Cats and Characters

It was late in August and I was preparing to put together my story idea for NaNoWriMo, the yearly tilting at windmills project for writers everywhere. Fifty thousand words in thirty days – the chance to dash off a first draft with the sensation of tossing oneself off a cliff and hoping the parachute would open before you hit bottom.

I loved the feeling but needed some place to start; setting down the outline to get ‘er done in thirty days. What did I want to write about?

I wanted to do a detective story in first person, something that would combine my love of the paranormal and shifters along with going back to my hometown of Toronto, Canada which never can get enough love, in my opinion, being a proud Canadian.

The type of shifter was obvious – being a cat lover almost from birth I decided to make my main character a Felis, a cat shifter. But she couldn’t be just a regular shifter. Why would she be in Toronto and taking on odd jobs?

So I created a misfit. Not only in mind but also in body.

Rebecca Desjardin is a woman who can’t fit in anywhere – banished from her Felis shifter family because she can’t Change, she’s been fighting to secure a spot in the human world by making a life as a private investigator.

Here’s an excerpt from the start of “Blood of the Pride“:

I smelled the blood before I had a chance to look for it, the tangy, dense scent landing on the back of my tongue. Forcing the familiar taste to the back of my mind, I opened the office door and studied the man sitting in the chair opposite my desk. He was clean, dressed smartly in a white dress shirt and dark blue pants. He didn’t get up as I approached the desk, walking around the chipped wooden edges I had unsuccessfully tried to hide with walnut oil.

“Ms. Desjardin.” Harry Cloches bobbed his head up and down as I sat down in the old oaken chair. “Sorry for being early, but I wanted to get the information I requested as soon as possible.” He waved at the door. “Your front door was open when I arrived, so I thought I’d come into your office and wait in here.” Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. “I hope you don’t mind.”

My nose twitched as I rocked back, urging a creak from the worn old wood. A small box rested on the left side of the desk. It hadn’t been there when I had gone upstairs last night after locking the doors and checking the windows. The brown paper wrapper encased the palm-sized box fully, but moisture was already beginning to fight through the paper.

I picked up the file folder from the top of the small pile to my right and opened it up, spreading the black and white photographs across the desk in a half-circle display.

Cloches leaned forward, his pink tongue darting out across dry lips as he squinted to see the images.

“Your wife is not cheating on you.” My finger tapped the image of the brunette exiting a coffee shop, latte in hand. “She’s actually working a second job.”

His forehead furrowed. “A second job?”

“Your ten-year anniversary is coming up in a few months. She’s saving up for a cruise.” I could smell the nervous sweat on him, mixed with the scent of another woman. It took a concentrated effort to stop my nose from twitching.

***

As you can guess having enhanced senses is both a blessing and a curse for Reb as she goes through the paces of working divorce and theft cases – until a mysterious box arrives and drags her back not only into a murder investigation but also deep into Felis politics.

Throw in a hot hunk of a reporter demanding answers who might be the killer and she’s got a handful and a half.

Drawn back into her past she has to look backwards and forwards not only to solve the case but also to figure out what she wants from life and from a possible relationship with a human – and how much to tell him about her shifter past.

For the record I did finish the first draft of “Blood of the Pride” in thirty days but it took much, much longer to whip it into acceptable condition for publication – and I’ve finished and sold a second book through the NaNoWriMo grind. If you’re looking for a mental rush I recommend it for anyone wanting to give themselves a wild writing ride.

I hope you’ll come along for the ride with Rebecca and Brandon in “Blood of the Pride” and ponder the quote I have at the start of the book:

“Our character is what God and cats know of us.”—Thomas Paine

Thanks for reading!

Sheryl Nantus

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorSherylNantus
Twitter: http://twitter.com/SherylNantus
Web page: http://www.sherylnantus.com
Blog: http://sherylnantus.wordpress.com/

Tags: new release, Paranormal romance

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 15th, 2012 at 4:15 pm and is filed under Carina Press. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.