Author Jenna Kernan: “You Can’t Sneak Up on a Hybernating Grizzly Bear”

Author Jenna Kernan researched bears and Lakota myths for her Silhouette Nocturne Bite story MOON SHADOW. Read on to learn more about this sexy shapeshifter paranormal romance and its Skinwalker hero in Jenna’s guest-blog…

by Jenna Kernan, author of MOON SHADOW

YOU CAN’T SNEAK UP ON A HYBERNATING GRIZZLY BEAR

At least that’s what the researcher told me. They are very light sleepers. But what exactly do they sleep on in their dens? My heroine in MOON SHADOW is the leader of a grizzly research team, so she absolutely should know the answer to this question. I, on the other hand, could find nothing on the subject.

I took my questions on bear behavior to the actual head of a very prestigious research team. He was very gracious in answering questions. He told me that grizzlies use whatever is nearby for their beds. So if they are in a high alpine meadow, they would use grass and if in a pine forest, they’d tear down tree limbs for a nests.

He also told me that there is zero tolerance for bears that attack people. These bears are caught and put down.

But how do the park rangers know which bear is the culprit?

The answer is DNA testing. Attacking bears leave physical evidence, usually hairs. Samples from the scene are checked and matched to avoid exterminating the wrong bear. That bit of information was of great help in my story and actually took me in a new direction. I knew my shapeshifter would be a wanted bear for having defended his love, but knowing about the DNA evidence really helped me work out the details and allowed me to have the heroine rescue the hero.

I hope readers will be interested in a hero that shifts into one of the fastest, strongest and largest animals in the western hemisphere. There is no doubt that grizzly bears have earned their reputation for fierceness in protecting their food supply and their young.

My hero, Ty Moon, a bit different than other heroes that you might have read. But don’t worry, he’s tall, dark and handsome, but also cautious, protective and very, very dangerous.

This story is my first Nocturne Bites. Many of you might know me from my Western Historicals, that feature fast-paced romantic adventures. Set in out-of-the-way places and populated with larger-than-life characters, my stories pit independent heroes and heroines against the forces of nature. So writing paranormal romance was not as much of a stretch as one might think.

I enjoy researching the West and in my reading, I have read many Lakota myths and legends. When I came upon their version of shapeshifters, I knew I had hit gold.

Skinwalkers are animals who take off their skin and assume the shape of a man, temporarily. They can take any form and that gave me the opportunity to consider some animals that are underrepresented in paranormal romance. Beyond my grizzly hero, I also have a wolf and a raven, a buffalo and a mountain lion.

What shapeshifting animals would you like to see star in their own story?

P.S. I’ll be blogging about my debut paranormal release, DREAM STALKER, on December 4th, so stop back and visit with me then.