The Wolves of Stormrider - A Novel's Beginnings

Who’s story is this anyway? Is it the main character’s, Tanith Aesir, aka Stormrider, or does it belong to the wolves?

I’m afraid I have to give it to the wolves. I’ve loved wolves all my life. Not just because they’re beautiful – they are. Not just because they’re intelligent – they are. Not just because they’re loyal – they are, extremely. It’s all of those things along with this amazing aura, this magic that seems to cling to them throughout the ages.

They’re given an exalted place in our art, our history, or mythology, our literature – and on and on. They’re admired, feared, raised to nearly god-like status and dropped to the pit of evil as werewolves. Tell me the sight of a wolf doesn’t move you in some way?

And that’s how Stormrider got its start. The wolves came first, their personalities, their power, and the rest of the story came along after.

A bit of research on our own wolves turned up the fact that there once were over 250,000 wolves in North America and now there are fewer than 5,000. They once had a solid niche to fill having developed side by side with their prey killing and eating the young, the sick and the old, leaving the fittest to survive, reproduce and grow stronger. And, their kills also fed numerous other animals that shared their habitat such as ravens, eagles, foxes, bears and others. Additionally, as is being discovered with their reintroduction to Yellowstone, the wolves even help keep the forest healthy by checking deer and elk populations, thus slowing overgrazing and soil erosion. Surprising, no?

It’s sad (and a little horrifying) that the early settlers equated killing a wolf with the triumph of civilization over wilderness out of fear and superstition. Even more so since the early native Americans regarded wolves as mysterious and powerful beings.

Nature is intricate and beautiful. But what of the savagery you say? Can you claim man isn’t savage? What of his near extermination (and that was the intent) of the wolves? In only twenty-five years more than 80,000 wolves were killed. That’s pretty savage.

So I moved the incredible wolves to another planet, another culture and imbued them with some remarkable abilities. Abilities that Stormrider is swept up in to become a member of the pack.

It was a fun ride and my goal is to have made it as much for the reader as it was for me as the writer. 

Writers And Readers Websites Wednesday

A day late, but here nonetheless.  Sorry, got swamped yesterday, but who says Thurs. can't serve as Wed? 

Writer looking for a site to give you some tips on the ins and outs on character, inspiration, editing,  and story structure? Check out the site belonging to K. M. Weiland that lays claim to:  Helping Writers Become Authors .

Guest Post by Jim L. Wright - The Next Big Thing

 Repost as Guest - Jim L. Wright's Blog Post

~part of a blog hop for authors to help readers find new writers, genres and books~

The Next Big Thing

Posted on 11/12/2012

I have been asked by Francis Laveaux of the blog In The Shadow of the Dragon and author of Le Cheval, l’Alouette to take part in a blog chain called The Next Big Thing in which an author answers ten questions about his/her next (or most in need of a push) book. At the end of the blog post I must ‘tag’ five other authors and they answer on their blog the following week. And, we all put it on our blogs and Facebook pages, and/or tweet it.”

And these are the 10 questions:

1) What is the title of your book?

The title of my book is “New Yesterdays”.

2) Where did the idea come from?

The idea for New Yesterdays was germinated in the 2011 NaNoWriMo. The story was originally about three young boys, modeled after my brothers and me, living in rural Alabama in the 1960s. I thought the story was going well for a few days there, but then the characters decided to go in a completely new and different direction. Remember, these boys were my brothers and me so I knew how headstrong they were so I decided to just follow along and let them tell the story. When the tale finished was both surprised and satisfied with what they’d done.

3) What genre best defines your book?

I reckon I’d have to classify it as a Young Adult Fantasy. However, I think that most adults will find it entertaining, as well. To bolster that belief, I’ve had a good many reviews and emails from adults from 30-75, all saying they enjoyed it very much! So, nuts to the classification system!

4) What actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie?

I don’t know much about child actors nowadays, so I’d have to reach back to the past. I can see little Ronny Howard (of the Andy Griffith Show) playing the role of Jim and perhaps Johnny Crawford (of the Rifleman series) as Dustu. Co-stars could include Adam Beach as Adahy, Saginaw Grant as Tooantuh and Elaine Miles as Hiawassee, Dustu’s mother. The roles of Principal Chief John Ross, President John Adams, and President Andrew Jackson might be a bit more difficult since they are actual people.

 5) What is the one-sentence synopsis?

A fanciful rewriting of one of America’s ugliest eras.

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

It is self-published at Createspace and Amazon.

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft?

Believe it or not, the first draft was banged out in thirty days.  However, I had spent the better part of the previous year outlining and researching the story. I spent the next four months editing and passing it around to beta readers before finally publishing at the end of February 2012.

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Honestly, I can’t say I’ve ever read anything quite like this story, with which I could compare it. Certainly, I didn’t have a “model story” in mind as I wrote it. As I mentioned earlier, the boys are the ones who actually wrote it; I was merely the stenographer!

 9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

My two brothers, Tony and Michael were my inspiration for the story and my love of history and my heritage helped me to research and finish it.

10) What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?

I think that the way I deal with the actual history of the tragedy of the Cherokee people will interest most readers, even if they have only a casual interest in it. I also think my way of telling a story has a way of holding people’s interest. There’s nothing stilted or formal about it. I just write my stories the same way I tell them round the dinner table or over a nice hot, steaming cup of coffee!

Now, I must pass The Next Big Thing to five more victims… erm, friends. Watch for the answers provided by my nominees and support their efforts by picking up a copy of their books. If you like them let them know by posting a review. It’s your praise and criticism that keep us going!

And, the nominees are:

• Ruth Watson-Morris, author of The Reptilian Series
• Tony Levy, author of A Turnkey or Not
• Tom Rydder, author of The Clearing, due out from Greyhart Press in early 2013
• Michelle Patricia Browne, author of And the Stars Will Sing
• Peggy Bechko, author of Out of Thin Air

About olbigjim

Ol' Big Jim, a teller of tall tales. My stories should take you on a journey. I want to make you laugh, thrill you, and maybe even frighten you just a little. I hope you'll enjoy reading them and let me know about it.

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