Wow! This sounds like an awesome series. I'm looking forward to checking it out. I drop into the YA book section every now and then. My family and I enjoy them. There are some fine authors out there.
Congratulations on your journey. May you find it successful beyond your wildest dreams. I'm pushing on motivating myself to begin that journey. (Zumba sounds like a lot of fun.)
Wow! Reading through the posts, I was flooded with happy memories of books that I haven't read in many years. Too many favorite characters to list here, but I agree with your other posting readers: if the believability is there and the emotions or mind is engaged, it definitely makes for a memorable story. I'm currently reading through the Dreseden Files by Jim Butcher. I really like Harry. The situations he finds himself in are relatable even if the villains aren't. I'm looking forward to reading your new book. Thank you for the opportunity to win it. =)
My mom and grandmother were huge influences on how I see and deal with the day-to-day life. They both encouraged me in whatever I was interested in, including books. Several librarians had a poisitive influence on me, encouraging to read and think about what I read, including writing 'blurbs' for books.
Sorry I forgot to answer the question: I lean toward shifters. They need to live with a foot in each world which opens up all kinds of potential challenges, where as vampires live essential in the human world. Vampires are getting a bit 'over done', but shifters are just now coming into their own =)