Today we have L. B. La Vigne on the blog to tell us a little more about their new release – The Incredible Real Life Monster Man

Monsters are real, and everyone knows it. When Mikey, an employee at the US Department of Fish and Wildlife, is assigned to rescue an abused creature at Samuel’s Carnival Extravaganza, he feels drawn to the sympathetic thing. But, rescuing and nursing the creature back to health has some unforeseen consequences. Not only can Renin talk, but he has the same urges and needs as a human—urges and needs now set on his savior, Mikey. Ones which Mikey can’t say he doesn’t reciprocate.
As a creature used to high levels of socialization, keeping him in isolation with little stimulation could be doing him more harm than good. For the second time, Mikey must break Renin out of captivity, bringing him home for…safe keeping.
While ending up in Mikey’s home is one of the best things to happen to Renin, multiple forces threaten to tear them apart. Mikey’s boyfriend, for one, isn’t accepting of the creature making itself comfortable in Mikey’s bed. The government is desperate to get their creature back, and will stop at nothing to have him. And then, there’s what’s hidden in the woods—watching, waiting, ready to strike at Renin at the first opportunity. With everything seemingly against them, Mikey may not be able to hold on to his monster for very long.

Buy link: https://www.deepdesirespress.com/l-b-la-vigne/

Excerpt

Mike was delighted as he walked up, hesitating for a moment. It was only his first night, and he could get kicked to the curb even before seeing the creature he was there to save if he got caught. So Mike leaned back against the side of the tent, hands behind himself to keep upright. Then he walked slowly sideways, right behind the guard whose head lifted up for a moment, like he heard something.

Mike froze, staring at the back of his head; he could smell the stale cigarette smoke and whiskey just oozing out of the guy. It made Mike choke, and he held his breath as he waited. Then, like waking only momentarily from a dream, the guy’s head fell forward again, and Mike thought he heard a quite snoring begin from him.

He continued on with his mission, stealthily untying the knot that kept the tent door closed with his hands behind his back. As soon as the bottom tie was undone, he ducked down and slipped in, letting out a sigh of relief as the world seemed to grow quiet in the interior of the circus tent.

A lantern hung from the ceiling, the incandescent bulb glowing in the night. In the center of the tent was a five-by-six foot cage with a metal grate for a floor, and thick steel bars there were welded close together. In the corner farthest away from the door, curled up into a tight ball, was a creature with pale skin and black feathers, lying on its side.

Its face pressed against one arm, tail wrapped around his front for added protection. The thing looked pale and cold. Mike’s heart broke at the dull coloring. The thing had a mane of black feathers around its throat and shoulders that thinned out to nothing down its spine. Mike mentally switched into observation mode, infinitely curious about all creatures.

It was clear that the feathers were for protection during a fight, the same as a lion’s mane. And the tail—it was long and very thin. He assumed the creature must live in the trees and use it to wrap around branches for stability. The fact that it had feathers added to that, though it seemed to have human arms, he observed as he circled around it. Mike stopped on one side of it and knelt down a foot or so away from the cage. He tilted his head to the side.

“Beautiful,” he whispered. The creature didn’t move, curled up tight for warmth. Mike was appalled that the poor thing didn’t even have so much as a blanket in this chilly climate. He could see its ribs, its body thin from malnourishment, and he could see the markings from its abuse at the hands of Samuel. He’d have to come back during daylight to see what Samuel was doing to him, to help add information to a prosecution if the Department decided to file for negligence or abuse. Mike’s brow furrowed at the thought of allowing himself to stand by while a creature such as this was abused. He could almost hear its screeches from earlier ringing in his ears.

“What are you?”

About the Author

L. B. La Vigne is a librarian by day, and a romance writer by night. La Vigne lives in sunny San Diego, CA, is happily married, and owns a macaw. On the weekends, La Vigne can be found baking or camping, and has several published works.

Author links: https://twitter.com/LBLaVigne, https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLBLaVigne/, https://www.instagram.com/authorlblavigne/