KAREN MERCURY: You have to find the common thread in your characters. There’s always some underlying theme that you don’t notice until years later. It’s usually a reflection of who you are at the deepest level. For me, it’s the strange dichotomy of vulnerability and toughness in all of my heroines. They all seem damaged in some way, afraid to love, yet afraid not to love. These two characteristics can work side by side perfectly well. It’s the constant push-pull that goes on in all of us. Will she, or won’t she? I think the one thing all of my heroines have in common is that they’re trying to cover up their soft sides by acting tough. They use humor to deflect the pain. They’re all putting on an act to some extent. And it works better for some of them than for others. For some heroines, it’s a total failure. They’re all “Crap, that guy just noticed I’m faking it. He’s going to hate me now.” I think I love these heroines most of all.
Prim and proper doctor Sasha McQueen meets the dashing commando Rowan O’Shea at the scene of a terrorist bombing. Her best friend’s last words, “Tony Danza,” mystify them. When the bomber turns to stalking Sasha, he mingles with the fur-suited fans at the Triple Play Lodge’s Great Utah Furfest, and he could be anyone in a cartoon disguise.
Sasha’s heart is hardened as she recovers from a lousy marriage. She knows the grass isn’t greener on the other side of the fence. But when she spies on Rowan getting frisky with the sweet boy-next-door game warden, Perry Donovan, her determination to avoid men goes out the window. Their bondage and forced orgasm games open up a wanton, wild side of Sasha she never knew existed.
Assisted by undercover Furries, the trio stalks the bomber instead of waiting to be preyed upon. Together they discover love, security, and the answer to “what does Tony Danza have to do with anything?”