Interview: Jennifer Ashley

jennifer-ashleyI am excited to welcome author Jennifer Ashley, Bear Attraction.

Rebecca, caught by Shifter Bureau in a forbidden area, is charged to help Walker Danielson, on military attachment to the Bureau, to find a woman suspected of being abducted by Shifters. Rebecca has no choice but to agree.

Walker and Rebecca met when Walker had been the one abducted, tied up on Rebecca’s floor. Now the tables are turned, and Rebecca has to go along with whatever Walker proposes, entirely in his power. As they find themselves in danger with wilder Shifters not under the Austin Shiftertown’s control, Rebecca discovers what kind of strengths Walker has. The mating frenzy Walker touched when he had been Rebecca’s captive, now flares to life as the two fight to find the missing woman and survive the mission.

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Interview

Literary Escapism: For those of my readers unfamiliar with Bear Attraction and the Shifters Unbound series, can you give us a brief look at your novel (and world) and what readers can look forward to? Something we haven’t seen yet?

JAshley-Bear AttractionJennifer Ashley: Bear Attraction features Walker Danielson, an army guy who has been assigned to run the military attachment to Shifter Bureau, and Rebecca, a Shifter who turns into a Kodiak bear. Shifter Bureau oversees and regulates Shifters, who must live in Shiftertowns and have a lot of restrictions on them (due to fears that they’ll turn violent). Shifters, in truth, are family-oriented and want to live in peace and protect their mates and cubs, but they are still working on proving that.

In Bear Attraction, Rebecca is arrested while trespassing in new development around Austin’s old airport (Mueller). Walker convinces his superiors to let her go, but there’s a catch—she must help him solve the case of a missing woman believed to have been kidnapped by Shifters. Rebecca is happy to help but unnerved that she’s under Walker’s power, a man who she’s been attracted to since he was trussed up in duct tape and dumped on her living room floor (long story…).

The story does introduce a new twist on the Shifters, more possibilities for their survival that haven’t yet been explored.

LE: Why Walker and Rebecca? What was it about them – either individually or as a couple – that drew you to them and want to tell their story?

JA: I introduced Walker in Tiger Magic, and when he met and interacted with Rebecca (see duct tape reference above), sparks flew. I wanted to explore their relationship and see what happened. Many readers also asked for their story, and I was happy to write it.

LE: Its not often in paranormal romance that you find the heroine is the bear shifter and not the male. What was it about this combination that drew you to switching it up? When creating Rebecca and Walker’s chemistry, did you find that there was a difference between writing a female bear vs a female wolf/cat?

JA: This is the second book in which the heroine was the Shifter and the hero human (Wild Cat is the first one). I am of the opinion that heroines can also be badass. :-) Rebecca is strong and sassy, but she’s also vulnerable, shy, and a little bit lonely. Walker, as a military medic, who was sent behind the lines in some of the most dangerous places in the world, was perfect to be gentle with her as well as being able to appreciate her strength.

I love the bear Shifters, so I enjoy writing their stories. They do behave differently—if you have ever watched bears, they are very, very smart and usually figure out how to get what they want. I tried to incorporate that into the bear Shifters of my Shiftertown.

LE: Can you introduce us to a few of the side characters that we’ll be meeting or who will play an important role to/for Walker and Rebecca? Are there any returning favorites from previous stories in the Shifters Unbound series?

JAshley-BodyguardJA: Side characters: Broderick is most prominent in this one. I introduced him in Lone Wolf as the pain in the as* wolf Shifter who is looking for a mate, and kind of a sh*thead. However, when a young human woman infiltrates Shiftertown looking for her missing sister, Broderick becomes protective of her, showing his softer side. (Plus you’ll meet his aunt, who keeps him in line.) Broderick helps Walker and Rebecca in their quest in this story.

Also reappearing is Ronan, Rebecca’s Kodiak bear housemate (his story is told in Bodyguard), the foster kids Rebecca and Ronan take care of (including the adorable polar bear, Olaf). I also introduce a new character, Kendrick—but I don’t want to give away anything about him just yet!

LE: When you create characters, do you strive for realism or do you prefer to write caricatures? Have you always written them this way or has your process changed and evolved since you began writing?

JA: I strive to be as realistic as possible. I do have a sense of humor, so inevitably the character will be described in a funny way or do funny things, but I want real people readers can get close to and sympathize with.

LE: Since creating your world in Pride Mates, has there been anything you’ve regretting starting or wish you had started sooner? Was there something that worked out great in Pride Mates, but now you wish you had done differently?

JA: I can’t think of anything, though in Pride Mates I didn’t know I would do so much with the bears. I kind of glossed over them in that book, but in Primal Bonds, I introduced Ronan (and briefly, Rebecca, who once dated the hero of that book), and really started to like them. But I was happy with how Pride Mates turned out, and happy to continue the world as it is. I like to shake things up now and then, of course!

LE: Is there any particular legend or mythology that you came across that was the root of inspiration for your Shifters Unbound world that was used more than others or was there a wide source?

JA: For the Shifters I took the legends of lycanthropy and twisted them a bit. The Shifters are a distinct species—no one becomes a Shifter by being bitten or getting a disease or anything like that. They are born Shifter—no “transformations.” I also dispensed with the legend that wolf-shifters must become wolf at the full moon—these Shifters can shift any old time they want (though the Lupines do like the full moon).

