I know some of you readers are thinking, all right erotica. I know this genre is huge but this is not my genre. What passion I am talking about is Dan's and Lizzy's passion for all living creatures. This is my passion too, so why wouldn't it show up in my wrting.
If you have read any of my reviews or comments from my readers you will find statements like this: Her love of animals comes through in her writing. In the back-story of all my stories you'll find animals. The horrors in the Wild series are not for the squeamish.
The first of the Wild series, Wild Evolution, involves illegal trapping and loss of habitat for a local wolf pack. The second in the series, Wild Justice, deals with canned hunting facilities. The third in the series, Wild Legacy, encompasses the issue of unnecessary animal testing for medical labs.
Some of the bears in Wild Justice are described as having their teeth pulled and declawed. This comes from the barbaric practice called 'bear bating'. This is where they take domestic bears, declaw them and pull their teeth then chain them up in a pen. Then they let the dogs loose. People have the audacity to call this training their dog to tree bears for hunting purposes. They do this in front of cheering crowds. It is probably the same people that go to illegal dog fighting matches. I can't believe people could be so heartless.
You'd think this only happens in third world countries, but it happens right here in the US. The Humane Society of the United States just ran an article about this in their All Animals magazine in the September issue called 'Torment in the Arena'. This gives me nightmares. You can't get much more horror than this.
The canned hunting facility is where they fence in an area so the animal cannot escape. The hunter pays big dollars to hunt bears, wild African goats, boars, elk, or whatever they can get a hold to make a good trophy head for the mighty hunter to hang in their den.
They hunt these animals down using four-wheelers and dogs. The animal has nowhere to hide. Packs of dogs tear the poor animal's flesh right off the bones before they are called off so the mighty hunter can get a good shot. The hunter's bullet is a release from the terror and pain the animal goes through for the all mighty dollar.
In the US we still test to see if soap in the eyes will sting, is that stupid or what? Many rabbits snap their necks trying to wiggle out of the straps that hold them down so they can free themselves from the causic solution dropped in their eyes. This is done to see if the solution will cause redness or swelling when they already know it does.
You can't get much more horror than this, that is why I choose to use real life horrors in the Wild series. I have to admit I get some pleasure in letting the bad guys get what they deserve in the Wild series.
**permission granted by the Humane Society of the United States to mention the aritlce in All Animals called 'Torment in the Arena."
Friday, October 22, 2010
the evolution of the wild series
How the wild series evolved
The Wild series began when I was a patrol deputy in the Colorado Mountains. I worked in a county that was cattle country. As charming as that seems, many of the ranchers killed anything that crossed their property they didn't like.
This did not sit well with me, the great animal lover that I am, I believe all animals have right to live on this planet. As a patrol deputy, I could do nothing about it unless it was an endangered species or poaching involved.
I have always been the storyteller, I imagined a rancher that shared his land with all creatures including the dreaded wolf. This turned into a skin walker or werewolf story. A good story always takes on a life of its own. While I was writing the series, the story developed in ways I had never imagined when I first set out to write the first book.
What would happen if you were attacked by a vicious animal? What if that animal turned out to be human, a changeling? Would you tell the cops about the person you killed in self-defense? Would you hide the body and tell no one? Who would believe your story?
How would this affect the rest of your life? How could you put this behind you and just forget about it? Wouldn't you be on edge? Suspicious of everyone? How could you live a normal life from then on, especially if you became the creature that attacked you?
Wild Evolution is about how Dan chooses to hide the body because he thinks no one would believe his story. He worries that if anyone found out, he would be charged with murder. It is hard to be a mellow when you are obsessed with keeping your secret a secret.
Wild Justice is the continuation, how Dan tries to live a normal life and get married and have family. How he tries to live the American dream of owning his own business.
Wild Legacy continues with Dan's attempt to raise a family and try to blend in with the rest of the community. This is how the Wild series evolved.
The characters are composite of people I have met through my real life experiences. The first in the series has a great deal of crime scene processing in it. The law enforcement officers are composites of officers I had worked with. The crime scene processing is as real life as possible; this comes from my experience as a crime scene investigator when I worked with Boulder PD.
Just like my books, I have also evolved as a writer doing this series. I have learned a lot from the feedback from readers. I enjoy hearing from readers and hear about what they think. I invite any questions you might have about the series, my writing, or experiences in law enforcement.
The Wild series began when I was a patrol deputy in the Colorado Mountains. I worked in a county that was cattle country. As charming as that seems, many of the ranchers killed anything that crossed their property they didn't like.
This did not sit well with me, the great animal lover that I am, I believe all animals have right to live on this planet. As a patrol deputy, I could do nothing about it unless it was an endangered species or poaching involved.
I have always been the storyteller, I imagined a rancher that shared his land with all creatures including the dreaded wolf. This turned into a skin walker or werewolf story. A good story always takes on a life of its own. While I was writing the series, the story developed in ways I had never imagined when I first set out to write the first book.
What would happen if you were attacked by a vicious animal? What if that animal turned out to be human, a changeling? Would you tell the cops about the person you killed in self-defense? Would you hide the body and tell no one? Who would believe your story?
