Casey Scott grew up being told he’d never amount to anything, and despite the unwavering love and support from his best friend, Jake, the idea sticks in the back of Casey’s mind. When he discovers he has a unique destiny in an enclave where shifters and humans live together, he seizes the chance, wanting for once in his life to be someone special.
Tsvetok Yerokhin lost his parents to the evil ruler of the enclave when he was a boy. The responsibilities of raising his two younger brothers nearly overwhelmed him and self- doubt took over. When the new Alpha and his Protector arrive in time to save his life, Sev is grateful, but he’s even more shocked when he scents his mate with them.
Casey isn’t prepared for the feelings that sweep over him when he meets Sev, but he refuses to act on them because he’s straight. Still, there is something so alluring about Sev that Casey can’t help being drawn to him.
As the two explore the edges of their new discovery, an evil returns, determined to control the enclave or destroy it. The Alpha and Protector are powerless to stop it, but Casey holds the key to victory. If he can discover what it is, he has a chance to save them all. To be the hero.
Unfortunately, the hero has to be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, and for Casey that means losing his heart.
“This night is shot,” Casey mumbled. “Hakii, if you’re there, I’m sorry. I need to find him. I’ll try to be back as soon as I can. Oh, and if you’re not there, I hope you’re getting a damn good laugh at me talking to myself.”
The night air had chilled considerably. Casey threw on a sweater and hurried to the Alpha’s house. Before he could pound on the door, it swung open. Jake stood there wearing nothing at all.
“Oh god, my eyes.”
Jake sighed. “You’ve seen me before. A lot, if I recall correctly.”
“And every time I do, I remember that I need to create eye bleach.”
Jake faked a laugh. “Yeah, you’re hilarious. What do you want?”
“A guy came to my house tonight. His name is Sev, and I think he’s in trouble.”
All humor fled from Jake’s face. “What happened?”
Casey told him about the visit. “He…called me his mate. What the hell is that about?”
“Later. We’ve got to find him.”
In an instant, Jake transformed into a beautiful black jaguar. Zak came rushing to the door. “What is wrong?”
Before Casey could answer, Zak grabbed a heavy coat and squirmed into it. “Jake will track him. You will come with us.”
“Zak, he called me his mate. Why would he do that?”
“You worry about this now? I do not see where this matters. If you prefer, you may stay behind.”
Casey sobered immediately. “No, you’re right. I’m sorry.”
They tracked Jake as he hurried to the woods. When they heard him roar, Zak and Casey ran to the edge of the forest. Jake had transformed back to his human form and, man, was he pissed.
“Come out here, now,” he demanded.
There was no movement, but Casey heard a clicking noise, followed by the familiar stamping of feet.“You spray me and I swear to the gods I will neuter you. Put your damn tail down and face us as a man, Sev.”
· Today we welcome Parker Williams on our blog. Hi Parker! Congratulations on your new release!
Thank you very much for having me! I’m excited to be here.
Scent of the Heart is book two of the Shifting Needs series. It follows the events immediately after book one, and focuses on Casey and Sev (a skunk shifter that Jake and Zak saved when they reached the enclave). Casey was practically raised by Jake’s guardians, because his family had no interest in him whatsoever. For his whole life, Casey never felt he measured up, and always wanted to be someone important.
In Scent, Casey has the opportunity, but it’s going to cost him more than he’s ready to pay.
· Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Tomorrow Scent releases, but it’s also my first anniversary of being out of the evil day job and working as a fulltime writer and owner of Pride Promotions. I live in Milwaukee with Paul, my web monkey and husband of twenty six years, and our four dogs and three cats (all rescues).
· Why M/M romance? Were you always interested in this genre or was it a spur-of-the-moment thing?
Growing up, there wasn’t any gay fiction. If gay characters were in books or television they were effeminate people who were there to be laughed at or scorned. Or, worse still, told that they were sick. When I realized I was gay, I couldn’t help but wonder if someone would see me like that. It was pretty damn lonely, not being able to be yourself. I started writing as a means of building a world where people like me could be happy. They’d find the person who was meant for them, and they’d hold onto that person for the rest of their lives. They’d also teach others that there was nothing wrong with being gay, that they were the same as everyone else.
· I’ve heard many authors say that there’s a little bit of themselves in one character or another. How much of you is in your characters if at all?
Some. In Pitch and Wet Paint, Benny is a vegan. So am I. They go to Classic Slice and Babe’s Ice Cream parlor for their vegan offerings, so do I. Taylor’s mom worked at the Pfister hotel. So did I. There are little bits of me in most of my characters – even the psychotic ones. Except for Addy’s father. No way do I have any of that in me. :shudder:
· What is the hardest part about being an author? And the easiest?
The hardest part for me is still convincing myself that I do okay with writing. When I tried to show a story I’d written (science fiction where a monster ate my junior high classmates. It was tragic, I tell you), he took it from me and said ‘What are you wasting your time on this shit for? It’s never going to amount to anything.” And he never even looked at it. I took everything I’d ever written, threw it in a box, and swore I’d never write again. That changed, thanks to advice from Eden Winters. J
The easiest part is letting bits of yourself go onto the page. Allowing the characters to go where they think is best (because let’s face it, you don’t really control the book, they do.) And, hopefully, being pleased with the end results.
· Do you have an advice for all the aspiring authors out there? Myself included.
NEVER! EVER! EVER! Let anyone tell you that you aren’t good enough. If you find a good group of people to read your story and are willing to give you advice that you trust, then follow them and see if you agree. But for the love of all that’s hot and spicy, don’t quit because of a bad review, bad sales, or any other reason. Even if you end up writing only for yourself, keep doing it. As Eden Winters told me, “The voices never go quiet. They want their story told, and it’s up to you to do it.”
Good advice. I'll make sure to come back and read it every time I feel like giving up. Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions.
Parker Williams believes that true love exists, but it always comes with a price. No happily ever after can ever be had without work, sweat, and tears that come with melding lives together.
Living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Parker held his job for nearly 28 years before he decided to retire and try new things. He enjoys his new life as a stay-at-home author and also working on Pride-Promotions, an LGBT author promotion service.
1 comment:
Hi Parker! You're a new author to me but your books sound really good.
Post a Comment