QSFer Leta Blake has a new MM paranormal book out, and shares an exclusive guest post with us:
Guest Post
Hello, Queer SciFi community! I’m excited to announce the release of my book, Slow Heat, a sci-fi/fantasy non-shifter Alpha/Omega story with m-preg, knotting, and plenty of hotness.
When thinking about how to talk about this book, I always come back to what inspired me to write it to begin with: my exposure to Alpha/Omega stories in fandoms of yore. In fact, the first A/O storyline I ever saw was in a LiveJournal kink meme (who remembers those?) for Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr slash for the X-Men: First Class movie. (* shifty eyes * C’mon, theirs is a tragic love story.)
Anyway, I was captivated by the never-finished Alpha/Omega fanfiction story and returned to it again and again hoping that the author would eventually post more. When I last went to look at it out of curiosity, they never did. There were certain elements to that very first A/O story that I decided to use in my own: an older omega and a younger alpha, and a world without cell phones, computers, or modern medicine/technology. Those were the key elements that I wanted to include and everything else I just let fall into place.
In the m/m romance world, especially, Alpha/Omega stories have become intertwined with the concept of werewolves and shifters, but the original A/O stories in fandom weren’t about werewolves at all. In fact, according to FanLore (a fandom wiki) the earliest known A/O story came from a request placed in 2010 in a Supernatural fandom kink meme. You can read about it here: https://fanlore.org/wiki/Alpha/Beta/Omega
I’m sure that someone doing media studies could get a PhD on this, but I hypothesize it was the rise of the TV show Teen Wolf and its fandom discovering that A/O worked really well in that universe which helped conflate the idea that Alpha/Omega universes, and their heat, knotting, male pregnancy tendencies, required shifters. But that just isn’t where my mind has ever been with A/O stories due to my initial fandom exposure.
If you’re curious about how I’ve dealt with world-building and a universe where men get pregnant and give birth, Slow Heat is available on Amazon and in Kindle Unlimited starting May 16.
Has anyone here had experience with Alpha/Omega stories in fandoms? What’s your favorite pairing on your favorite show? Who’d be the omega? Who’d be the alpha?
Thanks for reading and playing along!
About the Book
A lustful young alpha meets his match in an older omega with a past.
Professor Vale Aman has crafted a good life for himself. An unbonded omega in his mid-thirties, he’s long since given up hope that he’ll meet a compatible alpha, let alone his destined mate. He’s fulfilled by his career, his poetry, his cat, and his friends.
When Jason Sabel, a much younger alpha, imprints on Vale in a shocking and public way, longings are ignited that can’t be ignored. Fighting their strong sexual urges, Jason and Vale must agree to contract with each other before they can consummate their passion.
But for Vale, being with Jason means giving up his independence and placing his future in the hands of an untested alpha–as well as facing the scars of his own tumultuous past. He isn’t sure it’s worth it. But Jason isn’t giving up his destined mate without a fight.
This is a stand alone gay romance novel, 117,000 words, with a strong HFN ending, as well as a well-crafted, non-shifter omegaverse, with alphas, betas, omegas, male pregnancy, heat, and knotting. Content warning for pregnancy loss and aftermath.
Author Bio
Author of the bestselling book Smoky Mountain Dreams and the fan favorite Training Season, Leta Blake’s educational and professional background is in psychology and finance, respectively. However, her passion has always been for writing. She enjoys crafting romance stories and exploring the psyches of made up people. At home in the Southern U.S., Leta works hard at achieving balance between her day job, her writing, and her family.
Leta Blake on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/letablake
Leta Blake on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LetaBlake
Leta Blake on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/letablake