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Because I like to talk about my writing I assume others like to talk about their writing to. In this spirit, I forced my lovely co-authors in Owned by the Alpha to answer a bunch of questions about how they got from the blank page to this book.

Question 7: What Are You Writing Now?

Maia Dylan

So many stories, so little time.  I have Grey River 9 almost finished and the characters in book 10 are screaming for their HEA.   I have three or four stories on the go at any one time, so there is always something write if my characters go quiet on one of my stories.

Jules Dixon

Right now, I’m finishing a revise and resubmit on a male/female side of Mooncrest, developing the story into a novella or novel. It’s Saber’s sister, Honor Creed, and a wolf with a sketchy past, Foster Jefferson. Honor comes to the relationship fresh out of an abusive relationship where she was claimed without her permission, marked with her own version of a scarlet letter. She’s scared and when her ex-husband escapes from jail, she has to be taken into hiding by her fated mate and he has to prove to her they are meant to be. I’m in love with this story and these characters and can’t wait to send it back to Evernight Publishing.

Elena Kincaid

I am working on two books right now. Beta Wars, which is the next book in my Pack Warrior series. It picks up right after the Pack Wars. The Gray-Moons had lost their Beta, pitting brother against brother to fill the role. I am also working on the next book in the Beyond the Veil series which I co-write with the lovelies Maia Dylan and Sarah Marsh. Fighting Faete features Kat’s story and the Dark Fae twins introduced in Bound To Their Faete. You can find links to all those goodies here.

L.J. Longo

I’m actually really excited that my first F/M series (Heart of the Mountain) was just accepted by Evernight. The first book is called Hiring the Tiger and it’s about shifter. Go figure. I also have a story in a Fantasy Romance collection called Crazy Little Spring Called Love that is released next week. My story in that antho is about a bad-ass mermaid.

Pelaam

I always have several WIPs on the go at any one time. I have a couple of steampunk inspired stories, another couple with a Halloween theme, plus a few more which are fantasy/paranormal. If I don’t have at least half a dozen to work on, then I feel my imagination is drying up and my Muse isn’t doing his job.

L.D. Blakeley

I’ve got two more stories in my Laissez Faire series that are slowly but surely being put on paper. I hope to have book #2 (the title has changed about a dozen times, so I’ll leave it at Book #2 for now) finished up in the next month.

James Cox

I’m working on the very last Outlaw MC story. My sexy bikers are finally leaving Mars and returning to earth but not without a lot of trouble following.

Well, that’s it for the seven day interviews, folks. Hope you enjoyed it. Owned by the Alpha will be available tomorrow and I personally cannot wait to spend all night reading these sexy stories! Get it here.

Pre-order on Amazon

Because I like to talk about my writing I assume others like to talk about their writing to. In this spirit, I forced my lovely co-authors in Owned by the Alpha to answer a bunch of questions about how they got from the blank page to this book.

Question 6: Tell Us Your Writing Advice?

What’s your writing ritual?

Maia Dylan

The best advice I ever got was to just keep writing.  I am a total pantser, and go off the cuff a lot. Probably too much! An author friend of mine who took me under her wing when I started two years ago told me to just let my characters tell the story.

Jules Dixon

Keep writing and always striving to expand your writing comfort zone. Period. Enough said. My ritual is to have something to drink and ass in chair, with my two favorite guys in front of me, cheering me on—Sam and Dean Winchester—in Funko Pop form. I’ve always had a thing for the paranormal, verified by my love of the series Supernatural verifies, and my ability as a clairsentient and clairalience when it comes to seeing, sensing, and smelling ghosts.

Elena Kincaid

Sit down and write, even if it’s just for practice at first. If writing is your passion and you have stories to tell, then go ahead and tell them. As far as rituals go, sometimes I like to listen to music before I sit down and write. Music inspires me. I get lost in the visuals of a scene I am working on and then the words just flow.

L.J. Longo

Get yourself a good workshop or writing community, because I don’t think a person can’t improve in the vacuum of their own mind. Every time I move (8 apartments in as many years) I seek out the local writers’ groups or start a new one. Especially in November, April, and July when Nanowrimo comes around. I can credit so many good habits and good friends to National Novel Writing Month.

