Friday, May 20, 2011

It's Friday

Feeling Frisky... uhh, Shifty!

Considering most of my characters are shifting cats, dogs, and wolves - my feeling frisky should come as no surprise. *grin* I love reading and writing about shifters, I enjoy the fact they can be any wild or domesticated animal, sweet little bunnies even - everything imaginable - and they all shift into: HUMANS!

My affair with shifters started a long... long... time ago with a movie - The Wolfman. The new one was okay, but I still prefer the 1941 version with Lon Chaney, Jr. I still get goosebumps when I hear the wolf howl. Then there's Ladyhawke, one of my all time favorite movies, where you get to see a hawk that becomes a woman, a wolf that becomes a man.

And, ahhh, all the books, so many books about shifters. I'd say the wolves still lead the pack, but they've been joined by cats, dogs, bears and horses. All of these creatures are loved by someone - no matter what form they take. In my upcoming release on May 27th at Changeling Press, you get a cat who falls hard for a wolf. So you get two of the most written about shifters. Here's the blurb:

The right wolf will make this cat howl at the moon.

Zader Montana is Sovereign Kind, a mountain lion infected with vampyre blood. He refuses to embrace his undead half, the part of him that prowls the night looking for the she-wolf he desires. His problem—she’s mated to the alpha of the wolf pack sharing his mountaintop.

Skye wants a taste of the cat who trails her every night. Convincing her mate to let her have a bite won’t be a big deal. The wolves are infected with the blood curse too, and they’re not finicky. Skye’s willing to be shared by both leaders, as long as she gets what she wants.

What's our fascination with them, why do we devour their stories? I believe it's their animal magnetism that draws us to the characters as viewers or readers. The idea that they can roam the world in two forms, care for us in either - it makes them a very romantic, and erotic, partner. The books allow us to slip into a world of raw, unbridled power, a world we'll never know except for the exciting stories weaved by wonderful writers.

 As a reader, what animal is your favorite shifter. What's your favorite shifter book or author?

Growl and roar-it's okay to let the beast out.-© J. Hali Steele

2 comments:

Niki I said...

Lions and wolves oh my!!!! Two of my favorite series are the wolf tales by kate douglas and Sovereign kind stories by j hali steele.

Annie Nicholas said...

I've always wanted to write a wererabbit story. I have most of plotted. It's my dirty little secret. LOL