The Shifters in my world were originally created by the Fae (using genetic engineering and magic) a couple thousand years ago. They were made to hunt and fight battle for the Fae—their front-line soldiers. Eventually, the Shifters turned around and fought their masters, and escaped into the human world, where they stayed. So, Celtic legends of the Fae / Sidhe / Fair Folk caught my attention as well.

I also gave my Shifters a religion—they have a Wicca-like faith which is headed by the Goddess and God, and they believe in the Summerland (the afterlife). They meditate, pray, and have ceremonies at various stages in their life which invoke the Goddess and God. Most people in the world have a belief system, whether they are diligent practitioners of that system or not, and I saw no reason why the Shifters should be any different.

JAshley-Pride MatesLE: Have you always had an idea as to where the Shifters Unbound series is going or has it grown organically? Can you give us a peek as to what you have in store for us next?

JA: The Shiftes series has both been planned and grown organically. I usually know what I want to do two or three books ahead, but mostly the series is about the Shifters themselves. I started with the premise—what would it really be like to be a shape-shifter in today’s world? What would you do all day? What really could happen? I decided against doing a “save the world” saga (which I had done in the Immortals books a few years earlier), and just cover what life is like as a Shifter—getting through the day, raising a family, falling in love. Each book follows a particular couple and their families, and is about that group’s particular problems.

That said, I don’t like things to stay the same all the time! The progress of Shifters as a whole is moving in the story arc—they’re finding more ways toward freedom, though finding setbacks as well.

I am introducing more characters, and another Shiftertown in Mate Bond, which will be out this Apr 7, 2015. I think Broderick’s story will come after that, and then … we’ll see! I want all the Shifters to have their stories told before I’m done.

LE: Does your mood ever affect the direction that your stories take? Has any of your stories began one way, but by the time you wrote The End, had the mood drastically changed and how did it affect the story?

JA: My stories always end differently than they begin, because I write organically (a I’m a “pantser”). Plots come to me as I write them—I have a very hard time deciding in advance what will happen, no matter how hard I try, no matter how many methods I’ve attempted.

Inevitably, I just waste days, weeks, months if I struggle to pre-plan, because as soon as the characters walk onstage and start talking, the novel goes in a different direction. (I know some things, but I can’t “see” the whole book until I’m done.)

The mood usually doesn’t change, though. The Shifters books are (I hope) realistic, with a touch of magic, some deeper emotions, action/adventure, and heartwarming moments. Also humor :-) (I can’t write without putting in humor).

LE: What is your favorite scene in Bear Attraction? What makes it so special – characters, setting, dialogue, action?

JA: A couple of places: When the family gathers around to help Walker and Rebecca plan how they’re going to infiltrate the Shifter clubs. Poor Walker (I don’t want to say more than that). Another is when they find the bad guy (again … spoilers!) . Walker and Rebecca sparring on the front lawn was fun to write as well.

LE: And my favorite question to ask…Which authors do you read and/or think “Damn! I wish I had thought of that”?

JA: MelJean Brook. She has an amazing imagination. Kim Harrison is another. With those two I do say “Damn, I never would have thought of that!” out loud. :-)

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Meet Jennifer Ashley!

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Jennifer Ashley has lived and traveled all over the world, and now lives in the Southwest. She writes historical, paranormal, and contemporary romance as Jennifer Ashley; mysteries as Ashley Gardner; and paranormal romance and urban fantasy as Allyson James.

Jennifer’s/Allyson’s/Ashley’s more than 83 novels and novellas have won RWA’s RITA award, the Golden Quill, RT Reviewer’s Choice awards, and the Prism award, among others. Jennifer’s novels have been also been translated into French, German, Spanish, Dutch, Japanese, Norwegian, Hungarian, Italian, Thai, and other languages.

Jennifer enjoys writing and reading above all else, but her hobbies include cooking, hiking, playing flute and guitar, painting, and building miniature rooms and dollhouses.

Contact Info: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | GoodReads | Amazon | Pinterest

JAshley-Mate BondWant to purchase Jennifer’s novels?
Shifters Unbound

  1. Shifter Made (novella)
  2. Pride Mates
  3. Primal Bonds
  4. Bodyguard (novella)
  5. Wild Cat
  6. Hard Mated (novella)
  7. Mate Claimed
  8. Lone Wolf (novella)
  9. Perfect Mate (novella)
  10. Tiger Magic
  11. Feral Heat (novella)
  12. Wild Wolf
  13. Bear Attraction (novella)
  14. Mate Bond (Apr 7, 2015)

Shifters Unbound Boxed Set
Shifter Mates (Mar 3, 2015)

About Jackie 3282 Articles
I am a 30-something SAHM with two adorable boys and a supportive husband who is very tolerant of my reading addiction. I love to read and easily go through about a dozen books a month – well I did before I had kids. Now, not so much. After my first son was born, I began to take my hobby of reviewing a little more serious and started Literary Escapism to help with my sanity. I love to discuss the fabulous novels I’ve read and meeting all the wonderful people in the book blogging community has been amazing.

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