Shawntelle Madison introduces Coveted

I’d like to thank Piatkus Entice for inviting me here today! I’m really excited about my first ebook release with them this month. My book, Coveted, is about a werewolf with OCD who hoards holiday trinkets. I wrote the story in late 2009 to 2010 and now Natalya Stravinsky is out in the world.

I have a special place in my heart for the underdog in any story. I’ve seen it in books and movies—that one individual who faces many adversities, but in the end they come out on top. It’s the spirit of the underdog that’s a part of my book Coveted. And in it my heroine Natalya faces not only an obsessive compulsive disorder but the issues associated with her family and friends and her pack. She is the quintessential underdog due to feeling beat down and depressed.

Natalya is not your average kick-butt heroine. She has flaws. And they’re something she can’t run away from or turn off no matter how much she wants to. But when her family or friends are in trouble, she is still loyal to the very end.

Right now I’m watching a really entertaining South Korean television show, or as they are called, k-drama. The heroine of the story is a housewife who works day-to-day in the home with her mother-in-law. She also has a part-time in a rice cake shop. She’s underappreciated and her husband sees her as inferior since he is rising in the ranks as a sociology professor and a relationship TV show host. He doesn’t value her anymore as the woman who worked hard to pay his way through school and the woman he fell in love with.

This could be any show, right? But it detailed the classic underdog. I really connected with the heroine as she made the decision to change her life to move out of the house, to divorce her husband, and to start on a path of personal growth and become a singer. There’s a lot more to show than that, and it was quite humorous and entertaining, but there was something special about her. I could see myself. I remembered the times when I wasn’t valued, when others didn’t see the potential in me. She was the underdog and when I saw her transition from being a housewife to becoming a famous singer, I cheered her on. I wanted her to win and improve her life.

I feel the same way about Natalya. She has her down moments. And a lot of them made me cry to write them. Who hasn’t felt longing for someone they can’t be with? Who hasn’t been a part of a group of friends, only to find you’re not welcome anymore—because you’re different? I can tell you I’ve personally felt that way several times growing up. I can recall many times when I wished I had better clothes or I hung out with the popular kids. I wanted to be “belong.” Now that I’m older, I can see that with time and growth, things change. I’ve accomplished so many personal goals I’ve set for myself. With three kids running around the house I’ve managed to sit down and write several books. Even with interruptions to fetch chocolate milk and make dinner.

Natalya will also have her moment in the limelight. She will shine and take steps forward to improve her life. It won’t happen overnight and she won’t get everything she hopes to receive, but, like the popular idiom goes, every dog has its day and Natalya will have hers as well.

So do you enjoy stories featuring underdogs? Movies where the little guy comes out on top? I’d love to hear your favourites.

If you’d like to connect with me, you can find me on Twitter as Shawntelle, on Facebook and through my website. I also do blog posts on Wicked Authors (Mondays) and Magic & Mayhem Writers (Wednesdays).