Personally, I’m a plotter. I write all my notes out first, then fill in the blanks (first draft), then re-type the entire manuscript (second draft) until it makes good sense (third draft), cut all the stupid words (fourth draft), then read it out loud (fifth draft). Then hate myself and go back to re-typing the damned thing and do it all again until the day before the submission deadline.

Pelaam

No rituals as such. But, you could count the fact that I always have tea when I first start writing, and that I like to play old DVDs as background noise. Unlike many other writers, music distracts me. The advantage of old and familiar DVDs is that I can take a break from writing and know exactly where I am in the film or program that’s playing.

L.D. Blakeley

Coffee.

Honestly? Be a reader. You can’t be a writer without first being a reader. And I love Stephen King’s advice in his book, On Writing: “Write with the door closed, rewrite with the door open.” (Meaning, the first draft is for you but once you’ve polished it to the best of your ability, it’s for everyone else.)

Also, coffee.

James Cox

*Just keeps writing*

Pre-order on Amazon

Because I like to talk about my writing I assume others like to talk about their writing to. In this spirit, I forced my lovely co-authors in Owned by the Alpha to answer a bunch of questions about how they got from the blank page to this book.

Question 5: Tell Us Your Love Advice?

Dear Alpha, I’m looking for love, but I can’t figure out how to swipe right with my big hairy paws. Am I doomed in this modern age because of animalistic tendencies? What should I do? – Looking for Love in Wrong Places.

Maia Dylan

When love is on the line, hold nothing back.  I never thought I would marry.  It was always career and travel for me.  But when I did meet hubby, he convinced me to give everything I had to the relationship. Now, we’ve been married eleven years and have two wonderful children together who make me laugh every single day.

Jules Dixon

Married to the same man for 25 years, so I say three things. Let the small things go completely. Always apologize genuinely. And surprise your partner frequently. Also as an advocate for sex education at every age, if you’re not enjoying what you’re doing when it comes to sex, change it! Explore the possibilities. Meet your own needs. Mix it up. You’re worth good sex—hell, you’re worth great sex!

Elena Kincaid

Elena Kincaid Find time to spend quality time together no matter how busy life can get. It can be as simple as going out to dinner or staying in and snuggling on the couch.

L.J. Longo

I’m only just now coming around to the idea of love as a good thing. My best advice is don’t be like the dudes in my stories. They are usually assholes and marginally abusive. You should be nice and have things in common with your lover. And probably not kidnap and/or pay them.

Pelaam

*looks like a startled deer, then dashes off* I’m… gonna go… write my awesome sexy stories, too.

L.D. Blakeley

Erm, do you mean personally? Never settle.

James Cox

*returns to writing, probably without pants.*

Pre-order on Amazon

Because I like to talk about my writing I assume others like to talk about their writing to. In this spirit, I forced my lovely co-authors in Owned by the Alpha to answer a bunch of questions about how they got from the blank page to this book.

Question 4: Tell Us What Inspired Your Story?

Is there a magical idea farm where all the sexy man-beasts hang out and wait to inspire you? Can I get tickets to watch?

Maia Dylan

No idea! Lol.  The opening scene in the bank came to me and I started writing.  Less than a week later it was done and A Tiger’s Luck was born!

Jules Dixon

Two things inspired this story. One, my vision board for this year—my theme is “Take risks”, so I did. And two, I made a Spotify song list for Mooncrest. The songs “All That Matters” by Colton Dixon (no relation to me, just happy accident) and “Standing Here in Front of Me” by David Mead helped me examine the story and go deeper into the characters. How would I feel if my true love was just over a fence and he ignored me for years? What if I found out the one for me had been waiting and yearning for me, his heart almost stopping beating for fear of never being mine? That crushing pain on both sides was what I attempted to pull out. I hope I did the story justice. And Saber and Kace and their love will appear in future stories as well.

Elena Kincaid

The Evernight submission call prompt lit the fuse and my two gorgeous inspirations Brodie Beaudry and Harvey Newton-Hayden) took care of the rest. Waretown had been a setting I wanted to use for some time, but nothing ever fit until His Guardian Panther.

