Let's Hear it For the Wolves

The Wolf’s Heart is due out in just a few short weeks and of course, I can think of nothing else. So, let’s talk about werewolves! Okay, my werewolves. I’ll say up front that mine aren’t like the ones in myth and legend, I decided to forgo the whole cursed, or magic thing in favor of genetics and science. Well, not entirely. You see, I’ve long had a theory that science is just a form of magic that’s been accepted as fact. Strange, I know, but still, a girl’s gotta have some illusions to cling to in life.

So what makes the man a beast and vice versa? What makes this—or at least my—dual natured creature tick? Does the moon control him? If so, is it the wax or the wane of it? How or why does he become the wolf, does it happen in a twinkling or does he have to work at it?

I had to ask myself all these questions at the beginning of my story and then do the hard part, stick to it. I can tell you that my werewolves don’t just ‘zap!’ change into a furry beast. The bones slide and grind and the rest of his body adjusts to the change slowly and somewhat painfully. At the full moon, the wolf takes control, but until then, not as much unless emotions run high.

Marcus is the Lupin, or the head of the pack of wolves, so he’s also able to shift when the moon isn’t full, but will change other times so he can blow off a little steam. He and the other more powerful werewolves have two forms; the wolf, and the Wolfkin, a cross between a wolf and a man, only much larger and a lot more dangerous. But, there’s also the fact that Marcus is directly descended from David, who I call the prototype, so he’s a little bit different than the rest. David, well, the term ‘broke the mold’ pretty describes that one.

While I can’t spill all my beans, I will tell you that within the scientific origins of my werewolves lies a bit of magic. I mean, how un-fun would it be for the whole thing to have been hatched out of a lab? The mysteries of nature are vast enough to hide the beginnings of Marcus and the rest of his furry brethren; at least, they are in my book. I’ll also give you the sad news that all the answers don’t lie within the first installment. That would have made the book about a thousand pages long.

Does a paranormal still have the right to be called a paranormal when it’s got genetic enhancement shoved into it? I’m not sure, but David’s story is where the magic’s going to stay until I pick it out on this slightly battered keyboard of mine. I, for one, can’t wait.

Jenna Leigh