How would this affect the rest of your life? How could you put this behind you and just forget about it? Wouldn't you be on edge? Suspicious of everyone? How could you live a normal life from then on, especially if you became the creature that attacked you?
Wild Evolution is about how Dan chooses to hide the body because he thinks no one would believe his story. He worries that if anyone found out, he would be charged with murder. It is hard to be a mellow when you are obsessed with keeping your secret a secret.
Wild Justice is the continuation, how Dan tries to live a normal life and get married and have family. How he tries to live the American dream of owning his own business.
Wild Legacy continues with Dan's attempt to raise a family and try to blend in with the rest of the community. This is how the Wild series evolved.
The characters are composite of people I have met through my real life experiences. The first in the series has a great deal of crime scene processing in it. The law enforcement officers are composites of officers I had worked with. The crime scene processing is as real life as possible; this comes from my experience as a crime scene investigator when I worked with Boulder PD.
Just like my books, I have also evolved as a writer doing this series. I have learned a lot from the feedback from readers. I enjoy hearing from readers and hear about what they think. I invite any questions you might have about the series, my writing, or experiences in law enforcement.
werewolf folklore
When I first developed the story for the first novel in the Wild series, Wild Evolution, I wanted a rancher that shared his land with all creatures including the dreaded wolf pack. I wanted the rancher to interact with the wolf pack. Naturally, this fell into the werewolf genre.
In researching werewolf lore for the novel "Wild Evolution”, I came across some interesting tidbits of information:
* Lycanthrope is derived from the Greek language meaning wolf and man.
* It seems that there is werewolf folklore in all cultures.
* Only in the American movie culture does the werewolf curse cause an involuntarily transform to the werewolf state because of a full moon.
* The Norseman believed that a man would possess the characteristics of the animal if they wore the hide of that animal, such as a bear or a wolf.
* In American Indian culture, it is called the skin walker. The belief is similar to the Norseman; if you wore the skin of the animal, you would possess their attributes. In many Native American tribes, it is considered taboo to don the pelt of a wolf.
To spot a werewolf, look for these characteristics:
* born on December 24th
* has red hair
* the index and middle finger are the same length
* and has a craving of raw meat
I had an uncle that possessed many of these characteristics but I personally don't believe he was a werewolf.
The most unusual tidbit of information about werewolf myths from around the world came from Argentina. They believed that the seventh son would become a werewolf. Many parents killed the seventh son or gave them up for adoption.
In order to stop the practice they finally made it a law in the 1920's that the seventh son would become the president's godson at baptism and receive a gold medal. This law is still enforced today.
This just scratches the surface of werewolf folklore from around the world, but many of the myths have similar characteristics, I found that to be very interesting. I also found it very interesting that almost every culture has legends or myths about the werewolf.
I picked the skin walker folklore because of the Native American connection. My grandfather came from the Blackfeet tribe but would have nothing to do with the reservation or the U.S. government's Indian government programs. He said they were disgraceful. In his time they were.
I had an uncle who was from the Kickapoo tribe; between him and my grandfather we spent a lot time out in nature. I have had an attraction to the Native American folklore because of my grandfather and uncle; so, the Native American skin walker legend is the one I choose to go with.
In Wild Legacy, I have chosen to continue on with this and expand the story to include the skin walker legend from the Norseman region. The continuation of the series will expand on this aspect of the legend, reaching back to the old country folklore in the next book.
In researching werewolf lore for the novel "Wild Evolution”, I came across some interesting tidbits of information:
* Lycanthrope is derived from the Greek language meaning wolf and man.
* It seems that there is werewolf folklore in all cultures.
* Only in the American movie culture does the werewolf curse cause an involuntarily transform to the werewolf state because of a full moon.
* The Norseman believed that a man would possess the characteristics of the animal if they wore the hide of that animal, such as a bear or a wolf.
* In American Indian culture, it is called the skin walker. The belief is similar to the Norseman; if you wore the skin of the animal, you would possess their attributes. In many Native American tribes, it is considered taboo to don the pelt of a wolf.
To spot a werewolf, look for these characteristics:
* born on December 24th
* has red hair
* the index and middle finger are the same length
* and has a craving of raw meat
I had an uncle that possessed many of these characteristics but I personally don't believe he was a werewolf.
The most unusual tidbit of information about werewolf myths from around the world came from Argentina. They believed that the seventh son would become a werewolf. Many parents killed the seventh son or gave them up for adoption.
In order to stop the practice they finally made it a law in the 1920's that the seventh son would become the president's godson at baptism and receive a gold medal. This law is still enforced today.
This just scratches the surface of werewolf folklore from around the world, but many of the myths have similar characteristics, I found that to be very interesting. I also found it very interesting that almost every culture has legends or myths about the werewolf.
I picked the skin walker folklore because of the Native American connection. My grandfather came from the Blackfeet tribe but would have nothing to do with the reservation or the U.S. government's Indian government programs. He said they were disgraceful. In his time they were.
