F is for Fantasy and Fae #SpankA2Z

Cheating a little again today, but I'm so thrilled to be able to talk about Instincts Awaken that it's hard to contain myself.  From the first time I conceived the urban fantasy setting that would develop into the Fae Surrender series, I was hooked.  You see, one of the things I love most about writing is world-building.  A good writer does this with any book, whether it's set in New York in the 1950s or contemporary Montana or a made-up universe, but in fantasy literature, it's absolutely critical.  Would Harry Potter have enchanted so many people if J.K. Rowling had skimped on her world-building?

So imagining a community where humans, fae, werewolves, etc. all coexist and to some degree marry and mingle was pretty much a dream come true for me.  I chose Chicago as the setting for my series because I wanted a traditionally urban environment, but I also wanted something a little less obvious than New York or Boston.  And as I developed the world, I began focusing more and more closely on the fae--strange, clannish creatures who have perhaps accepted modernity on the surface, but have powerful biological drives that are reflected in their family structures and customs. 

I'd say more, but explaining a sexy thing, like explaining a joke, rather ruins it.  So here, just for you, is a first preview for Instincts Awaken, the first novel in the Fae Surrender series, due out July 16 from Blushing Books.

When Bard was gone, Liam turned to face Clare, and lifted one large hand to grip the back of her neck. “Settle,” he murmured. The touch—his hand—there--it seemed to send an electric shock through her, and Clare's head drooped submissively like a wilting flower, quite of its own accord. Her breathing sped up intolerably, and when her lips parted, a tiny, needy mewl escaped them. It was happening again, Clare realized with horror, and one hand flew to her mouth to contain the sound. Oh, no. Just as when that fae boy had growled at her from the doorway of the apothecary shop, her body was taking over, the powerful instincts that she had ignored for so long she hadn't realized she had them taking complete sway over her. Tears of distress filled her eyes as she tried to contain the intensity of her instincts at war with her upbringing.

To his credit, Liam didn't seem unduly taken aback or upset at her outburst. He squeezed firmly at Clare's nape, then released her. “It will be all right,” he said, looking at her for a long time, then handed her his handkerchief. “Wipe your eyes, good girl.”

Those instincts may end up costing Clare her freedom as she is subjected to restrictive and old-fashioned training to prepare her for mating...but they may also be the key to her ultimate desire.