S E Davis - An Accidental Meeting Between Two Vets

Posted on 10th of February, 2024 by Naomi Bolton

S E Davis is a veterinarian and advocate for werewolf and mental health. She lives on the North Dakota prairie with her family and a Weimaraner who understands shifting into human form is not necessary for being part of the pack. Follow her for intriguing thrillers, and spicy contemporary and paranormal romance stories.

Please give us a short introduction to what Love Struck is about.

Love Struck is about an accidental meeting between two vets—one discharged Marine and a veterinarian. While they have their mental demons and emotional baggage, their instant connection offers them a distraction and a potential bump toward healing. Oh, and there is an adorable sidekick puppy.

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What inspired you to write this story? Was there anything in particular that made you want to tackle this?

Honestly, Love Struck began as a story prompt that caught my eye while I was sitting on a beach in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico scrolling through social media. Seriously, I shouldn't have been going down the rabbit hole while ON A BEACH, but I did, saw it, then couldn't stop thinking about it during my trip. Once I got home, I wrote Orion's part of the story in just over a month. After a friend read it and suggested Dani's perspective was missing, I got to work and filled in the missing pieces.

This story fell together quickly and almost seamlessly because I connected with both characters so well. While I haven't experienced their specific pasts, I have my own life experiences to draw from. Plus, I have family in the military who provided excellent insight.

You are a veterinarian. How does this influence your writing?

I really enjoy sharing stories about life as a veterinarian. Some are crazy, touching, or incredibly sad, but animals do that to people—give them something to be crazy about, touch our lives in truly wonderous ways, and leave us brokenhearted when they go so soon. Plus, I felt there needed to be more books with veterinarians as characters to show those unique bonds we have with our patients.

Besides writing, what other secret skills do you have?

Hmm, secret? Reading while tuning out the world around me. I also like to create picture quilts, I speak fluent Weim, and I can consume a ribeye any time of the day or night. Okay, none of those are secrets...

Tell us more about Orion Windwalker. What makes him tick?

Orion grew up with the goal of following in his family's military footsteps. After his discharge, he gets lost. He needs to find purpose in life away from such a rigid structure and what better way than look for adventure? He needs fulfillment and healing. I think the best thing that happened to him in this story is Thor. That puppy helped to heal a grievous wound. I could have focused on that and left the romance out, but Dani had other thoughts.

What makes dr. Dani Lavigne so special?

She's special because she came out of vet school without loan debt! Can you imagine? And I feel she's special because she is no different than anyone who cares too much about their job. She grumbles about the work but loves it. It's an escape for her but in the end (apart from other things) the stress of sleepless nights is the biggest pitfall for Dani. Wherever her career path takes her, veterinary medicine will forever be in her blood, I promise you that.

Interesting cover. Please tell us more about it.

Ooh, isn't it! I adore this cover! Inessa Sage with Cauldron Press designed the cover for me. I gave her my blurb and answered a few questions and violà... Ms. Sage created this beauty! I think it fits the story perfectly!

cover

The book also touches on intense topics like PTSD and abuse. Why did you find this important to write about?

There needs to be more talk about mental health. A stigma surrounds diseases like PTSD, depression, and anxiety, etc and makes it hard for people to open up about how they really feel. We don't have much issue discussing diabetes or blood pressure but we do about illness affecting our thoughts. Why? Because past generations were told to suck it up? Fake it til you make it? Unfortunately, this advice doesn't necessarily work for people with mental illness. Writing about these issues is cathartic for me—helps me work through my own depression and anxiety—and offers insight to readers that I feel is important.

Who is Thor and why did you decide to include him in the story?

Thor is every Weimaraner I've ever had the pleasure to know. They are a breed apart in my opinion. Yeah, the setting is Cali and I could have used a pittie cross, but... I didn't. Besides, Indian Jones has his hat. I want to write characters that have their dog.

Readers say your book took them on an emotional rollercoaster ride. How did you pull this off?

I wrote from the heart and did my best to stay true to each character.

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

Interestingly enough, I first write a blurb, then a beginning and ending scene. I'll try to create an outline to stay on track, but to be honest, the development of the story nearly always veers offf the intended path.

Do you have any interesting writing habits? What is an average writing day like for you?

I work full time so I write during odd spare moments and free hours on the weekends. At minimum, I try to write 500 words per day.

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What are you working on right now?

I'm halfway through a wolf shifter story on Kindle Vella (Beneath the Thorn and Red Roses) as well as a YA story about a young girl and pirates in Norway in the 1800's (Buckles). I've also begun to write They Had Eyes of Ice, the fourth and final book of a series that starts with They Had Eyes of Silver. In this wulfin world, the wolf shifters are connected to Fenrir. I look forward to tackling Ragnarök in the final book!