Pamela Palmer - Becoming Someone New

Throughout our lives, we take on new roles—student, teacher, fireman, wife, father. Some of these roles are expected (student, working adult). Some are sudden, unexpected, and definitely not wanted (widow, homeless person). Some are roles we hope for, and know there’s a chance we’ll get (wife, mother, manager). And others we only dream of and wish for (President of the United States, Olympic gold medalist, Ryan Reynold’s girlfriend).

For me, as for most writers, the dream role was New York Times Bestselling Author. I still have trouble believing that dream came true, because…I haven’t changed. And I suspect it’s that way for most people as they move through one role after another. Experiences change us, without a doubt. But roles…labels…not so much. We tend to remain the same people we’ve always been, though others’ perceptions of us certainly change.

In A Love Untamed, the hero, Kieran, has spent much of his immortal life as a Therian Guard, a fighter, and he’s damn good at what he does. But he’s not one of the nine Feral Warriors, he’s not a shape-shifter, though he’d love to be marked to be one. No one becomes a Feral Warrior until one of the nine Ferals dies. It’s the animal spirit who chooses his replacement, the best of the line. Each time a Feral dies, the race mourns, of course, but they also wait with baited breath to learn who the dead Feral’s replacement will be. Most dream of being the one chosen. Most never will be.

But Kieran is one of the lucky ones. During a fight with a surly warrior, Kieran accidentally draws fangs and claws, revealing that he’s been marked. He’s thrilled, awed. For the first time in his life, he’ll be able to shift into an animal—in his case the fox—something the entire Therian race could do long, long ago. Being marked will mean major changes in his life—he’ll have to move to Feral House in Great Falls, Virginia, quite a trip from Ireland. He’ll be given a new name, his Feral name, Fox. He’ll acquire an instant band of brothers and a desperate mission to keep the Daemons from once more rising to destroy the world. And after decades of being one of the leaders of the non-shifters, he’ll be the newbie.

He’s starting over in a new role. Inside, he’s still Kieran, the man he’s always been—an Irish charmer with a sense of humor who doesn’t take himself too seriously, and a tough, honorable male. But the world sees him differently, now. To the rest of the race, he’s become Fox, one of the most powerful and most honorable males on Earth.

From the back cover:

The newest member of the elite Feral Warriors brotherhood, Fox is eager to prove himself on the frontlines of battle against the Daemons. When paired with the legendary Ilina warrior, Melisande, he expects the fierce beauty to quickly fall under the spell of his quite considerable charm. Instead, he finds himself spellbound by a woman who's his match in every way.

Beneath Melisande's brittle exterior lies centuries of pain and a violent hatred of all shape-shifters--a hatred that slowly crumbles after they're caught in a deadly and cunning Mage trap and she glimpses a surprising depth in her far-too-seductive partner. Their survival demands unconditional trust--and their salvation surrender to a wild, untamed love.

For a chance to win a signed copy of Desire Untamed, the first book in my Feral Warriors series, tell me what you would choose to become if you suddenly discovered you weren’t human, but something else. A vampire, witch, fairy, shape-shifter? Or something else?

***Pamela's winner is HankLover!  Please email totebag@authorsoundrelations.com with your full name and mailing address!***