Worldbuilding for the Family Pride Shifter Romance Series

 

When I got the idea for my shifter romance series, Family Pride, I was inspired by the TV show, Bewitched. 

It featured Samantha, a witch with many magical powers. She falls in love with an average guy and lives in the suburbs. Samantha gives up her status for love—though in spite of her husband Darrin’s desire that she give up using witchcraft, she never completely lives a normal, average life. Relatives and friends pop in and out, and eventually the children are born with powers as well. 

The premise of the series is that there's a magical world interconnected with the normal human world. This is the basis of countless fantasy stories, and in them often the human world has no idea of the magical world in their midst.

When I wrote Family Pride: Love and Challenges, I wanted to flip the script. What would happen if a human started dating a lion shapeshifter? She would have to learn to navigate his world, instead of the other way around.

 

But in the Family Pride fantasy world, the shifters are living the regular, suburban life. They have their own customs and conventions, but they’re also under the radar as far as the rest of the world is concerned. Like Samantha, they have powers and rituals, but they have to keep everything under wraps so that the human population doesn’t discover that they exist. 

 

I did some research on lions and their behavior, then added a few twists for the shifter version. For instance, there are challenges for domination and control—which figure into the plot of book 1. The shifters group themselves into prides, which are made up of extended families. So, there is a normal world on one side, and the fantasy world on the other and Mac and Zora have to balance between the two. 

In Family Pride: Blood Fever, Mac hints that other magical creatures exist in the everyday world (in addition to shapeshifters). I didn't go into any detail about the other magical beings, but maybe I will one day. 

In the series, I wanted to show that "normal" depends on how you define it. There are all kinds of worlds intersecting all the time, and what you see on the surface doesn’t tell the whole story.

The Lady and the Earl by Ruth A. Casie

Step into the lavish world of the Regency era in England with The Lady and the Earl. Harriet Manning, a brilliant physician, is passionate about helping others and devotes herself to medicine, despite societal norms standing in her way. With her mother urging her to find a husband, Harriet's life changes when Asheton Dunn suffers a riding accident and is taken to her clinic for treatment.

As Harriet and Asheton grow close during his recovery, they soon find themselves entangled in a forbidden romance that threatens their future. Harriet's family is shocked when they discover Asheton's true identity, the Earl of Lockford. Her mother advises her to abandon her medical aspirations and conform to societal expectations.

Although engaged, their love is met with disapproval from the high society, with Daphne Willis harboring ulterior motives. Will Harriet and Asheton be able to overcome the obstacles that stand in the way of their love, or will their love be torn apart by duty and expectations?

With exquisite period descriptions, The Lady and the Earl will transport you to a world of love and intrigue, where societal expectations and personal beliefs collide, and the line between love and duty is tested. Prepare to be swept away by this captivating and heartwarming story of a remarkable woman and her journey to find acceptance and love.

Buy Link: Amazon

Other books in Regency series, The Ladies of Sommer-by-the-Sea

About the Author

Ruth A Casie is a USA Today bestselling author. She writes historical adventures from the shores of medieval Scotland to the cobblestone streets of Regency London. Within the pages, you’ll discover ‘edge-of-your-seat’ suspense, mind-boggling drama, and heart-melting emotions featuring strong women and the men who deserve them. Grab your favorite cup of tea, or an ale if you prefer, and join her heroes and heroines as they race across the pages to find their happily ever after.  Ruth hopes her stories are your next favorite adventures!

Author Links:

Website: https://ruthacasie.com/ 
Ruth’s Newsletter Signup:  http://ruthacasie.com/contact.html#newsletter
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/ruthacasie/ 
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/RuthACasie/   
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/RuthACasie 
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4792909.Ruth_A_Casie 
YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@Ruth-A-Casie 
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/ruthacasie

HERE BE NEWS for Monday August 14, 2023

 

 

 Monday August 14, 2023 

Welcome to HERE BE NEWS, where each monday we bring you all the latest from the fantasy romance authors at Here Be Magic:

Thursday August 10, 2023:  Nicole Luiken explores some of the things she learned at the When Worlds Collide convention. 

