Werewolves: Do They Live Among Us?

In 500 BCE, Herodotus, in his book The Histories, mentioned a tribe called the Neuri who were said to be able to change into wolves during a religious ceremony.

Skip ahead to 435 AD when St. Patrick arrived in Ireland and reportedly discovered entire families of werewolves living among his flock.

Then, in 1182, a Welsh historian, Giraldus Camrensis, learned about an Irish tribe whose members transformed themselves into wolves during their Yuletide feast. A few decades later, Gervaise of Tilbury reported a similar case in the Auvergne region of France.

In 16th century France, tens of thousands of suspected werewolves were tortured and killed. Cases like this continued, sporadically, into the 17th century and include the trial of a man named, Theiss, who not only confessed to being a werewolf but a member of the Benandanti (from my last blog post -- and I'm willing to bet the idea of a "heroic werewolf" went over well with the church.).

So for centuries, the werewolf was considered a real threat. But this was hundreds of years ago, right? We've got science on our side now to disprove all this superstitious nonsense.

Right?

In 1989, a woman named Lorianne E. was driving down Bray Road in Wisconsin late at night. She reported that she saw what looked like a person kneeling by the side of the ride. She slowed down, as she passed, to get a better look. What she saw was a humanlike figure, covered in hair, with distinct wolflike features, feasting on a piece of roadkill. Whatever this creature was, Lorianne stated that it wasn't the least bit afraid of her. It stared directly at her, growling and snarling as she drove past.

More sightings of the Beast of Bray Road would follow. Later, it would be revealed that there had actually been previous sightings dating all the way back to 1936. I recall reading about one witness who was so traumatized by his encounter that he's been making wolf and werewolf related crafts for years since -- and selling them out of a shop -- as a way of coping with what he saw.

The local animal control, in the county where Bray Road is located, are said to have a file labeled "Werewolf," and in a documentary about the Beast, a local deputy that was interviewed said that every member of the local police force was issued a single, .357 magnum, hollow-point silver bullet.

Why?

"Because you never know," he said.

The Beast has been sighted all over Wisconsin, which suggests it either roams around quite a bit -- or maybe there's a pack (or packs) living in the Badger State.

There have also been sightings of similar creatures in other states too. There are tales of the Dogman in Michigan and the Loup Garou of Bayou Goula. There have also been isolated sightings in Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Alabama.

I did my best to incorporate some of these "historic" werewolf sightings into the Harmony mythology the best I could -- that there are packs living in the US where these sightings have occurred. I included the Pacific Northwest though (where Sheriff Ron grew up), because it's an area with a large wolf population, and it seemed like a good place for a werewolf -- I mean, lupoi pack -- to blend in.

I liked the idea of the Change being associated with religious ceremonies or, in the ancient times, the sabbats -- which mark the changing points of the seasons and other turning points in the year. But I decided to make these nights when monsters were at their most active and decided that the lupoi's heroic acts were tied into a biological need to protect their territory from other predators the same way an actual wolf would.

I tried to incorporate other aspects of wolf behavior into my lupoi. For starters, an actual wolf pack is a family, not some random group of wolves. So are my lupoi. The members of a wolf pack are also very loving and devoted to one another. There are reports of packs caring for sick and wounded members, bringing them food until they've recovered and are able to rejoin them on future hunts.

Wolves are also awesome parents too. In fact, each year, when pups are born, the entire pack helps take care of and raise them, not just the parents -- the alpha pair. I've even read that if a pup is stillborn, the parents will actually bury it. Because of this, I decided to make Sheriff Ron and Mrs. Sullivan the "perfect" parents, loving and devoted to their children but firm and strict when they need to be. This affection is also expressed in how quickly the Sullivan family take Dillon, a lone pup, into their fold.

That's not to say there are never conflicts within a wolf pack -- or in a lupoi pack -- or in a human family for that matter. Any member of the pack who won't follow the alpha is either banished or choose, on his own, to "disperse." Wolves are social creatures, and it's said there's nothing sadder than the cry of a lone wolf. I addressed this, to a point, with Dillon before he discovered the existence of other lupoi, and will be explored further in future stories.

For my lupoi, I made the idea of "dispersing" as necessity at times. Wolves will keep the size of their packs proportionate to their territory. The bigger the pack, the bigger the territory. My lupoi live by the same principle. In future stories, I plan on addressing the territory issue.

