Tag Archives: gay shifter romance

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ Cat in a Man’s World

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Hello and Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the blog hop where writers from a wide variety of genres share from their work in excerpts of ten sentences or less.

I’ve been sharing from my soon-to-be-released shifter romance/mystery, Wild, Jacqui the Cat Book #4. Jacqui, a cat shifter, has naturally been a solitary creature for most of his  life, but recently, he’s found himself entangled with an ordinary human, to the point of bandying about the “L” word.  This both entices and freaks him out. In this opening scene, he’s wondering if he should give in, or run away. You can read last week’s snippet here, if so inclined.

****

One of the problems with having a boyfriend—and there were many—was that fleeing the warm and snuggly bed at night to go roam the streets as a cat was awkward behavior to explain away. Jacqui tended to make excuses to go home, insisting he slept better in his own bed, that he needed to get up very early and work, that sometimes he lashed out and clawed his partners as he slept, which was true.

Wyatt pouted and accused him of being snuggle-phobic.

Jacqui wanted to stay the night. He really did, and sometimes he managed it. He loved spooning with Wyatt and being disgustingly kissy-face with him, but too much love and tenderness did something to him, triggered a panic attack, made him want to turn on Wyatt and bite him all over.

Snuggle-phobic.

No, not snuggle-phobic . . . sensible, I have sensible trust issues. Shifter issues. Cat in a man’s world issues.

****

****

Wild: Jacqui the Cat Mysteries #4 Coming in June! Blurb-in-progress-

Jacqui Corleone has finally met his fated mate (Newsflash: it’s Wyatt), but unlike a romance novel, reality has other plans. The dog men are back, and along with their slobber and bad manners they bring new danger to Jacqui’s life, and to Wyatt’s.  Jacqui meets other cat shifters for the first time and is tantalized by a glimpse into their strange new world.  Only cats aren’t much nicer than dogs, and soon Jacqui must choose if he’s going to run again, or stand and fight against an enemy more powerful than he ever imagined. And that’s saying a lot.

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ New Cat in the Hood

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Hello and welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the blog hop where writers from a wide variety of genres share from their work in excerpts of ten sentences or less.

I’m continuing to share from the opening chapter of my soon-to-be-released romantic gay shifter mystery, Wild: Jacqui the Cat Book #4. I’m hoping I can unleash Jacqui on the world while we’re all still stuck at home, so I have a captive audience and all, but we’ll see what life brings. Life is so strange right now, almost as strange as Jacqui’s. As a shifter in a human world, he’s struggled to adapt. Just as he’s found a niche for himself, things change once again.  You can read last week’s snippet here. (PS- the other voice in his head is his inner cat, cleverly known as Cat)

****

You love Wyatt.

I do not!

He tilted his head back and sniffed the air. Slight hint of ocean; the lingering burnt charcoal fumes from someone’s barbeque; possums and cats on the prowl, musky and feral.

He didn’t even know what love was, to be honest. He’d never been afflicted with the ailment before. Not since his teenage days anyway, and everyone knew what a hormone-induced hallucinatory rollercoaster ride that kind of love was. He forced his thoughts away from looming emotional insanity and analyzed the tangy scents teasing his nostrils.

New cat in the hood. We should check that out.

****

****

Wild: Jacqui the Cat Mysteries #4 Coming Soon! Blurb-in-progress-

Jacqui Corleone has finally met his fated mate (Newsflash: it’s Wyatt), but unlike a romance novel, reality has other plans. The dog men are back, and along with their slobber and their drool they bring a new level of danger to Jacqui’s life, and to Wyatt’s, as Jacqui meets other cat shifters for the first time and is tantalized by a glimpse into their strange new world.  Only cats aren’t much nicer than dogs, and soon Jacqui must choose if he’s going to run again, or stand and fight against an enemy more powerful than he ever imagined. And that’s saying a lot.

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ Come and Get Me

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Hello and welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, the blog hop where writers from a wide variety of genres share from their work in excerpts of ten sentences or less.

Today I’m shifting gears (and centuries, and continents, and genres) to begin sharing from Wild, Jacqui the Cat Mysteries #4.   Don’t ask me why this took so long. Sometime about a year ago I went completely off the rails, writing-wise, and so Wild had been much delayed. But now, I’m oh-so-close!  Besides, it morphed from a novella into a novel! That’s a good thing, right? Today’s snippet is from the opening of the book, which I shared once before but that was like a hundred thousand snippets ago, so hopefully no one minds.

