Guest Author: Ashlyn Chase

I am excited to welcome author Ashlyn Chase, who has just released the second novel in her great series with The Werewolf Upstairs.

Petty Crime Never Looked So Good…
Alpha werewolf Konrad Wolfensen sees it as his duty to protect the citizens of Boston, even if it means breaking into their businesses just to prove their security systems don’t’ work. But when his unsolicited services land him in trouble with the lay, he’ll have to turn to his sexy new neighbor for help.

She Should Know Better…
Attorney Roz Wells is bored. She used to have such a knack for attracting the weird and unexpected,. But ever since she took a job as a public defender, the quirky quotient is her life has taken a serious hit. Until her sexy werewolf neighbor starting coming around…

Make sure you stick around to the end. We’ll be giving away two copies of Ashlyn’s novel, The Werewolf Upstairs.
_____________________________________________

Shapeshifters with a Difference

Hello and thanks for having me on Literary Escapism today! I was asked what makes my shapeshifters different from others in the paranormal genre. Well, for one thing, my shapeshifter characters are lovable, charming and humorous. I don’t write darker paranormals—I write light!

I also like to make my shifters as unique as we humans are. I may borrow bits from collective mythology, but I want each character to stand out—to be an individual. I let them be flawed, put them through hell, and then watch them rise to their challenges.

My werewolf Konrad is “too nice.” He was kicked out of his pack when a competing Alpha showed up and won the challenge by cheating. Konrad was hurt that his pack would believe the new Alpha’s lies and turn their backs on him, but he never stopped looking out for them, even though it was from afar. Konrad is protective of those he loves and he loves thoroughly.

Often in Vampire vs. Werewolf lore, the vampires are more cerebral and the werewolves are more animalistic. Konrad is extremely intelligent and has a sensitive side. A little bit of backstory: he was the dean of a private school for boys until he was replaced as Alpha and the dean and run out of town!

Konrad’s apartment is lined from floor to ceiling with books, and there’s a rolling ladder to reach the top shelves that he doesn’t need since he’s 6 feet, 5 inches tall.

He also has an identical twin brother who’s a Boston police officer. They share a strong bond despite being very different as people. Later in the story, their shared DNA becomes integral to the story.

I like to tie everything in—or to paraphrase Alfred Hitchcock, “If there’s a gun on the wall in the first scene, it damn well better go off later.”

I also make sure all loose ends are tied up by the end of the story. I couldn’t solve the crime that Konrad was accused of, because it’s a real art museum heist that happened in the nineties. The Boston police haven’t solved it, so neither did I. I did, however, go through the whole courtroom trial and have Konrad plead innocent based upon solid evidence.

I won’t tell you the outcome, although this is a romance and it’s probably fairly obvious what needs to happen to arrive at a happy ending.

Enjoy The Werewolf Upstairs and his attorney girlfriend, Roz Wells. I hope you enjoy their unique love story as I did while writing it!

______________________

A multi-published author with Ellora’s Cave/Cerridwen Press, Ashlyn Chase specializes in characters who reinvent themselves, having reinvented herself numerous times. She has worked as a psychiatric nurse, and for the Red Cross, and has a degree in behavioral sciences. She lives with her true-life hero husband in beautiful New Hampshire, where she is working on the third book in her series, The Vampire Next Door, set to release in August 2011. For more information, please visit http://ashlynchase.com/.

Contact Info
Website: http://ashlynchase.com/
Blog: http://ashlynchase.blogspot.com/
Social Media: Facebook / Twitter

Want to purchase Ashlyn’s novels?
Strange Neighbors:

1. Strange Neighbors at Amazon or the Book Depository
2. The Werewolf Upstairs at Amazon or the Book Depository
3. The Vampire Next Door at Amazon or the Book Depository

Dear Sexy Lexie at Amazon
Death by Delilah at Amazon
Demolishing Mr. Perfect at Amazon
Djinn and Tonic at Amazon
Giggles by Gabby at Amazon
Green Card at Amazon
Heaving Bosoms at Amazon or the Book Depository
Love Cuffs at Amazon or the Book Depository
Quivering Thighs at Amazon or the Book Depository
Vampire Vintage at Amazon or the Book Depository
Wonder Witch at Amazon
_____________________________________________

Thank you Ashlyn for taking the time to stop by Literary Escapism!

Contest Time! Ashlyn is giving away two copies of her new novel, The Werewolf Upstairs. To enter, all you have to do is answer this one question: How do you prefer your shapeshifters? Remember, you must answer the question in order to be entered. (US/Canada only)

As always, there’s more ways of getting your name in the hat (remember, these aren’t mandatory to enter, just extra entries):

• +1 for each place you post about today’s contest on your blog, social network, or anywhere you can. Digg it, stumble it, twit it, share it with the world. Wherever you share it, make sure you add a link to it along with your answer.
• +1 to any review you comment on, however, comments must be meaningful. Just give me the title of the review and I’ll be able to figure it out from there.
• +1 If you are a follower of Literary Escapism on Facebook and/or Twitter
• +10 Purchase any of Ashlyn’s novels (listed above), or any novel, through LE’s Amazon store or the Book Depository sometime during this contest and send a copy of the receipt VIA email for your purchase to: jackie AT literaryescapism DOT com. Each purchase is worth ten entries.

The winner must post a review of the novel someplace. Whether it is on their own blog, Amazon, GoodReads, LibraryThing or wherever, it doesn’t matter. Just help get the word out.

The contest will stay open until March 3rd, at which time I’ll determine the winner with help from the Research Randomizer and the List Randomizer.

I have not been contacting winners, so you will need to check back to see if you’ve won.