Blog Tour: Judith Graves, author of Under My Skin

What’s Under My Skin (UMS) About?

New girl, Eryn McCain, has trouble fitting in at Redgrave High, but she has a lot of potential—potential to dismember. Kill. You name it, because despite the manipulations of her chemist father, Eryn’s not quite human. She’s the muttly product of an alliance between her hunter/human father, and her wolven mother (a human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf). Threatened by both societies, Eryn is sent to live with her uncle and his family. Eryn’s first month at Redgrave High has been anything but dull. Werewolves, missing pets, stilted family relationships - not to mention the two hot guys who just might want to kill for her. Or kill her.

Befriended by Brit, the school’s only goth chick, Eryn discovers the mysterious Alec Delacroix and his family are out to rid the town of werewolves. Too bad. If he finds out the truth about Eryn, he just might want to do her in before she can wrangle a kiss from his brooding lips. Wade Gervais, resident hottie, serves as a bit of a distraction, until it turns out he used to date Eryn’s cousin, Paige, and Wade’s father, the police chief, might bring police brutality to a whole new level. Eryn must battle werewolves, vampires, Paige, a corrupt police force, and the growing urge to free the beast waiting under her skin.

Can Alec, Wade, and Eryn stop snapping at each other long enough to save Redgrave? Will Eryn’s dream of running with the wolven become all too real, in the bloodbath, everyone-dies—even-the-guy-she-loves kind of way?

The Inspiration Behind UMS

The mythology and folklore sections of the library have always fascinated me. I seek out retellings of fairytales from other cultures, like different Cinderella tales: Fair, Brown & Trembling: An Irish Cinderella Story by Jude Daly or The Rough-Faced Girl by Rafe Martin. Those are modern examples, but there are a ton of other tales, old lore from different regions.

I began to wonder what would happen if these stories blended? What if the different beasties, with their slight variations and “rules” of existence, came face-to-face?

I wanted to explore the idea of mythological creatures from different parts of the world having to duke it out over the last bit of unclaimed territory. I knew my main characters would be forced to choose sides. And the lines between those sides would be very blurred. The characters had to be conflicted. Hopefully UMS does a good job of laying this foundation for the series. There are two more books to come: Second Skin and Skin of My Teeth.

I wrote the first draft of each book in extreme rough draft – each story took up its own coil notebook. I created character cards with specific details (even searching the net for pics of people who embodied the physical description of each character). Here’s a pic of the original drafts, my notes, etc.

Under My Skin has undergone seven major revisions. I’m working on Second Skin now, and it’s already changed quite a bit from its skimpy first draft. In the Skinned series, Eryn and her ragtag crew of hunters will be put to the test – and so will I in plotting this monster…lol. Yikes! Time to get back to revisions…..

Find Out More About Judith Graves at:
Website http://www.judithgraves.com/
Wolfy Chicks Blog http://wolfychicks.blogspot.com/
Book Trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0s3kQ4nnSEk
Publisher’s Website www.leapbks.com
Class of 2k10 website www.class2k10.com
Class of 2k10 trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0H79WFPYpc&feature
Free Read: Old Flames Die Hard http://www.leapbks.com/exclusives/ofdh.html