Christina Lynn lambert

Before I had the wild idea to write a book, I worked in a few different fields. I was in sales for a while, and after I finished college, I worked as a case manager. When my children were little, I was a personal trainer and running coach. During the evenings, when I was supposed to be studying for another fitness training certification, I started writing a story. Finally, I gave in and acknowledged that writing is what I’m meant to do. I love creating imperfect but determined characters who find the courage to love and the strength to survive in a world where there are no guarantees. My stories include a fair amount of sarcasm, suspense, steam, and violence. When I’m not writing, I enjoy spending time outside and finding ways to avoid cooking. I live in beautiful Virginia with my husband, two teenagers, a sweet, hairy monster of a dog, and two devious cats.

Uncaged welcomes Christina Lynn Lambert

Welcome to Uncaged! Your latest release is book one in a shifter romance series called, Bear’s Dream. Can you tell us more about this book and series? How many books are planned for the series, or is it open ended?

A snowstorm on New Year’s Eve brought bear shifters Ellie and AJ together. Will they survive the danger threatening to tear them apart?

Bear’s Dream is about two bear shifters who would never have chosen to spend time together if it weren’t for a chance meeting in a hotel bar on New Year’s Eve. AJ’s dream of opening a shifter resort is what leads Ellie to end up working for him as an Events Manager. When a relationship between Ellie and AJ seems impossible, she has a recurring steamy dream about him that just won’t leave her alone. I plan to do at least 3 books, maybe 4, for my Haven Forest Resort series. Each book will feature a different hero and heroine on their search for happily ever after.

You also have a trilogy, Stranger Creatures series out. Is this a finished series or do you plan on adding to it in the future?

While the series isn’t finished yet, I just finished writing Coyote’s Vow, which will be book 4 in the series. Book 4 will feature Trevor and Kylie’s story. Trevor is a coyote shifter who appeared as a minor character in my Stranger Creatures books 1 and 3.

What is the most difficult scene for you to write? What is the easiest?

I had the most difficulty writing the scene where Ellie is interrogated in Bear’s Dream. I didn’t want anything bad to happen to her, and it hurt my heart to write her being tortured since I’d gotten so attached to her. I had a much easier time writing different scenes where Ellie and AJ were getting to know each other. That part flowed so well for me that I could barely type fast enough to get the ideas down.

Where do you get your ideas for new plots and characters?

I start with the characters first. I just get flashes and images of ideas and I have to sit and think about where the characters live and what might happen to them. A lot of ideas hit me when I’m out for a walk or driving in the car, by myself, with the music up loud. I have learned the lesson that if I have an idea before bed, then I absolutely have to write it down, otherwise, when I wake up in the morning, trying to remember things from the night before is like sifting through mush.

What are you working on now that you can tell us about?

I’m working on a few different projects at once. I always like to be working on more than one thing at a time, that way, when I get stuck on one work in progress, I can work on a different project for a little while. I’m making some progress with books 2 and 3 of my Haven Forest Resort series. For book 2, Greg Shepherd, AJ’s brother in book 1, gets his own story. Book 3 will feature Rob, the leopard shifter head of security at the Haven Forest Resort.

For my Stranger Creatures series, I just finished writing book 4 (Coyote’s Vow) and will be working on the edits and other things the publisher sends me to do for the story. I’m planning out the next book in the series, which will feature Matt Blackwell and Alicia Mercer. Both characters have had small parts in book 3 (Tiger’s Last Chance). There may be a small novella featuring Luke Daniels, the guy who makes the surveillance and weapons tech referenced throughout the Stranger Creatures series.

I also write poetry. I’ve been working on some short poetry books as well as poems and essays to contribute to different anthologies.

Do you base any of your characters on real-life people?

Many of the villains I write are very loosely based on people I have either observed or interacted with. I imagined what those angry, hurtful people would do in positions of great power. How would they abuse their power for their own gain? I also like to imagine villains as people who endured something terrible and perpetuated the cycle of pain and misery because they didn’t understand how to do anything else with their frustration and outrage.

What behind-the-scenes tidbit in your life would probably surprise your readers the most?

I get lost when going new places, even with satellite navigation. The GPS on my phone is somewhat helpful at getting me sort of near the destination but when navigation lady tells me to turn left way too late or tells me to go north/south/east/west, I want to throw my phone out the car window. Navigation lady should give me plenty of time to turn because it takes a second to remember which is left and which is right. Navigation lady should also never ever act like I have a compass in my head. Don’t tell me east or west, tell me whether I should turn my car left or right, and what road (not state route number, I need the name of the road!) to take. I need landmarks and encouragement to find my way to a destination.

Which comes first, the plot or the characters in the planning stages?

I always start with the characters. They speak to me first before I have any idea what should happen in the story. The characters are the lifeblood of the story to me and I see them in my head first. As their mannerisms, backstories, and desires all begin to take shape, the rest of the story follows.

What are some things you like to do to relax when you aren’t writing or working?

I love swimming, hiking, and riding my bike. There are a lot of beautiful parks and trails in Virginia and many are just an hour or two from my house. A day trip to the beach where I can swim, walk along the boardwalk, and sit on the beach reading is the ultimate good day for me.

