Vampire and Florida Panther Shifter - Sea Panther by Dawn Marie Hamilton

Last time I visited Voices From The Heart I revealed my inspiration for a Florida panther shifter and shared an except from Sea Panther. (Unusual Inspiration for Sea Panther) Today, I'm sharing another except from the story.





Robert's initial reaction to meeting Kimberly:

E-book available from Amazon,
Amazon UK, 
  Smashwords, Apple,and Barnes&Noble.
Trade paperback available
at Amazon.

The simple act of returning the woman’s scarf had taken a dangerous turn when their fingers touched. Robert managed to control the vampire by sheer will alone. Nonetheless, the power surge coursing through his veins from the brief contact with the lass awakened the panther. He barely made it to the tall grass on the outskirts of town before being claimed by the transformation.

He chose not to fight the change. He welcomed it with every fiber of his being.

Heart raced. Blood throbbed at his temples and a tortured curse escaped his lips. He discarded his garments and clenched his teeth. Muscles ripped and tendons snapped and bones distorted to conform to the panther’s shape. Coarse golden fur tipped with a reddish tinge rippled over bare skin, making him quiver with urgency.

Nostrils flared, he sniffed the salty breeze. There would be precious few moments for his pleasure before the beast seized complete control.

He darted through the salt marsh, paws sinking into moist earth. His growl sounded out a soul-wrenching lament on the injustice of his life. Robert couldn’t shake the feminine image of the tall graceful woman with brown curls and haunted chocolate eyes. The desire to mate shook him to the core.

Far from the trappings of civilization, he slowed to a rhythmic lope. He hoped no one found the tracks. The headlines would be sensational.

Big Cats Return to South Jersey

Cougar Tracks Sighted in Cape May County

On closer inspection, a zoologist would recognize the smaller pawprints and attribute them to the Florida panther, Puma concolor coryi. Researchers would bombard the foundation with inquiries. His secret would be in jeopardy.

The panther reared its full power and forced away Robert’s human thoughts.

A raccoon moving through the reeds caught his keen gaze. He pounced on the prey. Yet on the fringes of consciousness remained the unquenched desire for his mate.


Hope you enjoyed this wee snippet.

~Dawn Marie

Unusual Inspiration for Sea Panther by Dawn Marie Hamilton

Thursday was release day for Sea Panther, a Scottish inspired paranormal romance. How did the vampire hero become a Florida panther? Well that's part of the story. But I will tell you how I came up with the idea of a Florida panther shifter.

At the very infancy of the story's development, I drove through Southern Florida with my husband. On the way north from  Everglades National Park, we passed one of those signs that read something like ‘Panther Crossing Next 7 Miles’. The idea hit me like a splash of cold water. What if the vampire hero shifted into a Florida panther? How cool would that be?

Florida panthers are beautiful animals, in danger of fading away, and must be protected.

Here is an excerpt form 'Sea Panther':

E-book available from Amazon,
Amazon UK, 
  Smashwords, Apple,and Barnes&Noble.
Trade paperback available
at Amazon.

She nodded and followed Robert along a corridor of closed doors until he stopped in front of a plate glass window. Inside, a young woman fed a small cat with black spots from a baby bottle. Two other young cats sat in an animal carrier on a stainless steel lab table.

“I was told these kittens were rescued from the side of the road after a car killed their mother on a highway south of here,” Robert said with a frown.

The kittens were beyond cute. It was hard to believe they would grow into full-sized panthers. Her nightmare from the evening before replayed in her mind, and she shivered again.

“You are cold.”

“I’m fine.”

He stared at her for a moment then turned. “Come on.”

She followed him along the hall, past window after window where men and women, dressed in white lab coats, worked with test tubes and microscopes.

“All of this in an attempt to save an endangered species?” Kimberly asked when they stopped in front of a closed door. “You must be proud.”

“Aye.” Robert’s cinnamon eyes glistened. “We have field biologists, veterinarians, geneticists, along with other specialists working on a solution.”
“What about your blood disease?”

His hand froze on the doorknob. She took a step back when his hard stare locked on her, his emotions masked. “Doctors and scientists are working on a cure as we speak.”


Hope you enjoyed this wee snippet.
~Dawn Marie

Pre-release Jitters and Giveaway for 'Sea Panther'

Jitters? Yep! I have them. Sea Panther is scheduled for release on March 20th. I'm as nervous as a parakeet being stalked by a cat. Or in this case a Florida panther shifter. Oh, and don't forget he's a vampire too.

Robert MacLachlan sails the Atlantic seeking to reverse the Voodoo he believes turned him into a vampire shifter. One taste of crewmember Kimberly Scot's blood convinces him she is the one woman who can claim the beast's heart and break the curse. But at what price to his honor?

For the full blurb and an excerpt, visit the Sea Panther page at my blog,
Dawn Marie Hamilton Writes


So...to overcome the jitters, I thought the best thing to do was have a Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway


~Dawn Marie Hamilton