Books and Benches: Werewolves, Cowboy-Style: An Interview with Author Cait Lavender

Do you ever wonder what would happen if a werewolf met up with a tough cowgirl while said cowgirl is trying to save her precious spring calves from the aforementioned wolf? Then would you wonder what would happen when cowgirl and gun meet big, tall and hot ranger? Why don't we find out...

MK: What inspired the idea to add a bit of wolfy-love and lore to a western-style story?

CL: I’ve been in love with werewolves since I was a kid, watching Silver bullet and getting the pants scared off me. With the uprising of really great paranormal books, my love affair with werewolves has grown, but my preferences now are hunky guys that get furry at will. To pair my favorite fantastic creature with the western culture I love seemed natural.

MK: Now you actually have ranching experience. How did that help in writing the story?

CL: I think it comes down to the little details that really add authenticity to a book and that’s what I hope to have with Hunter Moon. Just the habitual things like cleaning out horses’ hooves, tacking up and describing what it’s really like to ride, give the reader a small window into a life that may have been foreign to them. Plus, the life of a small rancher isn’t easy and I wanted to show that to the readers; ranchers aren’t living fat and happy with a set of longhorns on the front of their caddy.

MK: Do you have a real and fun ranching experience you could share with us?

CL: When you look at the things my husband and I have to do to raise cattle, it breaks down into mostly work. My husband almost set our corral on fire with a branding iron, does that count? What I like most about ranching are the little things, like the sound of the herd munching on grass, or the sight of fuzzy new calves wobbling around the pasture on new legs or calling them in to eat hay and watching the whole heard come running. I love to watch calves nurse on their mommas or chase our Australian Shepherd across the field. It’s not always easy, but it is rewarding!

MK: I know I have a favorite character from this book, but do you have a favorite character in Hunter Moon? Who and why?

CL: It’s a funny thing, being a writer. You approach a book with certain main characters in your mind and then it’s the ones you hadn’t anticipated that work your way under your skin. Of course I love Cash and Shelby, but my favorites were Jack and James. Jack is such a truly good guy, an All-American man with the honorable western manners and a swagger only attained in the military. His brotherly relationship with Shelby, their teasing back-and-forth banter really evolved naturally and I enjoyed him so much I wrote a short just about him! James caught me off guard the most. I had intended him to be an arrogant a**, unlikable to the extreme, but that bluster transformed into armor he used to prevent people from seeing his inner pain. I ended up liking James so much that I decided to write a book about all three of Cash’s brothers.

MK: Without giving it all away, please tell us a little something about how Cash is going to get through his biggest challenges in Hunter Moon.

CL: Cash has to utilize his ‘dogged persistence’, pun intended. Shelby is stubborn, has a fiery temper and an easily wounded pride, all three personality traits Cash will become intimately familiar with. He has to take it slow, but not give up on her even when she kicks him off her land...at gunpoint.

MK: What has been your best experience since being published?

CL: I think the most fabulous thing has been all the positive feedback I’ve gotten. It’s such a stressful thing, letting other people read the words that I’ve poured myself into for a year, and when they love them as much as I do I giggle with glee. Also, seeing my name and book up on Amazon really brought it home that this is really real, I’m an author, and a dream I’ve had since I was in grade school has finally come true!

MK: How do you unwind after a long writing session?

CL: Sleep? Lol. I’m a stay-at-home mom of a toddler, so the only bit of quiet time I really have to write is after she’s gone to bed. When I really get on a roll, I’ll be up until one or two am until I finally give up and crash. But when I hit a creative wall or the muses don’t feel like being inspiring, I usually take a break with a good book or three or four. I think it’s important to remember why I became a writer: because I love to read!

MK: What do you have in store next for your readers?

CL: Right now I’m working on the first book of a new series, set in the same world as Shelby and Cash with some familiar characters and new ones. It revolves around the darker aspect of that world; witches hell bent on power and murder and beings so evil that they’re nearly mindless with the need to destroy. In the midst of all that is a man, born into a family of honor, a legacy of duty and protection and a secret society determined to save mankind from its unseen evil and a girl who just wants to graduate college, work at her job as a barista and save her best friend from descending down a path of corruption.

That's right, there's a giveaway!
Cait is giving away a free ebook at every tour stop, so leave your comments below for a chance to win!