Thank
you for taking the time to do an interview.
I am beyond excited to find out more about our gang. I'm also excited to see how Claudia and Lucas
continue to interact given how new they are to this. I'm holding out hope that she will eventually
at some point change her mind and make the change so she can live a much longer
life with Lucas. I can't wait to see
your answers.
First I have to say that I am a HUGE fan and just
adore this series so much. I fly through
each book and then thankfully don't have to wait too long for another one. How did you decide on your brand of wolves?
AE:
Yay! I'm so glad that you like
the series! I love writing them, so it
always makes me happy to know that someone is enjoying them. J
Regarding deciding on my brand of wolves, I'd read
a lot of urban fantasy, and learned a lot of what I liked and didn't
there. That's where I started to get the
idea of putting my own stamp on the werewolf genre. Then, I did a ton of research on the origins
of the werewolf and what various cultures say about it, and then watched some wolf documentaries and read a few books about wolf packs. I took bits of what I liked from each, and
since I get to make it up—ignored the bits that I didn't like so much.
 |
| Eve: I could google images of these beautiful creatures all day! |
Did you do a lot of research before/as you write
the series? Covens and wolf packs and
the like?
AE: Yes!
I've been interested in the paranormal—magic, witches, werewolves—for a
very long time. I have a whole bookcase
dedicated to my research books that I've collected over the years. And once I decided to write the Alpha Girls
series, the collection started growing even more. I have some fascinating books on witchcraft
and covens—some of them a little terrifying—but like I did for the wolves, when
it came down to writing about it, I just picked and chose which bits I liked
the most and ignored the rest.
The bond between mates is very intense. How did you decide on what would go into the
bond?
AE: I
really liked the idea of having a balanced relationship. I find a lot of romance—especially YA and NA
romance—has a very skewed idea about what a healthy relationship should be
like. So the bond between mates started
out from that. Then, I liked that they'd
get to share powers and enhance what each other already has, which is what a
good relationship should be. It should
make you want to be the best you can be and help you grow in a healthy,
positive way. I put in the telepathy
because of something a friend of mind once said to me and my husband. We were at a dinner party and had a few
shared looks, and started cracking up.
We didn't say a word, but we had a whole conversation just us. I thought that would be nice to put in there—that
the couples were so in sync that they could talk telepathically. Also it made it easier when they shift into
wolf-form, so they can still communicate.
On a similar note there is a disparity of males to
females. With that we see many males
trying to win a select number of females, does this cause a problem with the
wolves in general? More instances like
Dastien and Tessa maybe? What happens to
the ones who don't find them basically?
AE:
Yes. This causes a lot of
problems, and puts a lot of pressure on the girls, It's a pretty good way to show some
tension,and also leaves some room for me to focus on other couples and matches—like
I did for Claudia and Lucas.
After Tessa and Dastien, there might be more
instances where a Were takes matters into their own hands. But a lot of the guys end up hoping to find
their true mate. Their match. I talk a little about the Cazadores—as they're
the ones who haven't found their match.
But hopefully, someone will come along for each of them, given enough
time. And the Weres definitely have a
lot of time. Think about Lucas. He waiting a LONG time for Claudia. ;)
In Alpha Unleashed we are diving back into Tessa,
but I hope Claudia and Lucas will still be present because I did just adore
them in Bruja and I think Lucas will be a real asset to our St. Ailbe's
wolves. Will we have some cousin time
between Tessa and Claudia? I'm dying for
them to talk and compare notes as it were.
AE: I'm so
glad you liked bruja so much. It was
always a risk to veer away from Tessa and Dastien, but I felt like Claudia
deserved her story to be told.
Claudia and Lucas are most definitely in Alpha
Unleashed. The books overlap, so Alpha
Unleashed starts the morning that Claudia leaves for Peru. But Claudia and Lucas and the rest of the
gang that end up in Costa Rica will be back in Texas before all the action gets
going.
Luciana is practicing some seriously dark stuff,
how can those following her not see that?
And stand behind it?
AE: I get
into this a bit in Alpha Unleashed, but I think it's hard when you're trusting
your leader to guide you. The evil stuff
didn't happen over night. I think if
she'd started doing bad things right away, they would've stood up against
her. But it was on a slow boil, and she
had her reasons. Being the coven leader
meant that she had visions, too. Only
they're not as clear or as strong as Tessa's.