***

The Dog Men Cometh.

Of that, Jacqui had no doubt. They would come with their fangs, their drool and their fleas, armed with tranquilizer guns and iron cat traps. The only question was when.

Jacqui slid open the door to Wyatt’s back patio and stepped out, shivering as the cool night air hit his bare skin. He pulled the quilt he’d snagged from the foot of the bed tighter around his shoulders. 3:37 a.m. and he couldn’t sleep—hadn’t been able to sleep since his encounter with the dog men—didn’t wantto sleep. Sleep meant nightmares and vulnerability and an unleashed subconscious that filled every dark corner with snarling canines.

He wanted to shift and prowl the moon-drenched streets of Friday Harbor. He wanted to scour every yard for enemies, dig in gardens for buried threats, howl at the top of his lungs—Come and get me, Dogs.

***

The return of Jacqui and Cat. © David Dirga | Dreamstime.com

Wild: Jacqui the Cat Mysteries #4 Blurb-in-progress-

Jacqui Corleone has finally met his fated mate (Wyatt, in case you hadn’t figure it out yet), but unlike a romance novel, reality has other plans. The dog men are back, and along with their slobber and their drool they bring a new level of danger to Jacqui’s life, and to Wyatt’s, as Jacqui meets other cat shifters for the first time and is tantalized by a glimpse into their strange new world.  Only cats aren’t much nicer than dogs, and soon Jacqui must choose if he’s going to run again, or stand and fight against an enemy more powerful than he ever imagined. And that’s saying a lot.

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ Strange Cat

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Hello and welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors. I’ve been sharing from my work in progress, Wild, Book 4 in the Jacqui the Cat Mysteries series.  I’m venturing dangerously close to spoiler territory, so this might be the last snippet I share from this book, at least for a while.

I believe this scene is fairly self-explanatory. We’re in Jacqui’s POV, always an interesting place to be.

***

He and Cat were more than ready. With a dizzying shimmer he shed unnecessary bulk and height.  For one heart-stopping moment he had no shape and then, as if he’d flung himself off a cliff, he plummeted. His perception altered, colors faded but details sharpened, and everything grew in size around him.

Blinking a few times, he stretched to his full length, arched his back and shook all over. Then, he jumped onto the dryer and slid out the window in a flash. A thick rhododendron bush grew right outside—not the easiest shrub to navigate, but he rustled through it and soon stood on the street, scanning up and down for threats.

No one was in view, except for a possum rooting around a few yards over and a bat darting in the air above him. With Cat’s nose, a thousand new smells crowded in on him.

Strange cat on the prowl, up the hill.

***

Okay, not exactly Friday Harbor, but the mood is right.

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 (he wishes).

Join Jacqui (and Cat) in this new exciting and sexy gay shifter romance mystery series from author of fantastical romantic fiction, Alexis Duran.

Here be the Amazon links:

Prowl

Pounce

Roam

***

I’ve had some inquiries if my books are available in formats other than Kindle. At this time, only Gryffon Hall and Matthias (DreamSpinners Press) are out there on B&N, Apple, etc. One reason is because I’m re-releasing all my Loose ID titles and am just flat out overwhelmed. The other reason is that I’m experimenting with Kindle Unlimited to see how that goes., which means if you have a Kindle you can read the books for free! When the KDP select term is up, I’ll distribute the books to other retailers. If you’d like to know when that happens, you can sign up for my nifty newsletter here!

***

Weekend Writing Warriors is a blog hop where writers from a wide variety of genres share from their work in excerpts of ten sentences or less.  Click the link to check out the other writers participating today.  It’s a great way to discover your next favorite book!

***

Thanks to Robin Ludwig Design, Inc. for the fabulous covers!

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ Go Wild

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It’s time for Weekend Writing Warriors again! I almost forgot to sign up this week. I was surprised by Saturday, surprised by the end of September, basically just surprised that time continues to roll along even when I’m seriously stuck in denial and clinging futilely to the last warm days of autumn. Where did summer go? Well, as usual, I had my nose buried deeply in a book, a book I am writing. As usual when I’m engrossed in a WIP and don’t have anything new coming out, I tend to isolate, spend half my weekend in my PJs sitting at the keyboard, and ignoring life. So I’m very grateful that WWW gives me the chance to reach out, connect with other writers and readers, and let the world know that yes, I’m still here. Still writing. Still making up stories about a man who turns into a cat.

