Author Madison Thompson does it again with her new novel 'Lycan My Crush'!
You can find more on the author Madison Thomson down below my book tease!
Book Rating: 5 <3 Notifications!
Lycan My Crush takes an old trope, turns it inside out and
ROCKS IT OUT OF THE PARK!
Madison Thompson (MT) is a blessing to the romance novel scene, especially with her newest and freshest novel yet, Lycan My Crush.
The story starts with a bubbly protagonist, Shania Sterling, filming a vlog about moving into her new dorm room for her social media accounts. She's a singer, performer and influencer, and while that may make her seem unrelatable, MT portrays her in a way so we can put ourselves in her shoes.
I have like -10 followers, but I found myself feeling for her.
As many times as I have done this before, it still feels weird when I need to redo a vlog introduction. It should be simple, right?
MT Chapter 1: The Freshman.
Another reason I found myself relating to Shania by having a crush on someone, and not knowing what to do with it.
Per the title, she likes a Lycan!
Typically, Lycans are used as a negative foil to 'Wolf Shifters'.
While wolf shifters turn into big wolves (think Jacob in Twilight) and are the fan favorite to root for, Lycans transform into what we think of as a horror movie werewolf, and are usually portrayed as violent and nefarious.
However, this novel totally turns this trope on it's head, and make the love interest, Felix MacKay, is a Lycan!
I watched in middle school as this happy-go-lucky guy become a reclusive introvert who tried to avoid people, even his friends, out of fear of hurting them.
MT Chapter 2: Memories
Shania has had a crush on Felix since middle school, and finally has a chance to do something about it now that he's working at a cafe near her college campus.
However, no matter how cute, smart, or kind he is, trying to act on this crush isn't going to be an easy task.
Not only is Shania shy to speak with him, but she's famous and people all around campus pick and discriminate against Felix.
When some boys bully Felix where he works, Shania doesn't stand up for him at first.
Curses...I'm such a hypocrite. Here I am hating bystanders and here I am being one.
MT Chapter 3: Lycanthrophobes
Shania is torn between her mother curating her influencer identity, and standing up for what she knows is right.
Shania lives by her mother's ideas of how to curate her life, down to where she studies and who she hangs out with, and how she wears her hair.
"Should I put it up in a ponytail? No. I can practically hear my mother scolding me for even thinking it.
MT Chapter 1: The Freshmen
Shania is somewhat self-aware of how much control of her mother has on her life, but she leaves her hair down.
While my parents didn't tell me exactly what to do with my hair, the amount of control that our parents have on our lives is something that we all have to overcome, and Shania is no different.
Yet, its the beautiful moments that happens when she does what she loves, performing live on the lawn of her college campus that make this novel really sing.
I hopen my eyes and almost fumble the notes as I make direct eye contact with none other than Felix MacKay who is standing in the crowd.
MT Chapter 4: Perform
Lycan My Crush brings out the giddy, first love in me that I haven't gone back to in ages. It also gives an interesting peek into a potential 'from the bottom now we're here' celebrity.
Shania struggles with being famous, and doesn't have the arrogance and entitlement that so many celebrities exhibit.
Felix struggles with being a Lycan, and doesn't know how he can be close to people without his Lycanthropy hurting others.
This novel is such a binge-scroll, and makes me ask so many questions!
What will happen if Felix wants to try to be close to people, despite his Lycanthropy?
Can celebrities have a normal relationship with someone who isn't famous?
How will Shania will handle her mother's control over her life?
Which is more important, how you appear to the world, or who you really are?
For a mind-blowingly fun read that makes me cheer for the underdog, click and read MT's Lycan My Crush here on Webnovel, Dreame, or iReader!!!
Now: My exclusive author interview with Madison Thompson!
1) Which part of your book was the most fun to write?
One of the most fun parts to write was Shania's confession to Felix after he almost loses control and shifts.
The tension, vulnerability, and risk followed by a gratifying confirmation of mutual affection over those three chapters was so much fun to write. I was also able to do a little personal venting since I never got to tell my crush how I felt about him.
Projection much? Definitely.
2) How did you do your research for this book?
I did a lot of reading into the traditional werewolf lore and wanted to take a different spin on it.
When it came to research, it came from reading other stories, watching movies, and a lot of tabs on my search engine.
3) How do you balance your time between writing and other aspects of your life?
The short answer is that it is an extreme balancing act.
I do have a full-time job and a part-time job as well as all of the writing projects in the making. The truth is you find time for the things that matter and you have to sacrifice personal or relaxing time to get it done because, in a way, you should be relaxing and enjoying your writing if that is what you're passionate about.
Ultimately, a normal day looks like me going to work in the morning, writing during part of my lunch break, coming home to write, help cook dinner if needed, and then spending weekends writing and crocheting dragons. I personally found setting a timer helps and that if I'm feeling uninspired, I switch to a project I do feel inspired to write at the moment.
But I also think that pressure helps me perform better when I need it to. I'm hoping in the future I'll have a better understanding of how to balance everything out evenly, but I'm still learning as of now!
About the author:
Hello, my name is Madison Thompson, your friendly neighborhood tech savvy crafty author friend. I have always enjoyed writing and have years worth of scribblings on scraps of paper stowed away in books and binders.
I was encouraged to write by my family and by one of my elementary school teachers who told me that, one day, she would be standing in line at my book signing. I have always aspired to fulfill that dream.
At any given time, I have a dozen story lines running in my head. When I'm not chasing those stories down, I am crocheting dragons, composing music, practicing photography/digital art, or leading a dungeons and dragons campaign.
Thank you again for reading, and as always, Embrace the Paper Hurricane!