Shaw Griffin jerked awake as the alarm sounded through the dim compound. He snatched his combat boots off the tabletop and pushed out of the old office chair, ignoring the sore muscles that shrieked at him for falling asleep at his desk again.
He didn’t pause to roll his thick shoulders for a nice, relaxing stretch. There was no time.
One of his traps had been sprung.
After slapping off the alarm, he grabbed his shotgun from the peg where it hung on the wall and strode toward the door as he opened the action to make sure it was still loaded. When he spied a shell resting where it should be, he slung the gun’s strap over his shoulder. Grabbing a spotlight on his way, he pulled open the door. He didn’t turn on the light but found the ladder’s railing by feel.
Grasping the sides, he hoisted himself up by his arms and began to climb. Twenty feet later, he reached the ceiling, where he grunted as he cranked on a lever and pressed open the round hatch before shoving it out of his way. After doing a chin-up to pull himself from the earth, he pushed through the hole, hefted his jean-clad @#$! onto the ground beside the opening and then swung his feet up after him. By the time he had the hatch replaced, he was already panting with exhaustion. Hot, moist marshy air pressed against his lungs, sucking away even more of his oxygen. Using the tail of his black t-shirt, he wiped at the sweat beaded on his brow.
All that work and he still had to hike through the thickest part of the woods to check the trap.
If he’d caught another opossum or raccoon, he was going to be good and @#$!.
Unable to see @#$! in this darkness, he itched to turn on his light but resisted the urge. There was no reason to bring any more attention to himself than necessary. He already knew these @#$! would be able to smell and hear him coming a mile away.
Their fine-tuned animal senses put his pathetic human instincts to shame. Not that such a frightening fact was going to make him stop his pursuit. Clutching the darkened spotlight and patting the shotgun to reassure himself it was still there, he started his hike. Breathing evenly so his panting wouldn’t echo too far ahead of him, he paused every few steps to listen.
It took him ten minutes to reach the spot. Before approaching the clearing where he’d set the trap, he stopped and crouched into the underbrush. Waiting until the forest returned to its usual rustle from him disturbing its environment, he lifted his ear toward the direction of the trap.
Finally, he heard the faint sound of something struggling to break free. It wheezed in anxious exertion. It didn’t sound like a coon.
His lips spread. Maybe he’d caught one, after all.
****************************************
You just read an excerpt from:
CAUGHT IN HEAT
by
Miranda Stowe
Buy Link: Cobblestone Press, LLC
*********************************************
He didn’t pause to roll his thick shoulders for a nice, relaxing stretch. There was no time.
One of his traps had been sprung.
After slapping off the alarm, he grabbed his shotgun from the peg where it hung on the wall and strode toward the door as he opened the action to make sure it was still loaded. When he spied a shell resting where it should be, he slung the gun’s strap over his shoulder. Grabbing a spotlight on his way, he pulled open the door. He didn’t turn on the light but found the ladder’s railing by feel.
Grasping the sides, he hoisted himself up by his arms and began to climb. Twenty feet later, he reached the ceiling, where he grunted as he cranked on a lever and pressed open the round hatch before shoving it out of his way. After doing a chin-up to pull himself from the earth, he pushed through the hole, hefted his jean-clad @#$! onto the ground beside the opening and then swung his feet up after him. By the time he had the hatch replaced, he was already panting with exhaustion. Hot, moist marshy air pressed against his lungs, sucking away even more of his oxygen. Using the tail of his black t-shirt, he wiped at the sweat beaded on his brow.
All that work and he still had to hike through the thickest part of the woods to check the trap.
If he’d caught another opossum or raccoon, he was going to be good and @#$!.
Unable to see @#$! in this darkness, he itched to turn on his light but resisted the urge. There was no reason to bring any more attention to himself than necessary. He already knew these @#$! would be able to smell and hear him coming a mile away.
Their fine-tuned animal senses put his pathetic human instincts to shame. Not that such a frightening fact was going to make him stop his pursuit. Clutching the darkened spotlight and patting the shotgun to reassure himself it was still there, he started his hike. Breathing evenly so his panting wouldn’t echo too far ahead of him, he paused every few steps to listen.
It took him ten minutes to reach the spot. Before approaching the clearing where he’d set the trap, he stopped and crouched into the underbrush. Waiting until the forest returned to its usual rustle from him disturbing its environment, he lifted his ear toward the direction of the trap.
Finally, he heard the faint sound of something struggling to break free. It wheezed in anxious exertion. It didn’t sound like a coon.
His lips spread. Maybe he’d caught one, after all.
You just read an excerpt from:
CAUGHT IN HEAT
by
Miranda Stowe
Buy Link: Cobblestone Press, LLC
*********************************************
Linda Kage: Please welcome erotic romance author, MIRANDA STOWE! Miranda wants to take a five-word challenge and see if she can answer every question in five words or less. Let's see if she can accomplish it!! Hey, Miranda. Why don't you tell us a little about you and what you write please.
Kage: What happened to the first book you ever wrote?
Kage:What’s your backlist and coming soon bookshelf look like?
Kage: Which story are we going to talk about today?
*******************BLURB**************************
Fearful of how she’ll react during her first mating heat, Riley Bane flees toward a sanctuary, hoping to arrive before her fever hits. But she’s caught in an animal trap set by hunter Shaw Griffin, and her fever begins, consuming her with lust.