L.J. Longo

I love Evernight Anthologies; I’ve been reading them a lot longer than I’ve been writing for them so I make it a point now to submit to each. I really struggled to figure out what I was going to write for this one. Now I have something like eight half finished novels about shifters both M/M and F/M. “The Scarf” eventually came about when I caught pneumonia and binged on modern Disney films (I’m in deep love with the cartoon fox from Zooptopia and I’m not ashamed) then when I couldn’t keep my eyes open listened to Suspense! audioplays. When I regained consciousness, I had the idea of a bad-ass fox hiding refugee animals.

Pelaam

As a pantser, that’s a hard question to answer. I really liked the sound of the anthology call. But I had no idea what direction the story could take when I first sat down and thought about it. Firstly, the occupations came to mind, then the types of shifters I wanted, and then the way the story would unfold.

L.D. Blakeley

Is it cheating to say: the call for submissions put out by Evernight in the first place? No? Good. That. 😉

James Cox

Owned by the Alpha, the anthology title. The second I read it I sat down at my computer and started thinking about a short shifter story that I really wanted to tell. In an hour, I had an outlined planned and Last Alpha Standing was born. (And no, I wasn’t wearing pants. It’s kind of my thing, lol.)

Pre-order on Amazon

Because I like to talk about my writing I assume others like to talk about their writing to. In this spirit, I forced my lovely co-authors in Owned by the Alpha to answer a bunch of questions about how they got from the blank page to this book.

Question 3: Tell Us About Theme Writing

What challenges did you work though writing for a theme or such a short work for the anthology?

Maia Dylan

Having to keeping things short and sharp.  Most of my works are around the 40,000 – 50,000 length so trying to tell the story and do my characters justice in such a short word count was a challenge.

Jules Dixon

After reading shifter romance for probably a dozen years, I was cautious if I’d be able to do the genre justice in such a short word count. I usually write in first person (I and my) but decided to write this as third person to stretch not only my genre’s but my point-of-view skills. I put more weight on my shoulders than probably was necessary, but I love to challenge my own writing. And in the end I loved it! I actually wrote a blog post about the journey. Love to have you check it out.

Elena Kincaid

My biggest challenge always is having a word count limit, however His Guardian Panther just poured out of me and the story felt complete.

L.J. Longo

Partly because I was emulating Noir-style detective fiction, which by it’s very nature were short and fast, the word count wasn’t an issue. However, because this world is part of an Epic Fantasy, I feel like there’s sooo much I didn’t get to share. Like entire continents of story these characters don’t even look at. My difficulties were much more in trying to get my main character to behave like an alpha; I was worried I missed the mark completely, but I guess I did alright.

Pelaam

Keeping within the word count. It would have been very easy to add much more, about all three of my characters. Anthology calls have this danger for me. A few times there’s just been too much about the characters, and what happens to them, to keep within the word count.

L.D. Blakeley

Writing anything with a word-count limit is its own challenge. But, for me personally, I am the WORST with deadlines. Thankfully, I’m pretty good at lighting a fire under my own bum.

James Cox

Wishes to let his story speak for itself, damn it. Now stop asking questions and let him write more delicious stories.

Pre-order on Amazon

Because I like to talk about my writing I assume others like to talk about their writing to. In this spirit, I forced my lovely co-authors in Owned by the Alpha to answer a bunch of questions about how they got from the blank page to this book.

Question 2: Tell Us About The World

Is there anything particularly special about the setting to you? Is it from our real world or is it some larger world?

Maia Dylan

A Tiger’s Luck is based in Chicago, a city I have only visited once, but looovveed! In fact it appears in more than one of my stories.

Jules Dixon

Mooncrest is set in the state of Colorado, at the foothills of a mountain. There are a dozen wolf packs living within a 25-30 mile radius of the town of Mooncrest, including the Creed and the Gunn packs found in this short story. As you’ll see in future stories, the Wade, Persa, Janus, and Moxie packs inhabit the area as well. Mooncrest is a small town where full-humans and shifters live side by side, but the full-humans don’t know about the secrets of the smaller mountain communities the shifters have developed. And the packs fight to keep it that way, but their secret gets closer to revelation with each story.

