Dante Eternal's Virtual Bookshelf: Curious Little Werewolf by Katie Salidas w/ Interview

Title: Curious Little Werewolf

Author: Katie Salidas

Series: Little Werewolf (Book 2)

Genre: YA Paranormal

Publisher: Rising Sign Books

Release Date: May 24 2016

Blurb/Synopsis:

Things would be perfect if supernatural disasters would quit creeping up and ruining Giselle’s happy new life. After finally finding the fur-ever home she’s always wanted a witch blows into town promising to reveal the bloody past of Giselle’s birth, and the circumstances that led the little werewolf to end up in the foster care system to begin with.

Hot on the witch’s trail, another pack of wolves is on the hunt for revenge, and will accept nothing less than her death in retribution for the havoc she’s wrought on them.

Caught in the crossfire, Giselle desires only the truth, and if the witch is who she claims to be, the little werewolf must protect her at any cost. If she’s lying, though, Giselle risks her own kind seeing her as a traitor. Neither her new pack nor her hottie witch boyfriend Damien can offer any help.

Giselle is on her own again. And if she makes the wrong decision, she’ll lose the only link she has to her own past.

“Not running away, are you?” David’s haughty tone mocked her more than his words could have.

“No. I just like to walk in the service alley. Fresh air and all,” she lied, but closed the gate all the same.

“Of course. Lone wolves often cannot handle the formality of pack life. I bet I’m quite the thorn in your side tonight, am I right?” David sounded more congenial now than he’d been all night. The sudden shift piqued her interest.

She turned to face him. “Still learning my place. You know. Child of the system and all of that.”

David nodded with a little “Um-hmm” as he stroked his beardless chin. “What do you know of your history?” he asked after a moment of reflection.

Giselle cursed under her breath. She’d been so close to leaving and avoiding this whole mess of a question. David had not taken his eyes off of her since they’d sat down to dinner, but she’d been warned to play nice, and had held her tongue. Now, being cornered like this with him asking questions she wasn’t comfortable discussing set her teeth on edge.

“Nothing, really.” She shrugged as if none of what she had to say carried any importance. “I was abandoned. Fostered, then adopted.”

“That’s is the short of it, isn’t it?” He snickered, finally a genuine laugh of sorts, given the stick planted firmly up his ass. It lightened the mood between them enough for Giselle to feel comfortable taking a few steps closer to him. David crossed his arms and immediately regained his air of regality. “Where were you first taken in? Did your parents tell you?”

She’d had a set of parents until her first change had scared them half to death. At nine, she’d been sent back into the system, and been passed around Oregon like a hot potato until finally they’d sent her to Vegas. But she wasn’t sure how much of that she wanted to tell David. “I didn’t come from Vegas, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“You’re awfully defensive.”

Understatement of the year, she nearly said, but chose to stick her foot even further in her mouth. “And you’re kind of nosy.” Giselle regretted it almost immediately.

David’s eyes narrowed, his mouth forming a hard line of anger. The silence between them suddenly became deafening; even the crickets and cicada bugs had quieted, leaving only the screaming of her conscience telling her she’d overstepped this time.

Under the scrutiny of his angered glare, part of Giselle felt fear. He claimed to be their regional leader, but she had no reason to respect him. She’d always been a lone wolf, and that mindset awarded no loyalty to anyone who had not earned it.

“I understand you are unfamiliar with our ways, so I’ll let your disrespect slip this once, but you will have to learn your place.” His eyes bore into hers.

She met his stare full on, her wolf rising to the surface, filling her with all the power she held within. “Respect is earned.”

They stared locked for what felt like an eternity, and then small creases formed in David’s brow. His eyes softened. “Very true, young Alpha. But remember it goes both ways.”

She’d expected him to lash out. Her wolf was at the ready for a fight. She knew she’d have lost against a full grown male – she still had much to learn where fighting was concerned – but her strength of will went a long way. “I’m not comfortable with your line of questioning. My past is not a subject I like to think about, as it has not been pleasant.”

“Now that is an acceptable answer.” David nodded. “My interest in you has to do more with why and how you fell into the system, rather than you personally. It is not common for our kind to last long on our own. We need our packs.”

She’d expected him to lash out. To impose his will as Alpha. But instead, he had responded with a more than fair and even tone, even commending her personal strength. Perhaps she had not given him the chance he deserved. Giselle considered it for a moment before revealing more of her past. “I came from Oregon. All over Oregon. My… condition… obviously caused problems.”

