Contemporary Werewolves

I’m often asked which genre is my favorite to write and my answer is paranormal. Like many of you, I love werewolves. The shifter genre has come a long way since the 1941 classic film, The Wolfman. My werewolves aren’t cursed figures that transform and stalk innocent villagers while the moon is full. My werewolves are productive citizens like cops, soldiers, reporters and pack leaders. They live in a world ruled by pack law as well as human law.

I love werewolf stories and I write books about werewolves living in contemporary times. I was fascinated by the issues of falling in love and finding the perfect alpha mate while dealing with the structure of pack law, clan life and mating rules. My stories are romances that deal with the complexities of those laws. The pack is ruled by the elders and their decisions have the impact of a supreme court. Any werewolves defying the elders and pack law must suffer the consequences of their actions.

My Claiming Moon heroine, Grace has a decision to make. She can accept the wolf her parents have approved and the elders have sanctioned as her future mate, or she can follow her heart. Grace is in love with another wolf and defies her parents and the elders, but her decision has serious ramifications. She in persona non grata with her pack and she must live in the human world.

My stories also deal with the issues of a romance between a human and a werewolf. These mixed relationships have a special set of issues. Just think about living with a shifter. As a human you can love them, but you’ll never be one of them. If the pack doesn’t approve of you, your significant other must make a difficult choice and be willing to live apart from the pack.

Take that human/wolf issue and add the problem of an inappropriate relationship between a military officer and a werewolf subordinate. In Holiday Moon that’s the dilemma for Calix, the human commander of black-ops unit of werewolves. When Sezri goes MIA, Calix must decide between the she-wolf he loves and his career.

Pack law, clan life and mating rules make for interesting twists to werewolf romances. The plots and the problems are fascinating and writing about the change from human to fur and fangs is a challenge. As a writer I must let my imagination fly and bring the wolf shifter to life.  One day I hope to see a wolf in the wild. I’m sure the sighting will inspire a character and another wolf tale.

If you love werewolves, I write them.  Moonlust will be released on March 22^nd by Changeling Press.