First Brush Strokes on the Canvas by Carolina Valdez

I love what I do. In fact, I retired to devote more time to it. Still, like a terrified artist facing a blank canvas, I begin new stories afraid readers might not enjoy the new one. Will my characters capture hearts, will the setting fit them, and will readers keep turning the page as their romance unfolds? Those are always the challenges.

My latest assignment was for a werewolf fantasy but, although I wasn’t ready to let go of the Navy SEALs after Make Mine A Bad Boy, you can’t write a fantasy sequel to a contemporary story.

In the US, if you enter the Armed Forces at eighteen, you can retire at thirty-eight. Then what do you do?  I mentioned possibilities in the above story, and when Blaze Canis came to me for Awaking The Alpha, he had retired and was using SEAL-developed skills in a new job.  

An author can place werewolves anywhere, but in my head Blaze needed to be near a forest. I chose an incredible national park and town I’ve vacationed in. I’ve ridden half a sixty-five-mile round trip bike tour offered there. My group rode from West Yellowstone to the Old Faithful geyser, toured on our bikes with a biking ranger, then, happily exhausted, were bused back to town. You’ll recognize in my story much of what I learned and saw on this trip.  

I’m part Cherokee, and Native lore interests me. As I researched the history of the park, it was a natural thing that an American Native would become Blaze’s lover. Logan isn’t Cherokee, he’s from a tribe with deep roots in The Yellowstone.

As a romance writer, I know a connection between your lovers has to come fast in a shorter work. In the case of Logan and Blaze, I hope I’ve squelched criticisms I’ve seen of stories by other authors that “you can’t fall in love that fast.”  

Happy reading!
Carolina Valdez
http://www.CarolinaValdez
http://www.twitter.com/carolina_valdez
http://fingerstothekeys.wordpress.com

If you enjoy Awaking The Alpha, I invite you to write a brief review and post it to Amazon, Goodreads, and Amber Quill Press.

THE STORY

As a shooting range instructor just outside Yellowstone National Park, former Navy SEAL sniper Blaze is still handling the firearms he loves. When Shoshoni native Logan Rider walks into his class one morning, the attraction each feels for the other is sudden, almost mystical. In the twenty years he was in the navy, Blaze’s teammates had never known he was gay or a werewolf, and he’s confident in hiding his wolf nature from Logan, too.

Will keeping this secret work…or will it blow up in his face as his relationship with Logan deepens?

*_*_*_*

Coming soon from Amber Allure - The Siberian by Carolina Valdez

A shapeshifter fantasy set in Siberia, in the forest where tigers are endangered.

*_*_*_*

Awaking the Alpha by Carolina Valdez is now available at Amber Allure.

If you'd like the chance to win the entire pax collection, just leave a comment on today's post. On Saturday, a winner will be picked at random from all the comments made this week on the blog. Comment on all, and that's multiple chances to win!