This urban fantasy series from Patricia Briggs stars the shape-shifting mechanic who can take the form of a coyote. “I actively avoid power creep. I think that underpowered characters make much better protagonists.”

Patricia Briggs is the bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson urban fantasy series and the Alpha and Omega novels. The top-selling urban fantasy author explains how working with animals helps her write about people. (Who are also animals.)