Wicked Faerie's Tales and Reviews: Feral Hearts by Melissa E Costa- Blog Tour with Excerpt and Giveaway

BLOG TOUR

Book Title: Feral Hearts: Book 1

Author: Melissa E Costa

Publisher: Self-Published

Cover Artist: Vanesa Gorkova

Release Date: August 19, 2021

Genres: Paranormal/Urban Fantasy M/M Romance.

Tropes: Friends to Lovers. Childhood friends. Gay for you. Omegaverse. Hurt/Comfort. Fated Mates.

Themes: Soul Mates, classism

Heat Rating: 2 flames

Length: 68 683 words/176 pages

This is book one in the Feral Hearts series.

The book does not a cliffhanger, per se, but the story’s conclusion won’t be reached until the end of book 3.

Goodreads

Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US | Amazon UK

To save the one he loves, he must face the beast within.

Blurb

Alex isn’t a traditional alpha—he’s gentle, awkward, and caring. He also has no desire to assume leadership of the Black Moon Pack once his father steps down.

Talen is an omega stray, taken in by Alex’s parents and raised as his brother. He’s also straight, emotionally damaged, and the love of Alex’s life.

Now of age, Talen is forced into the role of an omega—those treated little better than slaves. Worse yet, the monster inside of Alex has awoken and set its sights on Talen. The beast will stop at nothing to get what it wants, even if it takes the whole world down to do it.

Alex must face his worst nightmares if he ever has a chance at protecting Talen. Is he strong enough to bring them together, or will he lose Talen along with the pack?

This three-book series tells a continuous story with a resolution at the end of book three.

Excerpt

Alex couldn’t believe they were going to flog Talen. Eben stood to the side of the pillar with his back to Alex. He had been able to get Alex out of doing the whipping.

Etched into the pillar were symbols from the old language. A loop made of rope was attached to a minor ledge higher up in the stone. Its purpose was for this very thing. The shaman placed a large wooden block at Talen’s feet and had him step up onto it. Even elevated, he still wasn’t tall enough to fit his wrists through the loop, so they told him to hang onto it instead.

Talen wasn’t wearing a shirt. His arms above his head stretched his torso and made visible the taunt muscles of his abdomen and chest. Tiny beads of sweat gathered on his collarbone before they rolled down his back. Whether caused by anticipation or the blistering heat, Alex didn’t know. Talen’s left arm was no longer hidden by his sleeve, making the slight bow in his wrist apparent for anyone who knew where to look. A nearly unnoticeable tremble shook his shoulders. He looked so small then, fragile, even though Talen was anything but.

One of the shamans began making a speech. Her loud voice carried on the wind. “To speak out against your betters is the greatest disrespect you can show to your pack.” She was lecturing Talen, but she also looked around as if talking to the crowd, making an example out of him. A wave of nausea washed over Alex as his anger rose. “When you disrespect your pack, you’re disrespecting yourself.”

“Stupid bitch,” Alex grumbled. “Get off your high horse.” Even though he hadn’t wanted to watch the whipping, his feet moved on their own until he was close enough to see Talen’s face clearly.

“Talen, for your disobedience, you will be punished by thirty slashes to your back to be carried out by the pack leader.”

Eben held a medium-sized bullwhip.

“Do you have anything to say for yourself?” the shaman continued. “To say to Roman, who you have disrespected by your behavior?”

For one moment, Talen looked like he would say something, and it wouldn’t be nice. That fire burned behind his dark-hazel eyes.

Alex remembered his father’s words at dinner. If Talen doesn’t go through with this, he might have to find himself another pack.

As cowardly as it seemed, Alex prayed that Talen would keep his mouth shut. Please, don’t say anything. Please, Talen. Please don’t say anything.

Talen closed his eyes, and the tension left his body.

