Hi, everyone.
Thank you, Jay, for having me as a guest here today to celebrate the release of my book, Captive Mates. It is the fifth book in my Whithowe Forest Pack series and it came out on the 6th July over at Bookstrand.
To enter the giveaway, find the word of the day in this post, then head over to my blog (links below). At the bottom of the Captive Mates Blog Tour post there is a Rafflecopter link in blue, click on that and it will tell you all the ways to enter (some of which can be done daily).
The questions below might seem a bit random, and that’s because most of them are! They came from a huge list of questions I couldn’t decide between, so asked for numbers from my Facebook friends. Lol, it was as good a way as any to decide which ones to use J.
Now, on with the questions!
- 439: What’s been your worst date ever?
Nothing has been so bad as to stick with me as a “worst date”.
- 725: Have you ever been hit on by someone of the same gender?
Yes.
- 22: Can you solve a Rubik’s Cube?
No, I’m irritated to have to say. I can do one side fairly easily, sometimes two, but haven’t managed the whole thing yet. I love several different Rubik’s toys, the cube, Rubik’s Magic (a series of interlocking flat squares which you have to manipulate to change the picture from separate rings, to connected rings), and Rubik’s Clock (a gadget with 3×3 grid mini clocks on one side and the same on the other side, you have to get all the clocks on both sides to show the same time. It’s really hard, the most I have managed to date is 16 of the 18 clocks).
- 548: What are your 3 favourite internet sites?
Facebook, Wikipedia, and Cockyboys. I’m on Facebook all the time. Wikipedia is generally a good place to start researching something (information on there might not be all that accurate, but it generally gives me somewhere to start). Don’t think I have to explain the Cockyboys one…rofl…
- 379: Have you ever walked into a wall?
Ha! No, I have walked into a mirror or two when I have had a bit too much to drink and a club has stupid full length mirrored walls, though. That was a long time ago and I don’t really drink these days.
- 94: What type of music do you like?
All of it. I have pretty eclectic tastes and enjoy all sorts of music, it just depends on my mood. My writing playlist has a lot of Vanessa Mae, Seth Lakeman, Caro Emerald, Maroon 5, Adam Lambert, and other single songs by a lot of different singers/bands/artists. I also love Muse, Arctic Monkeys, My Chemical Romance, Kid Rock, Avicii, Billy Joel, Black Veil Brides, Deadmau5, Calvin Harris, Queen, and Rob Zombie. Blimy, I could list artists here forever. Music is a huge part of me. I forget where I heard it, but I love the saying “Music is what feelings sound like”. It’s so true.
- 125: Have you ever tie-dyed your own clothes?
No. I did tie-tying once in art at school, but that was it.
- 733: What colour/style was your school tie?
The school I was at until I was sixteen didn’t have a tie, our uniform was white shirt, green jumper, and school kilt. The one I was at from sixteen to eighteen had different house ties. My house tie was royal blue with yellow stripes.
- : What’s the word of the day?
Transfigure.
- : Lastly, tell us a bit more about the black panthers on the cover of Captive Mates.
In this world, jaguar-shifters are native to the Americas and have interbred for many years with leopard shifters native to Africa. This began happening more and more as the Americas were colonised and many different shifter types not normally seen in America moved there from other parts of the world. Jaguar-shifters are growing increasingly rare as the leopard-shifter genes are more dominant. Contrary to leopards in the wild, the gene that causes the excess of black pigment is dominant in shifters, therefore most (though not all) panthers in America are melanistic leopards. Their human appearance can vary wildly though.
Blurb
When lion-shifter Isaac Anderson goes to help panther-shifters Ari Jones and Keiron Haller, not only does he get captured and imprisoned alongside them, but he also finds out something he never expected—he’s their third mate.
Keiron’s under pressure to mate elsewhere, Ari’s being beaten to force Keiron’s hand, and Isaac feels like he is floundering. The three unclaimed mates need to hold on long enough for rescue, in the form of Isaac’s pack, to arrive.
Even after they escape, danger follows and they have to fight to hold onto each other through that, memories of past trauma, and the effects of Keiron’s mysterious origins.
The three long to be free so they can settle down and live their lives together but will they get the chance, or will they always be captives? Will there always be something around the corner for them to fear?
Excerpt
Ari was woken by the sounds of a fight in the corridor. He recognised by now the sounds of fists hitting flesh with too much ease. Whoever was under attack sounded like he was giving back as good as he was getting. Ari turned a little and leaned up on his right elbow. He could hear more than a couple of people were involved in the scuffle, and grunts from several as they fought. Scents began to filter through the cracks around the door to him.