                

Feral

Nicole Luiken

17-year-old Chloe fears she's a Dud, a child born to two werewolves who can't change into a wolf. If she's still a Dud by the time she reaches adulthood, she'll be exiled. In the meantime, she's at the bottom of the pack hierarchy and the other teens in her small town make her life miserable.

Then she encounters a feral werewolf with the opposite problem: he's trapped in wolf form. Chloe suspects the feral is her old classmate, Marcus, who everyone believes died along with the rest of his family in a mysterious plane crash. Chloe vows to help Marcus regain his human self because giving up on him would mean admitting possible failure for herself, too. But she must act quickly. Pack law mandates killing ferals.

Buy on Amazon   Kobo   

Conventions, Epiphanies and a Sale!

 I just got back from When Words Collide, a fabulous writer/reader convention in Calgary, where I was a Special Guest. (Because this was the Final Chapter under current management they had not only a slate of Guests of Honor but a second slate of Special Guests, including some like me who would have been Guests of Honor during the Covid years.) I had a lovely time. I gave two readings, taught two workshops, participated in two panels and signed autographs. I met lots of writers, both published and unpublished, at all stages of their writing journey.

The highlight for me was getting to meet and talk to Tanya Huff, whose books I have been a fan of for years. She is funny, wise and an entertaining speaker. I bought her new fantasy book Into the Broken Lands and am halfway through rereading it already.  It's terrific! Buy it. Seriously.

I also had an Aha! moment about one of my own projects. Ironically, it came about because of the workshop I was teaching. I told the participants that during revision it was important to look critically at every scene to see if it advanced plot and character or if it could be cut. "Sometimes," I said, "when we're writing the first draft, we write the next thing that the character does, instead of the next thing that is relevant to the book's plot." I even had a little example that I showed.

Hours later, in my hotel room, it hit me that I had done this EXACT THING in one of my works in progress. The novel has gone through five rounds of revision and every time when I hit this scene I thought, "There's something wrong here," and I added more action, more dialogue in an attempt to make it work INSTEAD OF JUST CUTTING THE DARN THING. This particular novel is currently running about 25 k too long, so now I'm going to be looking to see if there are other chapters I can cut as well. I'm betting there will be.

So that's what I'm working on this week. I hope everyone else who was at the convention is feeling similarly energized and ready to dive into writing!

Oh, and before I go... My publisher, Great Plains, has done a 25% price drop on the the ebook version of my teen werewolf novel, Feral.  If you like Girl Alphas, try it!

17-year-old Chloe fears she's a Dud, a child born to two werewolves who can't change into a wolf. If she's still a Dud by the time she reaches adulthood, she'll be exiled. In the meantime, she's at the bottom of the pack hierarchy and the other teens in her small town make her life miserable.

Then she encounters a feral werewolf with the opposite problem: he's trapped in wolf form. Chloe suspects the feral is her old classmate, Marcus, who everyone believes died along with the rest of his family in a mysterious plane crash. Chloe vows to help Marcus regain his human self because giving up on him would mean admitting possible failure for herself, too. But she must act quickly. Pack law mandates killing ferals.

Buy on Amazon   Kobo   

HERE BE NEWS for Monday August 7, 2023

 

 

 Monday August 7, 2023 

Welcome to HERE BE NEWS, where each monday we bring you all the latest from the fantasy romance authors at Here Be Magic:

Thursday August 3, 2023: PG Forte shares a post from the archives: Sometimes You CAN Go Home Again.

                              

THE DEMON WHISPERER

Linda Mooney

Dark Paranormal Romance

Word Count: 42.6K

$3.99 e / $10.99 p

Boothe lives life on the road, traveling wherever he’s needed to cleanse the area, never knowing where that may be. He’s an exorciser, blessed by the church and trained to remove demons who have possessed humans. He didn’t know taking a break in a small-town bar would change his life forever. 

