Siberian Tiger shifter, Aleksi Rykov, is amused to watch the enemy chasing one of their own, psy, Seth Tilton, until he realizes it’s his mate. Rescuing his mate isn’t difficult for the powerful Alpha but keeping his mate safe from the war raging between their races may be more difficult.
Seth is taking a chance running to the one man he knows can keep him safe, Aleksi. Seth knows the psy’s secrets and the psy will do anything to get him back but with Aleksi’s help Seth can help turn the tide of the war and uncover the horrible truth. The question is will Aleksi be willing to help the enemy?
Both sides are against their mating and doing their best to tear the two apart but Aleksi and Seth are determined to stay together against all odds. Can Aleksi and Seth manage to find happiness by mating the enemy?
Amazon eBook | Audible Audio | Amazon UK
QueeRomance Ink
Have you ever taken a trip to research a story? Tell me about it.
MANY! Lol
I even created a series called Uncorked in order to ‘research’ wine. Smart huh?
But yes, the series Cedar Falls is based on a real town in western North Carolina where there is a casino and a mayor who hasn’t exactly been helpful to grow the town into a prosperous one.
Like I mentioned, the wine series, which is set in the north Georgia mountains, I visited quite frequently (lol), as well as moonshine distilleries. Boy, is that stuff strong. I’m still a bit fuzzy on what happened there.
For some of my paranormal series, including Paranormal Wars, I traveled through the north west states, and many other places to get a sense for the area. I am hoping soon to travel to Alaska for my newest series, Mystic Pines, but sadly, do to the virus I don’t think it will happen until next year.
What do you do when you get writer’s block?
For quick relief, I take a walk, enjoy a bath, go out with friends, etc. It helps to get my mind off the issue and usually when I sit back down, I’m able to continue.
I’ve only had a case of serious writer’s block once, where it took me nearly three weeks to get over. I forced myself to still write, but it usually didn’t even fill up a page. So, I went on a mini vacation. Fortunately, I live in Florida so it is easy to do without really having to go to far. I ended up going to Disney with a family member and we did the whole drinking around the countries in Epcot. More important than getting drunk and I was very, very drunk, I did a lot of people watching. For me, that was all it took because I’ve always been one to make up stories in my head based on what people do and say. Which leads to the next question.
Do you ever base your characters on real people? If so, what are the pitfalls you’ve run into doing so?
All the time. The main pitfall is if they are family or friends is to not use their real names while writing! Lol. But they are all aware I do it, so I don’t feel as if I have to censor myself when writing. Plus, I embellish what happened, mostly, to make it work for the story so they know it isn’t necessarily how I interpreted their actions or words.
But for those who sit in places like, oh, Panera, yeah, watch out. It is one of my favorite writing spots especially when travelling and I do listen in.
THIS BOOK:
Tell us something we don’t know about your heroes. What makes them tick?
Aleksi Rykov, or Alek to his friends, is a closet sweet eater. His strict control is the only thing that saves him from eating nothing else. His favorite is ice cream. He could easily eat all 31 flavors at Baskin Robbins in one sitting. He always keeps two gallons in his freezer but limits himself to only one bowl a day for fear of getting fat.
Seth Tilton has a weakness for musicals. Due to the Great War, humans stopped making movies or television shows, but he has gotten Alek to download all the musicals ever made for him to watch while curled up next to his long-suffering mate.
Who did your cover, and what was the design process like?
Harris Channing has been my cover artist since I started publishing my books with Siren. It was how we met and when I went out on my own, I asked her to continue creating all of my covers. She is so easy to work with. This cover was a bit more unique of a process since I had originally published it with Siren. When I got the rights back, I went to Harris and asked her to make it as true to the series as possible without infringing on what Siren had done in the past.
But with all my books, I generally give Harris a picture of each character and a general background I’d like. Since this is a paranormal book, I also let her know what type of shifter or mystic the characters are in order to incorporate it into the cover. Then I let her do what she does best, create an amazing cover.
What inspired you to write this particular story? What were the challenges in bringing it to life?
Alek has been a character in my head for years before I had finally put him down on paper, well, the computer. I was always fascinated with shifters who could also manipulate the elements. But I didn’t want to have one person able to do everything. In the end, in order to create a race that was equally as deadly as both the shifter and mystics, I came up with a group that could control humans. They also have a few other abilities that unfold within the series, but the main focus was to show how too much power could be dangerous, especially when it is used to manipulate others.
PERSONAL:
Tell me about a unique or quirky habit of yours.
Because I have some back issues as well as bursitis, I try not to sit for too long at any one time. To do this, I keep the time at about an hour and write in sprints. I don’t allow ANY distractions during that time, which allows me to get a lot of writing done in a short period of time.