Mate! No, that’s not possible. Keiron is my mate and that isn’t him. The scent of whoever was out in the corridor was making his cat growling and lashing its tail inside him, urging him to go to them, to bite, to claim, and to defend. Someone was thrown against the door of his room and Ari jerked upright, ignoring the pains in his shoulder and the rest of his body. Then the fight stopped. Or at least whoever it was stopped fighting back, suddenly passive. A few more dull thuds and grunts sounded, and then a key slid into the door lock and turned. The three bolts were shot back and the door flung open. A man stumbled through, helped on his way by a hefty shove from one of the men now crowding into the doorway.
“Hey look, Ari, you have company!” They all laughed uproariously.
What’s funny about that? Ari thought, staring at the blond man who had fallen in a heap on the floor, trying not to look too interested in case they decided to put them in separate rooms. He couldn’t hold back a growl when Aaron swung his foot back and booted the man in the ribs. He silenced himself quickly and kept his gaze away from Aaron so the beta would not see the rage simmering there.
The blond on the floor stiffened and his head snapped up toward Ari, eyes wide and nostrils dilated. Ari felt a moment of panic that the guy would give something away to Aaron or one of the others. He realised this must have been the way Keiron felt all those months ago when he had laid eyes on Ari from his vantage point atop the building, a burning desire to go to him, but fear and worry about the consequences. The man lowered his head again and Ari breathed out slowly.
Aaron and his cronies left, closing the door and locking it behind them. The blond opened his mouth to speak, but Ari quickly held up a hand to keep him quiet for a few more moments. As soon as he could no longer hear footsteps moving away, he relaxed.
“Are you hurt badly?” he asked.
“Only my pride,” the man replied, with a rather pained grin. He winced, holding an arm to his ribs as he clambered to his feet. “I’m Isaac. You’re Ari?” At Ari’s nod, Isaac gave a dark laugh. “Of course you are. Well, I was supposed to be here to rescue you.” Isaac had an accent.
“Huh? How did you even know I was here? Are you English?”
“Yes, I am. It was Keiron. He got a message out to a member of my pack.” Ari had no idea how Keiron had managed that, but he hoped his mate was safe and hadn’t gotten caught doing something stupid. Isaac was sniffing the air with a frown.
“Um, don’t take this the wrong way, but…are you my mate? Keiron said you were his mate in his message, but the way you smell… God, my lion is going nuts.”
“My panther, too. Keiron is my mate. I… He must be our mate. I can’t see fate making him and I mates, and you and I mates, without all three of us being mated to each other.” Ari felt weird discussing it like this. It all felt so clinical and rational.
“No wonder my lion has been so restless. He must have been picking up something from you both since I got here. I caught your scent properly when they had me outside in the corridor, stopped fighting back because I wanted in here where they were trying to put me.”
“And now we’re both screwed.” Ari gave him a wry grin. “You might as well come sit down.” He sat up properly and moved over making it obvious he wanted Isaac on the bed with him, not on the one across the room.
“Oh, don’t worry. As long as they don’t do us in in the next few days, my pack’ll come looking. Rescuing people is kind of what they do. I was an idiot to come on my own.” Isaac limped over and lowered himself gingerly to the bed. He sat close, and Ari could feel the warmth his body gave off. He could feel his blood heading toward his groin. Hmmm… maybe getting him to sit next to me was a bad idea. I mean, God knows he smells amazing, but we can’t do anything. Not without Keiron knowing. That would feel like betraying him. But, hell! I don’t know if I can stop myself from touching this guy.
“So why did you?” Focus. Must focus on the conversation.
Isaac shifted, next to him, then again. Ari looked down at where their arms were barely touching, his own brown skin against the pale, creaminess of Isaac’s. Looks good. Smells good. I’m so fucked. Then Isaac rose to his feet again and moved away from the bed. He hobbled over to the other cot and sat back down, looking at Ari dryly. “Sorry, no way I can concentrate if I sit next to you. All I want to do is push you back, rip your clothes off, and lick you from one end to the other.”
Links
Buy link: http://www.bookstrand.com/captive-mates
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/violet.joiceycowen
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VioletJCBooks
Blog/Website: https://violetjoiceycowen.wordpress.com/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/joiceycowen/
Thank you again for having me here,
Violet. x