We’re so pleased to have author E.J. Russell stopping in today on the tour for her brand new release, Single White Incubus, book one in the Supernatural Selection series. E.J. is giving us a little insight into her writing process today, and there’s also a giveaway, so be sure to check out those details below.

Welcome, EJ!

Riffing Off Myself

I’m a reactive writer. By that, I mean that my ideas are often sparked in reaction to something I’ve seen or heard, or in response to a call for submission. For instance, I wrote The Artist’s Touch (in its first iteration as the much shorter novella, Northern Light) for a haunted house submission call. Stumptown Spirits evolved from a request for stories about urban legends. Mystic Man from a call for stories set in each state of the union (Connecticut, in this case). I had a blast writing For a Good Time, Call…, set in the Bluewater Bay story universe, because I got to give cameos to characters I loved from other books in the series.

Sometimes, though, I also riff off myself. That’s one of the reasons my first drafts are so dialogue-heavy (and I have to force myself to go back and put in description and actions)—I hear the characters having a conversation in my head, sort of like an improv class from my days as an actor. Wolf’s Clothing, for instance, was the result of wondering what might happen to Trent after his experiences in Stumptown Spirits.

When my editors expressed interest in more books from the world of my Fae Out of Water trilogy (now called the Mythmatched story universe), I started thinking about ways to branch out and include the other supernatural races that had been tangential to the fae.

The seed of the entire Supernatural Selection series was a throw-away gag from Cutie and the Beast. If you’ve read it, you might remember the scene where David is trying to enliven Alun’s dreary waiting room by bringing in knickknacks, potpourri, and reading material. Among the more respectable magazines, he also includes a couple of tabloid newspapers that he thinks are ridiculous (and therefore amusing), but which enrage Alun because members of the supe community are portrayed on the covers.

One of the headlines screamed Bigfoot Sighted in Oregon Coast Range! and Alun recognized the figure in the accompanying photograph as one of his clients—Ted Farnsworth, a bear shifter with an exhibitionist kink. In my early notes for the Supernatural Selection series proposal, I have this:

What if Ted’s exhibitionism is the way he tries to lure visitors into the woods so he can meet people? When his treatment plan with Alun forbids him from doing it anymore, he registers with a supe matchmaking service—but the matchmaking service screws up and instead of the big, rough, blue-collar supe (of some description) who can help him run his wilderness adventure business, he gets a more delicate/high-class supe who’s an artist/art historian.

That gave me my starting point.

But when you’ve got one mismatched couple, you’re bound to have two, right? And somebody at the matchmaking service had to be responsible, so what happens to them?

And since David and Alun figured in Ted’s first cameo appearance, why not have them return the favor? Yep, there are crossover characters, with each Supernatural Selection book having the closest ties to the Fae Out of Water book in the same relative series position.

Stay tuned for more Fae Out of Water guest stars in Vampire With Benefits and Demon on the Down-Low!

About the Book

Does a bear shift in the woods?

Well, partially. That was what got grizzly shifter Ted Farnsworth into trouble. He wasn’t trying to break the Secrecy Pact. He just wants people to see the real him. So he signs up with the mate-matching service Supernatural Selection — which guarantees marriage to a perfect partner. Not only will Ted never be lonely again, but once his new beaver shifter husband arrives, they’ll build Ted’s dream wilderness retreat together. Win-win.

Quentin Bertrand-Harrington, scion of an incubus dynasty, has abstained from sex since nearly killing his last lover. When his family declares it’s time for him to marry, Quentin decides the only way not to murder his partner is to pick someone who’s already dead. Supernatural Selection finds him the ideal vampire, and Quentin signs the marriage agreement sight unseen.

But a mix-up at Supernatural Selection contracts Quentin with Ted. What’s Ted supposed to do with an art historian who knows more about salad forks than screwdrivers? And how can Quentin resist Ted’s mouthwatering life force? Yet as they work together to untangle their inconvenient union, they begin to wonder if their unexpected match might be perfect after all.

Available from Riptide Publishing

About the Series

Are you a shifter who’s lost faith in fated mates? A vampire seeking a Second Life companion? Or perhaps you’re a demon yearning to claim a soul (mate)?

Congratulations! Your search is over!

Welcome to Supernatural Selection, where our foolproof spells guarantee your perfect match.

Until they don’t.

Check out Supernatural Selection

About the Author

E.J. Russell holds a BA and an MFA in theater, so naturally she’s spent the last three decades as a financial manager, database designer, and business-intelligence consultant. After her twin sons left for college and she no longer spent half her waking hours ferrying them to dance class, she returned to her childhood love of writing fiction. Now she wonders why she ever thought an empty nest meant leisure.

E.J. lives in rural Oregon with her curmudgeonly husband, the only man on the planet who cares less about sports than she does. She enjoys visits from her wonderful adult children, and indulges in good books, red wine, and the occasional hyperbole.

Connect with E.J.: Website || Blog || Facebook || Twitter || Pinterest

The Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Single White Incubus one lucky person will win a $25 Riptide Publishing gift card and an ecopy of Cutie and the Beast, the first title in the Fae Out of Water series! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on October 27, 2018. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following along, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!