#WeresEVENT2014: Guest Blogging with Naomi Clark (+Giveaway)
How To Spot A Werewolf
In the world of urban fantasy and paranormal romance, you can usually tell a werewolf from a regular human pretty quickly – he’s the smoking hot alpha with animal magnetism and an irresistibly bad attitude. In real life – well, sort-of-real-life – it’s not quite that straightforward. In Europe in the Middle Ages, hysteria over werewolves, witches, and vampires was at fever pitch, and werewolf trials were common.
The evidence, you ask? Well, some people tried for being werewolves were genuinely vicious, evil people. Take Giles Garnier, a cannibalistic serial killer who was convicted of werewolfism in 1573. According to his confession, Giles was hunting in the woods one night when a spectre appeared and offered him an ointment that would allow him to shapeshift into a wolf. Giles confessed to the murder of four children and was found guilty of witchcraft and lycanthropy.
This was an era when superstitions around how one became a werewolf were varied and elaborate. Some legends said a child born on Christmas Eve would become a werewolf. Sleeping outside on a summer night facing the full moon was, apparently, a sure-fire way to shapeshift. And you could identify a werewolf by checking for bristles under the suspect’s tongue, or cutting their flesh to see if there was fur underneath. Imagine your romance heroine taking a knife to the hero! Hairy palms and long index fingers are also dead giveways (and also not typical traits of the romantic lead).
In my Urban Wolf series, werewolves live out in the open and, on the surface, are indistinguishable from humans. But there are behaviour and societal cues that might clue in the unwary. An accidental growl here, a strong whiff of musk there…You don’t have to wait for them to shapeshift under the full moon to be sure! My heroine, Ayla, doesn’t have to worry about hiding long fingers or suspicious tufts of fur, but she does have to keep an eye on her temper and try not to accidentally crush her girlfriend’s ribs with an enthusiastic hug!
Given my love for old werewolf lore and legends, however, I had to incorporate some of those superstitions into the Urban Wolf series. In WOLF STRAP, the first story in the series, you can learn how to use wolf skin to shapeshift. In SILVER KISS, you’ll find a new twist on the old connection between werewolves and silver. It’s great fun taking all the old stories and beliefs and putting a modern spin on them. It means that, even if my werewolves aren’t obviously supernatural on the surface, they’re still rooted firmly in the supernatural world. And unlike those medieval werewolves like Garnier, they can be spotted before they kill anyone…
So I’ve told you a few ways to tell if your neighbour might be hiding an inner beast, and I’ve hinted at a few ways my own werewolves change shape, but now I’m curious: how do you think you’d know if that hot alpha male down the road really was an animal in disguise? And if you could pick one method for becoming a werewolf yourself, what would it be? A magic salve, a night under a midsummer moon, or a good old-fashioned bite from another shapeshifter? Let me know!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Naomi likes writing, perfume, fancy tea, and unfathomable monsters from the dark spaces between the stars, not necessarily in that order. She has been writing stories ever since she learned how to write, but is still trying to master the art of biography writing. When she’s not dealing with werewolves, demons, or sea monsters, she’s hanging out with her cat and probably watching a documentary about Bigfoot. If the cat isn’t available, she’s with her fiancé watching cookery shows and silently plotting her next book.
Blood Hunt (Urban Wolf Book 3)
Ayla Hammond is taking on Paris.
Hoping for a romantic getaway in the City of Lights with her girlfriend, Shannon, she finds a city under the dark thrall of Le Monstre.
Getting caught up in mystery and murder was the last thing Ayla and Shannon wanted or expected, but as the body count grows and tension rises between Parisian werewolves and humans, they find themselves stalked by an unknown terror.
What is Le Monstre and why does it make Ayla’s wolf want to turn tail and run? Can it be stopped before they become its next victims?
Wolf Strap (Urban Wolf .5)
by Naomi Clark
When loner werewolf Ayla Hammond returns to her home town for her cousin’s funeral, she thinks the worst she’ll have to deal with is her prejudiced parents meeting her human girlfriend. But when the grisly truth about her cousin’s death emerges, Ayla finds herself facing a monster that shouldn’t exist. A monster even a werewolf might be powerless against.
Be Warned: f/f sex
Special GIVEAWAY of today!
(International giveaway) We draw two winners. Giveaway ends December 21nd.
COMMENT BELOW WE WILL PICK ONE WINNER!
Giveaway: Ebook – Blood Hunt – by Naomi Clark
maybe shift under a full moon