In Welcome to Harmony, Sheriff Ron reveals that he dispersed from his pack by choice after marrying Michelle. It was an arranged marriage, which I decided to make a lupoi custom. Dillon's parents are suspected of being disperers too -- for reasons that will be revealed in a later story.


UPDATES:

For the handful of people actually reading this blog, I know I said this particular post would come "a week later." In reality, I teach at an elementary school, and late July to early August (when I originally planned on writing this post) is when the "back to school crunch" officially begins. I'm not promising anything, but I'll do my best to put out a new post once a month -- for you devoted few.

Being back to school has also brought along the challenge of setting a writing schedule. I have to wake up at four in the morning each day. If I don't write before school, it won't get done. I'm way too tired to it after (as anyone who works with children can attest to).

Enough "singing the blues." My Goodreads giveaway ends this Friday. So far, 500 people have entered it and almost 200 people have marked it as "to-read." Wow.

I'm also little over halfway through the next Harmony story, Gwen Gladstone, and have sketched out the third one, Bloodline. I posted the covers on my Facebook page as a way of motivating myself. I'm aiming to have Gwen published in early 2014 and Bloodline published by the end of that year. I hope I'm not being overly ambitious.

That's it for now. See you in a month.

Thanks for reading,

DT

Werewolf 101

"For starters, we found out TV and movies had it all wrong. I had no problem with silver,  and my Changes happened whenever, not just during the full moon. Then there was the big one. I wasn't bitten or scratched by another werewolf. As far as we could tell, I was born one."

-- from Chapter One of Welcome to Harmony.

Everything people associate with werewolves -- Changing during the full moon, being vulnerable to silver, and becoming a werewolf after being bitten or scratched by another werewolf -- most people I've talked to think this is part of some centuries-old folklore. 

Truth is, none of this existed before the 1941 movie, The Wolf Man. All of the traits I described came from the imagination of that movie's screenwriter, Curt Siodmak. 

The first werewolf myth/legend goes back to the ancient Greeks. King Lycaon served his slain and dismembered son to the god, Zeus, as a test to see if Zeus was truly omniscient. Zues, enraged, punished Lycaon by turning him into a wolf.

From Lycaon, we get lycanthropy and lycanthrope, the "technical" term for werewolf. This myth is also supposed to speak to the "bloodthirsty nature" of wolves and how they're supposed to be vicious man-killers. That's not true. Wolves are actually shy and fearful of humans. Casting them in the role of monsters stems from ancient man's competition with them for  land and livestock. 

As far as ways of becoming a werewolf, there's a list as long as my arm. You could don a magic wolf pelt, rub a magic ointment on your skin, or a combination of the two. Usually, you were given these by an evil witch or the Devil himself. You could also drink rainwater from a wolf's paw print or bathe in a watering hole where wolves were known to drink. 

There are stories about people being born a werewolf like the main character of Welcome to Harmony, Dillon Howell. Their birthdays just happened to be on Christmas Eve, and they were punished for this blasphemy by being turned into werewolves.

For my werewolves, I simply decided to have them be a race that has lived alongside humanity. Not exactly original, I know. But the idea of having them be the descendants of a nature spirit known as the Great Hunter, who came to Earth in the form of a wolf and mated with a she-wolf? As far as I know, no one's done that yet -- Then again, I could be wrong. (It wouldn't be the first time either.)

Also, since I mentioned werewolves' supposed vulnerability to silver (bullets), silver is a soft metal and would not make an effective bullet. 

In Welcome to Harmony, my werewolves (or lupoi, as they prefer to be called), are heroes. They protect the town of Harmony just like a wolf pack would protect its territory from outside threats. The tradition of the heroic werewolf dates back to the 12th century and the Viking saga, Volsunga. In it, the heroes, Sigmund and Sinfiolti, are a father and son who escape from an evil king by donning magic wolf pelts and turning into wolves.   

Heroic, or at least benevolent, werewolves can also be found in the stories Guillaume de Palerme and Bisclavret. There are also the Benandanti, a fertility cult in Italy, that were said to change into wolves and battle witches that threatened to destroy the local crops. I also read about a Native American tribe in Wisconsin, whose legends include stories of Wolf-Spirits who lived among men and protected them from evil. 

