Catherine Stine - Suspense, Love, Loss, Hurt, Mates and Mystery

Posted on 14th of September, 2020 by Naomi Bolton

Catherine Stine is a USA Today bestselling author of historical fantasy and paranormal romance. Witch of the Wild Beasts won a second prize spot in RWA’s Sheila Contest. Other novels have earned Indie Notable awards and New York Public Library Best Books. She lives in New York State and grew up in Philadelphia. Before writing, she was a painter and a children’s fabric designer. Catherine loves spending time with her beagle, writing about supernatural creatures, and meeting readers at book fests. As our Author of the Day, she tells us all about her book, Alpha's Revenge.

Please give us a short introduction to what Alpha's Revenge is about.

It’s about a man struggling with heartache and loss, who plans for a revenge that will hopefully cure his pain. What he gets is something very different than he planned for in every way, including the nature of his “revenge”.

The blurb is: Meet Wayland Leblanc—legendary royal alpha, hell-bent on revenge for his murdered mate. When the edict comes down from the leader in his new territory that all royals mate and produce an heir within the year or lose royal status, Wayland hits the road. He’s not ready. Instead, he charges up to Canada in his mini-camper, to wreak revenge on Thorn, the Tundra shifter who killed his mate Sabine and their unborn babe. He conscripts an army of coyote shifters in his revenge plot, and stuffs down his lingering heartache by partying with neighboring witches. What he doesn’t plan for is falling hard for Stormy, Thorn’s mysterious sister. But pursuing a star-crossed Juliet to his Romeo just might cost Wayland and Stormy their lives.

What inspired you to write about a forbidden childhood crush revisited?

It’s a compelling subject. Most of us recall our first crush and wonder what it might be like to revisit each other as adults.

Why did you include a witch spell in this story?

I love witches! They are misunderstood wise women, and I’ve written two historical fantasies with witch heroines: Witch of the Wild Beasts and Witch of the Cards. I couldn’t resist putting a couple of wily witches in this book! They make good campsite companions for Wayland.

This is part of a series. Can it be read as a standalone? How do the other books in the series tie in with this one?

It is a shard world series, which is a tad different than a regular series. There is a shared prologue where readers meet the four shifters. But then, each alpha has his own unique story. Thus, no need to read the books in order! A win-win.

Besides writing, what other secret skills do you have?

I am an artist, and I teach creative writing part time to art students. I used to be a children’s fabric designer.

Why Fantasy and Paranormal Romance? What drew you to the genre?

I love writing about supernatural creatures – witches, water sprites, alpha wolf shifters – and my forthcoming book will feature merfolk. Paranormal beings are like real people but on steroids. And I love to infuse the work with romance, but low to medium heat, not erotica because I enjoy entertaining readers with a super-twisty and unexpected plotline. You’ll never guess the end of Alpha’s Revenge! (Unless you cheat and read ahead. LOL)

Tell us more about the Royal Alpha Wolves Club.

I had fun building up the relationship between Wayland and Stormy, and crafting her mysterious backstory. I enjoyed writing about the Canadian wilderness, where he goes to seek revenge. The research on wolves and wild creatures of the tundra was fascinating. And I had a blast creating Wayland’s eventual allies, the coyote shifters, led by Bones and Red Claw. They are wild and scrappy and hilarious – and apparently a reader favorite, judging from the reviews so far.

What makes Wayland Leblanc so special?

He is strong, yet not afraid to be tender. He brutally protects his own, yet he is kind and warmhearted and generous. He is strikingly handsome yet humble. He is a man of action.

Which character did you find the most challenging to create?

Stormy’s brother, Thorn, who is a villain, and a brutal man, yet I had to create some humanizing aspects for him. I won’t say what those were. You can read and discover.

When starting on a new book, what is the first thing you do?

I brainstorm, sometimes for months, and mostly in my head. Then I scribble down ideas. And then I write a two-page synopsis. Of course, it changes as I go, but if I get that settled, I can delve into writing.

Do you have any interesting writing habits? What is an average writing day like for you? What are you working on right now?

When I’m in the middle of a project I try to work on it every day, if only for a few hours. I am beginning work on another shared world series called The Keepers, and my character is a mermaid named Indigo Rain. I love the ocean and so I am really excited for this one. My launch is on March 15, 2021, so stay tuned!