Uncaged (Shifter Uprising #1) by Lisa Oliver and T.J. Oliver
Release Date: July, 2015

Goodreads Link
Publisher: Oliver Group Publications
Cover Artist: Lisa Oliver

Buy the book: Amazon |AllRomance (ARe) | Smashwords

Today I’m very lucky to be interviewing Thomas Oliver, co-author of Uncaged, Shifter’s Uprising series book one.  (Written with Lisa Oliver, author of the Cloverleah Pack and Bound and Bonded series).

Hi Thomas, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself, your background, and your current book.

Hi there, thank you for having me here today.  This book, Uncaged, is my first book, although I think it’s my Mom’s seventeenth or something.  I had the idea for the Shifter’s Uprising series for a while, but I wasn’t sure how to go about writing it, and that is where Lisa Oliver came in.  In Uncaged you have Carlin and Lucas, both fighters, both having committed crimes against shifter law and both living at the Souterrain which is run by a force called the Elite. Carlin and Lucas are mates and want to be together, but Lucas wants his freedom too.  When Carlin tries to fight for that freedom, Martin, the ruler of the Elite, decides Carlin’s death would be a better idea instead. Both Carlin and Lucas have to fight for their right to be together and to be free.

• Was there a basis for you story? A previous experience or something else?

I don’t think there was any defining moment for me, but it is like you see the little things that happen every day, on the news and on social media, and you think WTF?  But these things happen and yet people don’t seem to do anything about corruption, politicians taking away rights or discrimination and that is where the ideas for this series came from – that realization.

• What skills do you think a writer needs?

An open mind, some serious typing skills, a vision to work with and an awful lot of patience.

• What for you is the perfect book hero?

This might sound strange, but someone like Harry Potter appeals to me.  He’s humble, modest, has overcome a lot of crap in his life, and its like him against the world – yet he still keeps fighting and he still comes out on top. I like that.

• Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

I have trouble getting my words onto paper, and this is where Mom (Lisa Oliver) was a huge help.  I have the ideas, and I know how I want scenes to go, but getting those thoughts onto paper was a new thing for me, and the book wouldn’t have been finished if I had tried to do this on my own.

• Tell us about your favorite childhood book.

Hairy Maclary – actually that is one of the few books from my childhood I can remember – he didn’t do a lot, but the stories always flowed really well.

Blurb

Carlin is an Alpha Wolf Fighter, one of only three in the top spots at the Souterrain – an underground fighting club, run by the Elite to punish shifters who have gone outside of the laws. He’s happy enough, only has to fight exhibition matches, has his own apartment space, food and sex on tap – yep, life it good. So when Martin offers him the chance to fight for his freedom, Carlin turns it down. It’s no fun being a lone wolf and Carlin is quite happy where he is.

Then Lucas catches his eye. A handsome man, a stunning fighter, moving up through the ranks fast. Lucas might not have the killer attitude that most men at the Souterrain have, but he’s got the moves. Carlin has no problems insisting the man is bought to his apartment – sex is never a bad idea. But when he catches Lucas’s scent and realizes the man is his fated mate, suddenly getting him to bed is the least of his problems. Lucas wants to be free, and for the first time in a long time, so does Carlin.

Unfortunately there is more to Lucas than meets the eye. Martin certainly has no intention of letting them go, and if he has to have Carlin killed to keep Lucas at the Souterrain, then the man has no problems with that either. Suddenly the deal Carlin makes with Martin goes horribly wrong, and Carlin and Lucas realize that the price for freedom might be Carlin’s life, and even then Lucas will not be free.

Warnings: M/M sex, HEA, some violence (they are in a fight club after all). A growly Alpha who lets his emotions get the best of him, and a hybrid shifter with a wicked imagination.

Pages or Words: 44,000
Categories: Erotica, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, Paranormal

Excerpt

Carlin knew he was behaving like an idiot pacing up and down the floor of his small apartment, but he couldn’t stop. How long did it take for one man to have a shower for fucks sake? He’d ordered food for the both of them. Having been a fighter for more than five years, Carlin knew that Lucas would be hungry – hopefully for food and sex. But if the bloody man didn’t get his skates on then Carlin would eat alone and get straight to dessert when Lucas arrived.