What’s your writing process?
When I start a book, I usually have the characters in mind a good week before I start on the book. It allows me to think of who they are as people. My best time for doing this is on my daily walks with the music in my ears, which helps free up anything else that might distract me.
Once I have an idea of who the characters are, I let them tell me their stories. I don’t push a storyline that doesn’t work for them, but I usually have an idea on what that storyline is before I start. There have been times when characters have surprised me and I’ve had to completely change the storyline to fit them.
What qualities do you and your characters share? How much are you like them, or how different are they from you?
There are some characters I write that are me. In fact, I would say most of them have some characteristics of me in them. Those that aren’t, are usually who I would like to be. Like Alek, for instance. He is strong, commanding and doesn’t hesitate to do what’s right and go after what he wants. That’s something I have always struggled with as an introvert.
FUN:
Described yourself using …(a food, a book, a song, a movie, animal, a drink, a place, etc)
I will do as many of these as I can instead of just one.
Food – Snickers – sweet, gooey and soft and definitely nuts!
A book – As a writer, this should be easy, yet it is the hardest one for there are too many that would work. That said, I’ll leave it blank.
A song – I Wanna Dance with Somebody – I may not do it well, but I would dance all day everyday if I could!
A movie – A Goofy Movie – Except I’m a mom not a dad, but otherwise that movie would be me!
An Animal – Tiger – I consider it my spirit animal. A loner, who would like nothing more than to roam free
A Drink – LOL! So long as it has alcohol, it describes me!
A place – Disney World, because I’ve never grown up!
What foods fuel your writing?
Snacks and lots of them! My current main writing snacks are Cheez Its, Animal Crackers, Reese’s Pieces and pretzels. I am someone who needs to be eating when I write as there are so many voices spinning around in my head begging for me to write their stories that it helps to be doing something else to keep them quiet. Oh, and the noisier I can munch down, the better!
What meds are you supposed to be taking?
I wish I knew! Lol Seriously, something to keep the characters from fighting for dominance in my head would be great! There are a few pesky ones that never shut up, even when I sleep. I have to keep pen and paper by my bed just for those times I wake up with their ideas and don’t want to forget them.
Shea is giving away a $20 Amazon gift card with this tour – enter via Rafflecopter:
“Aahhhh!”
“That’s it. You’re doing a great job.” Even with his body begging for just a few hours of sleep, the adrenaline was keeping Eli alert as he was only two hours shy of finishing a forty-eight-hour rotation on the maternity ward. His only chance at a nap had been interrupted when Abbey and her husband, Frank, came in. Eli would swear there was a conspiracy to keep him awake. How he was even functioning he wasn’t sure anymore.
“Okay, it’s time to push again,” he gently told Abbey, who was about to be a mom for the first time. Frank held her hand, or to be more precise she gripped his hand like a vise. It looked like the circulation had been cut off from the man’s hand for some time but Frank never once complained, just encouraged his wife and kept her as calm as possible.
This was the type of delivery Eli preferred, the parents not screaming at each other, just happy to bring their child into the world. Yeah, he knew it was painful, but still, he really hated it when the women got hysterical.
The head pushed through and he went to work cleaning out the baby’s airway. One more push and he held the infant as it took a stuttering breath before letting out a cry at being shoved out into the cold, unforgiving world.
The parents were smiling, beaming as Eli brought the child up to lie on his mother’s stomach. “It’s a boy—” was barely out his mouth before the infant changed into a dog. No, more like a dingo.
There was no way he was seeing this. Scrunching his eyes closed and shaking his head, Eli quickly reopened his eyes and, yep, it was a dingo he was holding instead of a baby. Suddenly the baby was back and screaming at the top of his little lungs.
Without missing a beat he laid the child on his mother’s stomach, cut the umbilical cord, and let one of the nurses quickly take the baby away to be cleaned. It just couldn’t have happened and he hoped if he ignored it so would everyone else.
“What…” Frank’s mouth kept moving but no sound came out as his eyes stayed on his son. Suddenly his gaze found the doctor’s and he demanded, “What happened?”
Damn. Somehow Eli didn’t think he’d be leaving when his shift was over.
#
Same day, 5:00 a.m., small village in India.
Murali ran as fast as his legs would carry him from his family’s home, a small hut set in the middle of the land they farmed. It took him just a few minutes to reach Nanda, the woman who would help his mother deliver his next brother or sister. “Come, come. She is ready,” he told Nanda when she came to the doorway.
When she nodded her understanding, Murali rushed back home to let his parents know Nanda was on her way. Once he told his parents, he quickly went out to start his chores along with his brothers and sisters.
