Greetings and Happy Holidays! And if you don’t observe this particular holiday, Happy Ordinary Day! In my eastern European family, today is the big day when all the celebrating happens, but I hope to visit everyone on the hop before things get too crazy around here.  I had big plans to post a Christmas short story today, but life sort of intruded, so I have the opening excerpt instead, and hopefully will post the rest of the story next week.  The story features Jacqui, my cat shifter hero, and how he and his inner cat deal with the temptations of the holiday. Hint- not very well.

Jacqui vs. Christmas

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Jacqui curled up in the corner of Wyatt’s couch, feet tucked in beside him, hands wrapped around a mug of hot chocolate. A fire danced in the fireplace, Bing crooned carols from a scratchy vinyl album and a dusting of snow was visible through the big bow window.

Every nerve in Jacqui’s body tingled and his hair stood on end.

Christmas had pounced on Wyatt’s apartment like a giant, multi-colored, flashing neon Rottweiler of doom, shedding tinsel and drooling eggnog.

Jacqui wasn’t fond of the holiday.

The twinkling lights—no touchee.

The curly ribbons—no touchee.

The glittering ornaments—no touchee.

THE TREE.

So whose idea was it to bring a tree inside, hang a bunch of shiny dangling bits from it and then yell at the cat when natural instinct takes over?

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Jacqui the Cat Mysteries, the cozy gay shifter romance mystery series the world has  been waiting for~

Jacqui Corleone is a fashion designer, a yoga-instructor and a concerned citizen who selflessly helps the police solve crimes. Oh, and he occasionally turns into a small wild cat. Probably due to a wizard’s curse or an evil government plot to create super warriors.

Or, he’s a cat cursed to turn into a human and only the bite of a sexy alpha lion will allow him to remain in his superior form of Cat.

Jacqui does not have a split personality, but sometimes his cat personality can get rather loud.

Loud? You’re loud.

Jacqui Corleone is a cat shifter who doesn’t know why or how he turns into a cat. He lives a solitary life in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. He’s not afraid of intimacy (yes, he is) but sensibly refrains from potentially awkward entanglements. Unfortunately, the sexy new deputy sheriff just moved in across the street and Jacqui’s vow not to get mixed up with island dudes is sorely challenged.

When the mysterious disappearance of three blue pots draws Jacqui to investigate, he’s drawn ever deeper into danger–and into the muscular but not too bulgy or veiny arms of deputy Wyatt West (you wish).

Join Jacqui (and Cat) in this new exciting and sexy gay shifter romance mystery series from bestselling author (she wishes) Alexis Duran. Coming as soon as Alexis gets her s**t together.

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This post is part of an ongoing blog hop hosted by Weekend Writing Warriors. Every Sunday, participating authors post eight to ten sentences from a published work or perhaps their current work in progress. Then we hop to our fellow warriors’ blogs and check out all the fabulous fiction that’s happening! I heartily invite you to participate as a reader, writer, or both. It’s a great way to discover your next favorite book. Click here or use the address: http://www.wewriwa.com