“And your attitude as well, I bet.” David chuckled again, another genuine laugh that showed in his eyes. Much less the creeper now, she understood his scrutinizing gaze to be more a part of his personality as Alpha.

She nodded. “I have been known to go my own way, yes.”

“That’s not safe for a young wolf.”

“So I’ve been told many times.”

“A good alpha knows when to listen to the advice of others. It’s not always about having your own will be done.”

“Still learning that part.”

“For a true alpha, that is probably the hardest lesson of them all. It’s easy to think you can do what you will, consequences be damned, but the reality is, without thought, actions are meaningless.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“No. You won’t. You’re placating me, hoping I’ll end our conversation soon, so you can retreat to the safety of your sisters and recount all that you’ve gleaned from your time with me. Go. It’s fine. They will be your council this evening. And some years down the line, my words will come back to you.”

He’d nailed it. She was planning to do just that.

“Does this mean I’m free to go?” Giselle made a show of bowing to him.

“I’m not your enemy, despite what you may think. It is in my best interest to ensure the health and good care of all under my domain. Cases like yours are quite special, and as you no doubt guessed, fraught with problems. Humans don’t want to know we exist, and we’d like to keep it that way too. That is why I asked what you know – so I can look into why it happened and help prevent it from happening again.”

It all sounded good, and he was probably well intentioned, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more behind his questions than Alpha duty. She saw it in his eyes. There was a personal level to his line of questions as well. And if she had hit the nail on the head, it was Cassandra, and his desire to find and punish her for what she had done. That, she wouldn’t allow.

“Like I said, I don’t have much I can tell you. It was a blur of foster parents since my first change.”

“If you do somehow remember something, please let me know. I will be here in Vegas until the end of the week.”

Giselle nodded and walked past him back into the house. She’d text Cassandra at the very least and let her know the wolves were on to her.

Amazon UK

Amazon US

What does your writing process look like?

Butt in chair…. Write!

That’s pretty much how it gets done. I like to get at least 500 words in a day, with a goal of 1k. If you sit down and write like that, a book will form fairly quickly.

Now revisions… That’s a whole different ballgame.

Do you have any strange writing habits (like standing on your head or writing in the shower)?

It has to be quiet. I have to hear myself think. So, naturally that means I cannot write when my kids are awake. I have 3 of them. They are way too loud!

Imagine your characters are on survivor. Who will they vote out of the book?

It’s funny. My ARC readers have already told me who they want to see killed off. I have a tendency to murder characters at (what appears to be random) times. Currently Di and Taylor are on the chopping block. Though I have no plans as of now to remove them.

What/Who is your favorite monster/villain?

I can’t call them monsters anymore because they are so mainstream, but Vampires have always been my favorite, and the Brat Prince himself, Lestat is my all-time favorite villain.

Do you read your reviews? Do you respond to them, good or bad? Do you have any advice on how to deal with the bad?

I always read them. Never respond though. That’s a no-no in my book. Reviews are the reader’s opinion and that is something you can’t change, so why would anyone bother? It just makes the author look bad when they do.

Do you have a favorite conference to attend? What is it?

I haven’t been to many conferences, but I would love to go to Utopia. Maybe next year. I hear it is such a blast!

What is the weirdest thing that has ever been said or done to you by a fan? (Internet stalkers count)

As soon as I get one, I will let you know. I have not yet earned my first stalker. I’m thinking it’s like a merit badge in girl scouts. And when I do, I expect a patch to sew onto my sash. :p

What is the hardest scene you have ever written?

As much as I joke about killing characters, writing the death of someone important is actually pretty hard. The emotion has to be just right. The end of their life needs to be handled with some reverence. I don’t want to do the character or the reader any injustice when the moment comes.

What are you working on now?

Book three in the Little Werewolf series is next on my list. I hope to have it ready by Halloween.

Thank you for your time, any parting words?

Hugs to anyone who made it all the way to the bottom and read this!!! <3

Author of the Immortalis, Chronicles, and Little Werewolf Series, Las Vegas native, Katie Salidas is a Jill of all trades. Mother to three, Wife to one, and slave to the craft of writing, she tries to do it all, often causing sleep deprivation and many nights passed out at the computer. Writing is her passion, and she hopes that her passion will bring you hours of entertainment.