About to call Brian and find out where his errant fuck had gone, Carlin caught the sound of people outside of his door. He threw himself on the couch and picked up a book. He didn’t want Lucas thinking he was waiting for him or anything.

Brian came in, Lucas a few steps behind him.

“Alpha Fighter Carlin. This is Lucas, ranked fifth after today.”

Carlin was surprised. He’d heard the man had moved swiftly up the ranks, but he didn’t realize that Lucas was so close to a shot for an Alpha ranking. In theory, one more fight and he might have to fight Lucas in the ring. For a moment Carlin was tempted to send the man away. He did have some conscience, even after so many years of being a fighting machine. He didn’t want to have to kill someone who had been in his bed.

But then Lucas stepped past Brian, and Carlin was caught in angry eyes. Silver eyes. Something tugged at Carlin’s brain – the eye color had some significance, didn’t it? But then Lucas’s scent hit Carlin’s nose and any rational thought fell straight out of his brain.

“Leave, Brian,” Carlin said, standing up and not breaking his stare with Lucas. He knew his body radiated the power he was famous for, and guessed he might look intimidating, as he heard Brian whisper to Lucas as he scurried out of the door, “I told you not to stare at an Alpha. You’re dead meat pup.”

“Better dead than a fuck toy,” Lucas snarled – his comment for Brian, but those silver eyes stayed fixed on Carlin.

“I agree,” Carlin said, his voice dropping as he got closer. Before Lucas could react, he reached his hand around, grabbing Lucas by the nape and pushing the man’s face into his throat. Whatever Lucas was going to say was muffled by Carlin’s skin, although the man was kicking, punching and doing everything he could to get free.

“Sniff, damn you,” Carlin said urgently. “Fucking sniff, and then I’ll let you go.”

Carlin felt Lucas quieten, although his body still stayed rigid in Carlin’s grasp. Lucas’s deep inhale was the only sound in the room. Carlin knew the moment Lucas had worked out what Carlin was trying to say.

Meet the Authors

Lisa Oliver had been writing non-fiction books for years when visions of half dressed, buff men started invading her dreams. Unable to resist the lure of her stories, Lisa decided to switch to fiction books, and now stories about her men clamor to get out from under her fingertips.
When Lisa is not writing, she is usually reading with a cup of tea always at hand. Her grown children and grandchildren sometimes try and pry her away from the computer and have found that the best way to do it, is to promise her chocolate. Lisa will do anything for chocolate.
Lisa loves to hear from her readers and other writers. You can friend her on Facebook here, or email her directly at yoursintuitively@gmail.com.

Thomas Oliver doesn’t have a lot of time for writing itself although he can talk about his ideas for hours. A construction worker by day, he has a wicked imagination and it was from sharing some of his ideas with Lisa, that the idea for this series was born.
When not working, Thomas is like any other young man. He loves to spend time with friends, his girlfriend and working on his car. His dream is to do up a project car – something mean, with attitude and plenty of power under the hood.
Anyone wanting to contact Thomas can do so through Facebook.

Where to find the author:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lisaoliverauthor
Facebook Author Page:
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/wisecrone333
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lisaoliver79/
My Blog: http://www.supernaturalsmut.com

Giveaway

Enter to win a Rafflecopter Prize: three ebook copies of the book to giveaway (pdf, mobi or epub). Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Link and prizes provided by the authors and Pride Promotions.

Rafflecopter Code:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Tour Dates & Stops:
21-Sep – BFD Book Blog, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Amanda C. Stone
22-Sep – Just Love Romance, Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves, MM Good Book Reviews
23-Sep – Vampires, Werewolves, and Fairies, Oh My, Happily Ever Chapter
24-Sep – Divine Magazine, Molly Lolly
25-Sep – Open Skye Book Reviews, Jessie G. Books
28-Sep – Mikky’s World of Books, It’s Raining Men, Bayou Book Junkie
29-Sep – Michael Mandrake, The Blogger Girls
30-Sep – Inked Rainbow Reads
1-Oct – Love Bytes, Rainbow Gold Reviews, Bike Book Reviews
2-Oct – Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews