as their forests disappear.

 

Readers, please enjoy my fantastical romance between two men who fall in love and also happen to possess the ability to transform into tigers. Yet as you enjoy the book, also take a moment to consider the real tigers out there. Say a prayer for them, or donate, or advocate, or even educate others.

 

My hope for readers is that beyond being entertained, they’ll learn about things going on in other parts of the world and perhaps they’ll be inspired to act and make a difference to protect endangered habitats and creatures.

 

 

About Forest of Thorns and Claws

Donovan McGinnis, a veterinarian and conservationist at a research center in Sumatra, is fighting to save the rainforest from poachers and politicians alike. One day he discovers a tigress trapped by a snare, and while treating her injuries, she bites him. He becomes ill with strange symptoms that leave him feverish and dreaming of the jungle and blood.

Kersen and his family are part of the Siluman harimau, a clan of tiger shifters hidden away in a secret village near the rainforest. When Kersen’s sister is caught, he knows he must free her before she infects someone with their magic and reveals their secret.

But Donovan has already been turned, and only time will tell if he can control the tiger within. Kersen must help him, but will the fierce attraction between the pair bring ruin to them all? With the rainforest under threat from outside forces, they may be doomed anyway, unless Kersen and Donovan can find a way to defeat the danger from inside and out.

Now available from:

Riptide Publishing

Amazon

About J.T. Hall

J.T. Hall has been writing for many years under this name and others, and has appeared in magazines, anthologies, and online books. She earned her BA in creative writing from the University of Arizona, her Master’s in education from Argosy University, and works as an independent technical writer for state and federal programs. In her free time, she volunteers for the LGBT community and is active in the leather scene. She has a teenage daughter and a partner of over ten years. They live in sunny Arizona with three adorably cute dogs, three black cats, and a hamster who loves peanuts.

Connect with J.T.:

• Blog: jthallwriting.wordpress.com
• Twitter: @JTHall7
• Tumblr: www.tumblr.com/blog/jthallwriting
• GoodReads

To celebrate the release of Forest of Thorns and Claws, one lucky winner will receive a $15 Riptide credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on May 20, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!