Behind the Book: Why Werewolves?

I didn’t set out to write a series. In the first Behind the Book blog post I mentioned how Demons at the Doorstep was the result of a spontaneous creative writing session. It was the story that inspired me to continue Jessica and Damien's adventure. I wanted to explore this alternate version of our world.

At the time I was living with my family and working a customer service job in Vancouver that I hated. You know the kind of job where you make lifelong friends with your coworkers because you trauma-bonding over the same degrading customers and working conditions — that kind of job.  

I needed an escape more than ever, especially during the endless hours spent sitting in an empty office during the off-season. What better way to keep myself busy with a computer and nothing to do for eight hours than to write another book? 

Once I decided I was going to make a series, I wanted each book to introduce a new magical species. I immediately thought of werewolves, but I didn't want to take the typical alpha romance/fated-mates approach that was well-established in the paranormal romance and romantasy genres. That tone didn't fit in my series, I was keen to try something new after the enemies-to-lovers dynamic in Book 1.

Instead, I considered how a werewolf curse would impact non-romantic relationships, like families. That curiosity was what led to creating Nathan and his sister Abigail.

The siblings are two sides of the same coin. Nathan’s circumstances aren’t his fault and yet he doesn’t know how to get out of his own spiral of self-loathing. As a result he hurts the people who care about him most, both intentionally and unintentionally.

Abigail struggles to form a relationship with her brother, knowing the hurt he carries isn't his fault but also wanting to protect herself from being hurt by his behaviour. She is torn between care and accountability.

It’s a complicated relationship. The werewolf curse became an allegory for mental illness and a way to explore the different layered ways loved are impacted by, and impact each other, when faced with personal struggles.

A New Point of View

Originally The Lupatus Stone was entirely in Nathan’s point of view. My plan was to have each book in the series be from the point of view of the new magical creature being introduced to the squad, with the final book in the series returning to Jessica’s perspective. 

However, after Demons at the Doorstep was published, I realized it would be a loss to ignore Jessica’s perspective until the final instalment. I had spent a whole book setting her up as a character — to cut that felt like a slight against the character and the reader who had developed a connection with her.

This realization created quite the problem because I had already drafted all six books planned for the series (this would eventually be cut down to five books, which I’ll talk more about in a future blog post). So not only would I have to rewrite The Lupatus Stone, I was going to have to re-plan the entire series. 

A Long Drafting Process

With this decision, Book 2 required a full rewrite. I included chapters throughout with Jessica's point of view and added more layers of Arthurian lore. What started as an adventure through the mountain became a full quest, with various physical and psychological obstacles forcing Nathan to challenge his self-perception and how he interacts with the world.

I also changed my plan for the villains through this process. Originally, the surviving demon-possessed witch hunter was going to stick around until Book 4, with its body slowly deteriorating with each book. Instead, I let Damien bury that story thread. Knowing what was the come, I really didn’t want to have to drag that demon through three more books when the threats were evolving into something much greater than just demons. 

Besides, as much as Supai might like to try and make everything about him, the true villain of Book 2 is Silas. I created him because 1) Nathan and Abigail needed a resolution of sorts to their past trauma, and 2) Supai could not succeed on his own. You find out why in Book 3 and 4. If you couldn't tell, I'm a big fan of bad guys who know they're bad and choose to savour it.

Changing Chapters

Another change that took a while to nail down was the first chapter. I've actually had to change the first chapter for every book in the series so far. For Book 1 and 2 I shifted the action back a few minutes in time, but Book 3 and 4 had completely new first chapters added later in the process. This happened because I realized, usually with the help of my beta readers, that the story wasn't starting in the right place.

The Lupatus Stone opens with Nathan pushing himself on a physically punishing run through the woods. The intention of that moment was to introduce the reader to him without any filters. Through Nathan’s internal monologue you meet a broken man who’s pessimistic, self-loathing, and dangerously distrustful of his inner wolf.

Following that introduction, Nathan runs into a pair of kidnappers and saves the  young girl from them before realizing with horror that she looks a lot like the little sister he abandoned years ago. 

Through the rewrites I added a moment before that encounter with the kidnappers where Nathan nearly gets run over by Jessica and Damien’s rental car. It’s a chance meeting that makes Jessica and Damien’s later appearance slightly less random-feeling. And since the sequel opens with a brand new character perspective I wanted to reassure the reader that Jessica and Damien were indeed a part of it, as if to say, ‘don’t worry, you’re in the right story.’ 

There was also an entirely different ending chapter to the book. You can read about that and why it got cut in the Behind the Story: The Lost Chapter of Book 2.

Overall The Lupatus Stone had the most drafts of any book in the series. There were ten versions before it went to a professional editor. I’ve since grown more consistent in my drafting process, but it was my first time rewriting a book to update it both structurally and narratively. It took a few tries, and some very good editors, to help get the book to where it is as a finished product. 

I won’t say that one story is my favourite over another, but this one is the closest to my heart. That was part of the reason I set the story in British Columbia, my home province. While the relationship between Abigail and Nathan is complicated and both have to endure a great deal of hurt, I am an author who loves a happy ending — or at least a content ending. 

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Wicked Conjuring is an upper young adult urban fantasy series about a young witch who must team up with a group of misfit magical creatures on a globe-trotting quest to stop dangerous magic rising from the shadows. Featuring a bantering squad of found family, global mythologies, and fast-paced plots, it's the perfect grounded series for fantasy fans and casual readers alike.