Guest Blog: They’re Not Like Us by Naomi Clark &Contest!

One of my pet peeves when it comes to paranormal beasties in fiction is the trope of making them just like us. Vampires are just people with special dietary requirements. Werewolves are just people with extra body hair. Where’s the fun in that? I want my monsters to be monstrous – or at least, not human.

The werewolves in the Urban Wolf world work very hard to appear human, to fit in with human society and play nice with humanity. But they’re not really human. And in DARK HUNT I wanted to explore that a little. I wanted to show that, although the wolves can take human shape, they’re animals underneath, with primal instincts and priorities that might differ from human ones. So we learn that in some Packs, female wolves are forced to mate with whoever the Pack picks, to ensure the survival of the species. We learn that there are some things that terrify wolves, things humans don’t even know exist.

And we learn that, when bodies appear and tensions rise, humans and wolves are quick to turn on each other. Because the humans know the wolves aren’t really like them, that they hunt and kill in wolf-shape, so when the bodies start piling up, doesn’t it make sense to blame the monsters?

One of the ongoing themes I want to look at in the Urban Wolf books is the divide between werewolves and humans, and how hard (or not) the Packs are willing to fight to keep their place in human society. I want to explore what brings the two species together and what could drive them apart. In DARK HUNT you’ll see some hints of that – suspicion, unrest, and violence. You also learn exactly what can scare a werewolf. I hope you ready for that 🙂

Dark Hunt

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 expected to find in the City of Love, 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?

 

Naomi Clark

Naomi Clark lives in Cambridge and is a mild-mannered office worker by day, but a slightly crazed writer by night. She has a perfectly healthy obsession with giant sea creatures and a preference for vodka-based cocktails. When she’s not writing, Naomi is probably either reading or watching 80s cartoon shows, and sometimes she manages to do all three at once. You can follow Naomi at Twitter; Facebook or on her Blog.

 

Contest Time

We’re giving away plenty of swag in the DARK HUNT blog tour. There are daily ebook giveaways and hampers of goodies up for grabs at the grand finale of the tour including ebooks, limited DARK HUNT t-shirts, personal horoscopes and tarot readings by Naomi Clark, as well as postcards from Ayla, Shannon, Vince, Joel and Glory (urban wolf series characters). Leave a comment here (ask me a question; tell me about your paranormal passions; or just say hello) with your email address to be entered. Enter at each point along the tour for more entries and more chances to win. 

We’re also giving away a free copy of SILVER KISS, the first book in the Urban Wolf series, to everyone who comments. Just remember to include your email address to get your Smashwords voucher and find out how Ayla and Shannon ended up in Paris!