But still, the coven trusted her to guide them. They didn't realize that Luciana's visions
were a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy, and that her fear of coming war with
the wolves were leading them into darker and darker magic as time went on.
I'm ready for the epic battle, though I am worried
about some of my favorites as I know no one is safe. From the description of Alpha Unleashed it
seems the battle will be fought on several fronts, including in the media,
coming out of the shadows. How do you
think our current world would react if wolves, witches, vampires, and such came
out as real? How would you react?
AE: hope
that I'd be welcoming, although I'd definitely be super curious. I'd have a million questions for them! And I would really hope I didn’t piss them
off if I got something wrong in my books. ;)
With so many amazing characters in this world who
is your favorite to write scenes for?
AE: I want
to say Tessa, but I really like Meredith a lot.
I think she's fun and spunky. We
got a little hint of her backstory in Avoiding Alpha, but I'd love to get her
and Donovan a book.
Bogdana with Bogdana The Booknerd wants to know what
book are you currently reading? What's
your favorite genre to read?
AE: I'm
reading The Haunting by Joan Lowery Nixon right now. I ate up her books when I was in seventh
grade, but I'm writing a paranormal ghost books next and I wanted to re-read
her stuff. I'm trying to figure out how
scary I want to make it. I feel like if I
just start writing, I'll make the book so scary that I won't be able to sleep
at night—which won't work at all. (If you have some ghost story books to
recommend, I'll take those!) Before
that, I read—or devoured—Sarah J Maas's Queen of Shadows. Loved it!
I finished it and went right back to chapter one to re-read it. And the book before that was Jennifer Estep's
Cold Burn Magic. OMG! So good!
Thankfully the second book is coming out 10/25, or else I'd be DYING.
I read fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal, some
sci-fi, anything YA, NA romance, contemporary romance, and paranormal
romance. All variations on a theme. I like speculative fictions, but I like it
with a healthy dose of romance. J
OMG I'm reading Queen of Shadows now and I know what you mean. Bogdana also asked an intriguing question, if you
could co-author a series with anyone who would it be?
AE: It's so
hard to write that idea of writing something with someone seems at times more
difficult logistically yet so tempting!
My critique partner for the last 6 years—Lola Dodge—is someone who I've
actually talked about writing a series together. In fact, I wrote Cipher, and she's writing
the next book in the series—Quanta (out 10/13), and my business partner—Christina
Bauer—is writing another character in the series—Maker (which doesn't have a
set release date yet). So that might
happen!
Alpha Unleashed comes out October 13th is there
anything you can share or tease us with? Aside from the excerpt below, that is.
AE: Teasers
are so hard without drifting into spoilerland.
I will say that defeating Luciana will NOT be easy, but by the time all
is said and done, I think all the readers will be very happy. Or I hope they will! J
Are you working on any other projects? You
mentioned a ghost story.
AE: I'm
taking a little break from Tessa and Dastien to write a new series—Invocation,
the first book in the Holy Ghost High series.
I've been writing Tessa and Dastien for…six years. Becoming Alpha was my thesis for my MFA, so
it's time for me to take a little break just to make sure I keep the Alpha Girl
series fresh and don't burn out. But I'll
be back to it. I can't stay away from
Tessa and her gang for long!
Finally, how can fans reach you? (Links attached
below for easy access)
AE: I'm on
all kinds of social media. I'm slowest
on Goodreads but everywhere else, I check daily. J
Teresa Elizabeth McCaid—aka Tessa—is a girl who has
never quite fit in. At least, she didn't
until she was bitten by Dastien Laurent, her mate. Now, she's part bruja part werewolf, part
human, and totally cool with it. When
she's not taking down evil witches and vampires, she likes to spend her time
with Dastien. They love to go for runs
and listen to EDM.
Dastien Laurent is originally from France, but
when his parents were brutally murdered, he came to Texas to live with his
godfather—Michael Dawson. He's always
struggled with his alpha-side, but never as much as when he met Tessa. He didn't mean to bit her, but he wouldn't
change it for the world. Even when evil
witches are beating down the door, he never regrets a second. With her, he's finally able to see his
future.
I trailed off when I noticed Meredith staring hard at something behind me. I quickly glanced over my shoulder. “What?”
