Moonburn
Praise for the novels of Alisa Sheckley
MOONBURN
“Alisa Sheckley has an understanding of human foibles and lust, and a light, intelligent touch with inhuman foibles and, er, lust, that marks her as an author to watch and enjoy.”
—N
EIL
G
AIMAN“Full of fascinating characters and loads of surprises, Alisa Sheckley’s
Moonburn
brings an engaging new twist to shape-shifter romance.”—J
ULIE
K
ENNER,
USA Today
bestselling authorTHE BETTER TO HOLD YOU
“An intense werewolf story with some interesting new twists.”
—Fresh Fiction
“A story filled with passion and mystery.”
—
Romantic TimesPraise for Alisa Sheckley writing as Alisa Kwitney
TILL THE FAT LADY SINGS
“If Milan Kundera, Tama Janowitz and Dr. Joyce Brothers had collaborated on a book, they might have come up with this imaginative and quirky first novel.”
—M
AXINE
C
HERNOFF,
The New York Times Book Review“A lively novel and a compulsive read, which is saying a lot—and it taught me a thing or two, which is saying even more.”
—F
AY
W
ELDON“Subversive, revolutionary … It’s great!”
—C
AROLYN
S
EE,
Los Angeles Times“A delicious confection, as tart and spikey as a lemon meringue pie.”
—L
AURIE
M
UCHNIK,
Newsday“Bright and funny and remarkably poised.”
—
The Boston Globe“A cool, funny, stylish, and very original look at life and love in Manhattan, by a remarkable new writer.”
—A
LISON
L
URIE“Till the Fat Lady Sings
is an engrossing satire of the New York female intelligentsia.”—N
AOMI
W
OLF“An immensely poised and well-crafted performance, which kept me smiling to myself throughout.”
—P
HILLIP
L
OPATEFLIRTING IN CARS
“This exciting tease of a novel will set your heart pounding like the best love affair. Smart, funny, sexy—I loved it!”
—P
AMELA
R
EDMOND
S
ATRAN
,
author of
The Man I Should Have Married
and
Suburbanistas“
Flirting in Cars
is a modern-day fairy tale about finding happily-ever-after where you least expect it. I couldn’t put it down.”—K
AREN
Q
UINN,
author of
The Ivy Chronicles and Wife in the Fast Lane“Alisa Kwitney’s cross-cultural love story is intelligent, funny, and sexy.”
—T
HELMA
A
DAMS,
US WeeklySEX AS A SECOND LANGUAGE
“The romance between Kat and Magnus is … true-to-life and achingly bittersweet … with one of the sexiest scenes involving two forty-somethings since
The Thomas Crown Affair.”—D
EBRA
P
ICKETT
of the
Chicago Sun-Times“An engaging and intelligently written comedy—with a few genuinely titillating sex scenes.”
—
Publishers Weekly“Sex as a Second Language
, Alisa Kwitney’s smart, sassy, sexy tale of the single mom who brings in a spy from the cold and warms him up, is funny and emotionally true, a great read!”—J
ENNIFER
C
RUSIE,
bestselling author of
Bet MeON THE COUCH
“A teasingly good read. Sexy, sassy and a little kinky.
A
different take on Manhattan life—more handcuffs than cocktails.”—C
AROLE
M
ATTHEWS,
USA Today
bestselling authorDOES SHE OR DOESN’T SHE?
“Alisa Kwitney is my guilty pleasure.”
—N
EIL
G
AIMAN,
Hugo Award-winning author of
American Gods
and
New York Times
bestselling author of
Coraline“Witty, charming, funny and real, Alisa Kwitney brings a fresh voice to chick-lit and romance!”
—C
ARLY
P
HILLIPS,
New York Times
bestselling author“Sharp, sassy, and sexy.”
—J
ENNIFER
C
RUISIE,
New York Times
bestselling authorTHE DOMINANT BLONDE
“Her search for the perfect boyfriend and the perfect hair color is delightful. It belongs right up there with all the legally and naturally blonde bombshells of our time.”
—L
IZ
S
MITH,
nationally syndicated columnist
A
LSO BY
A
LISA
S
HECKLEYThe Better to Hold You
B
Y
A
LISA
S
HECKLEY WRITING AS
A
LISA
K
WITNEYFlirting in Cars
Sex as a Second Language
On the Couch
Does She or Doesn’t She?
The Dominant Blonde
Till the Fat Lady SingsSandman: King of Dreams
Destiny: A Chronicle of Deaths Foretold
Vertigo Visions: Art from the Cutting Edge of Comics
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To Ted Wolner, a.k.a. Dr. Grinch,
who taught me everything I know about
Bach, algebra, jump shots, and loyalty
ACKNOWLEDGMENTSI raise my martini to my editor, Liz Scheier, who is a rare combination of book smart, market smart, and people smart, and knew just what to say to guide and encourage me and keep me on the right side of the bestiality laws; and I owe a martini to assistant editor Kaitlin Heller, who has been amazingly efficient and incredibly kind during this unusually unsettled time. Shauna Summers and Jessica Sebor, thanks for taking such good care of me. My husband, Mark, son, Matthew, and daughter, Elinor, were wonderfully tolerant as I spent two or three months (the days blurred) in a caffeine-fueled writing frenzy, and my mother, Ziva, spent a week going over the manuscript and spotting the awkward, the inadvisable, and the downright inexplicable. Last but never least, thanks to Meg Ruley, my agent, for being both wise and clever, and helping me take this walk on the wild side.
“You were once wild here. Don’t let them tame you.”
—I
SADORA
D
UNCAN
Manhattan is not the center of the universe. It only feels that way. But outside of the immense gravitational pull of that small island, there are whole other realms of existence.
For the past year, I’ve been living in the town of Northside, which is two hours from the city but subscribes to an alternate reality. Winter arrives earlier and tests your resourcefulness. The moon is more of a presence. Your regular waitress not only knows exactly what you’re going to order, she also knows how much money you have in the local bank, the status of your divorce negotiations, and your entire medical history, down to the name of the prescription cream you just called in to the pharmacy.