Monday, October 31, 2011

Welcome Em Woods!


Unusual Shifters, oh my!
With Em Woods

Ooh, it is so nice to be back at Michael’s place again! The last time I was here, I celebrated a unique way to come up with a character sketch (psst…using a man’s pride and joy!). Today, I think I’m going to talk about unusual shifters.
I’ve written one, you know. *points over to my blog* He’s a halfling - part Butterfly, part Fae. And he’s mated with a Lynx shifter. Go figure. Tate and Cain are wonderful characters to work with, who have grown like crazy over the several weeks I’ve been writing them during the Story Orgy prompt weeks.
Tate has grown from a timid shifter, hiding from himself really, to a confident man who wants his man. Cain was a loner who learned that loving and trusting his mate could complete him. Throw in a little family drama and you’ve got Flying High, my latest blog story.
Now, you might wonder how I came up with this…and some of my closest friends probably wonder the same thing. LOL. But I saw this picture with a hunky man framed by golden butterfly wings - and Tate was born.
Of course, this wouldn’t have been possible most likely if I hadn’t already read one of the most unusual and wonderful shifter books by Jade Buchanon - Duck Fart. It is part of the Del Fantasma series (you can find info at Goodreads, rel 2010). It is a menage book with a human, a Siamese shifter and…a Mallard duck shifter. I laughed, I gasped, and I loved every word of that story. It is unique and fun.
That’s what I had hoped Flying High would be. But alas, I am not geared that way. Bits of angst worked its way in, and recently, I’ve decided to turn it into a true horror story. With all the bits and pieces of maliciousness that the Fae are capable of exhibiting. Though I will say, my hero will stay a hero. His family…not so much.
I like the fact that in these unusual shifter stories conventions of mate bonds are not always followed. They are not always easy. And they don’t necessarily fall in love right off the get-go. The normal path for Happily Ever After is skewed by other things - sometimes tragic, sometimes humorous.
My favorite scene from Duck Fart is when the Siamese and the Mallard are fighting in the shed. They bump into a table and paint spills on them. Trust me…it was a literally laugh-out-loud moment. And added that little awww moment that made me fall that much more in love with them.
Mine won’t have that…but when you think of butterflies you think subtle, beautiful, calmness, right? In Flying High, Tate’s mother is a Butterfly Princess and when the claws come out - they really come out.
I recently saw a book that I bookmarked for the 1st of the month - Tortoise Interruptus by JL Merrow at Torquere Press. I am so getting that book. LOL. Reviews say it is a funny read that delivers. I want it.
Have you seen any others that have unusual pairings or unusual shifters? Do tell… *grin*


My links are:
http://authoremwoods.com/ (wordpress blog)
http://www.facebook.com/emwoodsauthor
http://www.goodreads.com/emwoods
http://twitter.com/EmWoodsAuthor
http://www.total-e-bound.com/authordetail.asp?A_ID=144 (Total E Bound Author Page)

2 comments:

S.Lira said...

Em thank you for stopping in!

Havan said...

I loved Dark Fart also! OMG - it was a riot!
But I love the angst that you make us feel, Em. Tate and Cain are just sooooo ... oh yeah - just so that! :D