Lisa, thank you very much for having me. I’m here to talk about my new release, The Wolf and His Diva, a m/m shape-shifter romance which was published by Dreamspinner Press on March 12th.
In The Wolf and His Diva, the two main characters, George and Billy, have the ability to shift not only into one but two animals. When the story starts we meet them both in their fox-form. Why foxes? When I started to write the story, we had lots and lots of snow, and all I could think of was how striking red fur would look against white snow. Okay, the fact that I love foxes might have played into my decision as well. ;-)
But as the story progressed, I realized I felt restricted. Since I didn’t want to give up the fox-form, I gave George and Billy the ability to shift into a second-form. Usually shape-shifters possess some characteristics of their animals, so I knew right away that George had to be a wolf. George believes himself to be somewhat of a loner, but he’s actually not. Then there was Billy, who is a bit on the high-strung side, but quick on the uptake and very agile. Voila—Billy turned into a red squirrel!
I loved writing George and Billy in their wolf- and squirrel-form. My favorite scenes are those in which Billy sits between George’s ears, cheering him on to run faster.
As much as I loved writing both main characters, Billy holds a special place in my heart. Why? Hmm, part of it is a very shallow reason—he’s a natural redhead with dark auburn hair and green-blue eyes, and in my opinion he’s a very pretty guy.
The other reason is that even though George calls him “his diva” quite often, he doesn’t fit the definition of a diva. Or at least not a definition that only emphasizes the negative sides, like believing the world revolves around him. Yes, he’s sometimes self-absorbed, and he likes things done his way but he’s not aggressive or overly sure of himself. If possible, he tries to woo George to see things the way he wants them done, but if that’s not possible, he doesn’t press his luck. The term “diva” is partly an endearment and partly a joke between them. Billy’s mostly a playful character and loves to tease George and vice versa.
The excerpt gives you a glimpse into their playful nature and banter.
George has no desire to take over leadership of the pack, despite his father’s wishes. Edward Owens is feeling his age and wants to make sure the pack is in good hands should he not be able to win his next challenge. However, George is adamant that he wants no part of it.
But events rock George from his complacency, and he realizes he has to take a stand and fight for what he cares about. If he remains in the past and cannot change in order to do what he must, he risks losing everything he loves.
Excerpt from Chapter Five:
“This is good,” Billy said around a mouthful of pasta. “Really, really good. I even forgot that I was horny.”
“You forgot or you managed not to think too much about it?”
“That would be door number two,” Billy replied. He smiled at George, then lifted his fork again. Before he ate another bite, he added, “I’m sure you’ll be able to get me hard in no time.”
George choked on his food as images of Billy naked and writhing underneath him in the throes of passion flooded his mind. He fumbled for his drink and sloshed water all over the table before he successfully brought the glass to his lips. He hoped he didn’t embarrass himself too much as he gulped down water. Sometimes, Billy’s influence was a bit too much, even for him.
“You okay?” Billy asked. He stood next to George and thumped him between the shoulder blades.
In between coughing fits, George asked, “When did you get over here?”
Frowning, Billy said, “When you turned from lightly red to crimson red, I thought it might be wise to come to your rescue.”
“You’re the reason why I needed to be rescued in the first place.”
“Ah, yes. Sorry about that.”
George blinked up at Billy from streaming eyes. “You’re not really sorry.”
“I was concerned about your health, what with you and your age and—”
Pushing back from the table, George snatched Billy’s waist when Billy laughed and tried to dodge away.
“No way!” George said.
“George! It was a joke! A joke, you know? You’re supposed to laugh now. Haha! See?”
“Oh, you’re so in for it!”
“Why am I always the one who is in for whatever?” Billy said.
He didn’t look particularly put off. On the contrary, he seemed to await George’s next move eagerly.
After pulling Billy on his lap, George forced himself to deadpan, “I was choking to death after thinking about you writhing underneath me, and all you’re doing is making fun of me?”
“You weren’t choking to death.” Billy squirmed on George’s lap; whether out of embarrassment or arousal, George didn’t know.
“You didn’t know that.”
“I would have resuscitated you. I’m a nurse, after all.”
George snorted before he peppered Billy’s jaw with small kisses. “You didn’t deny the making fun part.”
“Because that would have been a lie, and we all know I don’t lie.”
“No, you just keep stuff to yourself.”
“When did our conversation become serious?”
“When you decided to get me all hot and bothered and I almost died.” George grinned at Billy, who rolled his eyes.
“You did not—oh forget it! I have a better idea.” Billy smiled, his unique Billy smile, which was a combination of sweetness and shyness but at the same time held a hint of mischief.
“Uh-oh, you’re up to something.”
For a moment, nothing happened; they merely gazed deeply into each other’s eyes, and George lost himself in the sea of blue-green. Slowly, a ball of warmth settled into his stomach and unfurled. When the inner glow expanded, tremors gushed through him.
“How does it feel?” Billy whispered.
“As if we should continue this in our bed.”
Chris T. Kat
Chris T. Kat lives in the middle of Europe, where she shares a house with her husband of many years and their two children. She stumbled upon the M/M genre by luck and was swiftly drawn into it. She divides her time between work, her family—which includes chasing after escaping horses and lugging around huge instruments such as a harp—and writing. She enjoys a variety of genres, such as mystery/suspense, paranormal, and romance. If there’s any spare time, she happily reads for hours, listens to audiobooks or does cross stitch.
Links:
Blog: http://christikat.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/christi_kat
GoodReads:http://www.goodreads.com/ChrisTKat
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ChrisTKat
Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Chris-T.-Kat/e/B008FQQH2Q
THE GIVEAWAY: THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED
The book sounds great. I’ve definitely never read about a squirrel shifter before but it seems to fit a character who is a bit high-strung. Thanks for the excerpt and giveaway.
count me in please
Sounds like another great book. Love books about squirrel shifters so please count me in.
I love the sound of this book. I love M/M and shifters are my favorite
This sounds absolutely delightful.
I love the idea that George and Billy can shift into two animals and I love that Billy is a playful character. It is a nice change from angst.
This sounds like a lot of fun. I love foxes too. Please count me in.
This sounds fun! Please include me in the draw. Thanks
I love this idea! Thank you for the excerpt.
I love the idea of the squirrel shifter and really enjoyed the excerpt. This is definitely on my (tottering!) TBR pile.
This sounds fun! Thanks for the chance to win!
I love unusual shifters, and the excerpt is really fun!
Sounds fantastic. Please include me. Thank you for the giveaway.
marsh10(at)netzero(dot)com
I haven’t seen shifters like this before. Loved the excerpt =) It sounds like a really fun read. Please count me in for the giveaway! Thank you =D
Sounds really amusing. Love the idea of a squirrel shifter :)
Please count me in. Sounds like a good story.
Oh, how fun! Please count me in. Thanks!
Sounds interesting! Thanks for the chance to win!
I love Chris T. Kat’s books. Wolf and His Diva sounds absolutely wonderful!
Chris T. Kat creates some of the cutest shifters I’ve ever read!
Good morning, everyone, and many thanks to all of you for stopping by to enter Chris T. Kat’s The Wolf and His Diva giveaway. This contest is now closed, and the winner’s been selected. An e-copy of the book goes to…
A.J.
Congratulations, A.J.! I’ve already emailed Chris with your contact information, so expect to hear from her soon.