The Blackwood Pack saga begins…
Follow the journey of the Blackwood Pack, seven brothers who are wolf shifters in search of their fated mates – stories about love at first sight with twists and turns, angst and humor, romance and adventure. Each book has two men who meet, fall in love, mate and achieve an HEA but the stories also chronicle the continuing saga of the Blackwood Pack.
For more than 100 years, Steel, one of the last Dire Wolves, has been looking for his mate the Fates promised him. Discouraged after meeting his latest date, he takes a short cut home, seeing in a naked hitchhiker everything he envisions the man of his dreams to be. His wolf and body tell him the man is his fated mate but why can’t he pick up his scent?
Robbed of his car, clothes and money, Jackson, Alpha of the Blackwood Pack, is left with no choice but to thumb a lift, frantic to get home to his six brothers. He’s been protecting them from a rival pack who massacred most of his family and wants to finish off the rest. When Steel rolls down his window, Jackson knows he’s found his fated mate but it would be too dangerous to claim him with his pack under attack.
After the intervention of an Oracle and a Witch, Jackson finds the Fates gave him an unusual gift that made him unique– and just for Steel. Navigating the mine field this revelation brings, Jackson and Steel must figure out how to make their relationship work while dealing with external forces determined to kill them and the rest of the Blackwood pack.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Where do the ideas come from for your stories?
I don’t plot my stories as most writers do. I just sit down and begin to write the kind of story I’d like to read. My characters themselves take on a life of their own and they channel their thoughts to me, which I put down on paper. So we really write the story together.
Has your writing changed from your first book to now? How?
Yes, and I think that’s a good thing because it keeps my books from sounding the same. Each is a new adventure for both my characters and myself, and that keeps them from becoming repetitious. My writing has also become faster paced.
How do you choose the name of your characters?
Ahh. That’s something every author has more trouble with than you might think. We all have certain images associated with certain names and if they don’t fit the persona of the character, then choosing them can be big trouble. I’ll make up a list of names and then think about them for a while before choosing one. When it comes to foreign names, Google is great; for example without it, how would I ever have been able to name characters from Tajikistan?
Do you get a choice as to which character stories are told next, or do they tell you?
They tell me, most definitely.
Do you have any hidden secrets or meanings in your books?
Of course. I think every book does but sometime it’s not obvious, even to the author. Sometimes I’ll re-read one of my books and things will jump out at me that I hadn’t even realized were there when I was writing it, and I’ll say to myself: “Oh, isn’t that interesting?”
What’s your favorite character in a book you’ve written?
Humm. At the risk of pissing off my other characters, I’d have to say it’s Kieran. Right from the get-go, Kieran and I enjoyed a special relationship. He’s young and sassy—a perfect counterpoint to most of the other members of the Blackwood Pack, but he’s also loaded with love and compassion. We all know a Kieran…enthusiastic, bubbling, speaking in run-on sentences, but with a heart of gold. He had a tough life and is now determined to help others survive.
What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever come across when doing research?
Well, I had a minor character, a dragon shifter, who was killed and ended up being taken to the heavens by a goddess. Just on a hunch, I wondered if there was a dragon constellation in the sky. And after researching astronomy, there was indeed—Drago. So I changed the character’s name to Drago and that’s where he ended up, in the sky forever burning brightly. It was a very serendipitous find and added a lot of realism to the story because if they wanted to, readers could look up at night, and there he was!
What are you working on at the moment?
I’m currently working on Darkness Master, Book 10 of the Blackwood Pack, which is turning out to be much different than I had anticipated. I love it when stories just take a turn by themselves and lead me into paths other than what I had anticipated.
Mary is giving away a $20 Amazon gift certificate and a Blackwood Pack mug with this tour. Enter via Rafflecopter:
The importance of this was impressed upon him throughout his life. He stepped on the gas, eager to get home to do some research. He needed answers because he had a feeling of foreboding about what was going to happen to Jackson and that was driving his wolf crazy.
Finally arriving home, he stopped at the fifteen-foot-high gates, keyed in his passcode and then drove up the long driveway to his sprawling home, nestled among the trees on the knob of a small mountain. Although there were taller mountains to roam on his 200,000 acres of land, this spot spoke to his wolf spirit. He inhaled deeply as he got out of the truck, feeling his body reacting to the sights and smells around him.
Looking around, he wondered if Jackson would like this spot as much as he did. And that did it—his cock hardened in a second and his blood started to heat up. What the fuck? He drove the image of Jackson’s firm body from his mind and thumped his cock several times to get it to go down.
