Wolves and the Writing of Stormrider

Wolves. 

 

Amazing creatures. Family oriented, intelligent and loyal, which in my estimate puts them heads and shoulders above lots of people I’ve known. 

Today I decided I’d talk a bit about one of my favorite books to write, Stormrider, what went into it and how it came to be.

 

I’ve always loved nature and animals and wolves have had a tender spot in my heart for as long as I can remember. 

A friend had a hybrid wolf-dog which was more wolf than dog and it was fascinating being around her. The wolf, Bonita, was certainly not docile, but neither was she vicious. It always seemed though that she was most definitely in charge. From her I extrapolated my main character, StrongHeart who was the ‘gentlemanly’ leader of the pack of Nashirian wolves in Stormrider. The pack would be considered misfits, each with a draw-back, a hinderance (StrongHeart an outcast from his pack, One-Eye blind in one eye, Little Foot with a deformed paw), but all supporting one another. And there is one more member of the pack, Stormrider, aka, Tanith Aesir, a Janissary, warrior woman and protector of the weak, she finds she had a mental link and emotional tie with the wolves, a gift of the amazing planet on which she dwells, and is drawn into the pack. But even then she can’t give up her quest to bring peace to her war-torn world and put a stop to the crazy man who wants to rule. So, the wolves join their strengths to hers in her quest.

Now, admittedly ‘normal’ wolves can’t talk, mentally or otherwise (though their howls are amazing communication between them), but on Nashira they can. Not only that, but they can be smart-alecky, snarky and irritated, yet there is unwavering loyalty between them – including their human pack member. 

All that is patterned on actual wolves and their habits and behaviors. If you take the time to watch a few videos or a movie like Never Cry Wolf, or National Geographic’s page on wolves  or NOVA’s site on wolves you’ll get a general feel for their behaviors which inspired the creation of the three powerful wolves in Stormrider. 

Creating them as characters with distinct personalities in the novel I wrote, Stormrider, I used such resources as mentioned above to spin each wolf’s individual personality. Obviously I stretched things and created new twists, but it’s the research that provided the backbone and the jumping off place of where to begin. When I begin a book such as this it’s always best to know some solid facts before beginning to fantasize a tale. Grounding the story in reality, even when it’s a science fiction or fantasy story, makes it stronger and breathes more life into the characters and the background, hopefully making it a much more enjoyable read, one that draws the reader into the story and doesn’t jostle them out.  

The research for the book also unearthed things like wolf howls that I used in creating the accompanying book trailer http://bit.ly/12jDKmP to create a more in depth feel of being there.

Come on into a writer’s brain and read a sample of Stormrider  and see how the reality of wolves can blend with the fiction of an adventurous story. 

Stormrider Book Trailer 

Stormrider Facebook Fan Page

 -come visit, like, and stay tuned for Stormrider give-aways 

Interesting Wolf Facts 

Wolf Sounds – audio 

Wolf howls – audio via YouTube 

Stormrider - Book Giveaway from Author

 

 STORMRIDER!

Yes, it's true, I'm giving away a Kindle copy of my SciFi/Fantasy book, Stormrider. Ending Feb. 14 at midnight.

For your chance to win a free copy head over to my Stormrider facebook page, click on the 'giveaway' tab and enter. 

Good Luck! 

Writers & Readers Websites Wednesday - Books!

Reader? Writer? College Student?  

Education Insider offers lots of places where you can get free, unabridged books and audio books.  Lots of resources - some that lead to even more resources. Mostly classics but other offerings as well.  Definitely a site worth visiting. 


And when you have a minute check out these other blogs as well: 
EMTalkery: http://www.emtalkery.blogspot.com/
Sci Fi Writer M Pax: http://www.mpaxauthor.com/blog

Writers & Readers Websites Wednesday- Nerd's Guide

 Are you a reader? A Writer? A Thinker? Someone who enjoys twisting their brain? Fishing for ideas for your next story?

Then you might want to consult the list Nerds Guide To Reading for some wonderful read suggestions. They all link to Amazon (no I don't get a commission on sales) but you can get them many places, including libraries, in Ebook format, in used book stores, wherever.

Head on over and check out the list - then read!

 

The Read and The Write Of It

Sometimes as writers we forget and take for granted the marvel of reading.

And it is pretty much a marvel you know.

We all read, well most of us read, well, a large number of us read and it's kind of funny how we don't think about it, but just do it. A part of every day. and thank heavens writers aren't the only ones who read!

Here's a definition of what reading really is:

..."a complex cognitive process of decoding symbols in order to construct or derive meaning...a means of language acquisition of communication and of sharing information and ideas. Reading boils down to a complex interaction between the text and the reader, said text shaped by the reader's prior experience, knowledge, attitude and community.  The reading process requires continuous practice, development and refinement."

photo by Chance Agrella

 Or the more dry dictionary definition:

"the act or practice of one who reads...the study of books; academic material."

The second doesn't tell you nearly what the first does, but you get it. The first definition makes it much more clear just how complicated and fascinating the act of reading is.

There are types of reading other than the written word such as symbols, pictograms and music, but let’s stick with what we scribblers know best - reading a book.

Plainly the first requirement of reading is that there's sharp contrast between the letters and the background they're printed on (don't you just love red on black?) and aside from that, readers, don’t you just love it when the text doesn’t fit your computer screen and you’re forced to scroll from side to side, back and for, repeatedly? (er, I think I can see that you don’t). So fiction writers, copy writers, all writers keep in mind the readability factor in the visual.

The other thing about reading is it is usually an individual activity. One person; book or magazine or whatever in hand, reading. Oh, occasionally someone will do a ‘reading’ and read aloud to a group. And, readers, did you know many writers use reading out loud as a tool when crafting what they write? Reading out loud fosters better comprehension, meaning it allows the writer to catch many of his or her errors and to correct them. Handy, huh?

Did you know also that reading really is a pretty intensive process because the eye moves back and forth assimilating text? Very little of a sentence is actually ‘seen’ accurately, thus the puzzles where you can figure out a whole sentence with lots of words or letters missing. That involves eye movement and visual perception which you can Google if you lile, but it’s a whole ‘nother subject.

So, back to reading. Yep, it’s a very active exercise for your mind as pooped to say watching TV or just listening to music. When you read your brain cells engage in activity as the words you read are automatically translated into vivid images painted on your consciousness from the story the reader is absorbing. Fascinating, don’t you think? But there’s more. Your brain is actually a muscle which really does need to be exercised regularly like any other muscle in your body. If you don’t, you risk dulling yourself down. You must keep your mental faculties constantly engaged to keep your brain from getting bored and that will keep you smarter. Yes, smarter I say. But don’t believe me, research that yourself.

Those of you who are regular readers, think about it. When you read you’re bound to explore the works of a variety of authors and thereby be exposed to different literary styles, learn new words, phrases, idioms, and because of that learn to use those things in new ways yourself.

So, be of good cheer, readers and obsessive readers because readers are generally more knowledgeable folks and more knowledgeable are generally more creative and more creativity leads to innovation and the ability to think more ‘out of the box. So keep reading and you’ll find you’re definitely more creative in whatever are of life you aim to excel.

Want to read a bit more and give me your thoughts? Hop over to The Importance Of Reading For All Of Us. Good article for more info.