An Interview with a #Werewolf by Christine DePetrillo

I recently sat down with Reardon McAlator from Wolf Kiss, Book One in The Warrior Wolves Series. He agreed to spend a little time with us today. Reardon, welcome.

Reardon: Thanks for having me, lass.

CD: Swoon-worthy accent. You must have lasses falling at your feet.

Reardon: (offering a swoon-worthy grin as he shrugs) I don’t notice if they are. I’ve got my very own fairy lass, Dr. Brandy Wendon, and she’s all I need.

CD: How did you and Brandy meet?

Reardon: Well, she met my wolf first, and she did what she does for all her wolves at Silver Moon Wolf Sanctuary.

CD: Howl at the moon with them?

Reardon: (chuckles) Aye, on occasion, but I was referring to the expert care she gives each of the wolves in our pack. Many of us wouldn’t still be here without her. Many of us wouldn’t want to be here without her.

CD: Why did you come to modern-day Vermont all the way from Ireland of the past?

Reardon: It wasn’t exactly voluntary. When you anger the goddess of wild things, punishment is sure to follow. (blows out a long breath) I did something I shouldn’t have and the goddess kicked us out of our beautiful Ireland.

CD: Us?

Reardon: My brother, Jaemus, my two cousins, Kole and Shawn, my brother-in-battle, Erik, and myself. The goddess scolded us all so we’d never forget what we’d done. What I made us do. (hangs head)

CD: You have regrets.

Reardon: Many. Fortunately I’ve been rewarded with great happiness in Vermont also. It hasn’t been all bad.

CD: What was something unexpected that happened because you were forced to come to present-day Vermont?

Reardon: Aside from falling in love, I didn’t expect to develop such a strong bond with a lad. Brandy’s boy, Dylan, treated me well when he knew me in wolf form and then accepted me into his family in human form. He’s a remarkable boy, full of life and potential. Brandy has done an amazing job raising the lad, who is actually her nephew. Her sister passed away unfortunately.

CD: I’ll bet you and Dylan have a lot of fun with the wolves at the sanctuary.

Reardon: Aye, we do. That lad has so much energy. The wolves often tire before he does.

CD: Everyone’s getting their exercise then, running about the woods.

Reardon: If I had to land anywhere, Vermont was the perfect place.

CD: What modern convenience do you enjoy most?

Reardon: The car. It’s so much easier than walking, sailing, or riding a horse to get around. Brandy’s veterinary partner, Dr. Parker Daniels, taught me how to drive.

CD: How did that go?

Reardon: Let’s just say Parker is a very patient man who doesn’t mind seeing his life pass before his eyes. Repeatedly. I’m good at driving now though.

CD:  Good enough to take Brandy out on the occasional date?

Reardon: Aye. Every Friday night and sometimes into Saturday morning.

CD: (fans self) Okay, then. Werewolves have wild weekends. Good to know. Any advice for our readers?

Reardon: I spent so many years fighting men in battle, but the only fight that really counts is the one that brings you your true love. Love is always worth fighting for.

CD: Great advice, Reardon. Thanks so much for joining us today.

Reardon: My pleasure, lass.

CD: You don’t think Brandy would mind if we hugged, do you?

Reardon: It might make her growl a bit.

CD: I’m willing to take a chance. I’m a fast runner.

Reardon: (laughing) You better hope so.

If you want more time with Reardon, read his story in Wolf Kiss, Book One in The Warrior Wolves Series. I promise he doesn’t smell like wet dog. If you like Wolf Kiss, leave me a review. The wolves and I love reviews.

Looking for more February fun? Join Small Town Hearts on Facebook, a reader group I co-host with author Amanda Torrey. We’re having a Valentine’s Party on February 11^th that you don’t want to miss! Games and prizes will be part of the entertainment. We’d love to see you there.

Toodles,

Chris

www.christinedepetrillo.weebly.com

Use What You Know by Sylvie Grayson

Roses and Readers, please join my in welcoming Sylvie Grayson to The Roses of Prose!

I’m a strong believer in using what I know when writing my books. I’ve been surprised many times by authors who write about business or sports or other pursuits but don’t seem to have the background knowledge needed to make the scenes convincing or even accurate.

When I was a child, my family moved to the North Peace River area of British Columbia. We lived on a homestead, which meant a small hand-built log cabin with no power or running water. The school in the village went to grade eight, so after that it was home schooling. I was thirteen and my younger sister nine, when I was designated to walk her the mile and a half to the bus stop to get her to class, and meet her again in the afternoon.

One morning, I had seen her onto the school bus, and turned to walk home. Our dog, Captain, was a wayward beast and had come with us, but soon ran off chasing rabbits, yipping through the trees on a fruitless quest. Walking down the road, I called him. Soon, I heard him coming, his cries getting louder as he approached. He bounded up the snowbank on the side of the road, and down onto the roadway. But he didn’t stop, running flat out across the road and up the bank on the other side, out of sight through the trees.

