Magic Thursday: Kats and Rats and Manga, oh my!

MAGIC THURSDAY: Kats and Rats and Manga, oh my!
By Maree Anderson

Hi all,

Call me insatiably curious, but I love gaining an insight into the minds of other authors--especially where they got their inspiration for a particular story. So I thought it might interest author-friends and reader-friends alike to share how my latest release came to be.

My daughter and I are manga fans and we loved the series Fruits Basket. In this series members of the Sohma family have been possessed by the Chinese Zodiac animals. Kyo turns into a cat, but because the cat is not a true zodiac animal, he’s a bit of an outcast. Unsurprisingly, he’s always losing his temper with Yuki, who’s possessed by the Rat.

When I did some research on the Chinese Zodiac, I found an old Chinese legend that claims Cat and Rat were friends, until Rat tricked Cat out of his chance to be a zodiac animal. Cat has never forgiven Rat, and to this day they are sworn enemies. So I figured it’d be fun to base a story around a cat and a rat, and a Chinese Zodiac curse. See? This is why I love writing paranormals so much. *VBG*

The idea morphed into a novella called Kat On A Hot Tin Roof, which has just been released (July 30) in Red Sage's Secrets Volume 30: Desires Unleashed anthology.

My version of the Cat is the heroine Katalina—Kat, for short. And my Rat is Jace, a man born in the Year of the Rat.

Here’s a summary of the story:

Kat Meyer sleepwalks–buck naked sleepwalking, just to make it even more humiliating–and she goes to great lengths to lock herself in her house at night so she doesn’t inadvertently entertain the neighbors. She’s been there, done that, and she’s never quite gotten over it! Adding to the stress, her lazy cat, Cupcake, seems bound and determined to be a cat-burglar extraordinaire. But instead of just leaving “gifts” like house keys and trinkets on her pillow, Kat’s pet has now gravitated to stealing rings. Specifically, Jace Burton’s ring. And Jace just happens to be the big-shot architect she’s vying with the other designers to work with.

When Jace wakes in the middle of the night to find a naked and highly distraught Kat in his living room, he’s inclined to believe her bizarre tale of sleepwalking and cat-burglars-of-the-feline-persuasion. He is a red-blooded male, after all. And did he mention she was gorgeous? And naked? As an added bonus, he’s beyond grateful to learn that Kat’s found his grandfather’s missing ring.

Jace is appalled to think of what harm might have befallen Kat while she prowled the streets naked at night. She’s gotten right under his skin and all his protective instincts kick in with a vengeance. It’s sure no hardship to escort her safely home–nor to offer to help her find out how’n the heck she’s getting out of her deadlocked house at night. But Kat’s the unwitting victim of a zodiac curse, and when the unbelievable truth smacks him right between the eyes, Jace doesn’t know what the hell to think. Should he hide what he’s seen from the woman he’s fallen head over heels in love with? Or should he tell her the truth and risk losing her forever?

Can Kat and her Rat make a life together? Find out in Kat On A Hot Tin Roof.

If you’d like to read an excerpt from KAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, please click here. (Warning, readers must be 18 years or over. *cough* erotic romance! *cough*)

And now it's time for the “magic” part of this Magic Thursday: the giveaway!

Unfortunately I can’t give away a copy of Secrets Volume 30 as I’d planned, but…. Instead, I’d like to offer one commenter (chosen at random) who answers my easy-peasy question, their choice of any eBook from my backlist:

Even Demons Get The Blues (Demons, Book 1)
Let Sleeping Demons Lie (Demons, Book 2)
From The Ashes
Scent Of A Man

So if you’d like to enter the giveaway, please leave a comment telling me the answer to this question:

What is Jace's nick-name for Kat when he first catches a glimpse of her?

Hint 1: the initials are M-K
Hint 2: the first word is “Miss”
Hint 3: Shhh. Don’t tell anyone, but the answer is in the excerpt ;-)
Hint 4: You can always wait for someone else to leave a comment with the answer, and copy their answer... but then you'll miss out on all the fun of reading the excerpt!

Note:
~To enter the giveaway, you must be 18 years or over *cough* erotic romance again! *cough*
~Please indicate your choice of prize with your comment.

Cheers,

Maree Anderson

Maree’s Website
Facebook author page
Twitter

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SECRETS VOLUME 30: DESIRES UNLEASHED

COX CLUB ~ Alice Gaines
At the urging of her best friend, Andi Crawford visits an exclusive club in order to find some sexual satisfaction after her divorce. The last person she expects to find at a place like Club Cox is her overbearing ex-husband, Blake. But, he’s there and as tempting as ever. Can she maintain her independence, or will she surrender to the intense physical pleasure only he can give her?

KAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF ~ Maree Anderson
Workaholic architect, Jace Burton, inadvertently flashes Kat Meyer, who later turns up at a crucial meeting…and seduces him in the bathroom. She’s one of the designers vying to impress him. And boy, is he impressed to discover her prowling his house—naked. Kat has no clue what’s causing her nocturnal wanderings. And when Jace discovers she’s the victim of a zodiac curse, will he fight to keep her, or run for the hills?

KELLEN’S CONQUEST ~ Anne Kane
As an Alph-Elite warrior, Kellen is used to getting what he wants, and what he wants is the sexy data thief, Mia. Problem is she won’t admit she wants him or that someone is trying to kill her. It takes all of Kellen’s mutant strength and Mia’s streetwise smarts to keep her alive long enough to unravel a vicious plot for revenge.

SCOUNDREL IN A KILT ~ Nicole North
Brodie, Chieftain of Clan McCain, is a dark, sensual Scottish scoundrel, who likes nothing more than being a selkie shape-shifter, even if he has been cursed by a witch of the dark arts. Stunning, modern day supermodel, Erin Schultz, blazes into his 1621 world like a falling star. Though he’s certain she will shatter life as he knows it by breaking his curse, he can’t resist her tantalizing seduction.

Available from Red Sage Publishing, and coming soon to all good bookstores.