Tiger’s Last Chance author builds a wonderful world where rabbits shift into terrifying, toothy monsters!! Read all about Christina Lynn Lambert’s shifter world and her latest release: Tiger’s Last Chance.
Scary Rabbits and Other Strange Creatures
by Christina Lynn Lambert
When I was writing my first book a few years ago, my oldest daughter who was about ten at the time, was reading Bunnicula by James and Deborah Howe. She loved the Bunnicula books so much that she asked me to write a scary rabbit into my series. So, for my daughter, I created the rabbit shifters which are viewed by the other shapeshifters with a mix of awe and fear.
The rabbit shifters can appear as harmless rabbits but they can also morph into bony fur-covered skeleton looking creatures with teeth like a bear trap and fur full of projectile needles. Though the rabbit shifters look scary, they’re usually pretty decent people. They don’t like to be touched by anyone while in rabbit form and won’t hesitate to get mean about it, though. They also like to play pranks. They are the deadliest of all kinds of shapeshifters and usually use their skills to protect shifters and regular humans. I love that the rabbit shifters are small in their rabbit form, and incredibly vulnerable, until they shift into their secondary, more terrifying form. Sometimes we all have to be a little scary or loud in order to be heard and our fierceness can take people by surprise.
For my Stranger Creatures series, the other shapeshifters I created were predatory animals like bears, wolves, and tigers. Instead of the typical structure of a pack with an alpha and all others being bound to follow the alpha and submit to the alpha’s will, I wrote the shifters as having no hierarchical structure. The alpha or pack leader of each group is usually an older woman who provides guidance and advice as well as some tough love when necessary. An important part of being a shapeshifter is taking care of the environment since the shifters need land to be able to run free in their animal form. Shapeshifters have become a part of the force that works to keep greedy land developers from tearing down every forest and field or filling in every creek and stream just to build strip malls and more luxury homes. The town of Great Oaks, where most of the stories in the series take place, was once a factory town that became desolate and forgotten when the factories closed. When shifters began to see the potential of the town by renovating the existing buildings and creating a community where shifters could live without worry that all of their parks and land would be destroyed, the town began to thrive and grow to become a haven for shifters and other strange creatures.
The one strange creature I haven’t written about yet is mermaids. I have always loved the water and try to go to the beach or the river whenever possible. I like to canoe, swim, or just sit on the shore or river rocks and read. When I was a little kid, I used to wish on my birthday candles every year that I could become a mermaid but I’ll have to settle for one day writing about the beautiful strange creatures of the ocean.
Tiger’s Last Chance
by Christina Lynn Lambert
While working a case, Sean Whitman is tortured for information, drugged, and bitten against his will by a shape shifter. The fallout ruins his career. Needing a fresh start, he leaves town and opens a private investigation business. Learning to live life sober isn’t easy, but he makes it to the two-year mark.
When Detective Nikki Jackson with the Great Oaks, Virginia Police Department calls him to ask for his help as a consultant on a case, he’s captivated by her sweet, slightly Southern voice. In person, she’s unlike any other woman he’s encountered, and nearly impossible to resist. But could the sexy detective ever want a man like him?
After Nikki’s last dating disaster, the mountain lion shifter has sworn off men. Then she meets Sean, and with every second she spends around the tall, dark-eyed man, her resolve crumbles. Despite the undeniable attraction between them, Sean seems determined to push her away.
An investigation into missing refugees leads Nikki to the discovery of a radical political group’s horrifying plot for dominance. Traitors are embedded within the very organizations meant to keep shifters safe. As the list of people she can trust dwindles, she calls on Sean to help her unravel a web of deceit.
As Nikki and Sean fight for survival, his fear of losing her could become a reality. Will he get one last chance to show her he loves her?
An Excerpt from Tiger’s Last Chance
Before they walked out the door, Sean pulled Nikki to him for a kiss. He couldn’t get enough of her and that couldn’t be normal. He reminded himself he shouldn’t get too used to the feeling of having her lips against his and her arms wrapped around his waist.
On their way to Nikki’s car, Averett, the prick investigator Sean had caught near Nikki the day before, stepped out of the security van parked on the street and jogged toward them.
“Good morning, Ms. Jackson,” he called out.
“That guys a jerk,” Sean whispered to her. How had Averett been assigned to her security detail anyway after his supervisor had caught him going on a tirade about how Nikki would never be his president?
“Yeah, he looks like a douche. Thanks for the warning,” she whispered before waving to Averett and telling him good morning.
Sean leaned against the side of Nikki’s car as he snuck a picture of Averett, which he sent to Trevor along with a text.
Sean: He’s on Nikki’s security detail. Don’t like him. Check him out?
Averett approached them, all polite and innocent. “I need to show you something in the security van. Some footage we recorded earlier this morning.”
“Sure,” Nikki agreed, though she made no attempt to follow him. “Have you sent the footage to SU yet?”
“Just did a few minutes ago. Come check it out.” He stepped closer.
Sean’s phone chimed with a text.
Trevor: Looking into it!
Nikki looked skeptical at Averett’s claim. “Really? I spoke to Blackwell not five minutes ago. He didn’t mention anything about it.”
“You know how information takes a while to travel when it comes to shifters.”
“True,” she acknowledged. “I’ll give you my number. You can send the footage to my phone. I’m kind of in a hurry.”
Averett muttered a curse then shouted in the direction of the van, “Come on out, guys.”
Sean sent Trevor a quick text of what he hoped was an intelligible spelling of the word “help” and pressed the button that would silence any texts or calls. He drew his gun as three men and two women, all dressed in black and gray, hopped out of the van, drew their weapons, and advanced toward Nikki.
“This would have been easier if you were stupid,” Averett told her.
“For you, maybe.” She didn’t cower or move to hide behind Sean. She stood her ground, waiting, assessing the situation. In a fight, in any battle, he wanted her on his team
Meet Christina Lynn Lambert
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Meet Christina Lynn Lambert
A few years ago, I read my first romance novel and I was hooked, so much so that I decided to give the idea of writing a story a chance. Love, courage, hope, and second chances are a few of my favorite themes. My stories include a fair amount of sarcasm, suspense, steam, and violence. When I’m not writing, I enjoy spending time outside and finding ways to avoid cooking. I live in beautiful Virginia with my husband, two daughters, and a sweet, hairy monster of a dog.
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