I soon saw why. Two large timber wolves leaped out of the bush to the top of the snowbank and paused when they saw me. I froze. We stared at each other. I thought—I’m going to die now. I ran at them, waving my arms wide to appear as large and intimidating as possible, yelling as loud as I could. They jumped down the bank, loped across the road, up the other bank and into the forest after Captain.

I truly believed we’d never see our dog again. He had been running flat out, yet these wild creatures did a leisurely lope that was at least as fast. Our dog returned home around noon. He was exhausted and slept in front of the stove for the rest of the day.

When writing False Confession, I had a real urge to include scenes from those days. It isn’t often I write about the Canadian north, the blizzards and days of snow and cold. But here was my chance. So although the book is set in Victoria, British Columbia, the characters take a trip to the northern part of the province. Here is an excerpt—

False Confession excerpt --

Surprisingly the wind was dying down but the snow continued to fall in a dense curtain all around him. After tying an orange warning tag to the truck bumper, he headed back down the road.

When he got to the driveway turn off, he spied a set of prints in the snow superimposed over his own. They looked like impressions made by a very large dog, which seemed unlikely. Dogs didn’t roam far from home in this type of weather, and these paw marks were remarkably far apart, indicating a long reach.

His gaze sharpened as he peered through the thick fall of snow. The tracks led straight down the drive toward the cabin. As he got closer, he saw movement ahead of him and stopped where he stood as his gut clenched. A tall, mottled grey shape paced sinuously past the front door of the cabin and turned toward the woodpile. A thick ruff around its neck and nose to the ground, the wolf moved with purpose as it explored their tracks in the snow.

Alex froze. What should he do now? Was he in danger? Was the animal hungry enough to consider him dinner? He waited, anxious, as the wolf changed direction and patrolled back toward the front door. Glory had better not choose that moment to open the door and look out, because who knew what her reaction would be, or what would happen then.

He moved forward a dozen feet, heart hammering in his chest, as the wolf raised its head and stared directly at him. They both remained immobile. Then the wolf turned and trotted noiselessly behind the woodpile and into the woods.

Alex ploughed his way steadily toward the cabin door through the heavy snowfall, keeping an eye on the spot where the wolf had disappeared. The light was dull as night approached, and he needed to get inside.

Lungs labouring, he reached the door and stepped through, slamming it behind him and throwing the latch. He paused to catch his breath and allow his heart rate to slow.

Better not tell Glory about that encounter. She was already nervous as hell about their precarious situation.

Back blurb—False Confession

Did Glory fall for the wrong man, or is someone lying?

Music teacher Glory has given up on men, with good reason. Then she meets the handsome lead guitar player in the band she has just joined.

Alex, body builder and construction foreman, is determinedly single because he’s given up on women. But that’s before he meets the keyboard player who just joined his brother’s rock band. Suddenly his interest is revived and he goes on a crusade to gain Glory’s attention.

But when Alex disappears and the police claim they have a confession giving damning evidence against him, Glory has to make a decision. Can she trust the man she’s fallen for, or has she been fooled into believing a lie?

Buy link for Amazon -  http://amzn.to/2v0GLLZ

Website – www.sylviegrayson.com

Email – sylviegraysonauthor@gmail.com

A New Series by Christine DePetrillo

Wolf Kiss, Book One in my new series, The Warrior Wolves Series, will be releasing on August 17th. This is the first time I have written all the books in the series before publishing any of them. This afforded me some unique revision opportunities. I completed each book and went through my normal routines before moving on to writing the next one, but then I sat down and read the entire 5-book set in a week.

In doing this I was able to:

• comb through and fix any inconsistencies, 
• make sure the passage of time worked out correctly, both within books and between books, 
• keep each story focused around the series theme while maintaining its own uniqueness, 
• keep the action moving from book to book
• check that all the paranormal "stuff" I made up made sense,
• see the arc of the entire series from Book One to Book Five
• change anything that wasn't working and make sure it got changed everywhere it needed to,
• think deeply about cover design and how to make it consistent so readers know it's a series,
• get excited about how everything tightened up nicely!

I read Jennifer Probst's writing book, Write Naked, right before finishing this series and used many of her tips to help me sharpen up the series too. I highly suggest this text. It's an easy read and full of goodies to get you thinking about your writing and career as an author. 

While this series is paranormal due to the inclusion of some supernatural characters and events, I think I still maintained an air of contemporary romance with the setting of good old Vermont. As I've maintained since the publication of my first series, The Maple Leaf Series, "love grows in the woods." I'm convinced that love does best when surrounded by a heavy dose of nature, maple trees in particular. 

The Warrior Wolves Series follows five Celtic warriors who have been banished from Ireland by Flidae, the goddes of wild things when they use their "gifts" to kill. They all end up in present-day U.S.A. While they don't all start out in Vermont, the Green Mountain State becomes their gathering ground when they find each other... and their one true loves. 

These books are about finding your pack and making a home. 

