Welcome to my weekly Author Spotlight. I’ve asked a bunch of my author friends to answer a set of interview questions, and to share their latest work.
Today, M.M. Wilde – M.M. Wilde is the knotty mpreg romance alter-ego of Morticia Knight who loves all things strange and unusual.
Giveaway: M.M. is giving away an ebook copy of the first book in the series, Rescued by the Alpha. Comment below for a chance to win.
Thanks so much, M.M., for joining me!
J. Scott Coatsworth: How would you describe your writing style/genre
M.M. Wilde: I write under two published pen names—Morticia Knight and M.M. Wilde. Morticia first made an appearance back in 2011 writing MMF and MM romance. Most of her tales have involved either men in uniform, BDSM or both. 😉 But since readers have come to expect those genres with that pen name, my desire to write paranormal/mpreg didn’t fit at all. Thus, M.M. Wilde was born! Woo-hoo!
JSC: Are you a full-time or part-time writer? How does that affect your writing?
MMW: I’ve been a full-time fiction writer for the past four years. What I’ve discovered since quitting the Evil Day Job (and in this case, it was extra evil), is that all the extra time I thought I’d have to write twice as much didn’t really pan out. Part of that is the added attention to the business aspect of writing that wasn’t as significant as before when I had another income. Part of it is the false sense of security caused by having all day, every day to write, if I choose. It’s the part where I don’t choose that becomes the problem!
JSC: What is the most heartfelt thing a reader has said to you?
MMW: Recently, about lost it when a guy wrote that he’d read one my M.M. Wilde books aloud to his husband on their honeymoon. I will definitely treasure that comment forever!
JSC: What tools do you feel are must-haves for writers?
MMW: Lately, I’ve been lovin’ Romancing the Beats, Save the Cat Writes Novels and Sizzling Synopses. I’ve also read Chris Fox’s various writing books, from Relaunch Your Novel to 5000 Words a Day. These are the books I turn to when I suddenly find myself running in circles.
JSC: What was one of the most surprising things you’ve learned in writing your books?
MMW: That I might be deranged. Or maybe that wasn’t surprising…
JSC: What are your least favorite parts of publishing?
MMW: Keeping track of all the businessy stuff. I literally don’t care about any of that lol.
JSC: How did you choose the topic for “Guarding the Runaway Omega”?
MMW: Guarding the Runaway Omega is the second book in my Alaskan Wolf Alliance series. The concept of the series revolves around werewolves who suddenly discover that their men can get pregnant and what the heck it all means. In the first book, Rescued by the Alpha, it was the poor unsuspecting human who suddenly found himself preggers. In this book, the mystery surrounding this shocking development continues and yes! There are sinister forces at hand.
JSC: Tell us something we don’t know about your heroes. What makes them tick?
MMW: It’s very easy to fall into a sort of one-note attitude with Alpha characters n A/B/o books. Yes, they’re overly protective of their omegas, and yes, they’ll hurt anyone who dares to try to hurt them (real or perceived) and I do love that about this genre. However, my heroes for this series are also operating from a sense of pride. Not a false sense of pride, but in how they care for their omegas. They don’t see them as lesser-than, they want them to be strong, they want to care for them without holding them back.
JSC: What was the hardest part of writing this book?
MMW: Staying true to the Alaskan locales and people. That was where the majority of the research was aimed. I’ve always had a fascination for Alaska, and love mountains and the wilderness in general. I’ve wanted to set a series in Alaska for a long time, and these stories are perfect for that.
JSC: Tell me one thing hardly anyone knows about you.
MMW: I used to do synchronized swimming. And yes, I wore the stupid rubber cap.
JSC: Were you a voracious reader as a child?
MMW: Fuck yeah!
JSC: What was the first book that made you cry?
MMW: My Algebra textbook.
JSC: What other artistic pursuits (it any) do you indulge in apart from writing?
MMW: I do little crafty things. Making jewelry, candles, bath salts. But I rarely have enough time!
JSC: What are some day jobs that you have held? If any of them impacted your writing, share an example.
MMW: I worked for a Los Angeles PR agency run by a former rock writer. He taught me how to write press releases, bios and articles. Then I started co-writing his memoir and on it went from there! I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was twelve, but this showed me I could do it and get paid.
JSC: Describe yourself using an animal.
MMW: Owl. I can never sleep at night and I stare at people with big, buggy eyes. Okay, maybe not that last part. Unless you’re Alexander Skarsgard or Olivia Wilde, then all bets are off.
