Fantastic Fives on Kate Douglas

Five words and/or phrases that describe you:



My friends think I’m funny, so guess that would be one word.


I know I’m loyal, sometimes beyond the point where I should be,


I’m definitely creative (read Wolf Tales!) and


I have a wide appreciation for the world around me.


I’m also thankful for all the neat things I’ve gotten to experience in this world, and hopeful I’ll be able to do a lot more while I’m still able.

Five people and or things that inspire you:

Both our kids inspire me—they truly live life on their terms, they’re loving and caring adults and terrific parents. In this day and age, it’s not all that easy to hold onto your values and your integrity, and both of ours do that in spades. I’m also inspired by the parents of our son’s very dear friend who suffered a traumatic brain injury five years ago. They’ve been through hell and back, but they never give up and their undeniable love for their son has brought him out of a vegetative state to a point no one expected him to reach...and he’s not done reaching. You can read Ross’s story at http://www.rossdillon.com/ and see current updates on his ongoing recovery at www.rossdillon.com/update. That would lead me to another person I find inspiring—Dr. Edwin Cooper, who has discovered a radical method for treating TBI and continues helping people who are considered lost causes—and he does this on a totally volunteer basis, bucking the established medical system, which now has finally begun to recognize that what he does works.

There are so many people who inspire me, it’s impossible to limit the number to just five, but these are the ones who immediately come to mind. I have gotten to know a lot of my readers online and some of their stories are so amazing, you can’t help but be inspired. The world is filled with truly fantastic people.

Five of your favorite authors:


WHAT? ONLY FIVE? Sheesh...just off the top of my head, Angela Knight, Robyn Carr, Devyn Quinn, Christine Feehan and JR Ward come to mind...but then there’s also Jayne Ann Krentz, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Jenna Black, Anne Stuart, Susan Grant, Rachel Gibson, Lori Foster, Emma Holly, MaryJanice Davidson...and the list goes on, and on, and on! (I’m looking at titles in my bookshelf!)

Describe five of your heroes/heroines through your eyes:

Anton Cheval: the undisputed leader of the Chanku. He’s tall, dark and lean (think David Copperfield in appearance) with an air of superiority that masks a lot of inner vulnerabilities and fears about his supposed failings. He loves his mate and his daughter beyond belief and will do whatever it takes to keep them safe. He’s a wizard as well as a magician, with abilities that far surpass any of the other Chanku. He takes his responsibilities very seriously and feels a need to protect everyone he loves.

Keisha Rialto, Anton’s mate. In the beginning of Wolf Tales, she was a horribly traumatized young African American landscape designer. Through the ensuing stories, she has definitely come into her own. I think of Keisha as the epitome of the alpha bitch—she’s strong and loving with a sense of who she is and an awareness of her own power within the pack. She doesn’t ask for respect—it’s inescapable. In appearance, she’s gained a few pounds since the birth of her daughter, Lily Milina, but it’s only added to her beauty. In my mind, she’s become sort of a cross between Phylicia Rashād and Queen Latifah. There’s a natural air of leadership about her that the other women gravitate toward.

Baylor Quinn Baylor was introduced in Wolf Tales III. He was one of the government agents sent to kidnap Shannon Murphy, Jacob Trent’s mate. Jake and Shannon turn the tables on the agents and Bay is the only one left. Shannon is the one who recognizes him as Chanku and stops Jake from killing him. As it turns out, Baylor has long suspected he’s different, but he doesn’t know why. Shannon and Jake offer him the answers he needs. In appearance, while I picture Jacob Trent as looking like the character Sawyer on the TV series LOST, Baylor Quinn is Jack, the doctor. He’s tall and lean with dark hair and very intense eyes and a huge capacity for love. In Wolf Tales V, he shows that love when he rescues Manda Smith, a young woman caught between human and wolf. As hideous as she looks, Bay falls in love with her even before she is able to change fully into either a woman or a wolf. He’s a very strong character, very trustworthy and extremely loyal to the rest of the pack. He was a favorite of mine from the beginning!

Tala Quinn Tala is Baylor’s missing sister, Mary Ellen. She is introduced in Chanku Fallen, in the Sexy Beast II anthology. Tala was a lot of fun to write, and I keep bringing her back in new books—she’s a tiny thing. Unlike the other Chanku females, Tala is barely five feet tall, but she makes up for her lack in size with her attitude. When Mik and AJ, the only bonded male pair of Chanku rescue Tala from an abusive pimp, they have no idea she’s actually the missing Mary Ellen they’ve been looking for. They also don’t expect her to carve a place in both their hearts, but there’s no denying the attraction the guys feel for her. I love her attitude—she’s brash and cocky and so in love with both her guys, who tower over her in size. Tala loves without reserve and she’s willing to risk her life to help her friends, something she does in my novella coming out next Fall, Chanku Wild.

Adam Wolf Adam shows up at the very end of Wolf Tales V when he accepts a ride from a man driving a restored 51 Ford pickup. The man is, of course, Anton Cheval’s personal assistant, Oliver. Adam is Millie West’s missing son and his character becomes one of the leading heroes in the next few Wolf Tales books and novellas. He has amazing powers that go even beyond what Anton Cheval can do, but he’s new to the pack and has much to learn about their kind. Adam looks like a tall, rangy cowboy, very much like his father, Millie’s only lover before Ulrich Mason came along. He’s got blond hair and a lean, weathered look about him. Adam’s biggest talent is the ability to “fix things,” but Anton is the one who teaches him that his “fixing” goes well beyond cars and household appliances.

I could easily go on about all my Chanku. At this point, there are 21 adults and two children, and they are all special to me. The cool thing about writing an ongoing series is that I get to revisit my characters whenever I want. I never know what they’ve been up to until I sit down to write. That’s when they start telling all their secrets!

Five reasons to read your books:

Anyone who loves a sexy romance with powerful alpha heroes, self-assured, strong-willed heroines and a truly convoluted plot will enjoy my stories. I write very emotional characters and I love hearing from readers who say they were crying one minute and laughing the next when they read my books. Isn’t that what life is all about? I write characters who are honorable and true to their packmates—heroes who will give their lives to protect their women, and heroines tough enough that they don’t need all that much protecting! I guess I would say if you want a good, erotic shapeshifter paranormal romance, you really need to try Wolf Tales. Five specific reasons? Hmmmmmm....
If you like:
Sexy heroes
Kick-ass heroines
Emotional stories
Terrific plots
And
REALLY explicit love scenes with everything from M/F to M/M/F/F/M sex...
then you really need to read the entire series!

-Kate Douglas
www.katedouglas.com

Extra!Extra!A lucky commenter will have a chance to win a copy of Sexy Beast IV . Kate will be here throughout the day to answer questions and comments.