Lady Parr, a bartender at Brewski’s, has seen her fair share of belligerent customers. When one is particularly difficult, a tattooed, bearded stranger steps in to help. She’s intrigued by Boothe, and although it’s more forward that she’s ever been, she doesn’t want to miss the opportunity to get to know him better. But what she learns while in his hotel room changes everything she thought she knew about the world she lives in.  

Now that Lady knows what Boothe does for a living, he realizes she’s the first woman who hasn’t run screaming. There’s just something about her. She’s special, but he can’t bring her into his life. It’s not safe…although it doesn’t take long to discover she’s not safe without him.  

The demons are targeting her now, but why? She’s like a magnet, drawing them to her. The same way they’re drawn to him.

Could it be...? 

Warning! Contains damn fine bourbon, a nose that knows, an orange GTO, bloody tears, a glowing tat, a life-altering decision, changing jobs, an amulet, a higher calling, filing reports, and one man who never believed he'd find what he'd prayed for.

         

During the month of August, you can get the
e-book of this sensuous sci-fi romance for just 99c!
But only on my website!

Use Discount Code Word: BEAST

BEAUTY'S ALIEN BEAST
(formerly released as Captive Surrender)
Erotic Sci-fi Romance
by Linda Mooney
Word Count:  62K 
$3.99 e / $10.99 p / $17.35 a  

As an intergalactic cop gifted with psionic abilities, Maurra instinctively went to the Ellinod's defense when she saw the immense and bestial-looking alien being attacked by a group of vicious Kronners. Little did she know what the Kronners had planned for her and the Ellinod until she woke up naked in a cell inside their ship.  And it wasn't long before she found out a translation device had been implanted against her spine, debilitating her and making her helpless with pain whenever she tried to use her psi powers.

Neither she nor the Ellinod had any idea how twisted their captors were, but they soon discovered that she and the beast were at the mercy of someone who expected them to "entertain" his "customers", and entertain them well regardless of the consequences.

Warning:  Contains moral degradation, public sex, self sacrifice, unexpected tenderness, sadistic little aliens, banishment, exorbitant Pay Per View charges, and sweet revenge served cold.

(Note: This book was previously released by Harlequin/Carina Press as Captive Surrender. It has been restored to its original content, including more than 7K additional words, and re-edited.)

 Excerpt and Buy Links

Bring It Back(list) - BEAUTY'S ALIEN BEAST, an Erotic Sci-fi Romance by Linda Mooney

During the month of August, you can get the
e-book of this sensuous sci-fi romance for just 99c!
But only on my website!

Use Discount Code Word: BEAST

BEAUTY'S ALIEN BEAST
(formerly released as Captive Surrender)
Erotic Sci-fi Romance
by Linda Mooney
Word Count:  62K 
$3.99 e / $10.99 p / $17.35 a  

As an intergalactic cop gifted with psionic abilities, Maurra instinctively went to the Ellinod's defense when she saw the immense and bestial-looking alien being attacked by a group of vicious Kronners. Little did she know what the Kronners had planned for her and the Ellinod until she woke up naked in a cell inside their ship.  And it wasn't long before she found out a translation device had been implanted against her spine, debilitating her and making her helpless with pain whenever she tried to use her psi powers.

Neither she nor the Ellinod had any idea how twisted their captors were, but they soon discovered that she and the beast were at the mercy of someone who expected them to "entertain" his "customers", and entertain them well regardless of the consequences.

Warning:  Contains moral degradation, public sex, self sacrifice, unexpected tenderness, sadistic little aliens, banishment, exorbitant Pay Per View charges, and sweet revenge served cold.

(Note: This book was previously released by Harlequin/Carina Press as Captive Surrender. It has been restored to its original content, including more than 7K additional words, and re-edited.)

