Today’s Wild Rose guest is Catherine Bybee, who writes paranormal (werewolves and time travel) and erotic romance. Catherine currently has two new releases with The Wild Rose Press: Embracing the Wolf and Silent Vows, and her previous release, Binding Vows has hit the top 100 list at Amazon’s Time Travel Romance.
Welcome, Catherine.
CB: Thanks for having me on your blog today, Rae. Today I’m going to be talking about my latest werewolf release, Embracing the Wolf.
RS: How did you come up with the title?
CB: Actually, the original title of this book was Only for You, but Callie, my editor, and I decided to make sure the title reflected the paranormal aspect of the book so Embracing the Wolf was born. I have a critique group that I tend to blow title ideas off of, and this one was the best pick.
RS: Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
CB: My heroine is a strong single mom who will do anything to keep her son safe, and if there is one thing I want to pass on to my readers is… as a parent, you have to adapt and make big changes in your life when kids come into the picture. I don’t write YA books, but if I did it would probably be about teenage moms. No, I wasn’t one. I had my boys in my late 20’s and long after I was married, but I did know many a teenage mom and saw how they struggled. It’s a hard job and something that should never be considered lightly.
RS: You’re right. Being a mom at any age requires some adjustment, but it must be really hard when you’re still so young and finding your own way in the world. Are any parts of your story based on events in your own life or people you know?
CB: I actually did work a graveyard shift at Denny’s when I was working my way up in the world. And I actually did have a night where a man came in and ripped the cash register right off the counter and ran out the door. So I guess a bit of the beginning of this book came off the pages of my life. In my case, no one was hurt and no werewolf evolved. LOL
RS: What an extraordinary experience! What do you do when your characters decide to do something you hadn’t planned on?
CB: I applaud them. When my characters take on a life of their own, the book usually turns out ten times better than I thought it would.
RS: What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?
CB: That characters do evolve, they do tend to live in my head and make their own choices. I know that a reader who has never written a book will think this sounds weird, but characters do tend to live and breathe between the pages. We writers don’t always know what they are going to do next.
RS: What do you find most rewarding about writing?
CB: Creating the story is the best. Finding out what happens next, learning what makes my characters tick… all of that is amazing for me. The process of subbing books, waiting on publishers, writing the synopsis all of that is the hard part.
RS: Where are you from?
CB: I was born in California, but raised in Washington State. Then I moved back to California after high school… eons ago! LOL
RS: What do you like to do when you’re not writing?
CB: Raising kids and being a wife. I’m a huge crafter and scrap booker… and for work, well, just a little job called an ER Nurse. But I’ve not worked in a few years. I pull a lot of stuff from my years of being a Trauma Nurse.
Thanks again for having me here today Rae. I’ll leave you with a little blurb from Embracing the Wolf which is available at The Wild Rose Press and Kindle and all major online e-book retailers.
Werewolves come in two categories, good and evil. Although Richard Ritter’s family has encouraged him to make the change for years, he never considered embracing his wolf until he meets Kate Davis. One night with her, however, and his life changes forever.
After a horrifying evening of violence, Kate Davis’ life is turned upside down. Richard offers more than security; he offers her passion, something she hasn’t experienced in years. Falling in love with him was easy, but once she learns what he becomes every month her fear of the unknown threatens their future.
You can buy Embracing the Wolf direct from The Wild Rose Press: http://www.thewildrosepress.com/embracing-the-wolf-p-4095.html
Catherine’s books all have unusual premises. Even if you’re not a paranormal fan, you might be after reading some of her books! Visit Catherine on her website to learn about her other titles. www.catherinebybee.com
She also has a blog at http://catherinebybee.blogspot.com/ and does a very interesting video blog for writers.
August 18, 2010 at 9:52 pm
Thanks again for having me here today.
August 19, 2010 at 1:18 am
*waves madly from the sidelines* Oh, so true about the characters in one’s head, Catherine! Writing = socially acceptable insanity, to paraphrase Doctorow.
For all you readers out there – I fell in love with Catherine’s characters from the first story on. Very real and emotionally complete.
August 19, 2010 at 5:39 am
Great article.
August 19, 2010 at 11:27 am
Hi Catherine.
Great blog. Were wolve stories do sound intriguiging and I know they are popular, only wish I had the talent to write one.
Cheers
Margaret
August 19, 2010 at 5:09 pm
Hi,
Love your video blogs. This looks like another good book. Good luck with your sales.
August 19, 2010 at 5:26 pm
Where are your pom-pom’s, Angel? *big kiss
Thanks for stopping by, Beth.
Margaret, you don’t have to write ’em to love ’em. *grin.
August 19, 2010 at 7:02 pm
Great interview! Like you, I had my kids late in my twenties, but I know so many women who were teenaged moms. Being a parent is full time, no matter what else you’re doing. I applaud your efforts to instill that into readers. Great covers, too.
August 20, 2010 at 10:14 am
Great interview, Catherine! Congrats on your success and long may it continue. Love your covers, too 🙂
August 20, 2010 at 11:18 am
Catherine – I enjoyed the interview. The characters are an interesting part for me too, and all the waiting drives me nuts! Good luck with your latest release. I like your wolfish cover.
August 21, 2010 at 3:32 am
Great interview! I’ve worked with teen moms, and the one thing that always made the difference in their success was the support of their family.
Congrats on a fabulous book!
August 23, 2010 at 6:56 pm
Enjoyed the post, Catherine. Your book sounds great; emotionally strong and intriguing.
Nice to hear of one MORE author who lets the characters write the story! Im not alone! lol!
Wishing you great sales!
Hugs, Kari Thomas, http://www.authorkari.com
February 27, 2011 at 2:25 pm
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