“What’s Shannon doing with that group?” Her lips pressed into a tight, thin line. “And is that Imogene?” Meredith and I might be split on how we felt about Shannon, but we totally agreed on Imogene.
I turned back to my now-cold omelet and took a bite. “I know,” I said after a second. “Looks like they’re BFFs now.”
She scrunched up her nose as she thought. “Why is she with those guys? Shannon has nothing in common with them. She’s from the Irish pack. And Imogene? Really?” Meredith stared at them like she could glean answers off them. “Maybe if we all try reaching out to her, she’ll sit with us again.”
I’d explained what happened between Shannon and I while Meredith was sick, but she didn’t understand. For better or worse, they’d been friends since forever. Their parents were friends and they’d grown up taking vacations together. Meredith was loyal, almost to a fault, and that meant she refused to give up on Shannon. “We tried that, remember? It didn’t work.”
“I should go over. Try talking to her again.”
I nearly rolled my eyes. Meredith had tried talking to Shannon, and in her defense—Shannon was still nice to her, but it was a losing battle. Shannon would obviously rather be with her new friends than us.
Meredith started to stand up, but I grabbed her hand. “I wouldn’t—”
“I have to try.”
I let her go as I tried to think of a way to say what I needed to say without making it worse. “I don’t know. I still can’t feel anyone at that table through the pack bonds. Including Shannon.”
Meredith crossed her arms as she stared down at me. “Whatever happened between you and her, she wouldn’t do anything to harm the pack. Shannon’s not capable of that.”
I disagreed, but saying so would only hurt Meredith’s feelings. “What if she thought it would help the pack?” And what if they aren’t part of our pack anymore? I thought the words but didn’t say them aloud.
For a second, Meredith’s lower lip trembled, and I thought I’d gotten through to her, but then she shook her head. “No. I don’t believe that. Not at all.”
I kept my mouth firmly shut. If there was one person I didn’t want to piss off, it was Meredith. She’d been my friend—no questions asked—from the beginning. She’d helped me through when all I’d wanted to do was run away from St. Ailbe’s. And when I’d sucked at running and kept falling out of windows, she hadn’t made fun of me. Much. “I just don’t want you to get disappointed.”
“I—” Meredith stopped in the middle of what she was saying, and turned to the door.
It took me a second to figure out what was going on, but then Donovan came into the cafeteria, and started our way. Maybe he’d be able to reach Meredith, because I sure as hell wasn’t getting anywhere.
She laughed at something he must’ve said through their bond. “Donovan is going to keep you company while I talk to Shannon. I’ll be back in a sec.”
There wasn’t any point in trying to stop her.
Donovan took Meredith’s spot at the table. He wore sweat pants and a T-shirt and his black hair was still messy from his run. His clothes gave of the scents of cedar and grass and dirt, and it almost made me jealous.
Maybe a run would clear my mind. Help me figure out a way around these visions.
“She’s checking on Shannon, eh?” Donovan asked, bringing me back to myself.
“Yeah.” I’d already said my piece to his mate. I didn’t need to repeat myself.
He jerked his chin toward the table in question. “There’s still something off about them.”
My fork dropped to the plate with a clatter, and I glared into his glass-blue eyes. “Oh, come on. We’re not doing this.”
Donovan raised his eyebrows. “Not doing what?”
He had to be joking. “I just had this conversation with Meredith. I know how the whole mate thing works. There’s not a chance she didn’t tell you.”
He gave me a wicked grin, and I knew trouble was coming. “Aye. But what you don’t know is that I agree with you.”
“You do?” Mr. Dawson had been all—everything’s fine. Donovan hadn’t said a word. Why now?
“Yes. I do.”
“What do you know?” I leaned toward him, lowering my voice. Pesky Weres and their super-awesome hearing. “Why are their bonds missing? I thought they couldn’t leave the pack without putting in a formal bid to Mr. Dawson.”
“That’s true enough. I don’t know what’s going on, but I think you’re going to find out. If this absence of pack bond is spreading, then we need to find the cause. Just… Don’t say anything to Meredith until we’re positive. All right?”
Whoa. I didn’t keep much—if anything—from Dastien. “Do you think that’s wise?”
