Aug 15, 2012
When is a Werewolf Book not a Werewolf Book? by Chris Stevenson
When my second agent went to the BEA a few years back, he did so with the express purpose of asking each editor he met what (exactly) they were looking for as pertains to the next big thing. He made a lot of face to face contact and scribbled voluminous notes. One publisher, the small black and white bird from the Antarctic, replied that they would love to see a new spin on a werewolf tale. My agent queried me and asked if I was up to the task. I said I was, but that I had conditions along the lines of this "new spin."
My conditions were, that I would not follow the general trope—howlings, full moon, Lycanthropy and silver bullets. If they wanted a unique concept, I would really give it to them! I thought about what Michael Crichton had done with Jurassic Park, and thought about the current Thylacine Project and how ancient DNA was being processed to resurrect extinct ice age animals. So I devised a way to find and reproduce the genome in a Pleistocene dire wolf. But this dire wolf was a man-eater. When the scientist performs the experiment, his protocol serum somehow replicates the dormant human gene, which gives birth to a human/wolf hybrid. In addition, two other litter mates are spawned: a true ice age dire wolf and a grotesque monster. Of course, with this three-pack combination all hell breaks lose.
Now, if that wasn't stepping all over the werewolf trope/canon enough, I decided to feature a male POV and cast a female as the creature. Notice I didn't say "werewolf." Technically she's not a werewolf. Have I lost you yet? In Beauty and the Beast, the protagonist is the female and we follow her while she tries to understand and adapt to the beast. I flipped it. What would a lonely forest ranger do upon encountering such a female creature out in the Wyoming wilderness? I'll admit that putting this mix together aroused some of my male wish fulfillment fantasies. But I couldn't allow her to dominate him. I had to strike a fine balance, giving both equal stage time and motivation. Melina, the creature, has super-human strength and endurance, possesses a superior intelligence and performs acts of heroism. Yet she has a insufferable naivete about her that inevitably draws him into a relationship of forbidden love. He manages to foster her real world expectations and take control and soothe her emotional instability. There is a little bit of Splash's Madison in her character and makeup, if you are familiar with the movie featuring Hanks and Hannah.
The danger zone with this type of story was losing or disappointing my female audience. I agonized over it. I come close to the "ick' factor when exploring rough sex, estrous cycles and strange odors. But it had to have these elements for sake of realism. The beauty and emotional attractiveness of Melina eventually unfolds to reveal a strong, independent female lead that, I'm sure, offers great relief to the female reader. Is the forest ranger an alpha? No. It's not geek romance either. He steps up to challenge of meeting her head on, never surrendering to her indomitable will, yet he showers her with a kindness and understanding that most men are incapable of exhibiting at any time in their lives. He never gives up on her, but he does not save the "damsel in distress." She saves herself. It is only through his guidance that she becomes fully whole and acceptable to society—and it's a very long and torturous road.
The little black and white bird never bought into the storyline. My agent and I were devastated. I assumed it was too far out of the box for them. It did garner several offers from my own submission efforts later, finally landing with Lachesis Publishing, who had a multiple female staff. The female editors never gave it a second thought—I was vindicated. But I wondered how the reading public would react to it. As of this writing I've hit some tiny milestones that surprised and delighted me:
#1 in horror at Fictionwise
#1 in horror at e-Reader.com
#1 in horror at BookStrands
#2 in thriller at BookStrands
Amazon remains elusive at this early stage, but I have high expectations for it's eventual acceptance. More importantly, I learned that daring to do something totally different and sticking to your guns can sometimes payoff in little dividends. I'm happy about coloring outside the... ( more at http://coffeetimeromance.com/CoffeeThoughts/when-is-a-werewolf-book-not-a-werewolf-book-by-chris-stevenson/ )
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