Some secrets don’t stay buried.
If sixteen-year-old Hannah doesn’t score big on her AP Biology exam, she won’t get into the pre-veterinary medicine program of her dreams. But between her biology teacher assigning her an absurd research project, her friend Livvy keeping secrets, and a former nemesis igniting sparks of attraction she can’t ignore, Hannah’s focus is as steady as a three-legged puppy.
Hannah is convinced the school year can’t get any harder… until Livvy is killed by a mountain lion. Struggling to accept her best friend’s demise, Hannah researches mountain lions for her project. As she digs deeper into the species’ hunting behavior, she unearths conflicting facts about her friend’s death and reaches a staggering conclusion.
Can Hannah catch the killer before it’s too late, or will she become prey in a final hunt?
Targeted Age Group:: 12-24
What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
When I was a teenager, my family moved to a rural area in northern California. One of the first things our neighbors did when we arrived was warn us about mountain lion attacks. The big cats were prevalent in the area, and livestock had been killed. Since we owned horses, and one of our mares had recently given birth, our home was a prime target for an attack. We learned to make loud noises whenever we went outside, to walk in a line with the smallest child in front, and to keep yard lights on at night. We were constantly afraid. Now that I’m older and have moved away, I no longer look over my shoulder when I go outside. But I’ll never forget that time. It seemed too easy to use the fear I felt in one of my stories, and so, PREDATOR was created.
How Did You Come up With Your Characters?
The characters in my book are fictional. Because of the presence of mountain lions in my story, I wanted to have my main character be involved with animals in some way. So it made sense for her father to be the town veterinarian, thus giving her a love of animals and biology. Once I established this part of her character, I filled in the descriptive details—quirky hair like her mom’s, her dad’s hazel eyes, her athletic ability overshadowed by her drive to get into college, etc. Creating the character for my MC’s crush was a little more difficult. I had used “the new boy” or “the new girl” in previous stories, so I wanted there to be some kind of connection already established between the two. At the same time, I wanted the romance to be fresh and surprising. Ultimately, I decided to make them childhood friends who had separated over the years because of a misunderstanding. In the end, I think their relationship worked out well for the story.
Book Sample
The mountain lion walked to the edge of the cliff and looked down at the brown world below. Heat rose from the sagebrush-dotted stretch of dusty earth. This new land had fewer trees than the one he had prowled before, but it had more hills and caves for hiding. It suited his needs.
A flash of movement caught the wild cat’s eyes. Two figures in bright colors jogged along a ribbon of crushed gray stone. A warm breeze wafted up from below, and the cat lifted his head to catch the scent it carried. Human flesh, warm and tangy and alive.
A fierce craving rose from the cat’s belly to curl around his tongue, drawing saliva to pool in his jaw. Until recently, he had never tasted the two-legged creature. Now the need to taste again pulled hard. Now only the unique, metallic savor of human blood and the satisfying crunch of the fragile bones would satiate.
The cat leaned forward, the scent drawing him like fresh water. The stones beneath his front paws shifted, scattering a few pebbles down the cliffside. The cat backed up, but his eyes remained focused on the humans. They were too far away, and he was too high to reach them. He must forgo the craving for now, but not forever.
One taste of something so delicious would never be enough.
Author Bio:
After living in Ecuador, Germany, and various parts of the United States, Liz McCraine finally settled in the wilds of Montana with her five humans and multiple pets. When she’s not riding horses, chasing 4-H lambs, or corralling children, Liz enjoys writing YA fantasy and romantic suspense novels. Liz has a degree in Psychology from Brigham Young University, which she puts to good use psychoanalyzing her children and developing fiendish book characters.
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