For Alena Johnson, life is simple, predictable, and downright boring. The only source of excitement is her veterinary practice. When she wakes one morning to find herself in an unknown place, no one is more surprised than Alena. Why would anyone want to abduct her?
Powerful man…
As Alpha of the Southern California Feline Pride, Leander Williams has one duty - to protect his kind. When miscarriages and medical scares began to plague the community, Leander has to make the tough decision of bringing a human doctor into the mix. Alena Johnson, with her expertise in both human and veterinary medicine, seems to be the perfect choice.
Opposites attract…
Sparks quickly begin to fly between Alena and Leander, and the two find themselves fighting an attraction hard to explain. As danger threatens the future of the pride, Leander is forced to not only defend his people against new enemies, but to protect his role as leader. Will the pride survive? Can a human and feline shifter ever be mates?'
X- Welcome Mary Ellen to Write Outside the Box. Let's dig right in.
Tell us about your most current release and what inspired you to write it?
M- My current release came out a month ago and is called The Wild Side.
My inspiration came from a picture on a website. There is a wonderful artist named, Carol Cavalaris, who has a work titled Lion Man. It’s an amazingly beautiful picture and is where I came up with the idea of a man who can turn into a lion. You can find the picture on Carol’s website: Romance Works.
X- When did you start writing and what was your road to publication like? Do you have any advice for new writers starting out?
M- I have always written. Since a very young age, I would be locked in a room writing stories in my notebook. I began freelance writing in college, but never took it seriously. My current release is self-published, but the whole story of publication is a bit complicated. About a year ago, I entered a contest in my local paper. The contest was to pitch a story to the editor. Whoever had the best story pitch would be chosen to work with the editor in creating a short story. The catch was that you won the editor. It had nothing to do with publishing. Since it was a short story, I decided to self-publish. Not because I didn’t think it was good enough, but because I knew that I wanted to spend more time shopping around my other works.
My best advice for new writers is to keep writing. The more you write, the better writer you become. Also, do not be afraid of criticism. I actually enjoy getting a bad review because it gives me advice on what to improve.
X- What other things interest you besides writing?
M- Besides writing, I enjoy doing arts and crafts. I especially love the old lady crafts like cross stitching and needle pointing. My Mom’s side of the family is big on needle pointing. The craft was passed down to me.
X- What are you currently reading and what books can be found in your to-be-read pile?
M- I am currently reading Retribution by Sherrilyn Kenyon. It is fantastic thus far. My to-be read pile is very small. I have a few Harlequin books I picked up from the grocery store and Vampire in Atlantis by Alyssa Day.
X- If you could relive one moment in time, which one would it be?
M- I would go back to the summer when I was ten. My sister and I went on a boat trip with my grandparents. The entire family went along, but my cousins were much older than me. I spent the time with my grandma. We talked about a lot of things and went sight seeing together. That is my happiest memory. Now that she has passed, I would give anything to go back and spend that time with her again.
X- Name one item you cannot do without in life and why.
M- This is a hard one for me. I’m not really attached to anything material. It’s kind of cliché to say my family. Material wise, I would have to go with my laptop. I take it with me everywhere.
X- What’s your favourite flower?
M- My favorite flower is a purple hyacinth. Technically, this flower stands for sorrow, but I love the color purple. Also, they smell amazing. A small bouquet can make several rooms smell good. The only bad part is that they die quickly.
X- What’s your ultimate indulgence?
M- My ultimate indulgence would have to be ice cream, especially chocolate chip cookie dough flavored.
X- What can we expect to see from you in the future?
M- I am currently working on my next novel tentatively titled, Nocturne. It’s another paranormal romance. This time it's my take on vampires. This story is my baby, so I am taking time to make sure it is perfect before I start shopping it around to publishing companies. I also have a short story that I plan to self-publish towards the end of the year. It is titled The Cinderella Dream and is a contemporary romance about a woman who reunites with a childhood friend and realizes she is in love with him. There are two problems that hinder this: 1) They reunite at his engagement party and 2) He is a prince. You can imagine the drama that ensues!
X- Thanks for allowing me to interview you and best of luck with your writing career. Mary Ellen can be found at the follow places on the web.
Website
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