Must-read paranormals (and author interviews): 'About a Girl,' 'Primal Heat'

About a Girl by Sarah McCarry

This is the third Metamorphoses book and I've read only the second one, Dirty Wings. I'm so glad more and more books feature an array of LGBTQ characters. I also loved how deep and intelligent Tally is. The secondary characters are richly developed, and if you enjoy very descriptive stories, you'll fall for this one.

What it's about (courtesy of St. Martin's Griffin):

Eighteen-year-old Tally is absolutely sure of everything: her genius, the love of her adoptive family, the loyalty of her best friend, Shane, and her future career as a Nobel prize-winning astronomer. There's no room in her tidy world for heartbreak or uncertainty—or the charismatic, troubled mother who abandoned her soon after she was born. But when a sudden discovery upends her fiercely ordered world, Tally sets out on an unexpected quest to seek out the reclusive musician who may hold the key to her past—and instead finds Maddy, an enigmatic and beautiful girl who will unlock the door to her future. The deeper she falls in love with Maddy, the more Tally begins to realize that the universe is bigger—and more complicated—than she ever imagined. Can Tally face the truth about her family—and find her way home in time to save herself from its consequences?

INTERVIEW WITH SARAH McCARRY

What can readers expect in the third Metamorphosis book?

Sarah: Witches, monsters (real and imagined), some jokes, lots of science and lots of kissing. Also a (mostly) happy ending.

Tell us about Maddy?

Sarah: Maddy's a mysterious and possibly immortal punk-rock girl with perfect eyeliner, a serious history and tattoos straight out of Ray Bradbury.

Why do you think Tally fell so hard for her?

Sarah: I mean, who wouldn't?

Who has been your favorite character to write in the series?

Sarah: Tally, hands down. She's funny, brilliant and cocky, but she also learns some important lessons about compassion and learning to live with unanswered questions.

What are you currently working on?

Sarah: A secret! But it's a satire and not set in the '90s, which is a big change from the trilogy.

Epic one-liner from About a Girl?

Sarah:

I told myself at first that I was coming down with something, that I had been watching too much television and my formidable mind was going soft as a result, or that I had been reading too much Shakespeare and too little Wheeler (although Wheeler himself is prone to unscientifically poetic fits of exegesis), but finally even I had to admit that my feelings for my best friend in all the world had abruptly leapt the track from the blissfully platonic to the mundanely carnal.

Primal Heat by A.C. Arthur

I'm falling in love with serial romances (I want more, please!), and Primal Heat has me excited for the second one to come out next week! Part one of Primal Heat is packed with steam and smexy shifters. I haven't read the previous books and felt like I was missing an overall plot thread, but I plan on going back and picking up the first one, Temptation Rising. The covers are all gorgeous, and personally, I'm a fan of cat shifters.

What it's about (courtesy of St. Martin's Paperbacks):

First in an exclusive four-part e-serial!

Half man, half animal, a Shadow Shifter lives a dual existence in a savage world-one in which desire can be as dangerous as nature itself.

Meet Eli Preston. As guard to the most powerful shapeshifter in the human world, he is sworn to protect his leader and stay true to his mission. But his devotion will be tested when he meets a beautiful woman who arouses his werejaguar senses­-and ignites his wildest passions...

INTERVIEW WITH A.C. ARTHUR

What's your favorite thing about writing serial?

A.C.: I love that it reminds me of watching a television series. For instance, each week I tune in to Teen Wolf and then wait ever so impatiently for the next week's episode to find out what will happen next. It's a kind of happy anticipation.

Tell us about smexy Jaguar shifter Eli?

A.C.: Oh yes, Mr. Eli. He's one of those wounded and brooding alpha heroes that can piss you off in one instant and then make you want to jump his bones in the next. He's still reeling from his twin brother Ezra's mating with a human from the previous book (Hunger's Mate), and now has to face his own demons, along with his unshakable desire for Nivea. And as if that's not enough to make a guy go crazy, the Shadow Shifters are being attacked. So this is a really tumultuous time for Eli, but I think he manages to stand strong pretty well.

How did you match up his perfect heroine?

A.C.: From the first book in this series where I introduced Eli I knew he would need a woman as strong and courageous as him. So right off the bat, I thought, "She has to be a shifter." Nivea Cannon is a guard in the shifter army that Eli not only knows, but has trained. So she's able to meet him toe-to-toe in everything from battle to the shifter history and then ultimately to the bedroom. She's just as stubborn and tenacious as he is and has her own family drama to deal with. I felt like this added dynamic really put both of them on equal ground and that they were either going to sink or swim where the romance was concerned. Luckily, they were both able to keep their head above water, helping to save the shifters and declaring their love for each other as well.

Who has been your favorite Shadow Shifter to write?

A.C.: Eli's a very close second, but Xavier Santos Markland (from Passion's Prey) was my absolute favorite to write. He also had a pretty dark past which turned him into a resilient and no-nonsense shifter. He's great with computers but even better at kickin' butt when necessary. As arrogant and totally alpha as he comes off, there's this vulnerability to him that only a sassy and independent heroine would be able to find.

What can readers expect in part two?

A.C.: Each part of the Primal Heat serial is about stepping up the intensity of Eli and Nivea's relationship as well as bringing the war between the Shadows, the Rogues and the Clones to a head. So after the Shadows have figured out exactly what they're up against in part one and Eli has had his first taste of Nivea, part two takes the battle a step further as the Shadows begin planning how they will extinguish the threat against them once and for all. There's even more action and more intense love scenes between Eli and Nivea as the stakes are high and they're all trying to figure out a way to come out on top.

What are you currently working on?

A.C.: I am currently working on the second book in a new shifter series called Wolf Mates. This shifter world picks up right where The Shadow Shifters left off, telling the story of sexy werewolf shifters that are the product of an ancient curse by Zeus and what happens when the wrath of the gods clashes with this new species on earth.

Epic one-liner from part one of Primal Heat?

A.C.:

"That was cool, but I'm a take-charge type of female. When I hunt I don't settle for not catching my prey."

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Jessie Potts, also known as Book Taster, adores books in all forms. She also does reviews for RT Book Reviews magazine and works in the submissions departments at Dreamspinner Press and Entangled YA. You can follow her on Twitter (@BookTaster).