Love Bytes welcome author Hailey Turner to their blog who is joining us today to talk about new release “A Ferry of Bones & Gold”, book 1 in the new Soulbound series.
Welcome Hailey 🙂
Let’s talk about Shifters, favorite tropes and trends in shifter novels
Everyone loves shifters, right? Fated mates, epic love, alpha/omega, mpreg, and happily ever afters that melt your heart. Shifter books thrive on a set of tropes that always have readers hungering for more. My new series is a little different than the shifter books most readers might be familiar with, but I hope that won’t stop anyone from giving it a try!
I do love fated mates as a trope, though I tried for a bit of a twist in my Soulbound series. Immortal gods of Fate literally tossed my main characters, Patrick and Jono, together. If the Fates didn’t intervene, they never would have met, and I’d have a pretty short story, right? The Fates are gods in my new series, and every culture has a different version of Fate. I pull from a multitude of myths for the series as a whole, and it’s fun to get to figure out what drives immortals in a modern world.
As for shifters, I delved into the more traditional history for werewolves in my story and leaned hard into that background. My shifters are wolves or other predatory animals, but they aren’t cuddly by any means. Bigger than their wild counterparts, a bit on the horrific side in looks, I wanted them to be monstrous as opposed to what we normally envision when we think of a wolf or their pack.
Speaking of packs, in any book about packs, you have to have an alpha, right? Alphas are leaders, and I’m drilling down deep into that trope with Jono in my story. He’s an ex-pat Brit living in New York City who has toed the political pack line long enough to keep the peace. Crossing paths with Patrick has him throwing caution to the wind, and when a god pack alpha werewolf stubbornly stands his ground, good luck winning that fight!
Alpha is a pack rank, not necessarily something a person is born with in my story. Most of my werewolves or other werecreatures are infected by the werevirus, so they aren’t born wolves. Shifter books usually have alpha/omega pairings in them, and while I do have alphas, I don’t have omegas or betas. I’ve kind of veered off the typical shifter path since my new series is more urban fantasy than a shifter book, but I like to think the two genres share some of the underling themes to a certain extent.
Tropes are at the heart of every story. That’s why we read the books we love. We authors all try to make a story our own, and sometimes we do that by taking a well-loved trope and flipping it on its head.
A Ferry of Bones & Gold by Hailey Turner
Series: Soulbound 1
Publisher: Self-published
Release Date (Print & Ebook): Ebook: September 12, 2018; Print: 1-2 days after
Length (Print & Ebook): 114,700 words
Subgenre: M/M Urban Fantasy
Blurb:
When the gods come calling, you don’t get to say no.
Patrick Collins is three years into a career as a special agent for the Supernatural Operations Agency when the gods come calling to collect a soul debt he owes them. An immortal has gone missing in New York City and bodies are showing up in the wake of demon-led ritual killings that Patrick recognizes all too easily from his nightmares.
Unable to walk away, Patrick finds himself once again facing off against mercenary magic users belonging to the Dominion Sect. Standing his ground alone has never been a winning option in Patrick’s experience, but it’s been years since he’s had a partner he could trust.
Looking for allies in all the wrong places, Patrick discovers the Dominion Sect’s next target is the same werewolf the Fates themselves have thrown into his path. Patrick has been inexplicably attracted to the man from their first meeting, but desire has no place in war. That doesn’t stop Patrick from wanting what he shouldn’t have. Jonothon de Vere is gorgeous, dangerous, and nothing but trouble—to the case, to the fight against every hell, and ultimately, to Patrick’s heart and soul.
In the end, all debts must be paid, and Patrick can only do what he does best—cheat death.
Magic, murder, and mayhem! You won’t want to miss the first book in a brand new, pulse-pounding m/m urban fantasy series!
It’d been months since the last time he’d had sex, and Patrick gasped against Jono’s mouth when warm fingers yanked at his belt buckle, tugging him up a little on the balls of his feet. He got his own hands on Jono’s belt, and between the two of them, they got their jeans undone as Patrick rode Jono’s thigh without shame. The grinding pressure was exquisite and everything Patrick wanted right at that moment.
Touch. Heat. Someone else in his arms to make him feel good.
One big, warm hand slipped beneath his underwear and Patrick arched into the touch shamelessly, letting his head thunk against the wall with a moan. “Fucking hell, just get me off right here.”
Jono chuckled against his ear, mouth dragging down his throat to suck at the delicate skin there, breathing in whatever scent he was after. Patrick turned his head a little to give him better access, arching into Jono’s touch.
“Is that what you want?” Jono asked.
Patrick wanted a lot of things he never got, but he’d take tonight because he could.
About Hailey Turner:
Hailey Turner is big city girl who spoils her cats rotten and has a demanding day job that she loves, but not as much as she loves writing. She’s been writing since she was a young child and enjoys reading almost as much as creating a new story. Hailey loves stories with lots of action, gritty relationships, and an eventual HEA that satisfies the heart.
Connect with Hailey:
Newsletter: You can keep up with Hailey’s future projects by joining her newsletter, where you can instantly download the free Metahuman Files short story A Distant Devotion and the Soulbound short story Down A Twisted Path: http://eepurl.com/cAEejL
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/haileyshellions/
Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100014824811406
Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorHaileyTurner/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/haileyturnerwriter/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16473068.Hailey_Turner
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