We’re so pleased to have author Cari Z. with us today to celebrate her most recent release from Dreamspinner Press, Off the Beaten Path. Cari’s also going to be celebrating another big event soon, so read on.

Welcome, Cari!

I’ve been thinking a lot about sequels and series lately. And not just because I’m about to pop my own first ever, real-life little replicant out into the real world (although I am, thank goodness, I’m so ready for her to be here). I’ve been steeped in sequels this past year, mostly due to writing a series with the inimitable L.A. Witt. And when I say series, I mean it—we wrote four books, one of which is a novella, in a year. The second one came out last month, and the final two will be out in July. I’ve never written so fast or furious before, and it’s kind of thrilling to see so much come together so quickly.

It didn’t make me want to write more series right now, though, not really. If anything, I took refuge in the loveliness of the one-off, the standalone, the solo story. I wrote Off The Beaten Path at the same time as the second book in the aforementioned series, and it was kind of a mental balm. No long-term consequences, no need for detailed follow through, just…a story. A touching, slightly angsty, fairly romantic and exciting story. And I finished it and Dreamspinner took it and woot! Time to move on!

Except, I did this thing I do sometimes, which is…I kind of left something…unresolved? Or at least open-ended? And I didn’t think it would matter, because this habit of leaving myself a backdoor is just for my own peace of mind, nothing with any consequences. And then someone who read and reviewed an ARC wrote me to ask me about the sequel. And so did someone else. And then another person followed suit, and I was left with the unmistakable realization that I’d gone and given people the wrong impression.

Or maybe it’s the right impression? Because I thought about it and realized that I’d actually love to revisit this world, and this werewolf pack in particular, and now I’ve got the perfect excuse to do that. My subconscious is a manipulative prick of the first order, but it might have something here. I hope it does! I’d love to pick things up with a new couple (if you read Off The Beaten Path, you know who I’m talking about).

First things first, though. Learn to take care of my new kiddo and be a productive human being at the same time. This could be a while, but rest assured, if you’re looking for a sequel—I haven’t forgotten you.

About Off the Beaten Path

When Ward Johannsen’s little girl Ava shifted into a werewolf, she was taken into custody by the feds and shipped off to the nearest pack, all ties between father and daughter severed. Ward burned every bridge he had discovering her location, and then almost froze to death in the Colorado mountains tracking her new pack down. And that’s just the beginning of his struggle.

Henry Dormer is an alpha werewolf and an elite black ops soldier who failed his last mission. He returns home, hoping for some time to recuperate and help settle the pack’s newest member, a little pup named Ava who can’t shift back to her human form. Instead he meets Ward, who refuses to leave his daughter without a fight. The two men are as different as night and day, but their respect for each other strikes a spark of mutual interest that quickly grows into a flame. They might find something special together—love, passion, and even a family—if they can survive trigger-happy pack guardians, violent werewolf politics, and meddling government agencies that are just as likely to get their alpha soldiers killed as bring them home safely.

About the Author

Cari Z was a bookworm as a child and remains one to this day. In an effort to combat her antisocial reading behavior, she did all sorts of crazy things, from competitive gymnastics to alligator wresting (who even knew that was legal!) to finally joining the Peace Corps, which promptly sent her and her husband to the wilds of West Africa, stuck them in a hut, and said, “See ya!” She also started writing, because some things she just thought she could do better. She’s still climbing that ladder, but can’t stop herself from writing, or from sharing what she creates.

Cari enjoys a wide range of literary genres, from the classics (get ‘im, Ahab) to science fiction and fantasy of all types, to historical fiction and reference materials (no, seriously, there are so many great encyclopedias out there). She writes in a wide range of genres as well, but somehow 90% of what she produces ends up falling into the broad and exciting category of m/m erotica. There’s a sprinkling of f/m and f/f and even m/f/m in her repertoire, but her true love is man love. And there’s a lot of love to go around.

Cari has published short stories, novellas, and novels with numerous print and e-presses, and she also offers up a tremendous amount of free content on Literotica.com, under the name Carizabeth.

Connect with Cari at her Website or via her Blog, Facebook and Twitter