Author Guest Post: Gone With the Wolf – Kristin Miller

We have Kristin Miller with us today chatting about inspiration.  Help me in welcoming Kristin to Cocktails and Books.

Inspiration: where and how?

Hello, everyone! :waves: Before we jump into the inspiration behind Gone with the Wolf and my other work, I have to thank Cocktails and Books for hosting me today. I’m so thrilled to be here!

I am often asked what inspires my writing, and I never know quite how to answer. I get inspiration from everywhere. My first book, Dark Tide Rising, was inspired by a book I wanted to read and couldn’t find on the shelves at Barnes and Noble. (It hadn’t been written yet, so my dear husband simply said that I should be the one to write it.) My next three books were inspired by the line, “Behold! I send you out as sheep amidst the wolves!” (The first book, InterVamption, was about a shape-shifting assassin who had to shift into a vampire to complete his dark, other-worldly assignment.) From there, inspiration seemed easier to find.

If you stop and take a look around, love is everywhere.

I pull from sappy movies like ‘The Proposal’ or ‘Leap Year’, or sultry love songs like John Legend’s All of Me. When I say “I pull” from these, I mean that I note what I’m feeling when I watch a certain scene or listen to a certain song. I try to pinpoint why I’m feeling that way during that moment. I want to deliver the same feel-good vibe to my readers, whether it’s a laugh while they’re reading, a heart-pinch during the black moment, or a sigh when they close the book. If an idea sparks, I make a mad dash to my notebook and jot down whatever thoughts are brewing, no matter how ridiculous they might seem at the time. My notes usually contain a trope, an emotional scene or a tug that got me when I wasn’t expecting it.

Just yesterday, I heard the first strings of Sam Smith’s new song, Stay With Me. I don’t know if it was the soothing melody, or the raw emotion behind the words, but something struck. I immediately bought the iTunes version and have listened to that song for the last two writing sessions. The words have flown from my fingers.

For Gone with the Wolf, I was inspired by a goal: sign a contract with Liz Pelletier at Entangled Publishing. She was looking for light-hearted paranormal, “vampire next door” type book for their Covet line. I’d never written light-hearted paranormal before, and was excited to try my hand at it. At the time, Fifty Shades of Grey was the hottest thing on the market. I couldn’t go anywhere without seeing the book on shelves or hearing someone talk about it while in line at the grocery store.

Want to know my initial note for Gone with the Wolf? (This is going deep into my writing journal and something I don’t normally share…) “Christian Grey is powerful, charismatic, and used to being in control. What if Christian Grey was a werewolf?

That was it. 

CEO and Alpha werewolf Drake Wilder was born.

Drake Wilder and Christian Grey are both CEOs, richer than gravy, used to being in control and very single. Those are probably the only similarities between Gone with the Wolf and Fifty Shades of Grey. But that’s what inspiration is all about, right? It’s not about copying an idea from someone else; it’s about experiencing something, feeling a stir, and running with that notion to create another unique work.

CEO and alpha werewolf Drake Wilder has given up the search for his one true love. When he discovers that she’s a secretary in his company, Drake’s primal instincts kick into overdrive. 

What he wouldn’t give to have her fingers rake over his body instead of the keyboard… 

Free-spirited bartender Emelia Hudson wants nothing more than to make her Seattle-based bar succeed. But when profits decline, she slips into a dress suit and secures a nine-to-five. After learning that her bar has become property of Wilder Financial, Emelia is determined to get some answers. 

Two can play the ruthless business game. If only her attraction to the boss wasn’t so intense… 

When Drake’s twin brother senses that Drake has found his match—and now inherits their father’s billion dollar estate—he hatches a plan to take Emelia out. Drake vows to protect her at all costs, but he might have to pay with his own life.

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GONE WITH THE WOLF is currently on sale for $.99

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kristin Miller writes sweet and sassy small town romance, romantic suspense, and paranormal of all varieties. She lives in Northern California with her Alpha male husband and their two children.

For more information, visit: www.kristinmiller.net
Facebook: facebook.com/AuthorKristinMiller
Twitter: km_miller
kristinmiller02@aol.com