Wicked Wolf
(A Redwood Pack Novella)
by Carrie Ann Ryan
The war between the Redwood Pack and the Centrals is one of wolf legend. Gina Eaton lost both of her parents when a member of their Pack betrayed them. Adopted by the Alpha of the Pack as a child, Gina grew up within the royal family to become an enforcer and protector of her den. She’s always known fate can be a tricky and deceitful entity, but when she finds the one man that could be her mate, she might throw caution to the wind and follow the path set out for her, rather than forging one of her own.
Quinn Weston’s mate walked out on him five years ago, severing their bond in the most brutal fashion. She not only left him a shattered shadow of himself, but their newborn son as well. Now, as the lieutenant of the Talon Pack’s Alpha, he puts his whole being into two things: the safety of his Pack and his son.
When the two Alphas put Gina and Quinn together to find a way to ensure their treaties remain strong, fate has a plan of its own. Neither knows what will come of the Pack’s alliance, let alone one between the two of them. The past paved their paths in blood and heartache, but it will take the strength of a promise and iron will to find their future.
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An Exclusive Interview With Carrie Ann Ryan:
~ with Jillian Stein of Read Love Blog
The chemistry between Gina and Quinn in Wicked Wolf is fantastic and I loved their story! What made you choose them for your 1,001 Dark Nights novella?
Thank you so much for saying that! Gina and Quinn surprised me how much they burned up the pages as I wrote them. As for how I chose them, you actually have Liz Berry to thank for that. The two of us were talking about the future of the Redwood Pack and where 1,001 would take the series. You see, the first arc of the series ended with Fighting Fate, however the series isn’t over yet.
I knew that the book right after Wicked Wolf would be 30 years in the future and start my Talon Pack series spin off, but I didn’t want to jump too far ahead. Instead, I jumped 15 years and low and behold, I knew who I wanted to write about. Gina was adopted into the Jamenson family during the course of the series and was the perfect age to find her mate. Since she was a Redwood Pack wolf I knew I wanted to write about her finding love with a Talon to bridge my two series. It was fun!
You have a few different series and have worlds set in both paranormal and contemporary romance. Do you find going between the two challenging?
Yes and no. My Montgomery Ink series is my only contemporary series so far and luckily I have been able to turn off the vast world building and focus on the world building that comes with finding out how a character fits into a world we already live in. With my 4 -5 paranormal series (Redwood Pack, Talon Pack, Dante’s Circle, Holiday Montana and Branded Packs series), I get to jump outside the box and fit in the parameters I set for myself. It’s all about balancing that with my characters. Each way I feel like I write sexy stories with characters you could be friends with.
Who have been some of your favorite characters to write?
Oh my! That’s such a tough question. I think Dante from Tangled Innocence (A Dante’s Circle Novel) since he’s a dragon, Maddox from Shattered Emotions (A Redwood Pack Novel) because he was so emotionally broken that I got to see how he put himself together again, and Gina from Wicked Wolf is up there because she’s a kick-ass heroine! She doesn’t take crap from anyone but will totally sacrifice everything in her own life to help others.
You are another author who is fantastic on social media. Do you find it challenging to keep in touch with fans and get all of your writing done?
Well thank you! I try. And as for social media, it’s all about balance. I set goals for myself writing and admin wise and then I try to talk to readers daily. I also know how to turn off the Internet and focus since everything is so shiny there! But I do love talking to readers about not only my books but about books I read as well. It makes all of this so much more worth it.
Speaking of writing, you are a super fast speed writer! What is your record for most words written in a day?
My fingers ache just thinking about that day! I actually wrote 15,000 words in a day once and then promptly went to bed. I tend to write 3-6k a day, 5 days a week, sometimes more, sometimes less. I love what I do so I can write that much and still feel like I’m breathing.
Before you started writing, you had an interesting career in chemistry. Do you miss that field? Would you ever consider writing a series with a sexy chemist?
Oh, chemistry LOL. I actually have TWO heroines who are chemists. Melanie from An Alpha’s Path (Redwood Pack Book 1) and Lily from Dust of My Wings (Dante’s Circle Book 1) are both different types of chemists. It actually helped lead to them finding their heroes and mates! As for a whole series? I don’t know. That might be boring!
I’d write too much about what they were studying rather than what they are doing to fall in love! LOL
Do you have any writing quirks that you can share? A fave food you like to munch on? A special chair you sit in to write?
I have spreadsheets. Many, many spreadsheets. I actually have a color coded spreadsheet for each character, each world, and then each week/month/year to track how much I write so I can keep on target. Yes, I’m a bit weird but math soothes me. I know some of my friends just cringed reading that. Sorry!
Let’s talk ink! You have a few series related tattoos so far, any plans on more? Have any fans gotten your series tattoos?
Well, Jillian, YOU were with me for some of my ink! LOL I have nine tattoos and I can count each of them as research for my Montgomery Ink series—plus Quinn has sexy ink in Wicked Wolf cough. I have a Redwood Pack tattoo and a Montgomery Ink tattoo. PLUS I have a book tattoo with paw prints that I got with a few readers. I even have the 1001 Dark Nights inked on my skin because this book and these people mean so much to me.
As for what’s next? I DO have plans for more series tattoos, but as you remember, I MIGHT have wanted to cry with the last one on my back so I’m taking my time. That one hurt a bit! LOL. Also, I know of SEVEN readers who have Redwood Pack tattoos, which blows me away. I am so freaking honored. I also know two of them who have book tattoos with my name on them. I’m floored!
You have some beautiful covers with some amazing men. Has there ever been a character that has been hard to find a model to represent?
Oh thank you! And yes, actually, all of my covers have been difficult it seems! My next cover for Montgomery Ink, Harder than Words, was actually the hardest. It took 4 months to find him! But you know, the research that goes into looking for hot men who can wear ink is tough. But someone has to do it.
Can you give us a hint on what you have on tap for 2015 as far as your writing? Any secret projects brewing?
Oh my! I have MANY things in 2015 coming.
Redwood Pack:
Wicked Wolf (Redwood Pack Book 8) comes out Jan 13th with 1001 Dark Nights. Yippee!!
Talon Pack (My Redwood Pack Spin off!)
Tattered Loyalties releases Feb 17th!
An Alpha’s Choice releases Aug 18th
Montgomery Ink (My sexy contemporary tattoo series)
Forever Ink releases March 24th!
Harder than Words releases June 16th
Written in Ink Oct 13th
Dante’s Circle (A paranormal series with dragons, shifters, bears, angles and more!)
Fierce Enchantment releases April 14th!
Fallen for Alphas releases Nov 17th
Tempting Signs (A 12 author contemporary series centered around the Zodiacs)
Finally Found You releases June 23rd
Branded Packs (My co-Authored series with 1001 Dark Nights Author, Alexandra Ivy!)
Stolen and Forgiven releases July 14th
Abandoned and Unseen releases Sept 15th
Thank you SOOOO Much for having me here!
Biography:
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Carrie Ann Ryan never thought she’d be a writer. Not really. No, she loved math and science and even went on to graduate school in chemistry. Yes, she read as a kid and devoured teen fiction and Harry Potter, but it wasn’t until someone handed her a romance book in her late teens that she realized that there was something out there just for her. When another author suggested she use the voices in her head for good and not evil, The Redwood Pack and all her other stories were born.
Carrie Ann is a bestselling author of over twenty novels and novellas and has so much more on her mind (and on her spreadsheets *grins*) that she isn’t planning on giving up her dream anytime soon.
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