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Albert Camus

Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Interview and Giveaway Unnatural (Holloway Pack #4) by J.A. Belfield

Description:

Unnatural. One word to sum up werewolf Kyle Larsen—his mood swings, abnormal body, and choice of female.

The first two, he blames on the vampire venom.

The third, though? No, feline shifter Brook Nicholls was all his doing—a female of whom the pack will never approve.

As part of the Coalition, an organisation with even stricter rules than the pack and a rigidly warped sense of responsibility, Brook comes with a whole lot of opposition of her own.

No wonder the two of them keep their relationship secret for as long as they can.

Now, distanced from his family by his own indiscretions, Kyle’s left to fight battles he’s unsure how to win—some of them even against his own pack.

Is one woman really so important that he’s willing to defy his Alpha for her?

If his heart has any say in the matter, the answer will be yes.

MB's INTERVIEW

I must admit that until this moment I read only the book 3 of the series, but like I said in the review, Caged remembered me why I love werewolves. Why did you choose your main characters to be werewolves?
To be honest, the werewolves kind of showed up on their own. I had a weird relationship with Darkness & Light, the first in the Holloway Pack series. Sean started popping up inside my head, yelling his name (I was working on something else at the time), and when I paused to take notice of him, he pretty much let his story unfold before my mind’s eye himself, with very little thought process needed on my behalf. The only deviation I made from his version was to make Jem the main character instead of him. After that, the rest (as they say) was history …

What humor can bring to a paranormal story? There will be humor in Unnatural?
There are differing levels of humour, and how much the author inserts can determine the overall tone of the book. Put in a lot, and nobody really takes the story seriously. Too little, and it almost goes unnoticed, as if it wasn’t there. In Caged, there was so many intense moments for Ethan, through which his mind should have been in a pretty dark place, so slotting in snippets of Ethan’s sense of humour was important to help balance that out a little—not only for Ethan, but also for me as the author working with him, and for the reader. So, yeah, I think the right amount of humour helps bring that balance to a book.

As for in Unnatural? Well, we spend a lot of time in Kyle’s head, and he has possibly even more intense moments than Ethan did … so you decide. ;)

All the books of series can be read as a stand-alone. What are the advantages and/or the disadvantages of such a way to build a series?
I didn’t necessarily set out to make the series this way, I just like as much resolution at the end of each novel as possible, and that’s how each of the stories have come to me. I’m not sure there are any disadvantages—or none that I’ve personally come across, at least. I merely see it as an opportunity to try bringing something new to the table with each book, a fresh plot to entertain. So long as the author remembers to be consistent and factor in all preceding events from earlier books, I don’t think it’s damaging at all. 

Unnatural spotlights a new breed. What is the opinion of the main - and secondary - characters about the old sayings regarding the cats and dogs compatibility? (Was helpful for you the relation between your own dog and cats?)
I don’t think there’s any way to answer this in depth without giving spoilers, so I’ll simplify to: as anyone can probably imagine, the wolves are somewhat sickened by the thought of a relationship with a feline, and the felines share pretty much the same view—however, one side of the coin is willing to go to far greater lengths to put a stop to it. And in the middle of it all, Brook and Kyle don’t agree with either of them.

What a paranormal story must have and what should avoid?
Oh, boy. I never like to state absolutes at others, because my thoughts on the matter are mine and a single opinion, so I’ll share my own preferences when it comes to what I love to read. In PNR, I prefer books that a) don’t read as if they’ve been written to a standard formula, b) aren’t predictable and can take me by surprise, c) have a ‘main’ male with a sense of humbleness about him. I don’t mind a little cockiness, or a little arrogance, or a need to take control, but please don’t make him an a$.

Oh, and please don’t give me a female lead who does nothing but cry. ;)

About the author:
One day, a character and scene popped into J. A. Belfield’s head, and she started controlling the little people inside her imagination, as though she were the puppet master and they her toys. Questions arose: What would happen if …? How would they react if …? Who would they meet if …?

Before she knew it, a singular scene had become an entire movie. The characters she controlled began to hold conversations. Their actions reflected the personalities she bestowed upon them. Within no time, they had a life, a lover, a foe, family … they had Become.

One day, she wrote down her thoughts. She’s yet to stop. J. A. Belfield lives in Solihull, England, with her husband, two children, four cats and a dog. She writes paranormal romance, with a second love for urban fantasy.

Author's Giveaway

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6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for being a part of the Unnatural tour. ♥♥

Pufuleț said...

Nu am mai auzit de serie, dar pare draguta.

Apy said...

Imi place coperta, si cartea pare interesanta.

Roxi. said...

Woow uimitoare <3 numai dupa coperta te atrage dar sunt sigura ca si seria e superba.

Praf de stele said...

Suna foarte bine! :D

Unknown said...

What an awesome giveaway!! Congrats Julie on the release of UNNATURAL. Good luck to everyone.
Angela
angie1977t@gmail.com