Join Guest Author Michelle Houston for a Chance to Win a Book and Goody Bag

I think the concept behind the Fang-tastic blog is cool, and when I got the opportunity to contribute, I jumped all over it. But then I got stuck – what to write a post about? The bounds of the post hold me only to something to do with the paranormal and writing.

I have never been good at narrowing a topic down. : ) Give me a theme and I can write on it, but let me pick a theme? Youch! So I may ramble a little, but I have to say, I had a lot of fun thinking on this post, and why I love writing paranormals.

Like many people, when I think of paranormal, I think of vampires and ghosts and werewolves.

Since starting a series about shifters though, I have really pushed past my werewolf view, although I admit I did start the series off with a wolf, and started seeing all of the possible shifters out there. Recently I did a poll, just out of curiosity, about what readers would think made a sexy shifter and I was surprised at the number of people who thoughts snakes would be sexy.

I guess I can kind of see it, since one of my favorite books has an alien race that has some reptilian trails, including no hair and very soft scales on their bodies. But a shifter that would actually turn into a snake?

Wow. I am not certain I have the imagination to pull off writing something like that. I have considered owls, hawks, the various cats and canines, and ever written one story a while back about a woman who turned into a bat-eared fox.

But there is so much more to the paranormal realm that just shifters, biters, and haunters. LOL What about succubus and incubi? Gods and Goddesses of lore? Creatures of folklore and myth?

I’ve given each of them a try, and I have to say, it was a blast each time. Mythology has so many wonders to it, that with a little creativity, an untold number of stories can emerge. The same is true for folklore.

During one of my English classes, we had to read nine different variations to the Cinderella story, then write a paper on our own interpretation to one of them. While the various stories did get a bit monotonous, it was fun to try and read deeper into the core of the story.

I think that’s what’s so fun with writing paranormals. There can always be more to them than meets the eye, because the bonds of science and math do not hold you back. Anything, and everything, is possible. As a scientist, I deal with fact and objectivity every day. But as a writer, I get to screw with the laws of physics, tweak what I want to, and make up the rest. I also get a chance to reexamine the laws of biology in the context of the supernatural.

I think that is the best part for me, when the scientific and creative parts of my mind decide to collaborate. It makes for an interesting ride, and I think that more than anything is why I enjoy writing paranormals so much.

Take for example, my newest series, all about gay shifters. Now, in the higher order animals, it takes a male and a female to replicate. So by necessity, nature isn’t all that worried about being nice, and instead is focused on reproduction and replacing the two parents with viable offspring.

So what happens when a gay man is bitten by a werewolf and turns into one himself? What if he is the only one, since gay werewolves didn’t happen naturally?

Oh yeah, I had a lot of fun crafting this series. And even though ‘Taming the Wolf’ is a short story, it was a blast to write.

I have another set of shifter stories where the genetics of the line had become so mixed, it is possible to actually select the animal one wants to turn in to. In families, each person could theoretically turn into a different animal. So no longer are they held to a predetermined creature, they have a choice, but can pick only one.

Heck of a hard decision. I mean, there are so many cool creatures out there, how do you pick just one? What would you pick?

And while you are crafting your answer, let me share an excerpt from

Taming the Wolf with you.

Ben felt the first ripple rising to the surface, skin turning to fur, as his wolf felt him thinking about it, and was demanding its share of time. The last few days he hadn't allowed it control as much as normal and it was starting to get frustrated. Snarling, he regained his feet and stalked off, forcing the beast back. For Nathan's sake, he had to teach him control, then teach him how to partition his time between wolf and man.

Nathan moved to stand behind him, his hand light against his shoulder. "Ben?"

The question in his voice elicited a moan from Ben. It had been so long since a man had been this close to him, so long since he had felt the touch of another on his skin. He wanted it, craved the feel of two bodies sliding against each other in passion, of thrusting deep into another man's body and feeling him tense in pleasure. More than that though, he was coming to crave Nathan's touch; not just anyone would do anymore.

Ben flashed back to the previous day when he had provoked Nathan into a fight, had felt the pressure of the other man attempting to pin him down. Ben had almost given in to the sensations cascading over him and kissed the younger man, especially when he felt the press of Nathan's erection against his hip. Then he had felt the brush of fur against his skin as Nathan lost control of his body and the wolf worked its way to the surface. That fact allowed him the control he desperately needed.

"It's nothing you did Nathan. Nature is just kicking my ass at the moment."

The warmth of his touch shifted, as he slid his hand down Ben's back, lightly caressing him, trying to sooth as was his way. Tipping his chin to rest against his chest, Ben closed his eyes and fought the dueling sensations. Selfishly, he wanted to enjoy Nathan's touch, but by the same token he was denying the wolf the same courtesy. And it was biting and clawing at the injustice.

And now to thank you for joining me today, I’d like to offer a prize. All you have to do to enter is to leave a comment (and hopefully shed some insight into what animal you would shifter into if you could and why). The prize will be a goody bag, (which I will need an address to send it out to you, so make sure to leave a way to contact you, so that I can get that from you later), as well as a title from my back list. I write in a lot of different genres and sexualities, so I hope to have something to match your reading preferences.

If you are interested in learning more about the various worlds I have created, including those I didn’t have time to talk about today, please visit my website at:

http://www.michellehouston.com/

blog: http://eroticpen.blogspot.com/

newsletter: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/michellehouston/