The Alpha’s Dream: A Check-in and Check up.

The year is nearly done and The Alpha’s Dream is still showing up for me.

I guess, that is the mark of a good piece of work. It continues on. I say good, because there were definitely some moments I there where I thought of pulling it due to errors. Errors, I have yet to correct. Sigh. That’s a post for another time.

What is true right now is that I still love my first release.

I had hoped that would be true. There are changes I would love to make, Things/ scenes I would reconsider or rework, but even with the editing that is goiong to happen as soon as possible, I will honestly leave most of it as it is.

I like that sometimes the characters run away with the story. I like the overly descriptive chapters and the thin foreshadowing in some places. I like that I can accept every good and bad review of it at face value and still think it beautiful. It’s a lot like falling in love. Except this way, I can fall in love the same way over and over and know that it won’t change over time.

http://www.jocelynyoung.com Blog post on debut release The Alpha’s Dream

If you are wondering what triggered this post about The Alpha’s Dream, I’ll be honest. It is because I am still completely infatuated with the Euphoria and Nathaniel. I want you to be infatuated too.

In other news, I’ve been thinking about it a lot because it was my first release. The following novels I’m working on all involve characters from The Alpha’s Dream and I just loved Euphoria and Nathaniel.

They were a perfect start for me. Their imperfections, their easy chemistry, and their need for each other still strikes a cord in me. I’ve written a lot of stories as a ghostwriter and co-writer. I’ve loved a lot of characters, but they are special. They are in a class all their own.

I’ve been working on my second release. It’s Heroine is Charlotte Jackson, Euphoria Blanchard’s best friend from The Alpha’s Dream. As I flesh out her life, I find myself thinking more and more about the Blanchard’s. What are the twins up too? How does Nathaniel feel about his father now? How has marriage and children changed them?

All these questions play out in my head. I wonder if they play out in yours.

It’s funny that books will feel that way. I guess that is what truly makes them powerful, the ability to make us linger in worlds that don’t belong to us. The ability to make us care about lives that don’t actually exist, and how often it feels like they do.

As The Alpha’s Dream continues to flourish. I hope that you get a chance to dive into the lives of Euphoria and Nathaniel and by proxy their amazing, loyal friends. My want is that they stay with you, the way they’ve stayed with me.

 

Joy.

#ShamelessPlug

The Alpha’s Dream is officially released and if you haven’t gotten it already, then what are you waiting for?!?

I’m still not over the excitement of my first official release. It has truly been a crazy ride and I’m still learning the ins and outs of publishing as I work on my second project.  That doesn’t mean I’m not watching closely even the slightest movement on the Alpha’s Dream! I loved writing the book and I wanted to give you reasons to love it too. So, here are my completely biased and utterly self-serving, top five reasons you should purchase The Alpha’s Dream.

1.The Alpha’s Dream is a sexy and tension filled love story of how our past haunts us.

I’m a hopeless romantic. A sweet romance will always make me swoon, but real relationships don’t just fall into place. Case in point, Euphoria and Nathaniel. While you escape into an eventual happily ever after, the journey the two must go to be with each other is the ultimate focus. My hero and heroine aren’t expected to simply fall in love with each other. They are forced to address quiet insecurities and very noisy resentments just as they would in “real life”.

2. New Orleans is the perfect location for a little shifter magic.

I should have said Louisiana here. I’m a LA native, born and raised here. It means I have a special connection to all things paranormal. New Orleans, with its flurry of activity and torrid history offers one of the perfect locations to bring in a little more of the extraordinary. Of course there would be werewolves in New Orleans. Just like there would be witches, vampires, changelings, and strong women like Euphoria who bravely carve out their lives.

3. The sister love bond between Euphoria Atkins and her best friend Charlotte is enviable.

In a world that loves a good catfight, I find it most important to show women of color with strong bonds. Euphoria and Charlotte are the type of sister girlfriends who tell each other hard truths, fight for each other without reservation, and will not once let the other sit back on their greatness. They are the epitome of strong, loving support systems. All of us should have best friends like these!

4. Nathaniel’s eventual self-awareness.

Nathaniel doesn’t have a lot of time for introspection. He takes things as he sees them, is not easily persuaded otherwise, and ultimately only changes kicking and screaming. It was tough to get him to a point where he wanted to be someone different. He wanted to be a man free enough of his resentments that he could love Euphoria from a whole place. There is nothing more powerful than his resolution to make peace with his past and his love for Euphoria as the catalyst.

5. Diversity in all things romance!

It is a small thing that the characters of my shifter romance are predominantly black. That isn’t to say that it isn’t a very important thing. Often, in stories outside of the norm, almost stereotypical romance characters of color are excluded. On days when they are included, there is generally one primary character as a person of color. It is important to me as a reader to have characters like Euphoria and Nathaniel; strong people of color with rich lives, honest fears, and prosperous.

I love my book. You will too. Add The Alpha’s Dream to your shifter collection today.

 

Joy.