He’d just turned eight and with each birthday his list of chores grew. Each morning he had to help feed the animals and shovel the manure. He loved the animals and enjoyed the time he spent feeding and watering them but today he rushed through his chores so he could get back and see the new baby. Was it even born yet?
The urgency to get back to the hut to find out had him finishing quickly. A loud scream from his mother as he neared told him the baby hadn’t been born yet. Without making any noise he quickly darted into the hut so he could watch.
Just as he got into position, his mom let out an exhausted shout and the next thing he knew Nanda was holding a baby. Wanting to get closer, he stepped over to the mat his mom was lying on, his gaze completely focused on his little sister.
Suddenly, his sister was completely surrounded by flames that licked over her body, consuming her. Nanda screamed and dropped her. Fortunately, she was only inches off the ground. Nanda started spewing horrible names at his sister and mom.
The blankets around his mother caught fire and before Murali knew what was happening the entire hut was engulfed in flames. Nanda ran, leaving his mom and sister to die.
Murali jumped into action by running to his mom but by then the blankets had done their damage and he knew there was no way he could save her. Turning to his sister, Murali could see the flames around her were no longer there. In fact, it looked like the flames were avoiding her.
Picking her up, he ran from the hut just before the roof collapsed.
#
Same day, 12:00 p.m., Nashville, TN
“You no good redneck. How dare ya do this to me? I swear ya ain’t touching me again, do ya hear me, Billy Joe?”
It had been like this for the last three or four hours, and as much as Betty enjoyed seeing the stupidity of first-time parents, she was over it.
Her shift ended an hour ago but her replacement was late, again. So here she stood, trying to encourage the woman to push as Betty waited for the doctor to get in. Seeing the head crown, she hoped the doctor got in quickly or she’d be delivering this baby.
Not that she was surprised. The doctors tended to waltz in at the last second to basically sit down, catch the baby, and walk back out, while she had to sit with the parents the whole time, listening to them bitching.
The door swished open and in strode the biggest jerk on the planet. “Good afternoon, folks.” Betty quickly hopped out of his way as the doctor sat. “Looks like it will be just another couple of pushes and your new son will be born.”
Just as predicated, two more pushes and the baby boy was in his hands. Holding the newborn up, the doctor announced, “I’d like you to meet your son.” A round of shocked gasps were heard as the baby suddenly changed into a bear cub.
The mother of the bouncing baby bear passed out. The father just stood there, his mouth agape and his eyes opening and shutting repeatedly as if hoping that would change things. The doctor screamed like a girl and dropped the bear onto its passed-out mother’s stomach.
Betty was just glad the doctor had come in before this happened.
#
Same day, 6:00 p.m., Oahu, Hawaii.
The storm was bad, trees were down, the electricity was out, and Tia knew there was no way she was going to get to the hospital before she delivered. She tried 9-1-1 and they told her it would be miracle if they could get out there, but they would try.
Her lover of ten years, Trent, was online trying to find information about delivering a baby from home. She knew she should be panicking about now, but she wasn’t. What was the point really? There was nothing she could do about it.
It had been that way through much of her pregnancy and she often wondered about it. She was normally a nervous person, prone to anxiety attacks. When she first learned she was pregnant, she had to be hospitalized. But sometime around the third month a sense of peace and calm fell over her like a veil, shielding her from all those chaotic feelings she normally had.
So now she lay in the guest bedroom, because she refused to ruin her own mattress, and waited patiently for her baby to be born. There was no doubt in her mind her son would come with or without a doctor.
It wasn’t until the need to push came that she finally called for Trent, who looked about ready to pass out as all the color bled from his body. She honestly didn’t think a guy who spent so much time in the sun surfing could be that white.
He’d only just made it into the room when she started pushing, her body not willing to wait any longer. Trent’s eyes filled with panic, but he still came over to help. Grabbing one of the towels he’d set next to the bed as he got into position to deliver their son.
A new life came into the world, one that looked like every other healthy child. A baby boy who had the gift of empathy, one who not only could feel the emotions of others but could change their feelings also. He would quickly learn to hide his abilities, which would save his kind from the torture of the scientific community.
Whether at home or traveling she is usually in front of her computer writing or curled up with a good book. Find Shea at any of the links below!
Author Website: https://www.sheabalik.com
Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/sheabalikpage/
Author Twitter: https://twitter.com/BalikShea
Author Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sheabalik/
Author QueeRomance Ink: https://queeromaceink.com/author/sheabalik
Author Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Shea-Balik/e/B00LX82KHE
Thanks for hosting Shea today!!