JSC: What fantasy realm would you choose to live in and why?
MMW: As a LOTR geek, there is only one realm to rule them all.
JSC: What fictional speculative fiction character would you like to spend an evening with, and why?
MMW: Now that you have me on the subject of Middle Earth, the answer would be Viggo Mortenson and I’m sure you can guess why 😉
Thanks, M.M., for the great interview!
And now for MM.’s new book: Guarding the Runaway Omega:
After escaping a secret facility that’s experimenting on omegas, Jasper stumbles across the one shifter who will risk everything to protect him.
Omega Jasper might not yet be out of his teens, but he’s already suffered a lifetime of misery. When his domineering father can’t match Jasper with a prestigious gay Alpha, he finds a more sinister way to achieve his goal. Jasper’s only choice is to break free from his confines—even if it costs him his life.
Hawk is a half Native, half wolf shifter member of the beta-driven Guardian Pack. While on perimeter duty, he discovers a runaway omega in the woods who is cold, scared and injured. His senses scream that he and Jasper are fated mates. But, before he can act on their shared destiny, Hawk needs to investigate why Jasper was being held captive.
Maybe the strange tales in the ancient texts of their ancestors are real…
Author’s Note:Guarding the Runaway Omega is Book Two in the Alaskan Wolf Alliance series and should be read in order. This story features a reluctant beta with a family secret and a pushy omega who can’t take no for an answer! But fate is on their side, so you can expect lots of steamy, knotty fun. This romantic tale with a dose of action and suspense includes a fluffy, feel-good HEA and we all know that wolves don’t cheat, so no worries there!
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA
Amazon AU | Amazon DE
Excerpt
Jasper stumbled over a tree root embedded in the soggy ground, tripping him up as if it had been lying in wait for him to race by, as though it were keeping him from escaping his horrible fate at the hands of the shifters who’d been holding him captive. He slammed to the ground, scraping his cheek and knees against more roots and a large rock. As he lay there, shivering, his skin stinging from where he’d hurt himself, he realized the rain had picked up in intensity. He’d succumb to the elements if he didn’t find shelter soon.
Get up!
His wolf screamed somewhere inside him, but Jasper couldn’t find exactly where he was, couldn’t call him forth in the same way he hadn’t been able to for weeks.
How long since they injected me with the shifting suppressant? Will it ever wear off?
All he had with him was the T-shirt and jeans he wore—not even shoes—let alone anything to give him the time. Darkness had already descended when he’d made the escape his fellow prisoners had deemed a death sentence, but Jasper hadn’t been clear what time it was then either.
He sucked in a deep gulp of air then slowly let it out. The thick drops of water falling from the sky had picked up a quicker pace, the rain pounding against the evergreens, carpet of needles and leaves creating a deafening backdrop to the forest. He closed his eyes, his futile attempt at focus against the cacophony of the weather preventing him from hearing if anyone was on his trail. But it was no use. Even his sense of smell had been thrown out of whack by the suppressant.
Wait. Jasper’s eyes flew open. Something…
He didn’t know what he’d scented, it had gone by in a flash, but the smell was the first odor he’d encountered since he’d been taken captive that didn’t make him want to retch. No, what he wanted to do was inhale this mystery aroma as deeply as he could then lick whatever the source of it was until his tongue went dry.
Jasper gasped, pushing at the forest detritus with his heels to scramble away from whatever had just whooshedpast him. He hid behind the enormous spruce that he was still convinced had been out to get him. The scent wafted past in the wake of the creature thathadto be nearby, however, he now worried it was an evil lure, another trap the way everything else had recently been.
Nothing—or no one—could be trusted.
“You’re hurt.”
Jasper yelped then slapped a hand over his mouth.Fuck. Even his night vision was screwed up. He hadn’t realized anyone was nearby and now he’d gone and alerted them to where he was.
“Who are you?” Jasper wasn’t sure he wanted to know.
The face of a rugged man—who was probably only in his early twenties but had the presence of a much older soul—appeared in Jasper’s view. If only his senses hadn’t been tampered with so badly, he’d be able to discern the stranger’s features better.
This stranger who is the source of that maddeningly enticing aroma.
“I’m Hawk. Why are you out here like this, little wolf?” Hawk tilted his head. “You’re shivering, and I know you hurt yourself when you fell. Why don’t you shift? I’ll turn around if you’re self-conscious.”