 Excerpt and Buy Links

THROWBACK THURSDAY: Sometimes You CAN Go Home Again

This post originally appeared in 2021. I'm reviving it now because it's surprisingly topical. I'm currently working on the twentieth anniversary, annotated version of Scent of the Roses, the first book in the Oberon series, which re-releases next month. And also because the Christmas story mentioned below will be re-releasing in a new, limited edition, FREE anthology in November. 

This level of circling and cycling, recycling, revising, revisiting, revitalizing...and just generally repeating myself deserves a quote. This is from Joni Mitchell's The Circle Game:

 And the seasons, they go round and round

And the painted ponies go up and down

We're captive on the carousel of time

We can't return, we can only look

Behind, from where we came

And go round and round and round, in the circle game

There was a reason I was scheduled to post today. I had a post in mind, a plan, a holiday connection--it's all gone in the whirlwind of overwhelm that has been June 2021.

So, instead you get this post: a peek into part of what has made the second half of June so profoundly  discombobulated--well, besides the specter of possibly having to move again, but let's not get into that. 

I've spent the last two weeks revisiting Oberon--my very first series--which I unpublished a few years back and am now in the process of readying for re-release. Specifically, I've been writing one of two new Christmas stories to be set in Oberon, and carving a new Halloween short story from my existing Halloween-set novel. 

There's nothing really new about the Halloween story, other than some deeper insights into Cara's character and motivation, but I'm hoping it will entice readers into checking out Visions Before Midnight when it becomes available (hopefully) later this year.

It's been so much fun to return to this series. For me, it really is like going home again. So here's a sneak peek at the two stories releasing this year, and a couple of other freebies, that you can access right now.

Only the Lonely 

An Oberon Halloween Story 

 Cara Matthews is trouble—with a capital T. That's one thing that pretty much everyone in Oberon can agree on—parents, teachers, other students, her on-again-off-again boyfriend, Seth Cavanaugh. 

 Well, if you give a dog a bad name he—or she—will probably live up to it, right? 

 This Halloween, after one insult too many, Cara's hellbent on wreaking revenge—no matter who gets hurt in the process, or even killed.

I'll Be Home for Christmas

An Oberon Christmas Story

All Scout wants this holiday season is to get home in time for Christmas. But when your home is in quirky little Oberon, California, nothing is ever that simple. 

It’s the night before Christmas and Scout Patterson is flying home to Oberon after a business trip to LA when a chance, mid-air meeting with an angel has her dreaming of a weird Christmas—one in which she sees exactly how life might have gone on without her. 

Scout has A Wonderful Life in Oberon. She has people who love her, but no one who actually needs her. Or so she thinks, until a chance encounter shows her what life in Oberon could have been like had she never come home.

Such Fleeting Pleasures

 An Oberon Prequel Novella 

 Lucy and Dan Cavanaugh have one of Oberon's hottest marriages. But it wasn't all strawberries and cream for the pair...or was it?  

In this Oberon series prequel, we travel back in time to see how their love story began. 

 Such Fleeting Pleasures will ONLY be available as a free download to members of my readers group. Get it NOW when you sign up:

  https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheCronesNest

Going Back To Oberon 

A Very Short Story 

This story started out as a feature on Cabin Goddess’s “Fourth Wall Friday” blog; in which authors were invited to put themselves into a scene were they interacted with their characters. 

I had a great deal of fun imagining myself returning to the scene of my very first series. It started me thinking about all the stories I hadn't told yet. And it really motivated me to start getting some of those ideas out there.

You can download your free copy here:https://claims.prolificworks.com/free/tFfHiT3M

And now, for something completely unrelated:

I just wanted to remind everyone that Let's Get Naughty 2 is available for pre-order. 

 

If you think it's too soon to get on Santa's naughty list...think again. It's time for Let's Get Naughty, Volume 2! 

Cancel your plans and spend this holiday season with 26 romance authors who have teamed up to bring you a delicious holiday treat. 

You helped make LGN1 a #USAToday #bestseller and we'd love your support taking this collection even further!  Preorder yours today for #99cents.  Available on all reading platforms. 

 Get your copy at: https://books2read.com/Letsgetnaughty2