Guest Blogger: Kendra Leigh Castle

The winner of Kendra's book is: Ruth Schaller. Congrats, Ruth! You can contact Kendra here and give her your mailing info: kendraleighcastle@yahoo.com Thanks so much to everyone who participated!

Love with Fangs . . . and Fur

Maybe it’s just all the Twilight-mania going on right now, but there’s definitely vampire love in the air. What’s not to love, though? Well, I mean, apart from the “potentially homicidal” thing. Dark, sleek, powerful men with off the charts sensuality and a healthy amount of supernaturally-charged danger are always going to have a special place in women’s fantasies. And I’ve crushed on my fair share of immortal nightwalkers, for sure. When I set out to write my own heroes, though, the cool demeanor of a vamp just didn’t work for what I had in mind.

Sorry, Team Edward (and put down those rotten vegetables!). These days, I am all about the werewolves.

So what did being a moonstruck shapeshifter offer that being a vampire didn’t? Well, a few things. Take the hero of my recent release, Dark Highland Fire. Gabriel MacInnes is a shaggy-haired, brawny Highlander who would much rather play than work, and has structured his life so that’s what he gets to do. He co-owns a pub, Wolf at the Door, where he’s always got both company and an audience. He loves women (probably too much, but they love him right back), and he’s full of boyish charm, which is what gets him by when he’s misbehaving (which is frequently). Gabriel is a good guy, essentially . . . he just doesn’t know what he wants, and as the second son of his pack’s Alpha, he’s never been quite sure where he belongs.

Lucky Gabe, I worked it all out for him. But that’s not the point. The point is that Gabriel isn’t the sort of guy who would be comfortable stalking the night alone, exuding sexy angst and fixated on the curve of a woman’s neck. He’s hot-blooded, earthy. A little wild. And that’s exactly what I love about werewolves! There’s a lot that’s sexy about a guy so in tune with his basic animal nature, and I’ve turned out to be a sucker for a growl and big golden eyes. My werewolves have my own stamp, of course; that’s some of the fun of being a writer. The MacInnes Pack is a loyal, boisterous, family-oriented crowd who see the furry side of their existence as a blessing, not a curse. They’re capable of changing form at will (though it’s unavoidable at the full moon), and they often do, running just for the joy of it. And as a final selling point to the skeptical vampires-only people, werewolves, my werewolves, anyway, mate for life. They bond quickly, often unwittingly, and when it happens, it’s both permanent and soul-deep.

All of which applies when Gabriel suddenly finds himself responsible for a fiery demigoddess on the run. Oh, did I forget to mention that his pack guards a relic that serves as a portal to a realm populated by a whole bunch of powerful, occasionally hostile, magical tribes? Um, yeah. But that’s another post.

Anyway, that’s my case for werewolf love. I’ll always love vampires, of course. But writing the MacInnes Pack has given me a new appreciation for half-wild alpha males with a penchant for fur. So here’s my question to you: what’s your preference, vampire or werewolf? And why? I’ve got a signed copy of Dark Highland Fire for one commenter! Check back Friday evening for the winner.

Thanks so much, Lynda, for having me here today, and please pop in to say hello, everyone! I’ll be around to chat all day.

Kendra Leigh Castle is the author of Call of the Highland Moon and Dark Highland Fire. The next book in the MacInnes Werewolf series, Wild Highland Magic, will be released in May ’09. You can visit Kendra on the web at www.kendraleighcastle.com.