Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Meet the Characters – An Interview with Lori from “Wolves' Gambit” by P.J. MacLayne


Wolf-shifter Lori Grenville was rescued from near-slavery and a brutal pack leader by the Free Wolves. To pay back the favor, she's dedicated her life to helping others in the same situation, leading shifters to safety and a new start, risking her life in the process. She's faced down alphas and has no qualms in undermining pack structure.

Now she's challenged with the task of restoring an alpha to his rightful place. If she gets it right, she can stop a war from ripping apart two packs and spreading across an entire state. If she fails, she'll be among the first to die.

There's still the option of walking away and letting the Jaeger and Destin packs destroy each other. That means she'll fail in her original mission of rescuing the daughter of the Jaeger alpha before the girl is forced into marriage for political gain.

Lori hasn't failed in a mission yet. This one may be the exception.

Although Wolves' Gambit is the third book in the Free Wolves series, each book can be read as a standalone.


Today we’re talking to Lori Grenville from “Wolves' Gambit (The Free Wolves Book 3),” a Paranormal Romance by P.J. MacLayne. Let’s get started. I’m sure our readers are eager to learn more about you.

What is your relationship status?
Single. I don't have time to be in a relationship. Besides, it's too dangerous. If I get close to someone, I might blow my cover. That could be dangerous to my health.

Name three of your favorite things.
A good-fitting set of contacts that don't make my eyes burn, a long run in wolf form deep in a forest, hanging out with other Free Wolves in one of the safe houses where I can relax a bit.

Name three things that tick you off.
Power-hungry alphas, women who get a kick out of putting down other women, a badly-mixed drink. I've done more than one stint as a bartender, and it's sheer laziness to mess up most drinks. Or ignorance, and there are enough on-line resources that tell how to make a drink that ignorance is no excuse. And we women need to stick up for each other. We'll all get farther if we cooperate instead of compete against each other.

What is your best memory to date?
Shortly after I was rescued from my childhood pack, I spent time in a cabin in the woods. I can't tell you exactly where. It was the first time I didn't have to worry about someone looking over my shoulder all the time, telling me what I was doing wrong. I got to spend time relaxing and learning new things. For the first time, I felt like I was worth something.

What are you most afraid of?
That all the work me and the other Free Wolves have done to help shifter females have a voice will somehow get undone. We've come far enough that I can't imagine it happening, but the fear is still there. We've all seen how politics can change in a heartbeat, and pack politics are worse than human politics.

What would you like it to say on your tombstone?
I don't expect I'll have a tombstone. I'd rather be cremated. Or I might end up in a ditch somewhere rotting away. And since I have a variety of identities, chances are my real name wouldn't be on a tombstone anyway. Besides, there isn't anyone who would want to come visit my grave.

Now on to something lighter, what is your favorite drink?
Having worked as a bartender, I've got quite a repertoire of drinks, but my favorites are still the basics. Rum and coke or a screwdriver. Made with top-shelf booze, of course.

What is your favorite food?
Rare steak. That's pretty much a given for a wolf shifter. But I'm also fond of Italian. I good lasagna When I make a batch of spaghetti, I always try to have enough for leftovers.

Do you see morality as black-and-white, or with shades of gray?
Shades of gray. As part of my mission, I sometimes have to lie and/or manipulate people. I'm rather good at it. But I'm doing it to help people, so I don't feel bad about it.

Do you care about what others assume about you?
I have to. It's those assumptions that help me rescue shifters in peril. As long as everyone assumes I'm too small and weak to be a threat, I can get away with a lot. I've developed some pretty good acting skills along the way.

If someone from your past showed up, who would you most want it to be, and why?
My mother. She was forced to leave me when I was a young teen, and I've spent years looking for her without any luck.

If someone from your past showed up, who would you most NOT want it to be, and why?
There's about a dozen or more pack alphas I don't want to ever run into again. Maybe they figured out I was the one who got their pack member out and hidden, maybe they didn't. I can't take that chance. If I did happen to run into one of them, hopefully I'd be in one of my alternate disguises and they wouldn't recognize me.

If you could make any one thing happen, what would it be?
Reform pack structure and drag it into the modern era. Too many packs still don't give women any voice in management, and too many alphas still think their way is the only way. I'm working to change that, but it's a long process and won't be finished in my lifetime.

What is your most prized possession?
I own a mottled gray catsuit I use for nighttime surveillance. It was custom made and includes a place to hide my set of pick-locks. It's the one thing I always tale with me when I go on a mission, but it's getting old and thin in a few spots. I seriously need to consider getting it replaced one of these days.

What kinds of things do you always carry with you?
A custom set of pick-locks. Of course, those are usually somewhere less obvious than my standard pockets. I like to add small, hidden pockets to my clothes when I can.

If you had a free day with no responsibilities and your only mission was to enjoy yourself, what would you do?
Read. I love reading. Unfortunately, I can't take my books with me as I move from place to place. So I'm always on the lookout for a cheap used book store. My favorite genre is romance, and believe it or not, I enjoy urban fantasy/paranormal romance. I get such a kick out of those authors who haven't the foggiest idea what it's like to be a shifter and make it all up.

“Wolves' Gambit” is available through:


Connect with P.J. MacLayne


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