Shifter ~ One Who, or That Which, Shifts or Changes

 

SHIFTER

One who, or that which, shifts or changes

Post by author Jessica E. Subject

When I was young, there were very few examples of shifters in mainstream media, the most common being werewolves and vampires. Some were aliens, too, but all were rarely portrayed as the love interest. Most of the time they were the antagonist, reigning terror on small towns and big cities alike.

Over time, paranormal creatures and aliens became the sidekick, the co-worker or friend, and eventually the love interest. With that progression, the range of common shifters increased until any living thing could turn out to be a shifter. Even inanimate object if alien shifters who can transform into anything are included.

My first shifter romance included an alien shifter in the short story, ALIEN LOVER. Now I have multiple animal/human shifters in my series, SHIFTER TOWERS. This series includes tigers, bunnies, bears, mink, jaguars, dragonflies, pika, and leopard cats, with my upcoming release starring a fox shifter. 

Tell me, what's your favorite type of shifter to read about? What type of shifter have you not seen but would love to read about?

FOX TRAPPED by Jessica E. Subject

releases February 18, 2024

Fresh out of a messy breakup, omega fox shifter, Foxx, needs a job. His ex/former business partner has spread many lies about him around town and to his former clients, so he heads to Saramto in desperation. He doesn’t expect his smartphone to send him into the wrong building of Shifter Towers for his interview at a coding school, to get stuck in an elevator with a hulky bear shifter, or for his heat to start in the middle of it all.

In between clients, personal trainer, and alpha bear shifter, Slade, heads up to his lawyer’s office to sign the paperwork for the house he just bought. He’s hoping this next life stage will get his parents to ease up on their constant pleading for him to settle down. He has no need for a mate. So, he doesn’t expect to come face-to-face with the fox shifter who his bear claims is his fated mate, or to be trapped in an elevator with the young man during the beginning of his heat.

Fox Trapped is the seventh book in Jessica E. Subject’s sweet with knotty heat Shifter Towers series. Fox Trapped is a MM MPreg Shifter Romance that features a fox shifter trying to start over after the end of his marriage to a despicable non-shifter, a bear shifter not looking to settle down no matter how many times his parents encourage him to, multiple tech snaffus, and fate stepping in to bring these two together. If you like fated mates, elevator coitus, instant pregnancy, and the sweetest alpha ever, Fox Trapped is the book for you. While each book in the Shifter Towers series is set in the same world, they can each be read as standalones.

AMAZON US (Kindle Unlimited) | Universal Buy Link

You can find the entire Shifter Towers series on my website.

FOX TRAPPED is also part of the Multi-Author MM MPreg Shifter Romance series, LOVE SYNC MATES. You can find the entire Love Sync Mates series on Amazon, and all are included in Kindle Unlimited.

When Night Bumps Out the Day, Vampires Come Out to Play by Sydney Winward

I’ve always had a fascination with vampires, from their skewed moral codes to their diet to their strengths and weaknesses. I've written an entire vampire series, but it wasn’t without a heavy amount of research. Here are some interesting things I came across as I was writing the series.

Interesting Facts About Vampires I Came Across in My Research for The Bloodborn Series

1. Burial

Some people, who were believed to be vampires, were buried with a severed head, with the head face down. That way if the vampire still lived, it couldn’t use its teeth to dig upward, but only dig themselves deeper downward.

2. Mirrors

Mirrors were backed with “pure” metals, which didn’t interact with a vampire. That’s why they were never able to see their reflection. It’s only when mirrors started being backed by metals not as pure were they considered able to see their reflections. This is only one take on mirrors and vampires, but it was my favorite one.

3. Weaknesses

Although vampires have many strengths, they also have weaknesses as well. Some of these include sunlight, garlic, holy water, and stakes (silver or wooden).

4. Vampires Can’t Enter a Building Without Permission

As long as you stay in sunlight, keep garlic on you, or stay inside, you are safe from a vampire! Unless you unknowingly invite one into your house…

5. Transformation

Vampires are known to be able to transform into animals such as bats, cats, mice, and more. They can even disappear into puffs of smoke as if they had never been there in the first place.

Although not all of these vampire facts made it into my Bloodborn novels, some things in the series are heavily based off of of few of these interesting details and superstitions. I’m particularly excited about book #5 coming out because I included a mirror crafted with impure metals. What happens when a vampire sees his reflection for the first time?

Find out in book 5!

For more cool stuff about vampires, check out The Bloodborn Series below.

Shifters vs. Aliens with Jessica E. Subject #PNR #SciFiRom #Romance @jsubject

 

Shifters vs. Aliens

Hello everyone! It’s great to be back on Paranormal Romantics. I’m only guesting this time to talk about my new release, but I’m happy to announce that starting in February, I will be a regular monthly contributor on the seventh of each month. I’m so excited!

Last week, the fifth book in my Shifter Towers series, DEMON ON JACKSON STREET, released. It is an MPreg MLM Paranormal Romance. And today, I’m going to share some information about my aliens vs. my shifters. I started out writing sci-fi romance, but just finished writing a shifter romance series. With my next series, I’m going back to writing sci-fi romance, but I’m not ready to leave my shifters behind. I do want to go back to them after I write the trilogy I have planned.

So, in writing aliens and shifters, it’s important to note that my aliens and shifters aren’t going to be the same (have the same characteristics) as those written by another author. Sure, there will be some basic characteristics, but there are also many variables. Here’s a rundown of mine…

SHIFTERS

Who?

The shifters in my Shifter Towers series

What?

Though I do have a demon who can change his form, all the other shifters in the series are human and can shift into different animal forms. They include tigers, bunnies, wolves, mink, bears, jaguars, leopard cats, and more.

Where?

The Shifter Towers series is set in an alternate universe, but a world very similar to ours. The main city where the stories take place is the metropolis of Saramto.

When?

It is a time period very similar to ours, with the same technology, but not the same current events.

Why?

Before I wrote this series, I’d been reading a lot of published stories and fanfiction about shifters. I wanted to try writing a series about shifters of my own.

ALIENS

Who?

I have many stories about aliens, including my Alien Next Door series, and Galactic Defenders.

What?

By aliens, I mean, they were not born on Earth. Some of them can shift their form, but most of them remain static in their appearance. Most look humanoid with some variations, while others are not.

Where?

Some of their stories take place on Earth, some in space, and others on distant planets.

When?

Some of their stories are set in the present, while many are set in the future.

Why?

I’ve always been fascinated by space, science fiction, and the idea that aliens exist somewhere beyond our own planet. My first published story was sci-fi romance, as are the majority of the stories I’ve written.

What characteristics do you think are important in any shifter or alien characters you read about?

DEMON ON JACKSON STREET

Shifter Towers #5

by Jessica E. Subject

Jet

Once upon a time there was a demon who was the best at convincing people to sell their souls. That was me. Is me. And now I have a new assignment, one Father told me would be difficult. I didn’t know what “difficult” meant until I met the young man, someone who has barely anything. Collecting his soul should be easy, right? There are so many things I can give him. Except, he doesn’t believe he deserves a better life. I have to find something he desires before the assignment is given to my brother. Because Crow uses the most villainous means to obtain souls. Lines I don’t cross. And I don’t want to see Toby hurt. There has to be another way.

Toby

I’m not like them. I can’t shift into a predator to defend myself, or even into a small rodent to run and hide. The wolf shifters know that every time they rough me up and steal my food. I always wish for a guardian angel to protect me from them. Then one day Jet appears, looking nothing like the angel I’d imagined. But I don’t know if I should trust him. He makes me feel things no other alpha ever has. Dangerous things. Not good when I have to stay focused on my grandmother. I don’t know how much longer I’ll have her around.

Available from:

Amazon US | Universal Book Link | Paperback

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Pet Phrases, Shifters and Writing with @meganslayer #gayromance #iamwriting

I'm working on a new Sanctuary book and have been doing edits for other stories. My focus has been all over the place because I've had some family things happening, plus some issues with my dog. She's getting older, slowing down a little and has developed a few issues. It's been tough-ish going.

As I read through this last edit, I realized I have certain unintended pet phrases I use. My characters sigh a lot. They chuckle often and have lots of long stares. That's not bad, but when you've plowed through four edits in one week and smoothed out two submissions, you start to notice the repetitions. I know writers have those pet phrases. Anyone who says they don't...well, I don't agree with them. 

Another thing I noticed is the characters eat pretty much the same things. Okay, not exactly the same thing, but there's been a lot of pasta and steak in my books. I wish I could say I'm indulging in a lot of steak - hey, it's good and I like it - but I'm not. As for the pasta, I'm making a lot since tot needs the carbs for running. I never realized how much it's bled into my work until I did these edits. I'm chalking the steak thing up to writing more Sanctuary books and those meat-eater boys are hungry. Grin.

I do have to add this note, the pasta thing has been over the course of the last year and before. The edits aren't for brand new books, but for re-issues. Still, that's a lot of spaghetti and linguine. Oh well. 

I'm finally getting a chance to work on new material and have some subs in at various places. I've got the newest Sanctuary book started on my laptop. Maybe they'll have steak. I don't see the shifters as pasta eaters. 

What about you? Do you have pet phrases you use? Even in everyday speech? I'd love to know I'm not alone. Grin. 

Speaking of the Sanctuary, Book 10 has just been released!! Restoring His Howl. Check it out!!

Restoring His Howl (Sanctuary Book 10)  

by Megan Slayer (Author)

M/M, Anal Sex, Masturbation

Contemporary Paranormal Erotic Romance

From Resplendence Publishing

Opposites can attract, but can they make the love last?
Dillon came to the Sanctuary to hide, but also to heal. He’d been abused and needed a safe place to come into his own. He never expected to find a partner, but love came looking for him. Can he accept what he deserves or will he push away a chance at forever because he feels unlovable?
Cinders knows from the moment he sees Dillon that he wants the wolf shifter for his own. But can a jaguar shifter and a wolf shifter really pair up? He doesn’t know, but he’s banking on the attraction to pay off. What he doesn’t expect is how deep Dillon’s scars run. Is he strong enough to see beyond what’s happened to Dillon and help create a future for them together?
Anything’s possible when the jaguar shifter, a former stripper, and the wolf shifter figure out how to restore his howl.

Available on Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0792QJ15T/

https://books2read.com/u/bwWOw9

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/restoring-his-howl-megan-slayer/1127842827?ean=2940158781841

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/restoring-his-howl

EXCERPT:  ©Megan Slayer, 2018 – All Rights Reserved

“You can talk. Well, fuck me. That’s amazing. I thought you could, but since you don’t, I wondered. You’ve got a nice voice,” Cinders said. He grinned, his bright teeth standing out against his mocha skin. “You’re cute, too.”
Dillon longed to taste Cinders’ mouth and kiss him. Would it feel like heaven?
“So we’re supposed to be at a party tomorrow. I’ve got some costumes. Most of it is tear-away stuff, but it’ll work for one night. You’re welcome to try on anything I’ve got and find something that fits. I’ve got dibs on the naughty cop, though.” He laughed. The throaty sound echoed in the room. “Want to?”
Dillon almost asked what Cinders meant but nodded instead.
“What? I got one word out of you, and now, you won’t talk to me?” Cinders frowned. “If you’re going to use my clothes, you’ve got to speak to me.”
The wolf stood up within Dillon and watched Cinders. The animal tensed.
For a split-second, Dillon had thought Cinders meant he’d make Dillon fuck him for the clothes. He fought the urge to shake his head. Fucking to get things was part of his old life. He had a new one here at the Sanctuary.
Cinders smiled, and his shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry.”
“Why?” Dillon managed. Despite his best attempts, he couldn’t get out any other words. He spent most of his time tongue-tied, but around Cinders, something different happened. His wolf took notice, which was unusual. The wolf distrusted more individuals than his human side did. If the wolf cared to pay Cinders attention, then that meant something, right? He needed to keep an eye on the panther shifter.
“I’m being pushy,” Cinders said. “Ryan will tell you I’m good at pushy. Quiet? Not a chance. Look, you don’t have to talk. I can do that for both of us.” He waved to his end of the corridor. “Come over when you’re ready, and pick out a costume. The jaguar and I won’t bite. Promise.”
Dillon nodded. The first step to healing had to be getting out of his comfort zone. Going with Cinders was a leap. God help him, he really wanted to leap. 

* * * *

​

Megan Slayer - It's Always Fun to Squirm

http://wendizwaduk.com/indexMegan.htm

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Military Romance with a Bite #GetBitten #BravoTeamWOLF

Grab your copy!

Who doesn’t love a man in uniform? Or a woman for that matter? Writing military romance is a labor of love for me. These novels feature “strong, sexy heroes and strong, sexy heroines” in dramatic, high conflict situations. The promise of a military romance includes conflicts (both internal and external) as well as courage, because these men and women plunge right into the fire feet first.

Sexy, physically challenging and romantic—these heroes are above and beyond the average guy or gal. They are deeply committed to their service, to being their physical best, their mentally sharpest, and their emotions carefully guarded. They are the first through the door, and the last to come home—and they never leave a member of their team behind.

Now throw some wolves into that mixture and your band of brothers (and sisters) develop a pack dynamic, which brings dominance, loyalty, and determination to a boiling point.

Need a few more reasons to read military romance with a shifter bite?

How about:

·      Wolf military heroes are not your average hero – some characteristics come with uniform like insane sexiness, honor, respect, and dedication. Add a wolf to the mix and you get a kind of ferocious loyalty and wildness intrinsic to pack dynamics. The physical fitness you expect with the uniform turns into a primal perfection with a wolf.

·      These heroes and heroines train to save the day – from obstacle courses to forced marches to suspending from helicopters, these Marines train how to track, achieve, and kill if necessary. The wolf aspect gives them an edge, but they still have to work together.  They will put everything on the line to serve their country, and their packs. Just imagine what they will do to save the one they love?

·      The intensity of the conflicts – wartime or peace, you know a strong military and shifter romance hinge on the conflicts they must survive at home and in the field. Separation. Loss. Adjustment to civilian life. Measuring their more primitive pack response against the rules and laws of the military. It can leave these heroes and heroines between a rock and a hard place.

·      Complicated emotions are at the heart of every story – Whether you heard about PTSD and survivor’s guilt, these characters live with it. Every day, and it informs their relationships from family to friends to teammates and of course, their lovers. No is more demanding on themselves than these guys and gals.

·      Hot bodies are a given and it wouldn’t be a romance without them. This doesn’t mean they are perfect—because they are also flawed. Some may have emotional scars while others physical scars. They are all weapons—and none more so than the shifters. They can use a knife, their gun, their muscles or their claws—whatever gets the job done.

Whether you love shifters or military romance, Bravo Team WOLF embraces all of the above.  What do you love about military romances or shifters? Or in this case, both?