Blogiversary Celebration and Giveaway: Welcome to Author Leona Windwalker

We’re so pleased to welcome author Leona Windwalker today to help us celebrate our 5th Blogiversary. Enjoy Leona’s guest post, and then be sure to check out the Rafflecopter widget below where you can enter to win an e-copy of her new book, Jared: Urban Wolves Book One.

Welcome, Leona!

I’d like to congratulate Lisa and her team on their Blogiversary! It’s an honor to be here, that’s for sure, sharing their moment with them.

So who am I? I’m an indie author you may have never heard of, that’s for sure. I write in several genres, and have books out in the contemporary romance, urban fantasy/paranormal romance, and coming soon, sci fi romance. This year saw me nominated for an indie award from Metamorph and place as a finalist in the Rainbow Awards (my novel Jared: Urban Wolves #1 placed as an Honorable Mention).

I grew up a military brat, my father serving over 20 years in the US Army. I lived primarily in post housing, which was always a neighborhood rich in diversity. The military attracts people from all walks of life, from each US state and territory. Since it wasn’t unusual to have postings overseas, many of the soldiers married locals they met while stationed abroad. I thought nothing of my playmate having a Puerto Rican father and a German mother, or her father being a black man with a deeply Southern accent while her mother was Korean. Times change and now if I was a child growing up on post, my playmates would just as likely have two moms or two dads, thanks to the repeal of DADT.

Recent events have made things harder for those fighting for civil rights and celebrating diversity, but one thing remains constant: we love who we love, across racial lines and gender lines. I try to share that in my fiction. Gay and Southern, genderqueer and mixed heritage, black and Southern (okay, I have a soft spot for the South – we were stationed at bases there a LOT), even Chinese American and a werewolf in New York City. So what’s next? I did mention I had a sci fi coming out, didn’t I? Well, two actually, but one is coming out this month. Curious?

How about a peek then?

There you go. That’s all I will share right now. If you want to start at the beginning though, then the first book I published was Sol’s Solstice, followed by his twin brother Ben’s story in Ben’s Beginning. I’m going to admit here, that I don’t do sweet without a good dose of bitterness to balance things out. Sol’s life goes through the wringer, thanks to right-wing agendas and his mother’s mental illness. No small part is played by Ben, his identical twin. I do happily ever afters, though, so hang in there!

Being a twin gives a certain special bond between siblings. I have younger siblings, who are twins, and it is the dynmaic between the two that led me to depict the twins the way I did. There is a special closeness and feeling of responsibility that goes hand in hand with being a twin, so even when things fall apart, hands tend to reach back out towards the other, wanting to make things right. This meant that I had to tell ben’s story, and while we saw him suffer somewhat during book one, it was the aftermath that really destroyed the carefree boy he had been. Leaving him broken wasn’t an option. Sol wasn’t going to let his twin down, that’s for sure. They had to heal together, in their own way.

Now, fans at this point were asking me about Sol’s best friend, Andy. Yes, he is getting his own story. But before I could get anything more than his story plotted, my muse decided she had to introduce me to Steven Chang, alpha werewolf living in the Big Apple. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you of the evils that await the unlucky or the unwary in such a place. It’s a wonderful city, vibrant with diversity, places of cultural interest, and a nightlife that caters to nearly everyone. Sadly, it is these very things that also attracts people who wish to cause trouble and pain. Steve’s human mate ventures out, naively alone and all too trusting, for his first night out clubbing ever and he finds out that predators are about looking for prey. I’ll warn you, he is the victim of a violent assault. He also meets his mate that night, who hears his cries and comes running. As the Honorable Mention review says:

“This book is not for everyone. For starters, Jared, the title character is violently assaulted in the first few pages of the book. However, if you can get over the jarring scene that unfolds, what you’ll discover is a slow, percolating love story between Steve, the Alpha-designate as Steve searches for his Alpha-Mate. The prose is simple, not chocked full of clutter, and once you get into the story, moves pretty quickly. The characters of Steve and Jared are very likable. This is definitely a 4 plus star story.”

What’s that? You didn’t see enough of the cover for the sci fi? Okay, how about this peek then?

No, no. That’s all I will share for now, besides The Blurb:

Matthias Reynolds loves his life. He’s starting to make it as a graphic artist at last and has a job he really likes at a local café that pays the bills. When a night out clubbing leads to an awkward morning after, he’s embarrassed and more than ready to forget  all about it. When Talani Enforcers show up at the café, he doesn’t know what to make of it all as he’s led away in restraints.

Standing accused of crimes he struggles to understand, he finds he has an unexpected champion: the Talani warrior and war hero J’nah Quislin. J’nah knows that Matty is his. All J’nah has to do is keep Matty safe from those who engineered Matty’s charges and sentencing. That, and get Matty to accept that universe always intended them to be together as one. All it requires is for Matty to return J’nah’s devotion and offer his willing submission. Can Matty do it, with all that it will mean for his future?

Still not enough? Stay tuned, as all will be revealed, both cover and release date. In the meantime, leave a comment on this post for a chance to win your very own e-copy of Jared: Urban Wolves #1.

You’ll find my books on Amazon (universal link is http://author.to/LeonaWindwalker), including on Kindle Unlimited. You’ll find me on Facebook at Leona Windwalker, where you can keep up on news regarding current, new, and upcoming releases.

The Giveaway

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