What? On occasion, new shifters who weren’t accustomed to nudity in front of strangers would be bashful, but that was normal since first shifts happened at puberty. As he was eighteen, he’d already been shifting for almost five years. And since he’d spent the past month imprisoned sans clothing, the last thing he was shy about was being naked in front of Hawk.
Hmm. Maybe that’s why I tripped. When he’d escaped, he’d grabbed whatever shirt and pants he could find on his way out. They weren’t exactly a custom fit. But Hawk’s offer revealed a very important thing about the stranger.
He thinks I can shift. That meant Hawk wasn’t a part of the group of shifters who had been injecting him and the others. Fucking bastards. It still didn’t mean he could trust him, though.
“I’m not in the mood to shift right now. Maybe later.”
What if Hawk knew the shifters who had done this to him? Maybe he’d been sent to track him down, and if Jasper admitted to not being able to shift, then Hawk would know he was the escapee.
And he’ll take me back to them.
Hawk sighed. “I don’t understand why you don’t want to change into your wolf, since you’d warm up and heal those cuts and scrapes, but maybe you’re going through that rebellious phase now that you’ve begun to shift. Still, I’d like to help you to at least get out of this storm.”
He totally thinks I’m a kid! Jasper hated being teased all the time about how small he was. And it’s what’s gotten me into this mess too.
“Dude, I’m not a kid. I’ve been shifting for close to five years, got it?”
Hawk stared at him from dark eyes that seemed black. If only he had the full range of his night vision, he could get a better sense of what Hawk looked like. His scent was damn attractive, so Jasper imagined the rest of him must be too.
“Oh, I see. I apologize.” Hawk extended a large, square hand to Jasper that he could barely make out in the blackness. “As I said, my name is Hawk. What’s yours?”
Jasper narrowed his eyes as he gazed at the offered hand. His teeth had begun to chatter, and the stinging of his cuts was only getting worse. And I’m fucking starving. He hadn’t been getting fed all that well for the past month, either. He didn’t care to muse as to why.
With a sigh, Jasper made a decision that would either save or end him. He’d likely find out soon enough which one it would be. He slid his hand into Hawk’s and Hawk gasped as soon as their skin touched.
The fuck? “Uh, I’m Jasper.” He frowned. “What’s wrong?”
Hawk’s grip tightened. “You need help, Jasper. I won’t let anything bad happen to you, I promise.”
Before he’d had the chance to respond to Hawk’s odd declaration, a distant chorus of howls chilled his blood. Hawk leapt to his feet, dragging Jasper with him.
Holy shit. Hawk had to be at least a few inches over six feet.
“You’re in danger.”
Right as Jasper was about to say, ‘No kidding’, he was hoisted over Hawk’s shoulders like a sack of potatoes. Hawk sprang to life, racing through the forest at incredible speed considering he hadn’t shifted. After several minutes, they reached what appeared to be a hiker shelter and Hawk set him gently on his feet as he undid the latch.
“Hurry. I have some wild sage stored in here. You can rub it all over you while I go back and destroy our trail.”
Jasper grabbed Hawk’s arm. “Hey. How did you know there was danger? Why are you helping me?”
The darkness prevented him from seeing Hawk’s expression, so he’d have to rely on his ability to perceive the wolf’s intent through his voice.
Hawk paused for a moment before responding. “I don’t understand why you’re running through the woods in the middle of the night in a rainstorm, or why you won’t shift, but you’re hurt and scared. What kind of horrible person would I be if I didn’t try to help you?”
Jasper wasn’t sure he’d ever trust anyone again—shifters especially—but Hawk’s words had been spoken with sincerity. And Hawk was right. He didneed help.
“You’d be the kind of person who’s after me right now.” Jasper squeezed Hawk’s arm. “Thank you. But this danger is some serious shit. Be careful.”
Hawk patted the hand Jasper had laid on his arm. “I will, little wolf. I will.”
Author Bio
M.M. Wilde is the knotty mpreg romance alter-ego of Morticia Knight who loves all things strange and unusual. To keep up with the latest in releases, exclusive excerpts, cover reveals and the occasional giveaway—when M.M. is feeling particularly saucy—follow her on Amazon, Twitter or Facebook:
Amazon Author Page: https://amzn.to/2EEawIK
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/authorM.M.Wilde/
Facebook Special Delivery Reader Group: https://bit.ly/2AnxUKA
Twitter: @Author_MMWilde