That's enough for now. I'll be back in a week or so with -- Werewolves: Do They Walk Among Us?

Oh, before I go, in addition to being available for sale on Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com, Welcome to Harmony is now available on Smashwords.com too and should soon be available for purchase from the Apple iBookstore, Sony, Kobo, and other online outlets too. Yay! I'll post on Facebook.com/Harmony1855 and on Twitter (@Harmony1855) the moment I hear. 

On my Facebook page, I've also posted the covers for the next two Harmony books, Gwen Gladstone and Bloodline. 

Bye, for now.

DT

A few years ago, I wrote my first middle grade novel (about a pre-teen superhero) and landed an agent who was a friend of a new friend I'd made in a writing group I'd joined. I was quite excited.

I planned to have that novel be the first in a series. However, my agent advised me against it, saying it was easier to sell one book than to sell a series, especially if the writer in question is a newcomer. That made sense so I decided to begin a new, different project.

Long story short, I started on Welcome to Harmony. I had the idea of turning this into a series as well but kept in mind what my agent had told me. I then came up with the idea of creating different stories that took place in a common setting -- in this case, Harmony -- but each story would have a different protagonist and characters from the first book would appear in supporting roles. Technically, each book would stand alone but, at the same time, could be considered part of a "series."

Fast forward a bit, my agent had a meeting with someone at Tor Books regarding my superhero book. He also presented an outline for Welcome to Harmony and an outline for another story that never really went anywhere.

Tor passed on my superhero book, saying they'd published a similar one that didn't make them any money. They did send the manuscript on to some of their affiliated publishing houses to see if they might be interested -- Let's just say I'm still waiting to hear from them.

Not long after that, I landed a job teaching third grade at Sonoran Science Academy Ahwatukee in Phoenix, Arizona. When word got out I was a writer, I had staff members asking if they could read something of mine, so I started passing around copies of manuscripts for both my superhero book and Welcome to Harmony. 

Welcome to Harmony was, hands-down, the unanimous favorite. The eighth grade language arts teacher, Lyn, commented on how, as you read it, you became "part of this group of friends," which, let's face it, is important to kids at that age.

I let Lyn read that current draft of Welcome to Harmony to her class, asking her not to reveal who the author was. Her class enjoyed it, but Lyn still insisted they give me constructive criticism. They gave me some AMAZING ideas which soon prompted another rewrite.

In the meantime, I shared all this with my agent, while asking if he ever followed up on my superhero book. He asked me to send him a copy of Welcome to Harmony and told me he'd contact me after he'd read it. I never heard from him after that. He never returned any of my subsequent emails. I still don't know what happened.

Fast forward to late last year, after failing to find another agent, I began considering self-publishing Welcome to Harmony. The members of my writing group strongly encouraged me to do this. Since my agent was a friend-of-a-friend, no paperwork was ever signed so I was free to do whatever I wanted.

A few months, and a couple rewrites later, here I am. Welcome to Harmony is now for sale on Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com, and I am currently working on the next Harmony book, entitled Gwen Gladstone. I just put up a copy of the cover on my Facebook page. Check it out.

Right now, I'm splitting my time between Gwen Gladstone and promoting Welcome to Harmony. In between, I jot down notes for the third and fourth Harmony books.

Those of you who have purchased Welcome to Harmony, thank you. Those of you who have left reviews on Amazon.com, thankyouthankyouthankyou (Nook users, please don't forget to leave your reviews on Barnesandnoble.com.).

If you're still on the fence, you can read Chapter One for free on the previous blog post.

Welcome to Harmony is available for sale on ...

Kindle
http://www.amazon.com/Welcome-Harmony-Dan-Trumpis/dp/1479336904/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372371966&sr=1-3&keywords=welcome+to+harmony

Paperback
https://www.createspace.com/3975380

Nook
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/welcome-to-harmony-dan-trumpis/1115657216?ean=2940016419107&itm=1&usri=2940016419107

I can also be found online at:

Facebook.com/Harmony1855
Twitter: @Harmony1855

As of yesterday, Welcome to Harmony became available for sale at Amazon.com in paperback and on Kindle.

If you plan on buying the paperback, please go to createspace.com/3975380. (I get a bigger royalty.)