“Keeping my opinions from my mate?” One side of his mouth quirked up. “Not usually. But she made her side clear enough with you, and I’d rather not start an argument that won’t get us anywhere.”
Who knew? Even the great Donovan—one of the all-powerful Seven—was afraid of pissing off his mate. The idea was a little preposterous, but then again—I didn’t like upsetting Dastien either. I’d done it. But that didn’t mean I liked it. That left me with one last question. “Why can’t you keep an eye on them? You’re probably way better at this pack bonds stuff than I am.”
He raised an eyebrow. “In case you’ve forgotten, I’m not of this pack. I’m an alpha, and can use that to overpower and override the pack bonds if necessary, but this needs more finesse. An insider’s look.”
“But your mate’s in our pack.” When Dastien bit me, I’d become part of the St. Ailbe’s pack. I figured it would be the same for Donovan and Meredith and their mate bond, even if they hadn’t gone through with their bonding ceremony.
“Doesn’t work that way. I’m already the alpha of another pack.”
“So, what about Meredith? Is she still part of this pack?”
“Until she and Michael decide to let her move to mine. She’ll keep it for as long as she’s here, and I think that’s best.” He leaned forward. “I’ve heard through Michael and Meredith, but I want to know what it is you’re feelin’ from them. I’ve not experienced this before, and that’s sayin’ something to me.” His Irish accent thickened, and I finally knew that someone else was as worried about this as I was.
“I don’t know what to say except that I can’t feel them. It’s like they’re there, but they’re not.” I sighed. “It makes no sense. Which is why Mr. Dawson blew me off when I brought it up. Shouldn’t you be talking to him about this? He’s the alpha.”
“What makes you think I haven’t already?”
The tension on my shoulders relaxed. It seemed like a good sign that two alphas were really talking about the problem. “And?”
“Nothing. If they’ve withdrawn from the pack, he’s not feeling it.” He leaned in closer, speaking so quietly that even I could barely hear. “But last night, he gave that group of boys from the Canada pack a direct command and they disobeyed. I backed the command and forced their obedience, but I shouldn’t have had to. He’s their alpha. It may be that Rupert Hoel’s influence went deeper than those we’ve caught. There’s still a major player out there, and I’ve a fine idea who it might be.”
Holy shit. That was bad news. Only someone more alpha than Mr. Dawson could ignore his commands, and they weren’t more alpha. At all.
“Who?”
“I think you might know. It’s one who got away.”
It hit me then. They’d kicked one of the Seven out of the Council. The one who hated me. Ferdinand. “Do you really think it could be?”
“Aye.”
“But you didn’t say anything when I brought it up before.”
“It took me longer to feel what you were getting at. I like to suss things out before actin’. Get fully aware of the situation. If you feel anything else out of the ordinary, let me know. Just be aware that if that lot wants to leave, that’s fine by me. They’re welcome to go their own way, but they need to make formal bids to Michael and they’ll have to tie to the Seven until they find their new packs. It must be done properly, or they’ll be considered lone wolves. And if they align with Ferdinand… I’d like those youngsters to avoid that if possible.”
My stomach churned, and suddenly I didn’t feel much like finishing my omelet. If the pack was breaking up, then how were we ever going to defeat Luciana? We needed to be united if we wanted to stand the slightest chance of surviving.
Book Rating:
5 Stars
I
really enjoyed that Cassie wasn't so much worried or focused on saving the
planet, she doesn’t have any grand design to save what's left of civilization
she just wants to save her brother and stay alive. Her goal is challenging enough but it feels
more attainable for one untrained girl to accomplish. Cassie's POV was by far my favorite with the
random and sometimes fractured line of thought it seemed so genuine and very
much how I imagine myself should I somehow survive that long. Also, OMG I just about died with the
conversations with Bear! Best stuff oh
and let's not forget Howard! Oh and
Evan, he is a weird combination of awkward and sweet that works for me. Plus not going to lie he still has chocolate
in the end of the world so clearly he is living right! 
As
a movie and as an adaptation I did enjoy myself. I did notice some changes, some things I went
in knowing would be different, like no shrapnel removal, for obvious shooting
reasons and others for time. Still I did
enjoy seeing things play out, from the opening shots where Cassie is at the
store stealing her items, the items she mentioned in the book, which was a nice
thing. The majority of the book is
there. 