Determined to wipe out the entire shape shifting race after a wolf pack murdered his family, Shaw snares his first shifter, only to capture Riley begging him to fulfill every wicked desire pounding through her. As things turn hot and heavy, the scent of their mating attracts nearby shifters and soon brings Shaw’s monstrous past to their doorstep.
*********************************************
Kage: What would the story be rated if it were a movie?
Kage: If you HAD to fit this story into a cliché, which one would it be?
Kage:Okay, now that we have a general idea which class to fit CAUGHT IN HEAT under, what makes this book so unique from every other book out there?
Kage:What was the easiest part to write?
Kage:What do you like most about the main character(s) and what do you like least? Did you learn anything from them?
Kage: Miranda, Thank you so much for stopping by today and gracing us with your presence. Before we go, is there anything else you’d like to say to wrap things up?
If you're still curious about Miranda, here are other places to find her on the web:
Website / Blog : http://mirandastowe.blogspot.com/
Good Reads : Miranda Stowe
Twitter : MirandaStoweBks
Facebook : Miranda Stowe
Miranda: White, thirty-something, erotic-romance American novelist. (Dashes totally make two words count as one, right?!)
Kage: What happened to the first book you ever wrote?
Miranda: Dunno. Lost it. Bad Miranda.
Kage:What’s your backlist and coming soon bookshelf look like?
Miranda: Out Now:
Best Friends Share Everything (from Whispers Publishing)
Caught in Heat (from Cobblestone Press)
Coming Soon:
Mile High Service (from Whispers)
Dreams of Wolf (from Cobblestone)
Take by a Killer (from Liquid Silver Books)
Kage: Which story are we going to talk about today?
Miranda: CAUGHT IN HEAT (Ha! That only took three words. Wait! Phrases in parentheses don't count, do they??)
Fearful of how she’ll react during her first mating heat, Riley Bane flees toward a sanctuary, hoping to arrive before her fever hits. But she’s caught in an animal trap set by hunter Shaw Griffin, and her fever begins, consuming her with lust.
Determined to wipe out the entire shape shifting race after a wolf pack murdered his family, Shaw snares his first shifter, only to capture Riley begging him to fulfill every wicked desire pounding through her. As things turn hot and heavy, the scent of their mating attracts nearby shifters and soon brings Shaw’s monstrous past to their doorstep.
Kage: What would the story be rated if it were a movie?
Miranda: It's an *EROTIC* romance. Hello! That would be an R rating if not NC-17!.
Kage: If you HAD to fit this story into a cliché, which one would it be?
Miranda: Opposites attract meets Survivors Hooking-up. (kind of but not really)
Kage:Okay, now that we have a general idea which class to fit CAUGHT IN HEAT under, what makes this book so unique from every other book out there?
Miranda: Shapeshifter heroine, human hero.
Kage:What was the easiest part to write?
Miranda: Action & Dialogue. There were lots of witty talk and characters doing lots of wild things!!
Kage:What do you like most about the main character(s) and what do you like least? Did you learn anything from them?
Miranda: Most - What they learned about each other and themselves. Oh and the hero is totally hot.
Least - Like me, the heroine is afraid of spiders. WIMP. (okay, she's not really; honestly, she can kick butt like you wouldn't believe)
Learn - Don't be so quick to judge something you know nothing about.
Kage: Miranda, Thank you so much for stopping by today and gracing us with your presence. Before we go, is there anything else you’d like to say to wrap things up?
Miranda: Okay, so I bombed my self-imposed five-word challenge. To pay you all back for listening to my wordy interview, I'll gift one commenter with a free ebook copy of CAUGHT IN HEAT. It's nice to meet everyone.
If you're still curious about Miranda, here are other places to find her on the web:
Website / Blog : http://mirandastowe.blogspot.com/
Good Reads : Miranda Stowe
Twitter : MirandaStoweBks
Facebook : Miranda Stowe
It's not easy to answer questions in 5 words or less! Best of luck with the newest book. I'm sure it's terrific. I'm hoping to read it soon. :)
ReplyDeleteAmber Skyze
Hi Amber!! I'm also over at Karen Michelle Nutt's blog today. My answers there are a bit more wordy! http://kmnbooks.blogspot.com/2011/06/interview-with-miranda-stowe.html
ReplyDeleteAND there's also a contest to win a copy of this book there too. You could have a double entry and maybe get to read CIH sooner than you thought!
Seriously, thanks for stopping by.
Miranda
Love the interview. Five words...quite a challenge :)
ReplyDeleteHa! She did pretty well with the five word challenge! :-)
ReplyDeleteAre you that snarky in person? LOL:)
ReplyDeleteSorry; tried to do a five word response...but prepositions don't count, do they? Hahahahaha...
Congratulations! Sounds like a Must Read:)
We forgive you for not keeping the five word challenge. It's hard when you have such great things to say!
ReplyDeleteHi Carol. I'm thinking maybe I should've made it 10 words. Now that I could've made...I think!
ReplyDeleteJennifer - Thank you! You're too kind.
Molly - Actually, In person I'm quite the opposite of snark! I have no idea why I make my Miranda writer persona such a smart ass! And sure, I wouldn't count prepositions! LOL.
Marie Rose - Aww, you're always such a sweetheart. Thanks for your kind words (I'll slip you that five when we get to the car!!)
You’ve done an excellent job expressing your thoughts in this article. I concur with a lot of your thoughts and appreciate your vast knowledge and forward thinking. Thank you for sharing your ideas with us.
ReplyDelete