Hmmm, what to do first? Decision made, he stripped out of his clothes and stood still for a second before he called on his wolf and shifted. Birds scattered as the noise of bones cracking and stretching filled the air. When the sound faded away, Steel stood in his wolf form, shaking out his fur and scenting the air. Deer to the east, a small black bear and her cub ambling along the trail to the south and, yes there it was, a path that was free of any animal—Steel knew it wouldn’t be a good day to engage in a sparring match. His wolf was too unsettled for that.
He struck out at a full run for the trail leading north to one of the tallest mountains on his land. His large paws made no sound on the thickly carpeted forest floor. Steel had gotten so many mixed signals from his wolf today he needed this time to figure out what was happening. He knew his wolf needed it also. While he was running, Steel examined his wolf’s feelings regarding Jackson because it was much easier to understand his wolf when they were one, especially now, since he hadn’t understood his wolf’s reaction to a man who had no scent.
Taking in the smells and sounds of his forest, his mind searched and filtered through his wolf’s feelings. Steel found possessiveness, yeah, he already knew his wolf wanted to claim Jackson. The next feeling was protectiveness; he saw this when his wolf wanted to find and kill the men who attacked Jackson.
Searching to see what else his wolf felt—oh my gods—what the fuck, love? His wolf loved Jackson because he knew Jackson was his mate. He nearly stumbled when that fact hit him. No! No! No! Jackson was human and couldn’t be my mate—or could he? His wolf had never been wrong before. He turned around and raced back home. He had to do the research immediately because if Jackson was indeed meant for him by the Fates, then Steel needed to claim him fast.
Approaching his house, he fought his wolf to force a shift because his wolf was hell bent on finding his mate. Entering his home and ignoring his nakedness, Steel headed straight for his library. He impatiently yanked the door open and his wolf vision saw specks of dust dancing on the air currents of the huge, two-story, open room, lined with bookcases on both floors. His large desk sat in the middle of the room under a ceiling painted with stars and moons. He crossed over to his computer and entered the search terms he was looking for.
Waiting, he drummed his fingers on the desk, as Jackson’s beautiful face flooded his mind. The quickness with which his cock hardened and the swiftness of the heating of his blood left him breathless. Shit, my reactions are happening quicker and growing in strength. His cock was now harder than he ever experienced in his long life and he stroked it vigorously, trying to relieve some of the pain.
The computer finished its search, displaying a list of documents and books to review. Quickly glancing at the screen, Steel printed it out and started his research. As the hours dragged on, he was no closer to finding the answers than he’d been in the beginning. So far, he’d found no evidence to support his wolf’s claim the human was his mate.
Still, it could be true, since he still had over three-quarters of the list to review. Sitting among a pile of books, he rubbed his eyes to remove some of their tiredness. He’d been up more than 24 hours and needed sleep before starting fresh again in the morning. Before he did, though, he sent the picture of the tattoo on Jackson’s chest to his mother asking her if she’d ever seen it before. He just had a gut feeling it was important and, hopefully, she would know what it meant. That knowledge would help narrow his search among the remaining documents and books.
Steel entered his bedroom, wanting to collapse on the bed but forced himself to the bathroom where he turned on the water, climbing into the shower. As the hot water streamed over his tired and dirty body, his mind again returned to Jackson. Crap, I never got his last name. Well, at least I have an idea of where he lives. I wonder if anyone at the gas station…
As my books began to be translated into other languages, I also became an Amazon International Best-Selling author and then achieved the honor of becoming an Amazon All Star writer due to their popularity. My ninth book, Mystic Guardian, has just been published and audible versions of the entire series are in progress.
I love the M/M paranormal genre because it gives my imagination a lot of territory in which to roam. My mind can really run wild and come up with some amazing stuff when it doesn’t have to stay inside the box.
My readers tell me they feel like they’re members of the pack as the stories unfold…as if they’re right there in the middle of the action. Others tell me it’s like watching a fast-paced movie. My writing style pulls no punches…readers love it and are always clamoring for the next book.
Stories come to me as if channeled by my characters, all of whom I love (except for a few villains). They are eager to recount their lives, loves and adventures and are not inhibited when it comes to revealing steamy, sexy details.
I currently live in the Northeast and love the beautiful change of seasons, my husband, and our quirky calico cat, though not necessarily in that order. I’m always happy to hear from my readers and can be reached through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, MeWe, email, or my website.
Author Website: http://www.maryrundle.com
Author Facebook (Personal): https://www.facebook.com/maryrundle69
Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/maryrundleauthor
Author Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaryRundle69
Author Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maryrundle69
Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14246427.Mary_Rundle
Author QueeRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/mary-rundle/
Author Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Mary-Rundle/e/B0763CDQQ6/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1