I had an uncle who was from the Kickapoo tribe; between him and my grandfather we spent a lot time out in nature. I have had an attraction to the Native American folklore because of my grandfather and uncle; so, the Native American skin walker legend is the one I choose to go with.
In Wild Legacy, I have chosen to continue on with this and expand the story to include the skin walker legend from the Norseman region. The continuation of the series will expand on this aspect of the legend, reaching back to the old country folklore in the next book.
my law enforcement experience
What I learned as a cop shows up in my writing.
In the Wild Series the first novel, Wild Evolution has a lot of crime scene investigation. In fact, half the book is police procedural. In all of the Wild Series novels you will find that there is always a law enforcement character somewhere in the story.
When I mention my law enforcement experience to fellow writers, I hear comments like; 'I need to have a long talk with you sometime' or 'I have a lot of question I'd like to ask you'.
Most people would be surprised or even shocked if they new what kind of people carry a gun and a badge. Many times the type of people who are attracted to law enforcement are just one step away from the kind of people they haul off to jail. Even when I was in the academy, we were told that cops and criminals think a lot alike and the best cops are the ones that think like criminals.
My experience covers two states and four law enforcement agencies and with all of them I encountered the same type of personalities. Law enforcement agencies attract a special kind of people. It is a far cry from what the general public thinks cops are. Most TV shows and movies don't get it right either.
Mentally this is a hard job. No matter what you do, you are never right. The legal system burdens you down with rules and regulations, the political establishment caters to the whim of the public; what you end up with most of the time is someone who is willing to break some rules to get the glory their ego desires. The cop that goes into law enforcement to help others never lasts; they get burned out by trying to play by the rules and are left out in the cold by a system with two many lawyers.
In my experience the people I knew who became a cop became a cop for four basic reasons, they are:
*The lazy man, a cop's job is considered a lazy man's job;
*Prestige, wanting people looking up to them;
*The thriller seeker, 99 percent boredom and 1 percent pure adrenalin;
*And the one who wants to make a difference.
Yeah, I'm sure most people would be surprised at the kind of antics that go on behind the scenes at their local police department. The image your local police department puts on for the public is not what really happens behind the scenes. Most law enforcement officers develop an 'us against them' mentality.
In police training they are taught 'command presence', but in personal matters that type of behavior often leads to divorce. After awhile most cops end up associating only with other law enforcement people. That is the worst thing that can happen because they lose their prospective and it further feeds the 'us against them' mentality.
Crime scene processing will change as technology advances but when you deal with people's ego that never changes. No matter how much we advance with technology, our egos get in the way.
My law enforcement experience:
1 yr detention officer (jailer)
7 yrs patrol officer which included; 4 yrs as a crime scene investigator and 1 yr plain clothes for sting operations, drug enforcement, and long, boring stake-outs.
In the Wild Series the first novel, Wild Evolution has a lot of crime scene investigation. In fact, half the book is police procedural. In all of the Wild Series novels you will find that there is always a law enforcement character somewhere in the story.
When I mention my law enforcement experience to fellow writers, I hear comments like; 'I need to have a long talk with you sometime' or 'I have a lot of question I'd like to ask you'.
Most people would be surprised or even shocked if they new what kind of people carry a gun and a badge. Many times the type of people who are attracted to law enforcement are just one step away from the kind of people they haul off to jail. Even when I was in the academy, we were told that cops and criminals think a lot alike and the best cops are the ones that think like criminals.
My experience covers two states and four law enforcement agencies and with all of them I encountered the same type of personalities. Law enforcement agencies attract a special kind of people. It is a far cry from what the general public thinks cops are. Most TV shows and movies don't get it right either.
Mentally this is a hard job. No matter what you do, you are never right. The legal system burdens you down with rules and regulations, the political establishment caters to the whim of the public; what you end up with most of the time is someone who is willing to break some rules to get the glory their ego desires. The cop that goes into law enforcement to help others never lasts; they get burned out by trying to play by the rules and are left out in the cold by a system with two many lawyers.
In my experience the people I knew who became a cop became a cop for four basic reasons, they are:
*The lazy man, a cop's job is considered a lazy man's job;
*Prestige, wanting people looking up to them;
*The thriller seeker, 99 percent boredom and 1 percent pure adrenalin;
*And the one who wants to make a difference.
Yeah, I'm sure most people would be surprised at the kind of antics that go on behind the scenes at their local police department. The image your local police department puts on for the public is not what really happens behind the scenes. Most law enforcement officers develop an 'us against them' mentality.
In police training they are taught 'command presence', but in personal matters that type of behavior often leads to divorce. After awhile most cops end up associating only with other law enforcement people. That is the worst thing that can happen because they lose their prospective and it further feeds the 'us against them' mentality.
Crime scene processing will change as technology advances but when you deal with people's ego that never changes. No matter how much we advance with technology, our egos get in the way.
My law enforcement experience:
1 yr detention officer (jailer)
7 yrs patrol officer which included; 4 yrs as a crime scene investigator and 1 yr plain clothes for sting operations, drug enforcement, and long, boring stake-outs.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)