“Only to apologize for my insolence.” His words carried on the mild breeze that made standing outside on this humid hot day bearable. But Alex couldn’t care less about the wind or how good it felt against his skin. Instead, his attention focused only on Talen. Even though Talen bowed his head, and his words sounded a bit hollow, there was a fire to them—Talen’s voice, his spark. His energy. His will to fight. Talen amazed him. His ability to stay himself, to not give into fear, regardless of the hell he had been through. Alex envied him. Talen might have been an omega, whereas he was an alpha, but there was no doubt that Talen was the stronger of the two of them.

His father got in position and raised the whip. With a loud crack, it singed between Talen’s shoulder blades, leaving an ugly red gash. Talen’s breath hitched. He clenched the rope, baring his teeth. Every taunt muscle on his body writhed with each slash that marred his back. He wasn’t crying out, though. Talen was a proud one.

Another crack.

Alex tightened his fists.

Each crack grew louder and louder. Alex’s claws dug into his fists until tiny droplets of blood trailed down his palms.

Ten slashes into the punishment, Talen’s visible ribs heaved with each breath. His lithe frame trembled. Then his wolf surged, forming a white aura. It didn’t stretch out into a shadow—mostly that was an alpha thing—rather, it surrounded him like a sphere as it had done before with Roman—a white wolf seemingly chasing its tail in an endless figure eight. Its hazy white color made Talen appear blurry. It wasn’t large enough to affect Eben, only a whip length away.

It reeked of agony, hurt, anger, but mostly pain—Talen’s.

Alex turned away. His stomach clenched in knots. Something dark grew inside of him. Blacker, thicker. As he looked back at Talen, all Alex felt was rage.

Talen let out a scream before he bit his lip and a trail of blood spilled down his chin. Finally, he lost the battle, and he started crying out with each lash.

Alex’s fangs elongated. He wanted to kill them. All of them. His dad included. How fucking dare they lay one hand on Talen? On his Talen.

When did you first realize that you wanted to be a writer?

Very young. I was always told I would be well suited to be an author from those tests you take when you’re a kid figuring out what to do with the rest of your life. But I ignored it for the longest time and became a software developer only for it to not fit quite right. Eventually, I stopped kidding myself and decided to take my writing seriously. Glad I did.

How many books have you written?

Including my pen name, I’ve written four novels, Feral Hearts included. I’ve also written one novella and five short stories that were part of anthologies—four under my name, one under my pen, Rosary Deville.

How long does it usually take you to write a book?

It depends. But it can take a long time, especially when it comes to editing.

How did you come up with the idea for your book?

I started out with Alex and Talen long before I came up with the plot for Feral Hearts. I really liked the idea of childhood friends becoming lovers where one of them started out being straight and wasn’t aware of his friend’s secret feelings. The story was a high school one for a while and then it turned college, until it finally blossomed into what it is now, which is neither, but still about childhood friends to lovers!

Who are your favorite authors?

I used to read a lot more when I was younger, so I had more favorites then. But I’d say JRR Tolkien, and Agatha Christie are two favorites of mine.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Writing in general can be challenging. From writer’s block to time management issues and then there’s the editing phase. Not to mention, when you write you put a piece of yourself out there for all the world to see. And that, especially if you’re a very private person like I am, can be extremely difficult.

Where is your favorite place to write?

The couch. I have a laptop desk that I place in my lap, and it elevates my laptop to a comfortable level, and I can just write away! With music on, of course 😉

When you develop characters do you already know who they are before you begin writing or do you let them develop as you go?

I tend to meet the person before I start writing the story. But just like how it goes when you meet a person in real life, you get to know them better each day. And that means you often learn things about them as time goes on.

Do you aim for a set number of words/pages per day?

I’ve gone back and forth with that. With the creative process you can’t force something. But oppositely if you wait for inspiration to come you might be waiting forever. So it’s a balance. But where I’m currently at, I want to increase my writing. So I am going to set a goal of 1K words per day and make sure I meet it. I’ll let you know how that goes. Lol

What is the hardest thing about writing?

