#WriteTip - Location, Location, Location by Christy Gissendaner (@ChristyGis), an @EtopiaPress #PNR Author
/The remarkably prolific Christy Gissendaner just polished off a brand new paranormal romance. In addition to snagging an excerpt and her gorgeous wolfy cover (by the way, purple is my official favorite color--regardless of the pinkification of my laptop and phone), I also pried her for a writing tip. Here's the skinny on how Christy came up with the gorgeous setting for her Tybee Island Shifters series.
Location, Location, Location
by Christy Gissendaner
Like they say in retail…location is everything. Which is why for my latest series, I chose Tybee Island, Georgia as my setting and home to the fabulously wealthy Randolphs. I’ve never visited Tybee, so I drew on the internet and my experiences with other islands to create the playground for the rich and beautiful.
Tybee Island is located off the coast of Savannah, a city with elegance and Southern charm. Creating the Randolphs’ beach house was the stuff dreams are made of. For a beach lover like me, who would like nothing better than to live by the ocean, I poured over pictures found inside real estate brochures. I created a white, two-story mansion with large porches, an Olympic-sized pool, and a cute stone archway near the kitchens. (Just to give it character.)
That’s the joy of writing. I can take a simple idea and transform it into sheer perfection. And speaking of ideal, what could be better than a sexy alpha male with money to spare, unsurpassable good looks, and devotion to his family? The Tybee Island Shifters series began with Drake Randolph, who personifies perfection and Emma Anderson falls for him instantly. But Emma is more than human…possibly even a mermaid. Check out In Too Deep, book 1, to learn more about Drake and Emma.
Summer in Tybee Island heats up again in In Deeper, book 2. Micah Randolph and Celeste Proctor (Drake’s beta and ex-girlfriend) fight to keep from denying their shared attraction, while searching for the person threatening Celeste’s company. I once again returned to Tybee Island and the Randolphs’ beach house for Micah and Celeste’s tale. And the heat is off the charts. Trust me, you don’t want to miss the antics of these two!
Thanks for having me today, Tara, and I hope ya’ll enjoy the excerpt! And check out that cover. Isn’t Micah one hot commodity? [Tara: *Fans face* Hot commodity might be an understatement...]
In Deeper (Tybee Island Shifters 2)
by Christy Gissendaner
The alpha’s brother has met his match.
Celeste Proctor always had the best of everything—expensive homes, fashionable clothing, and the coveted position of beta to the most powerful of all lycans, Drake Randolph. But after the alpha chose another to be his bride, Celeste is left without a mate. She needs one, and fast—the stronger, the better–to maintain her carefully cultivated position. One of the alpha’s brothers will have to do, but which one?
Micah Randolph has always lived in the shadow of his oldest brother. With his country music career heating up, Micah is looking forward to a whirlwind tour and achieving his own success, separate from his position within the powerful Randolph family. When the beautiful yet untouchable Celeste Proctor shows up, determined to mate with him or his twin brother, he has a choice to make: pursue the dream he’s worked so hard to achieve, or be drawn back into pack politics as the mate of a woman looking only to secure her rank in the pack? But the way she makes him feel when she looks at him…can he make her want him for more than his strong, lycan blood?
Buy Links: Amazon
Excerpt
How in the hell had it happened? One moment he was blinded by rage. The next he was consumed by lust strong enough to knock him on his ass.
Celeste didn’t know what she did to him. If she did, she’d turn and run. He didn’t want to only mate with her. He wanted to mark her, brand her as his own for the entire world to see. It wasn’t a case of wanting something of his brother’s. Drake’s claim on her was merely as the alpha to her beta. They were friends now. Nothing more.
Micah’s mind suspected the truth even if his heart didn’t. He’d never thought of her as Drake’s. He’d been unable to, no matter how much he tried.
He slid his hands lower and caressed the slope of her ass. The heat of her skin radiated through the leather and warmed his palms. What he wouldn’t give to peel the tight pants off and reveal the lush curves he’d only glimpsed once.
He lowered his head and nuzzled her neck. “Tell me to go.”
She wriggled her ass closer. “I don’t want you to.”
He groaned. “This is madness.”
“It doesn’t have to be.” She leaned backward and met his gaze. “I’m tired of being on my own. I want something that’s mine.”
“I’m not a piece of property you can add to your collection.”
She gave him a fierce frown. “I’m more than a spoiled rich girl.”
Let her go and walk away. He didn’t heed his subconscious’s advice. She was there, in his arms, and his cock took over thinking for him. There were very few things in life he was unable to resist, but she topped the short list.
Celeste ran her hands up his chest and cupped his shoulders. Her fingers curled into his skin, holding him in place even though he wasn’t thinking of running. “I’m tired of being the girl everyone thinks has everything. You don’t know what it’s like to be alone.”
“Sure, I do.” He lowered his head. The taste of her kiss would be a memory no longer, no more a dream that replayed over and over in his head at night. “Everyone is alone eventually.”
He moved his mouth closer, already imagining the sweet taste of her. He would’ve experienced the sweet joy of having her again had his phone not chosen that moment to ring.
He closed his eyes and cursed at the sound of the familiar ringtone. “It’s Drake.”
ABOUT CHRISTY GISSENDANER
Christy Gissendaner is a romantic comedy author and believes that laughter and love should go hand in hand.
Christy lives in Alabama with her husband and three sons. She’s always hard at work on her next novel, but in her spare time she loves blackjack, karaoke, and anything resembling a vacation!
To find out more, check out her website!