Elena Kincaid

My story is set in Waretown, New Jersey, which believe it or not, is actually a real place in my neighboring state. The neighborhoods I describe are purely of my own creation. I wanted them to have a certain feel, but I felt like a place called Waretown should have a story told there.

L.J. Longo

The Scarf is part of a bigger fantasy world I’m developing for my thesis novel (I’m a graduate student getting and M.F.A. in genre fiction). In Tovar, society developed with magic, so instead of steam and electricity they had spells. This means that witches are the ones who run the world and shifters, the animals witches curse with the ability to transform into humans, are at their witch’s beck and call to be used as spies, fighters, familiars, anything else the witch sees fit.

Pelaam

The story is set in New Zealand where I live, so the places are real. But it’s also a world where shifters exist and are known about. They don’t live in the shadows. I love writing fantasy/paranormal themed stories.

L.D. Blakeley

I’ve set my story in a world no different from our own. The only (big) difference in this reality is that humans aren’t its only inhabitants.

James Cox

Wishes to let his story speak for itself, damn it. Now stop asking questions and let him write more delicious stories.

Pre-order on Amazon

Because I like to talk about my writing I assume others like to talk about their writing to. In this spirit, I forced my lovely co-authors in Owned by the Alpha to answer a bunch of questions about how they got from the blank page to this book.

Question 1: Introduce us to your studs:

Tell us about your studs. Who (or what?) inspired them?

Maia Dylan

Xander’s character is based very much on a friend of mine who we say has always had the worst luck.  He once got his knee caught in a bridge in Pamplona and was almost run over by the bulls.  Honestly.  Worst.  Luck.  Ever.  Until he met his now husband, and then his luck most definitely changed for the better!

Jules Dixon

Mooncrest is a Romeo and Romeo (not Juliet) story of fated love with families who have issues galore. My alpha, Saber Creed, spent his life preparing to be his pack’s alpha, but the focus didn’t prepare him for his fated mate. His mate, Kace Gunn, has waited for Saber patiently, but when they finally meet, Kace doubts their families’ pasts can be set aside. Saber’s physically based on Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Kace reminds me of a cross between Ed Sheeran and Prince Harry.

Elena Kincaid

Both my studs, panther alpha and Sheriff Luke Benson and his mate, Dr. Tom Barrymore, are brilliant and dedicated to their roles, saving people in their own way and both men come to love each other fiercely. I was searching for inspiration on the internet when I came across Brodie Beaudry (Luke) and Harvey Newton-Hayden (Tom). They were perfect and matched the vision I had in my head for them.

L.J. Longo

I developed a thing for werewolves and Raymond Chandler (who wrote Noir detective novels that were usually turned into movies starring Humphrey Bogart) at the same time so The Scarf is really my love letter to them both. Tru, who’s a lone wolf taking on a corrupt pack, has the same hard exterior and internal poetics that makes Philip Marlowe and interesting detective. But because he’s a shifter, he’s also completely helpless to defy his desire for his fem-fatal who ain’t that fem.

Pelaam

Tudor is my alpha and a lion shifter. I said in the story that Eirian, his best friend, PA, and chef, watched Tudor’s back. There’s a specific reason he did. Young lions, on reaching sexual maturity, are excised from their prides by older males. Tudor experienced this expulsion from his own shifter family as a rite of passage. But instead of still being there if he needed them, they fully excluded him because he wasn’t interested in a female mate or having his own offspring. The hurt from that experience created the aggressive and arrogant Tudor to suit his public TV persona. But the real Tudor, and his softer side, are expressed in the country house, and what’s in there.

L.D. Blakeley

My Alpha (Eamonn) actually came secondary to his mate (Izzy) who was absolutely and unapologetically inspired by actor Noel Fisher’s portrayal of Mickey Milkovich on the HBO series, Shameless. From there, I liked the idea of a misguided street thug—already having a tough time trying to make a break from the criminal life he’s always lead—finding out he’s the fated mate to an Alpha wolf who also happens to be a police detective.

James Cox

Wishes to let his story speak for itself, damn it. Now stop asking questions and let him write more delicious stories.

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