Editing. Definitely. Even more so than avoiding writer’s block, editing can be such a pain. And it’s something that you can’t skip, nor would you want to.

What is the easiest thing about writing?

I love the times when the pen flows, when it’s like the book writes itself and you’re just jotting it down. I live for those moments.

Do you use images to develop your character’s looks?

Yes. That really helps cement the character.

Are your characters based on people you know?

I find that characters take bits and pieces of myself and other people that I know. And some antagonists, like the ones in Cat Escort, were inspired by people that I knew personally.

Do you use your experiences in your books?

Yes. But I find myself drawn to stories with a fantastical nature, so I normally take the mundane of life and then jazz it up.

Do you ever get writer’s block?

Definitely. I must constantly keep refilling the creative well, otherwise I run dry. This is especially true after I’ve had a really good writing day. With covid, I haven’t left my house in a while, and I could feel that impacting my writing. Because while I don’t know any werewolves nor have I ever met anyone in real life with magical powers, I still use my everyday life experiences to draw from. Then I just add fantastical elements, but the core experiences still must come from somewhere, and staying in the house all day starts to impact that.

What do you think makes a good story?

Compelling characters and conflict!

Does writing energize or exhaust you?

Both. It depends. Sometimes I feel so pent-up, I need to go and get it all out. So I go and write. Other times, I feel it takes everything out of me. And then there are times when I feel like writing completes part of my soul and after I get done writing a piece, I feel better, like I’m more myself. So it’s a bumpy ride, for sure!

What has been one of your most rewarding experiences as an author?

A reader told me that my writing helped him embrace his sexual kinks that he was having trouble accepting. This was for writing that I did under my pen name, Rosary Deville. But just hearing that made me feel like it was worth it—sharing my story with the world was worth it—because it was able to touch someone’s life in a meaningful way. Anytime a reader shares their experience of how my book changed or impacted their lives always makes my day!

What do your friends and family think about you being a writer?

My partner is very encouraging. He’s my biggest fan, actually. My friends think it’s cool and are very supportive. My parents and immediate family tolerate my writing because it makes me happy but I’m sure they would like it if I stopped writing LGBTQ+ characters, but that’s never going to happen!

What do you do when you’re not writing?

I play a lot of computer games. I also am trying to read more. Ideally, I’d love to get back into drawing, too. But I can only do so many things at one time.

Do you like music or silence when you write? Do you outline or do you just write?

Music. Silence is the worst. I feel music stirs up my emotions which I need when writing a story. Sometimes I outline, sometimes I just sit down and go. I get the best results when I have a general idea of where I am going with a story, so having an outline works, even if I just use it as a guideline and not a rulebook.

Do you prefer pen and paper or computer?

Computer. Once I made the switch, I haven’t been able to go back. But my very first novel, (that is unfinished) was written with pen and paper.

Do you write as routine or do you write when you feel like it?

I’m trying to write more as routine. Right now, I write when I feel like it. But often, you can’t wait for inspiration—it happens after you make yourself sit down. The only trouble I have with a word count is that I must make sure I have a filled creative well, otherwise I will just be writing junk words.

What do you love best about your current book?

I love my characters the best! They’re real, full people who you can love and want to smack across the head. I feel like Alex and Talen complement each other and are growing throughout this story and I’m excited to share their journey with the world.

What is your next project?

Feral Hearts will be three books in total, which I plan on releasing back-to-back, so stick around. It should be a wild ride!

About the Author

Melissa writes character-driven fiction, and any genre is fair game. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading, anime, manga, and gaming. Living by the motto of trying all things twice, Melissa has jumped out of a perfectly good plane, swum with manatees, dived headfirst into Alice’s rabbit hole, and seduced classy ladies in 6-inch heels. A free-spirited bohemian, she currently lives in artsy St. Petersburg, Florida, with her soulmate and their two adorably needy cats.