Paige Tyler on unique characters. Plus, a giveaway!

In Her True Match, the feline-shifter heroine Dreya has always felt like a “freak.” She’s surprised—and relieved—when she learns that there are others just like her. There are lots of stories about characters who don’t feel like they fit in with everyone else, but learn to embrace what makes them unique. Here are some of my favorites!

1. Monster High Series. For anyone who hasn’t read the books or watched the animated series (seriously, are you living under a rock?), it’s about a school for monster kids. Whether it’s Frankie Stein’s stitched-on hands always falling off, or Draculaura’s vegetarian lifestyle getting in the way of her relationship with Clawd, son of the werewolf, the stories are all about people dealing with the things that make them different and unique. But by embracing their freaky flaws, these teens find out it’s what’s inside that matters most.

2. Monster Haven Series. This book series, by Rachel Naquin, is about Zoey Donovan, a very special person who discovers she has a rather difficult job—protecting monsters. Whether it’s the one in her closet or the one under her bed, Zoey has to help them solve their problems because nobody else in the world can. Talk about feeling like a freak? She’s the only person out there who has a clue what the world is really like, and she doesn’t even have time to worry about it because if she messes up her job, the world might be destroyed.

3. iZombie. This is one of my favorite new TV shows. Liv Moore had her whole life planned out, with a great fiancé and a career in medicine right there in front of her. Then she gets scratched by a zombie and everything changes. Now she works at the ME’s office, snacking on the brains of the most recent arrivals and trying to figure out who killed the people she’s munching on. To say she doesn’t fit in is an understatement. Best show ever!

4. Dead Sexy. This book, by Paige Tyler (oh wait…that’s me!) is about Drake Parrish, a rich player who was cursed by an evil Voodoo priestess. He’s lived as a recluse on New York’s Upper East Side for the past eight years, having to worry that he’ll go zombie at the worst possible time. Drake is forced to live his life via the internet, too much of a freak to ever go outside. It’s not until he meets a romance writer named Simone that he realizes he’s been living, and that it isn’t the same thing as being alive. He’s going to have to take a chance—and risk revealing what he is—if he’s ever going to have a life. As much of a life as a zombie can have anyway.

5. Her Perfect Mate. This book, by writer Paige Tyler (oh wait…that’s me too!) revolves around Ivy Halliwell, a feline shifter who is an outcast at her own covert organization. She’s had two previous partners and both treated her like crap, calling her a freak and never trusting her. It was pretty amazing watching her come to trust her new partner, Special Forces Captain Landon Donovan.

Who are your favorites?

Ms. Tyler is giving away the first three books in her X-OPS Series to one lucky reader. Make a comment below to be entered in this drawing!

Paige Tyler is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of sexy, romantic fiction. Paige writes books about hunky alpha males and the kick-butt heroines they fall in love with. She lives with her very own military hero (a.k.a. her husband) and their adorable dog on the beautiful Florida coast. Visit www.paigetylertheauthor.com.

FORCED TOGETHER

When feline shifter Dreya Clark is escorted from the police interrogation by two secret agents, she thinks she’s dodged a bullet. That sexy detective Braden Hayes caught her stealing red-handed. When she finds out what she has to do to stay out of jail, suddenly she’s missing the hot cop with the piercing gaze. She’s being recruited for her shifter abilities by the Department of Covert Operations.

WILL DANGER RIP THEM APART?

Braden has been chasing the smart-mouthed cat burglar for years. But when Dreya’s taken away, he knows their game of cat and mouse has turned deadly-serious. There’s no way he’ll let her go off alone. Fur flies and temperatures flare as Braden realizes Dreya is much more than she appears. Thrown together on a dangerous covert mission, this unlikely pair will have to rely on each other to make it out alive.

A/BN/iB/K