Do you prefer ebooks, audiobooks or physical books? Are you reading anything now?

I like all three formats. Each have their merits. I don’t listen to podcasts, talk shows, or audio books while I’m driving though. I get too interested in what’s being said and end up missing turns and exits.

Right now, I’m reading Daylight by Oya Marsh and Music for the Dead and Resurrected by Valzhyna Mort.

What would you like to say to fans, and where can they follow you?

I have always loved writing. For years, I wrote poetry and essays for fun then stored them in a folder, never to be seen again. I went to school for psychology and then for business. After graduation, I worked as a case manager, and when my children were young, as a personal trainer. I never planned on writing a novel until I got an idea for a story that wouldn’t leave me alone. Completely changing careers to enter a field I knew nothing about was hard and overwhelming at times but I found my passion. I love creating stories about characters who find the courage to love and be loved.

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Enjoy an excerpt from Fallen comrade

Bear’s Dream

Christina Lynn Lambert Shifter Romance

She had every reason to hate him

Aiden “AJ” Shepherd’s mistake during a Shifter Army Enforcement rescue mission cost Ellie Ortiz’s brother, Marco, his life. She hates AJ with a passion until a chance encounter with him on New Year’s Eve reveals he’s not the cold, heartless man she once thought him to be. Her attraction to him takes her by surprise and she vows to ignore her feelings. When a new job puts her in contact with him every day, the heat building between them threatens to flare out of control. Her resolve to keep the sweet, sexy man in the friend zone is weakening by the day.

His secret could ruin everything

During a disastrous assignment with Shifters United, AJ uncovers some information that changes everything. Keeping the truth hidden from Ellie is killing him but he might lose her forever if he tells her what he learned on his mission. When Ellie ends up in danger, AJ will stop at nothing to save her. To survive, they’ll have to work together to stop a reporter who is determined to prove the existence of shifters.

AJ staggered toward Ellie, holding his side. She caught him before he fell. People rushed over to them, asking if he was alright.

I guess they only care how he is now that the fighting is over.

“He’s fine. Just a little bruised up.”

The wolf shifter woman cleared a path to AJ and guarded his other side. “I’ll help you get him to the woods. My friend can stall the cops and do crowd control while you guys shift out your injuries.”

“Thank you. Seriously, thank you.”

The wolf shifter nodded. “No problem. Hurry.”

Ellie grasped AJ’s face in her hands and looked him in the eye. “We just have to get to the woods. It’s not far. Stay awake and stay with me. I can’t carry you. Understand?”

“Yeah.” His voice was barely audible.

An eternity later, they found a spot amongst the pine trees and bushes with enough cover for him to shift. “Hold on. Don’t shift yet. Let me pull these chunks of metal out of your head first.”

He cursed as she pulled one particularly large, jagged chunk out of his scalp. Blood poured down his face and neck. His eyes drifted shut.

“Come on! Wake up! Shift!”

He slumped over, oblivious to her yelling. She stripped him then dug her fingers into his stab wound. He growled and shifted into bear form. A sob of relief escaped her. AJ shifted back to human form, then, a split second later, he was a giant furry brown bear again. The bear walked around for a moment, dug his claws into a tree, then pressed his nose to Ellie’s cheek, making her laugh. In the blink of an eye, he was in human form again.

“You’re alright now?” she asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You’re sure?” She ran her fingers over the places on his head she’d seen cut and gouged. No sign of any wounds. She looked at his eyes. He focused on her properly. She breathed out a sigh of relief. “I’ve seen more than one shifter be pressed for time to heal and they weren’t healed up as well as they thought.” His injuries hadn’t been superficial. He wouldn’t have made it to their room to shift in privacy without being stopped by well-meaning regulars—shifters and psy often referred to humans with no strange, extraordinary abilities as regulars—insistent on taking him to a hospital.

People who hated shifters lurked in hospitals, watching, waiting to destroy anyone they found out of the ordinary. Today, some ignorant haters had almost killed AJ, at a winter festival celebration. Nowhere was truly safe. She was still freaked at how close he had been to losing consciousness and never waking up. She knew damn well he would have died if he hadn’t shifted when he did. She didn’t want his light to burn out. Didn’t want anybody’s light to dim, really, but he was… She shook her head. A good guy. That was all. She didn’t want to see a good person die too young. She wrapped her arms around herself and her eyes teared up. “Hey,” he spoke softly, “look at me.” She met his gaze, reluctantly.

“I’m all right,” he assured her. “The important thing is, a group of angry men didn’t get the chance to beat the living hell out of a shifter teenager.” She nodded.

He gently stroked her cheek and his hand came away bloody. “Your turn to shift.” She hadn’t felt any pain in her face. Probably because several of her ribs were cracked and her stomach had a fistsized knot in it where she’d been punched. She stepped behind a tree, undressed, and shifted. B shook out her thick black fur and walked around a few paces in the woods. After a moment, she reluctantly shifted back to human form. Ellie stopped still when she caught AJ staring at her.

“Damn, you’re beautiful.” His appreciative tone wrapped around her. She gulped and ducked behind the tree to put her clothes back on. She emerged, wrapped back up in her bloodstained winter coat and clothes. At least the blood wouldn’t show up since everything she was wearing was black.