Howdy everyone!
My name is Shelbie Knight and I write Paranormal & Contemporary Romance.
I've been writing since I was old enough to lift a pen, building stories to fuel my obsessive desire to create. LOL! I have always had a soft spot for anything supernatural, but it wasn't until I first read Lara Adrian's Midnight Breed Series that I truly became a victim of my own obsession, hook, line and sunk! *fans herself* www.laraadrian.com
Over the years, there have been many Authors who's work has molded my career - Lara Adrian (of course), Larissa Ione, JK Coi, Cynthia Eden, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Shelly Laurenston, Kresley Cole, Gena Showalter, Pamela Palmer, Lynsay Sands, Kate Douglas, Christine Warren, Alexandra Ivy, Jacqueline Frank, Susan Sizemore and Kerrelyn Sparks to mention a few. I am honored to consider many of these amazing women and Authors my friends (that I still secretly fan-fawn over). Sssshhhh, don't tell, it will be our secret. =)
I have a deep love of everything supernatural - whether it has fangs to bite or feathers to fly- and I LOVE writing the quintessential Alpha male. While I enjoy writing Contemporary Romance, it doesn't heat my blood and fuel my desire in the way writing Paranormal Romance does. It's the whole "MINE" thing - I love it! Of course, it's much more acceptable to write this in paranormal than a contemporary. After all, it's not very often (in contemporary) when a man sees a woman, scents her and growls "MINE!" (at least not without the police being called soon after). However, in paranormal...yeah, it's the norm and I'm so there! I love building relationships with characters who have a dual-nature. They fight and *cough* with equal passion.
On the reverse side, there are times when I long to delve into the deeper character and relationship building of writing contemporary, where it's acceptable and expected that you take more time building the intricacies in the relationship between the Hero and Heroine, bringing them through experiences and challenges, or series of and having them fall in love throughout. Happy endings are the way of the romance world and I am pleased to provide them...leaving a wee-bit of a hook, of course, for the next one. *grin*
In my first published novel, Loving the CEO, you will see the relationship between my two characters building as they meet challenges together, and individually, growing, learning and developing as a couple. Loving the CEO is currently in second round edits - keep an eye out here, Twitter & Facebook for a release date! I should have a date soon! =)
But, in the end, my heart beats for the nature of the wild animal that lives in all males - uncivilized males. My males are MALES at their very core, alpha to their tippie toes *cough* I mean their "manly, tough, unbreakable toes." They may wear a tough outer shell, but they retain the ability to love, to be tender and make love. This, I love showing. A man can be tough - a provider and protector - without making the woman weak. After all, a strong man would't be able to stand a weak woman. He would go nuts. Balance is always sought.
Still, the whole "MINE!" way of writing will always exist with each beat of my heart. I swear, instead of the typical glub-glub, glub-glub that is the sound of most people's beating hearts, mine beats with the sound mine-mine, mine-mine! LOL! =)
When you read my work, another regular characteristic you will see is humor. I also love to write characters who are flawed; after all, who in the world is "perfect?" Better yet, what fun is there in being perfect? Combine the two and then I really have some fun! I love creating characters who are flawed in some way (or several) and scenes where I can utilize these flaws with humor. Or, skipping the flaws, just go for fun and humor. It's my belief that life is too damn serious as it is - if I am going to add something to the world through my writing, it will be through sexy Alpha Males and stories infused with humor.
You say, "Give me an example?" Well, let me think...hmmm. Okay! I've got just the perfect one in mind, since I happen to be writing the scene on Friday!
The novel I am currently working on is titled Rising Dragon and, you guessed it, the main characters are dragon shifters. I plan to make it a series, so after three, it will be Rising Dragon, A Novel of the Supernatural Order (or, a Supernatural Order Novel, depending on publisher input). For those of you who love the supernatural, you will be thrilled to hear that there will be many making appearances in this series - cats, bears, fae, witches, warlocks, dragons, demons, oh my!
Back on task...In the story, the female lead, Randi Daciana, has no idea she is not only a natural born dragon, but destined to be the next Queen of the Supernatural Order and she already has a *gasp* mate! Enter Dante. Sexy Alpha male dragon to the nth degree, built like the finest stallion. Hair of the blackest black with golden eyes...yumma.
In one scene, soon after she learns she has the ability to shift not only to a full-sized dragon, but a smaller, miniature version, she has a "disagreement" with Dante (her soon-to-be alpha mate). Remember the whole "Mine!" thing? Yeah? Okay. Anyways...so Dante is trying to push his Alpha way down her throat, but Randi is having none of it, putting her hand up, trying to forestall him and his "discussion." *talk to the hand* Still, he won't shut up and leave her alone to be miserable, stewing by herself, but follows her everywhere she goes, nagging his Alpha self at her. "I know what's best, I'm the man, he says...hu! I'll show him...," she mocks as she stops down the hall. She finally reaches the point where she's had E-NUF!
Before Dante can say anything further, she transforms into her miniature dragon...well, to be honest she thought of going full dragon and destroying his house, but she just had her nails done, so she decided not to go there.
Shifting, she turned and waddled her ass down the hall. Anywhere away from him, she thought, still hearing him behind her, calling out to her, beseeching her to listen to him. Listen? Hu. She's heard enough to make her ears bleed...if she has to listen to one more "me man, protect you, small helpless female," blood will rain down...and not from her ears. She's having none of it. NADA.
As he nears her, she turns and points a perfectly manicured claw at him, growling as she pokes him in the chest. Does he listen? Does he stop? Cocking her head to the side, she could have swore she heard some rambling on about *blah-blah-blah* nope. He's still going. She turns, whipping her tail behind her and *cough* accidentally whacking him across his thick head with the club end of her highly polished tail. Ha, that'll show him! Well, at least it shut him up for a minute...friggen' alpha males! She could sink the whole lot of em!
Humor. We have to have it in life. Passion. We thrive off of it. Humor and passion = my writing.
Other than writing, what do I do? Well, let's see here...too much?
This October, I will have been married to my husband Ches for twenty years. Believe it or not, we met (get this) in a bar playing darts and, from the way he tells it, he walked in, saw me and his head said "Mine." See? And no police were called - of course, he didn't tell me this story until we'd been married ten years, but still...
Together, we have had two beautiful children whom I cherish with every funky beat of my heart (and yes, it says "Mine" about them too, especially when my sons girlfriend gets a little too touchy for my tastes). NO TOUCHIE! Speaking of him, our son Brandon turned nineteen in April and our daughter, Brianna, is thirteen (going on thirty!). I thank God every day for the blessings they are in my life, for it would not be what it is without them.
Other than writing, family life and obligations (like everyone else), I do have a couple of guilty pleasures...should I go there? Okay, I will. I love to play XBox! *blurts it out, then ducks down* Yes, I love to play video games on my "off times." My husband says I'm an electronics hoarder - and he's right *shushes everyone* - I love all of my various gadgets (iPad, iPhone, etc.).
In ending, you may wonder why my header says Amazon(dot)blonde...
Let's cut to the chase - I'm tall (6'1"), I have long blonde hair and I love shopping at Amazon, so it was a nickname I (grudging) acquired many years ago. *gag*
Thank you so much for coming to visit our blog - The Decadent Divas! I am thrilled to be a part of this wonderful group of Authors! Just think of us as the Amazon of Authors - it's like one stop shopping - visit one site and there you will find several different Authors, writing everything from the traditional love story to the MINE!
Love ya all!
*hugs*
Shelbie Knight =)
shelbie@shelbieknight.com
@ShelbieKnight
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