The Work-in-progress that refuses to get finished is Wild, Book 4 in the Jacqui the Cat mysteries. I’ve been sharing from the first chapter and will continue on until I get to the juicy, spoiler bits. At present, Jacqui has decided to take a chance and change into his cat form while still at his boyfriend’s place. For those of you new to this story, Wyatt doesn’t know Jacqui is a cat shifter. No one does. This is a world that doesn’t believe in such things, for now.

***

Jacqui quietly closed the door and listened for sounds of a hunky man moving around upstairs. He heard nothing, nothing except the thud of his heart.

Admit it—you enjoy the thrill.

Maybe a little.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, centering himself in his body. He didn’t have time or room for his normal meditative, yoga shifting ritual, so he just shook out his arms and gave the command to his muscles to relax. Relax and let go.

Let go of his shape, his humanity, his over-sized brain full of man concerns and man anxieties. Let Cat take over. Shrink, compact, go wild.

***

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 (he wishes).

Join Jacqui (and Cat) in this new exciting and sexy gay shifter romance mystery series from author of fantastical romantic fiction, Alexis Duran.

Here be the Amazon links:

Prowl

Pounce

Roam

***

I’ve had some inquiries if my books are available in formats other than Kindle. At this time, only Gryffon Hall and Matthias (DreamSpinners Press) are out there on B&N, Apple, etc. One reason is because I’m re-releasing all my Loose ID titles and am just flat out overwhelmed. The other reason is that I’m experimenting with Kindle Unlimited to see how that goes., which means if you have a Kindle you can read the books for free! When the KDP select term is up, I’ll distribute the books to other retailers. If you’d like to know when that happens, you can sign up for my nifty newsletter here!

***

Weekend Writing Warriors is a blog hop where writers from a wide variety of genres share from their work in excerpts of ten sentences or less.  Click the link to check out the other writers participating today.  It’s a great way to discover your next favorite book!

***

Thanks to Robin Ludwig Design, Inc. for the fabulous covers!

Weekend Writing Warriors ~ Under The Covers

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9

Welcome to my corner of Weekend Writing Warriors, the blog hop where writers from a wide range of genres share from their work in excerpts of ten sentences or less.

I’m sharing from my Work-in-progress, Book 4 in the Jacqui the Cat Mysteries series. The working title is Wild. My dreams of publishing this book in September are dwindling on the vine, kind of like all those overripe tomatoes I don’t know what to do with. However, things are moving along and Jacqui is getting himself into bigger trouble than ever. (I knew I could rely on him.) Getting him out of trouble is what’s taking so long!

In this chapter, Jacqui has been contemplating the issues of being a cat in a human’s world, having an ordinary human boyfriend, and wondering if it’s time to move on. But enough thinking, it’s time to get moving and find some trouble.

***

Jacqui lifted one bare foot from the cold concrete and wriggled his toes. With September came the chill northern winds whipping down the Salish Sea, bringing in salty air from the harbor and a smoky smell from wood stoves burning all across the island.

Must shift.

Jacqui was excruciatingly careful about when and where and how long he turned into Cat these days.  He never appeared in daylight and kept to himself.  Wyatt, in his well-meaning way, had attempted to relocate Cat, or Satan, as Wyatt called him, to the “wilds” of San Juan Island’s southern shore area. Jacqui had found his way home in a day or two, but hadn’t let Wyatt, or anyone else, see him in his cat form since. The villagers were out to get him. To cage him and maybe even put him down.

Shift, explore the hood, check out the new cat, and be safely tucked under the covers before Wyatt notices we were gone.

***

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 (he wishes).

Join Jacqui (and Cat) in this new exciting and sexy gay shifter romance mystery series from author of fantastical romantic fiction, Alexis Duran.

Here be the Amazon links:

Prowl

Pounce

Roam

***

I’ve had some inquiries if my books are available in formats other than Kindle. At this time, only Gryffon Hall and Matthias (DreamSpinners Press) are out there on B&N, Apple, etc. One reason is because I’m re-releasing all my Loose ID titles and am just flat out overwhelmed. The other reason is that I’m experimenting with Kindle Unlimited to see how that goes., which means if you have a Kindle you can read the books for free! When the KDP select term is up, I’ll distribute the books to other retailers. If you’d like to know when that happens, you can sign up for my nifty newsletter here!

***

Weekend Writing Warriors is a blog hop where writers from a wide variety of genres share from their work in excerpts of ten sentences or less.  Click the link to check out the other writers participating today.  It’s a great way to discover your next favorite book!

***

Thanks to Robin Ludwig Design, Inc. for the fabulous covers!