   

Here's the cover, which I LOVE. Many thanks to Dar Albert of Wicked Smart Designs. She always gets it exactly right.

And here's the blurb:

Warrior Reardon McAlator kills anyone’s enemies for the right price. Victory comes easy to him and his fierce army… until one day, they meet their match. Faced with the possibility of destroying their legendary winning streak, Reardon takes action. He makes his men more like him and angers the wrong Celtic goddess. Banished from her protection, he wakes up alone in a different place, in a different time, and in a world of pain. He must do something worthy to get home to Ireland, but maybe getting home isn’t where he thought it was.

Wildlife biologist Dr. Brandy Wendon cares for wolves—and her sister’s son, Dylan—at Silver Moon Wolf Sanctuary in the woods of Vermont. She loves everything about her work, including secretly researching clinical lycanthropy just for the fun of it. It’s what nerds do. Brandy stays busy, but in the lonely hours of the night, she can’t deny something is missing. If only she could find that soul mate people are always mentioning. As if one perfect match for her really exists.
 
When a pained howl echoes from the dark forest beyond the sanctuary fence, Brandy meets a wolf unlike any to cross her path. Why does she grow instantly connected to him? Why does he become so important to her? 
 
She’ll only get answers if she accepts a wolf kiss.

Check my website for preorder information and prepare to howl along with my warrior wolves!

Toodles, 

Chris

The Maple Leaf Series, Books One to Six, available now, Book One is always FREE!

The Shielded Series, Books One to Three, available now, Book One is always FREE!

Wolf Kiss, Book One in The Warrior Wolves Series, coming August 17th!

www.christinedepetrillo.weebly.com 

Pondering the Deeper Meanings of Romantic Fiction

By Glenys O'Connell

If you're reading this, the chances are good that, like me, you're a fan of romance books in one or more of their many forms. But have you ever really thought about what these romantic stories mean to you? I've been thinking about this a bit recently – yes, my mind does tends to wander off at these strange tangents.

The conclusion I came to is that romantic fiction actually fills some very basic needs for us. For example, no matter what your age, gender, creed, ethnic group or sexual orientation, the odds are pretty good that you want to be loved and to love in return. A simple, basic human need.

In romantic fiction, our heroines  long for a soul mate, for someone in sync with her thoughts, feelings and desires. No matter how modern and competent a woman may be, she looks for someone who will be her protector, who will guard her in that vulnerable time when her children are young. Our heroes seek to have that part of themselves fulfilled, too. The Ying & Yang, if you like – that want to be a hero to that special someone whose very touch makes them dream of a forever kind of relationship. Even if that thought has terrified them before!

We all have a deep need to be the centre of someone's universe, someone who will be faithful exclusively to us. It's called true and lasting love, and that's what we find in romantic fiction.

But humans aren't the only creatures on the planet who feel this need. There are many species that mate for life, who live in communities where exclusive couple relationships are the norm.

Those included in that list may surprise you. After all, who would have thought termites were romantic beings at heart? And Gibbons – well, you might not fancy them, but believe me, there's a special someone for each of them, too. That great Canadian icon, the Beaver? Yep, he and she dream of a long life together in their cosy lodge. Black vultures certainly aren't on the list of the most attractive critters, either, but they, too, long for a committed relationship with a significant other. And you'd go a long way to find a more committed pair than the Alpha wolf and his Alpha mate.

Lots of people dislike crows – through the ages they've been accused of everything from witchcraft to feasting on dead bodies on battle fields. They've been killed mercilessly; in some countries their pathetic corpses have been hung on the fences of farm fields in the belief that this would warn other crows away.

Not so – crows mate for life, but they also have a wider family and community life. When a crow dies, his family and friends join his mate by the body and mourn his loss. Imagine their pain when they see their friends and loved ones killed so pointlessly.

Some of these animal and bird lovers have a special place in our hearts. My favourites, the Canada Geese (I've talked about my feelings for them before in this blog!) take on one partner only, for life.

And perhaps the most famous of all is the swan, a handsome bird, protected by the British Crown and in many jurisdictions - although it was once considered a feast fit for kings!

There's a wonderful song about two swans, and there are versions by John McDermott and by Christy Moore. I warn you – it's a real tear jerker! My DH sings it and it's guaranteed to have our two daughters in tears almost before the opening notes have sounded.

Here is an excerpt; you can read the rest by either John McDermott or Christy Moore – that's if you want a really good weep!

…a dark day in November With the searing cold that starts Stalked the hunter with his bow And put an arrow through her heart
"Husband come to my side And let your feathers warm my pain For I feel I will not spend Another day with you again"
And the cold winds blow He was brave but he laid low By her body in the Isle of Mist I saw her give him one last cold kiss One last cold kiss
Now swans like people Talk of only one in this life take Though they brought him 20 ladies He would take no other bride.......

Now, I’d love to hear your comments about why you read romance, and what gives you the most satisfaction in their fictional relations.