Don't forget, it's available for sale on barnesandnoble.com too.

I also just received my first review on Amazon. Five stars! (And no, it was not from my mother).

Now that my book is available on both of these outlets -- If there's anywhere else I can sell my book, please let me know! -- I thought I would go ahead and post the first chapter of Welcome to Harmony in this post.

Hopefully, it will entice you to pick it up.

Chapter 1

The Change had started. My senses were jacked. I smelled and heard things no normal twelve- year-old boy should be able to, like my parents’ breathing as they slept, even though their room was at the other end of the house. The pressure built inside my stomach. I groaned and leaned against a wall. I had to get out now before it was too late.

I crept down the stairs and through the living room. Thanks to my new super senses, I made my way through the dark without bumping into anything or making a sound. 

Outside, the forest called to me. Its scents were so strong they made me dizzy. The hairs on my arms stood up. My skin tingled under my t-shirt and shorts.

I dashed across the backyard, leapt over the brick wall, then sprinted across the field. All sorts of brambles stuck to the soles of my feet, but I barely even noticed.

Up ahead, the forest welcomed me with open arms. So many smells and sounds – No, I needed to stay focused. There’d be time to explore later. Right now, I needed to get farther away from the house.

The brush around me rustled. I stopped short. All around me, golden eyes shone in the dark. Coyotes. I could tell by their scent. A pack of them surrounded me and were closing in, expecting an easy meal.

Sorry, fellas. Not tonight.

I lurched forward and let out a growl that shouldn’t have come from a twelve-year-old boy’s throat. It was monstrous. Inhuman. The coyotes whimpered and ran away. The stink of their fear trailed behind them.

I charged deeper into the forest. Suddenly, every muscle in my body spasmed, forcing me to collapse. Dang, I really wanted to make sure I was farther away when this happened, but – well, so much for that.

I opened my mouth to scream. Instead, out came a canine whine. The Change was always excruciating. I wished I could pass out and be spared it. No such luck.

Tears streamed down my cheeks as my bones cracked and lengthened. My muscles swelled and thickened. My skin darkened and sprouted a coat of sleek, brown fur.

I watched my feet grow into large hind paws and my fingernails turn into claws. My ears became pointed and shifted towards the top of my head, and my nose and mouth stretched into a canine muzzle filled with sharp fangs.

The Change was finally complete. I rose from the ground, no longer a boy but a creature of legend. A monster. A werewolf.

I flexed my clawed hands, sniffed the air, then dropped to all fours and ran. The power of this body, the speed and quicksilver grace, it always amazed me.

The rush of adrenaline as I wove around the trees and leapt over boulders and logs. There were moments when it seemed like I was more than running. It was like I was gliding on invisible currents.

And my senses. I not only heard sounds but felt their vibrations. Smells were so strong I could taste them. Nature whispered her every secret to me. I could tell there was going to be an earthquake a few miles south of here, and from the shift of moisture in the air I knew it would rain tomorrow morning.

I steered towards a rocky outcrop and raced to its peak. Back in L.A., when I Changed, I’d run through my neighborhood to the reservoir. That was pretty cool at the time, but it didn’t compare to this, to running in a real forest.

This was amazing. There was so much life all around me, not just the animals but the trees, plants, flowers – everything! The forest itself was alive. It was an ancient being that nurtured every living thing within its reach. And I was a part of that now.

A feeling of pure joy surged through me. I had no choice except to throw back my head and howl into the night.

I spent the next few hours exploring. In this form, I had an internal clock that told me when the sun would rise. The part of me that was still human worried about getting home before Mom and Dad discovered I was gone.

As the sky turned pre-dawn gray, that familiar pressure built up inside me again. The Change back had begun. This hurt even more than Changing into a werewolf, probably because my human self was weaker.

Bones cracked and shifted. Muscles shrank. Fur retreated beneath my skin. My muzzle shortened, returning to a normal boy’s nose and mouth. Fangs withdrew into my gums, claws into my fingertips.

When it was over, every inch of me was sore. Even my hair. I lay in the grass for a while, unable to move. Finally, I forced myself up and raced home as fast as my aching body could carry me. I opened the French doors just enough to slip through and shut them quietly.

