When I moved to Chicago, I never expected to write a shifter series set here. But now, it’s hard to imagine the place without them. Edgewater is tiger territory. Lakeview has wolves. The jaguars are in several predominantly Mexican-American neighborhoods. The bears are in former Russian mob territory in Rogers Park. There isn’t any Russian mob territory in Rogers Park? Sure there is. We put it there.
That’s the fun part of writing – we get to create worlds within worlds, sometimes overlaid on the real one we all live in. But this isn’t that much different than reality, after all: the city of Chicago is made up of lots of neighborhoods: Little Italy, Chinatown, Greektown, the west side, Hyde Park, Rogers Park – the list could fill an entire page. And the distinctions aren’t just ethnic, either – Boystown is famous, and Andersonville is filled with the girls. Then there’s Restaurant Row, famous for fooderies; the near west side and its artists’ lofts, and the technology corridor along Elston and incorporating Goose Island. There are even neighborhood maps of Chicago, in case it’s confusing.
When Rachel and I wrote Cat’s Cradle, we knew we’d be telling a story of two cities: the one that we all know and love, and the one that she and I created that sits on top of reality. We studied the neighborhoods, so we’d know where the ocelots have their home base, adjacent to the jaguars’ territory but still separate. We even have a map of these areas so we don’t confuse ourselves.
So, here’s a question for you, Dear Reader:
If you were to put an extra layer of reality on your home town,
what would you put there? Shifters? Cowboys? The fae?
Cat’s Cradle
When you’re an ex-Marine tiger shifter, love comes with a high cost – is it too much to pay?
Mitchell Brayden is an ex-Marine tiger shifter looking for love in all the wrong places. When he decides to rescue a young ocelot shifter from a rich, spoiled playboy, he embroils himself in a conflict that goes back generations.
Guadalupe Salazar grew up as a pampered pet of a benevolent patron. After his patron’s untimely death, he stays on with the patron’s son – a self-centered, weak man who got ensnared by the drugs and fast living in the States. One night, it goes too far and Lupe is beaten nearly to death. He is taken to a secret shifter clinic where he meets an unlikely knight in tarnished armor.
Together, Mitch and Lupe confront the playboy and his friends – but will their actions draw the rest of the jaguar familias, not to mention the ocelot clans, into a battle over Lupe’s future? Will the delicate balance of power destroy everything that Mitch’s small band of tiger shifters has built in Chicago?
Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Cats-Cradle-Chicagoland-Shifters-Book-ebook/dp/B011UT6EN6
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FINALLY! Internets. Iiiinnnnnttttteeeerrrrnneeetz…
I’m in Chicago, land of the microburst. Comcast was down at my office all day. ALL DAY! Withdrawal much? lol
Delilah, thank you so much for having me back at your blog today! I’m grateful to be here. Happy reading!
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Sounds like a good book. I love M/M stories. Since I live near the Gulf Coast in Florida my alternate reality would need to be something related to sand and water. I’m not good at making stuff up, though. That’s why I read and not write. LOL
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I live in Plymouth, in the West Country of England. The last wild wolves of Britain died more than 300 years ago. In my Wild Times series, I brought them back. 🙂
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Wow, that’s one hot cover! Certainly caught my eye 🙂
An extra layer of reality on my home town? Well, for now, I’d like a world with no mosquitos, thank you very much. Not very inventive, but these things are the worse kind of vampires!
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I’m so excited about this series. I’d actually layer a seashore on my town. 🙂
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Hi, Buttonsmom! Thanks for taking the time to stop by and comment. The Gulf Coast, huh? Maybe some selkies (mermaids and such)? Or some kind of small furry creatures, like foxes or coyotes? Oooh – a Native American kind of fae that’s never been seen before. 🙂
Happy reading!
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Hi, David! Bringing wolves back to Plymouth is such a great idea. I wonder if they’d help control the small dog population? ~ebil grin~
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Hi, Miss Grace! Yes, I agree; mosquitos ARE the worst kind of vampire! Maybe you could make that your supernatural element – a magic user who can control swarms of vicious, bloodthirsty mosquitos. And if they’re really irritated, the mosquitos carry diseases like malaria. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment!
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Hi, Darla! Layer a seashore on your town, huh? That would be awesome. Then your afternoon walks could be on a sandy beach. I like the sound of that!
Thanks for stopping by!