{"id":2333,"date":"2014-05-23T00:20:15","date_gmt":"2014-05-23T05:20:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bookmaven623.wordpress.com\/?p=2333"},"modified":"2014-05-23T00:20:15","modified_gmt":"2014-05-23T05:20:15","slug":"fantastic-friday-with-melissa-snark-and-a-review-of-a-cats-tale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jackiepaxsonauthor.com\/index.php\/2014\/05\/23\/fantastic-friday-with-melissa-snark-and-a-review-of-a-cats-tale\/","title":{"rendered":"Fantastic Friday with Melissa Snark and a review of A Cat's Tale"},"content":{"rendered":"

Happy Friday!\u00a0\u00a0 I know your used to my Fresh Face Friday editions, but I am gonna flip things around today.\u00a0 Today I have a wonderful guest post from Melissa Snark.\u00a0 She will be talking about writing an abused heroine.\u00a0 With Melissa stopping by today she is also sharing with us her tour giveaway that I will post at the end.\u00a0 Also, with a Friday comes my review of A Cat’s Tale<\/em>.\u00a0 So like all other days keep reading and you will find out my thoughts on A Cat’s Tale<\/em>.\u00a0 So without any further adieu here is Melissa Snark.<\/p>\n

How to Write an Abused Heroine
\nHeroines who have been the victims of emotional or physical abuse are common in romance novels. Her suffering provides an immediate conflict to be overcome and also makes her empathetic to readers. However, handling such a profound topic with sensitivity and realism is a challenging task. Inevitably, there is a reader out there who will challenge any expression of sexual desire in a heroine who has been raped, or call a heroine who cries a whiner.
\nThe author wants to portray her in a sympathetic light without crossing the line into “annoying” or “whiny”. If she was raped, then approach love scenes with great care for how she overcomes her fear of being hurt again. The same delicate approach should apply to a heroine who has been emotionally abused. Trust will certainly be the #1 challenge facing the hero and heroine, so how the hero handles the heroine’s vulnerability is just as important as how she reacts to it.
\nIn A Cat’s Tale<\/em><\/strong>, my heroine, Josephine Young, is a Siamese werecat who has spent the last three years of her life in a vampire’s dungeon as a blood slave. She is forced to do terrible things, including luring Alpha werewolf, Jared Kohl, into a trap. When they are forced into a cage together, her betrayal serves to drive the tension for the rest of the story.
\nWhile fleshing Josephine out, I drew on real life experience to give her dimension. In my twenties, I volunteered to work at an animal rescue and observed cats that had come from abusive homes. Often, they would hiss, scratch, or claw despite having been placed in a nurturing environment where only kindness was offered. Once an adult cat experiences cruelty, it takes a long time to gain her trust.
\nThroughout much of the story, Josephine desperately wants to trust Jared but is unable to because of her victimization. More than once, she lashes out and scratches him, seeking to provoke a violent reaction. Hers is a battle of hope versus hurt. Jared, in turn, recognizes that she has been abused and desires to get past her barriers and gain her cooperation so they can both escape alive.
\nSo does the wolf win the kitty’s trust? You’ll have to read A CAT’S TALE to find out…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"catstale_750\"<\/a>Book Blurb:<\/h2>\n

Alpha werewolf, Jared Kohl, wakes up in a vampire\u2019s dungeon, swearing revenge upon the wily Siamese werecat who lured him there with her sultry lips and the sweetest tail. To escape his undead captor, all he has to do is seduce the skittish puss and show her that trust is often a hot and hard lesson to learn.
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\nEnslaved feline shifter, Josephine Young, has learned the hard way not to believe in anything or anyone\u2014not men, not love, and certainly not the blood-sucking mistress who tossed her into the cage with the hungry beast she\u2019d betrayed. But Josephine does what she must to survive, including tempting the dominant werewolf to give her more than promises.
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\nImprisoned for their blood, Jared and Josephine fight for survival and discover a passion that neither can walk away from. Can these two predators survive long enough to prove that cats and dogs can be more than enemies?<\/p>\n

Review:<\/h2>\n

All Jared wants when he walks into the dark bar is a beer and some burgers.\u00a0 What he finds is in his opinion much better.\u00a0 The sexy werecat, Josephine, approaches the sexy werewolf with a proposition he can’t dismiss.\u00a0 Unfortunately, that lands him in the clutches of a vampire that was using Josie to get a new blood pet.\u00a0 Once Jared is trapped he realizes that Josie is trapped also and bargains with the vampire to keep Josie in his cage with him.\u00a0 As he plots to get out of the trap his tumultuous relationship begins to grow into more with Josie. But sadly with one last betrayal Josie is left wondering if she was being abandoned yet again or will her werewolf live up to the promises he made?
\nThis was yet another great read by Melissa Snark.\u00a0 This story had lots of sensuality along with the paranormal romance.\u00a0 Though this is shorter novel it is quite thorough in its character and story development.\u00a0 Jared and Josie are wonderful especially when they are snipping at one another.\u00a0 This is definitely steamy read.\u00a0 I was reading this at work and kept looking around wondering if anyone saw my screen steaming up.\u00a0 Overall, this is a great, quick, spicy novel that will leave you wanting more Jared and Josie.<\/p>\n

\"MelissaSnark<\/a>Author Bio:<\/h2>\n

Fast Facts About Melissa Snark:
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