So far, so good. The house was quiet. I was going to make it. I started up the stairs, but before I reached the top Mom and Dad stepped into view. Dad frowned, his arms crossed. Mom looked like she was trying not to cry.

I stood there for a moment then sighed and sort of slumped. What else could I do? Just looking at me, they could tell I'd been out. My t-shirt and shorts were filthy, and I was covered with sweat and grit.

“Dillon, how could you?” said Mom. “After what happened in L.A.?”

I bowed my head. Only Mom could make me feel this guilty.

“Are you checking up on me now while I sleep?” I asked.

“Apparently, it was a good thing we did,” said Dad. “You promised us, Dillon. You said the next time you felt the Change coming, you would tell us.”

“I know.” I stared at the floor. “I'm sorry. I just couldn't stand the idea of being locked up in the basement all night.”

“You think we want to do that?” asked Dad. He and Mom hurried down the stairs. “It’s for your own good. You could get hurt or you could hurt someone. Like in L.A.”

“Why do you always have to bring that up? I didn’t actually hurt anyone!”

“But you came close,” said Mom. “And all those people saw you, Dillon.”

“I still think they’d never have found out it was me.”

“We can’t run that risk,” said Dad almost yelling. “That’s why we moved out here in the first place. And you promised you would cooperate.”

“I’m sorry. I wanted to come get you and Mom – it’s just – the smells of the forest, they were so strong – I couldn’t help it.”

“Well, you’re just going to have to try harder then,” said Dad.

I fumed. My right hand clenched into a fist. I kept it at my side. Try harder. That was easy for him to say. Dad stepped beside me. He’d calmed down a bit.

“Look, son, I know this is difficult –” he started.

“You have no idea what this is like,” I said, raising my voice, cutting him off.

Dad backed away startled. He glanced at Mom.

“You’re right, Dillon,” she said. “We have no clue what you’re going through.” Her voice cracked. “But we’re trying, son. We’re doing the best we can to help you deal with this.” She sniffed and dabbed at her eyes.

Jeez, I hated it when she cried. It was so unfair.

Dad rested a hand on my shoulder. He looked really tired. He and Mom had probably been up all night since they discovered I was gone.

“Why don’t you go clean up?” he said. “We’ll talk about this later.”

I slipped past Mom and Dad without saying a word. I had to admit I felt sorry for them. I still remembered the day they told me I was adopted, how they tried to have their own child for years but couldn't. I was supposed to be their little miracle.

Too bad I was a burden from the start. Always acting up in class, being too aggressive with the other kids. I got diagnosed with ADHD and Oppositional Defiance Disorder and was put on a ton of meds. Mom and Dad thought all their problems were solved.

Then I started to Change.

I knew Mom and Dad were trying to deal with this the best they could. I mean, it wasn't like there were books they could read or a support group to join. The three of us were learning about my condition, as they liked to call it, as we went along.

For starters, we found out movies and TV had it all wrong. I had no problem with silver, and my Changes happened whenever, not just during the full moon. Then there was the big one. I wasn't bitten or scratched by another werewolf.

As far as we could tell I was born one.                     

Let me know what you think! 
Facebook.com/Harmony1855
Twitter: @Harmony1855

Welcome to the official blog for my book, Welcome to Harmony. My hope is that it will be the first in a series that will take place in Harmony, a town that is a hub of supernatural activity. 

It is currently available for sale at barnesandnoble.com. Nook users can purchase it directly by clicking on this link:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/welcome-to-harmony-dan-trumpis/1115657216?ean=2940016419107

I'm working on making it available for Kindle and in trade paperback. I'll let everyone know when it's ready.

I'm currently working on the next book and have the third and fourth "sketched out." Each of these books will follow a different character, who has just arrived in Harmony. Characters from the other books will appear throughout the series.

What are my goals for this blog (other than shameless, unadulterated self promotion)?

Well, I hope to share with my readers some of the history and secrets of Harmony and its supernatural citizens. I'll post some sample chapters as well as some previews for the next Harmony book, and -- who knows, inspiration willing, maybe even a short story that takes place in Harmony that might feature some of the characters from the previous books -- or someone completely new. 

I might even give some insight into my writing process ( even though I have to admit I don't know what I'm doing half the time). 

That's all for now!

Like me at Facebook.com/Harmony1855

Follow me on Twitter @Harmony1855