TBR welcomes Mariposa Cruz

TBR: Welcome to TBR, Mariposa Cruz. Will you share a little bit about yourself?
Mariposa: As a writer, I enjoy interviewing local musicians, writers and artists as well as crafting stories.  Like my heroine, Linda, I’m a paralegal.  I write, work and dance salsa in Reno, Nevada.

TBR: Tell us about Roar! and a valid purchase link] and where it's available.
Mariposa: Roar! follows the story of Linda Underwood, an edgy loner who appears briefly in Howl.  Roar! is available from The Wild Rose Press.

TBR: Please tantalize us with a story blurb or excerpt.
Mariposa: Focused on the bottom line, Linda Underwood answers to no one. Linda’s world is torn apart when a black bear shifter turns her weekend rendezvous into a desperate struggle for her life.  As a recently-turned shifter, she is determined to beat her affliction by ignoring her beastly impulses.

After the accidental death of his wife, shifter Flynn Cromwell finds solace immersed in his work in a remote mountain cabin.  When he discovers Linda’s ravaged body near the brink of death, he’s compelled to protect her.  Can Flynn save Linda from her own stubborn nature and defend her from a vicious shifter with a taste for her blood?

TBR: What inspired you to write about the theme?
Mariposa: Before heading off for a family camping trip to Yosemite, my dad warned me about bears.  No bears raided our campsite, but they roamed through my dreams during our trip and have resided in my imagination ever since.  As soon as I finished Howl, I knew my next shifter story would be about a bear.

TBR: Are you a plotter or pantser?
Mariposa: I’m a little of both.  I usually start a story with a certain destination in mind, but the specific route to the end is always a surprise.

TBR: Do you have a favorite quote you’d like to share?
Mariposa:  “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”  Mahatma Gandhi

TBR: Which of your characters would you most/least like to invite to dinner, and why?

Mariposa: I’d love to dine with Flynn Cromwell, a towering sexy rogue with an irreverent sense of humor.  With his grizzly-sized appetite, I would not want to be the one picking up the tab.

TBR: What's next for you?
Mariposa: My current WIP is a contemporary romance involves one of my favorite passions—Salsa dancing.

TBR: Any other published works?
Mariposa: Roar! includes characters from Howl, though either can be read as a stand-alone story.

TBR: What’s the most challenging aspect of writing? Most rewarding?
Mariposa: Editing-on a bad day it is challenging-it seems impossible to shape the story the way you want to.  On a good day-editing is the most rewarding to finally get the right polish on a story.

TBR: What’s the most interesting comment you have received about your books?
Mariposa: Howl-“ The novel shines with creativity and imagination while it retains a very "human" feel.

TBR: Where can readers find you on the web?
Mariposa: http://mariposacruz.blogspot.com/

TBR: Readers, Mariposa Cruz will give away a copy of Howl to one lucky commenter. She'll pick a winner on Saturday, September 1st and announce the winner here. Be sure to leave your email address so she can contact you.