Well, you can’t do everything at once, and I’m not good at New Year’s Resolutions, but I’m proud to say it’s been a good six months of writing for me — which was my goal for this year. And, oddly enough, all of it was werewolf-related…
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Tag Archives: werewolf
Werewolf Wednesday: Rhiannon Held on the modern werewolf
It’s my pleasure today to host urban fantasy author Rhiannon Held, writer of werewolf novels Silver (2011) and its sequel Tarnished, which is out now. I asked her about a possible writing soundtrack, but also about what she thought of the werewolf’s place in culture today. As befits a writer whose werewolves’ social dynamics are rich and complex, she had some fascinating thoughts to share. Take it away, Rhiannon!
When David invited me to do this post, he asked for my thoughts on an interesting topic: What does the werewolf mean as a monster in today’s fiction? I don’t know the answer myself — but while we’re overrun with vampires and zombies, the werewolf seems stuck — at least in the popular consciousness — in old tropes, and doesn’t seem to have the same impact on pop culture.
I think at least part of the answer lies in an idea that I’ve held for a while: we seem to use or discard our monsters based on what kind of metaphors they’re good for. What do I mean by that? Let’s take vampires as an example. Back in history, when they were hairy-palmed ugly monsters, they seemed like more of a metaphor for the unknowable evil that jumps out at you from the dark.
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Werewolf Wednesday: Allison Moon’s Hungry Ghost
In case you haven’t been keeping up with current events, some of the best werewolf stories are coming from women these days. None more so than Allison Moon, who began her Tales of the Pack series with Lunatic Fringe in 2011, and launched the second book in the series, Hungry Ghost, on April 9. (You can find more information on both at her website.)
In Lunatic Fringe, Allison introduces us to Lexie, a first-year university student from Wolf Creek, Ore., who moves to nearby Milton to attend school. Not only does she fall in with a strong-minded group of women known as the Pack, she also falls in love with a woman for the first time. In addition to navigating the sometimes tense sexual politics on campus, Lexie is dismayed to discover that she, as well as some others in Milton, are werewolves.
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