I have a review of it up here

http://lycanthropelibrary.blogspot.com/

it's kinda short, most of my good ones are.

Haha, Wow!

I didn't know my silly little blog was that popular!

Kelly, your blog pops up a lot when I Google the title or my name. Thanks for the push! :-)

Mark, thanks for the welcome! And thanks for the nod to Trap... I'm really grateful you liked it.

As for tips and advice, sure, I can probably answer some questions and the like. I find myself getting busier and busier, writing a new book, and another book project (a collab) and some shorts, and reading both for me and for review, and with the day job, and some family obligations... so I may not check in here every day. Please give me a few days to get back in and respond, but I'd be happy to share some of what I've learned.

One thing: Persistence really is the key. It took me 9 years to write Trap. I ended up writing Gambit in about 7 months. Kelly said in her review that Gambit surpasses Trap. Argh! That seems counterintuitive, right? But... I learned an awful lot in those 10-13 years from when I started Trap. So maybe the combination of persistence (because I would not give up in the face of agent and editor rejections!) and a constantly open mind for learning and constant reading and digesting of style and character and plot and everything else that goes into a novel... that combination ultimately made me a better writer. Then again, everything is subjective, so who knows?

I managed to write Wolf's Bluff in slightly less than that 7 months, btw. I may have hit my limit in terms of shortening the time of writing. And it may not be as good as some people will think Gambit is. Fact is, I just don't know. It's hard to judge until you see it typeset. And even then, it's slippery.

So, to sum up, I'm still learning.

Thanks again for the welcome!

W.D.

WD, I've just started reading Wolf's Trap, and so far it's good.  While I have to agree with some reviews it IS a little cliche (the cop named Lupo is the werewolf, bad childhood leads to serial killing, and some other similar cliche's) in places, it's also a VERY good cop/detective novel.  In that regard, you wrote a compelling and interesting novel.  But alas, if you pulled the wolf out of Lupo, the novel is still a good book.  It's just the werewolf parts weren't as 'horror' as they could have been.  It's a valid criticism in saying you don't feel the fear of the characters facing either the wolf or a killer, as you barely get to know them.  I understand they are background characters, but you still have to get to know them as a reader before you're going to care that they're dead.

I found your books in the 'horror' secion of my bookstore, and I know that's how it's being promoted....but I just think they're doing you a disservice, as the murder mystery/detective cop drama books are filled with worse books, and yours would do well with that fan base.

I own but haven't started Gambit, and I hope the reviews are correct saying it's a better book.  MANY authors find their first book cludgy (Stephen king hates the Gunslinger), and by their second and third their real style starts to shine through.  So I am hoping the second one is that much better.

But as your novel, and you yourself, are here I figured I'd join.  I'm a lifelong werewolf fan, and (as with many) an aspiring author, with not a few werewolf stories clamboring in my head for release (along with other genre-twisting tales I've devised)

So, fellow wolves, I am here to share my passion for the wolf, both normal and were....and to share my thoughts on lycanthropy in general.  this seems to be a tremendous forum for the werewolves, so it's my hope I can include many of you in my personal clan someday.

WD,

Thanks for taking the time to reply.  I appreciate the work it took to write the novels, and get published.  I can't even say I've FINISHED any of my books, so other than being a reader and a fan, who am I to criticize? 

I absolutely think adding in your Italian heritage was fantastic.  All authors put a little of themselves into their characters, and your Italian heritage came through loud and clear!  And since your main character is Italian (not by mistake) it was easy to give a 'flavor' to him.  Background, heritage, and family are all important factors in everyone's life, and I think you used those factors well in Trap.

I agree, while bad childhoods don't always make serial killers (or we'd have even MORE than we already do), and on top of that Martin was 'mis-wired' from the start.  Combine the two, and you get a serial killer.  Sure, it works.  I've watched enough Crime Drama TV (and studied psych in college) to know that it's a pretty well established link.  I'm just saying it's kind of 'standard'.  I, personally, like to take what the reader is expecting (cliche') and turn it on it's ear.  But that's my style, owing to TOO many bland, processed, filler novels I've read.

I love the term "North Woods Noir".  And I completely agree.  The North Woods is the place where the magic and mysticism happens.  Lupo just got caught up in it.  Lupo is VERY definitely Noir, except he doesn't smoke or drink or wear a fedora.    Knowing you titialed it North Woods Noir, I can appreciate how you made a 'classic Noir cop' mixed with the werewolf story.  It's allll making sense now.

Now, the biggest part - killing off bit characters.  I agree, that in order to establish Martin's true depravity, you needed to have minor characters come in and get killed.  And your mathematical breakdown of the words to establish that makes a very convincing argument.  You didn't with a novel the size of "The Stand" or any of the "Wheel of Time" series.  You have limited words to establish minor/background characters before you kill them.

And for minor characters that's fine.  But Corrine wasn't a background character.  Her murder was the McGuffin through the entire story, driving the plot from start to finish. Even though dead, she was in fact a major character.  We didn't know much about her, though.  After the murder we find out more, as is appropriate since Lupo is searching into her life.  But before she was killed, we only got a brief introduction to her and her relationship to Lupo, if any.  Maybe a short scene with them in the hallway, or being as close as Lupo recollects later, might have established her death as 'more important' before the fact, instead of after.

I don't want to harp, at all.  I think your style is very clean, and concise, and I am enjoying the book.  You have gotten several books written and published, which is MUCH farther along the Writers Path than my own journey, so please don't feel like I am being negative.  I guess I'm just trying to explore your throught process, so I can sharpen my own story. 

And congrats on the continuing series.  I can HONESTLY see this character converting well to the small screen.  Since the Change is infrequent, the special effects budget would be small (no more than say a Buffy Episode, or the like).  Additionally, there are an ABUNDANCE of crime drama TV shows right now.  From all the CSI's and SVU's to Criminal Minds, N3MBERS, Bones and Castle (Castle is my favorite crime drama by far), there are a ton of them.  Sure, adding another might make it oversaturated....but I could completely see this series working on a TV show.

Sure you'd have to edit some of the sex scenes (making them implied, and not explicit), but the interplay between Lupo and Ben, between Lupo and Jesse, all of the emotions between the characters could make for a compelling TV show.

If you DO ever get the option for a TV show, though, don't go the way of "The Legend of the Seeker".  I liked Goodkind's books and thought the Kahlan/Richard relationship was fantastic.....and the syndicated show completely mishandled the entire series.

So, go fter the TV option, but try to keep come creative control! 

and thanks for the discussion.  It's not often I get to pick the brain of an author who has a series of books out, and who could be considered 'sucessful' by anyone's standard.

Last edited by Gralkiil (2009-10-06 14:59:42)

I'll most likely be reviewing Wolf's Bluff next year.

Thought I'd point out that "Wolf's Bluff" is out now. Picked it up yesterday.