Reading Companion
Enemies by Nature and Shifting Nature
I put together a reading companion for my new novels Enemies by Nature and Shifting Nature so you can look at photos of the settings and get some behind-the-scenes information.
I hope you enjoy Enemies by Nature and Shifting Nature and this reading companion!
Enemies by Nature - Reading Companion
Chapter 1
We first met submissive wolf-shifter Kelsey in Second Nature, where she’s a minor character. She got her own book in True Nature, which is also where we first met Tala.
Chapter 2
Did you know that the acronym for Peter MacAllister’s anti-Wrasa group Humans Against Shape-Shifters—HASS—means hate in German? I thought it was very fitting.
I initially considered Make-Believe Mate as a title for the novel, but since it didn’t fit in with the naming convention for the other novels in the Shape-Shifter Series, I instead named the Wrasa’s fake-dating plan Operation Make-Believe Mate.
Jorie Price and Griffin Westmore have their own novel too— Second Nature, which started the Shape-Shifter Series.
By the way, the Shape-Shifter Pride parade the article in this chapter mentions is described in my novelette Pigeon Post, which shows how Tala and Faith first met. You can download a free ebook copy of Pigeon Post here.
Chapter 3
If you have read the entire Shape-Shifter Series, you might have realized that you have met Faith, her father (Peter), and her daughter (Chloe) before too: They made an appearance in Pigeon Post.
Faith’s townhouse is part of a former paper mill that has been converted into modern homes. You can get a glimpse of the courtyard and the house in this video.
The café where Faith hangs out when Tala approaches her actually exists. It’s Blue Bottle Coffee in Georgetown. This is what their patio, where Faith is sitting, looks like. It’s right next to the C&O Canal (Chesapeake and Ohio Canal) along the Potomac River.
Chapter 4
The apartment where Tala temporarily lives during her mission is the Kennedy-Warren Apartment Building. With its two limestone griffins on the entrance tower, the Art Deco apartment complex seemed to be a great fit for my shape-shifters.
Check out a short video of the building.
Chapter 10
The Dutch beverage Faith brings Tala is a Bols Genever, closely related to gin. It comes in a ceramic bottle depicting in windmill.
Chapter 11
The sapphic crime and romance novels Faith finds on the USB drive all actually exist! In case you’re interested in checking them out, here are their titles:
- Clean Kill by Anne Laughlin,
- Art of the Chase by Jennifer Giacalone,
- A Quiet Death by Cari Hunter,
- Murder by Tradition by Katherine V. Forrest,
- Informants by Barbara Winkes (this is the one she opens and starts reading),
- The Red Files by Lee Winter (the one with the fun chapter titles),
- The Roommate Arrangement by Jae (Faith’s favorite grumpy/sunshine romance).
Chapter 12
While the Wrasa don’t have recipes, here are the recipes for the lamb stew and for the berry crisp Faith and Tala make during their cooking date.
Chapter 14
When Faith’s checks out the comments on Tala’s Instagram post, you might have noticed a familiar name. One of the commenters was Nyla Rozakis, the human nurse who starts a forbidden relationship with emergency psychiatrist & coyote-shifter Shelby in my novella Manhattan Moon.
The book Tala’s mother promises to read in preparation for Faith’s visit, Humans for Dummies, is mentioned several times. The existence of a self-help book on humans seemed like such a fun idea that I eventually wrote a short story in which Tala reads the book. It’s titled A Shape-Shifter’s Guide to Romancing a Human and will be available for free in June.
Chapter 15
The fictional town where Tala’s family lives is based on Front Royal, Virginia.
Tala’s pack home was inspired by this house, but it would be bigger, of course, to fit all of her relatives.
Chapter 16
Arlyn mentions she studied Wrasa medicine under Doctors Brian and Gus Eldridge. If those names sounded familiar, it’s because they’re Griffin Westmore’s fathers in Second Nature.
Chapter 21
The pack’s ritual spot is in Shenandoah National Park, close to Lands Run Falls.
Shifting Nature - Reading Companion
Chapter 3
Chapter 7
If you’re wondering what the luxury suitcase of the Wrasa-hating guest looks like, you can check it out here.
Chapter 8
Here’s the unicorn backpack Chloe wants for her birthday. Be prepared—it’s very sparkly!
Chapter 10
The hotel Faith flees to is the River Inn.
Meanwhile, Tala is heading to Kalorama, where Faith’s father lives. Peter MacAllister’s home is based on this house.
The house across the street is the French ambassador’s residence.
I hope you enjoyed Enemies by Nature and Shifting Nature and this reading companion!
Stay tuned for their short story sequel, A Shape-Shifter’s Guide to Romancing a Human, which will be out in June. I’ll offer it as a free ebook to my newsletter subscribers. Feel free to sign up to my newsletter below to get an email when it’s available.
Happy reading!
Jae
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