The Obligatory Origin Story

I began writing Winter Wilder in November of 2010 following two other attempts to finish two other novels that I never completed. You see, I always have a ton of ideas, but get distracted easily when something more enticing pops into my head.

But I knew Winter Wilder would be different. (Back then, it was called “Wynter’s Scar”, later, “Wynter’s Change”). Something about this story pulled at me, kept my interest. I didn’t work on it non-stop as real life, work, and other projects pulled me hither and fro, but Winter Wilder was always the dream project that lured me back again and again into its waiting arms.

When I started working on it, I was part of an awesome writing group of professionals who really gave me some valuable feedback in Winter’s earliest days. (This writing group is still around, we just don’t meet as frequently as we’ve been so busy with other commitments.)

I’d highly recommend joining a writing group if you’re an aspiring author – not only is it an incredible resource, it pulls you out of your hermity-writer-hidey-hole, and allows you to spot things in your own work that you would otherwise have missed.

Back in 2010 I knew I wanted to write a story that was small in scope, but character driven and highly emotional, with lots of family and interpersonal relationship drama. And it had to involve wolves. Because I love dogs, and I love their ancestors.

The premise of Winter Wilder is as follows:

WINTER WILDER is a free-spirited California girl who just wants to enjoy life as a normal teenager. But Winter is anything but normal. She learns she is a Fenris, a shapeshifter who transforms whenever she gets too emotional. After moving to gloomy Westchester, NY, she gets attacked by a wolf, whom she discovers to be her own estranged grandfather. Winter soon realizes there’s a dark history to her family filled with bloodshed, shameful secrets, and fear. Worse, her grandfather considers her to be a threat to everything he believes in and pulls her into a deadly game of cat and mouse.

The stakes get higher when Winter falls in love with Hunter, her grandfather’s legal ward, and she arrives at a crossroads where she must choose fight or flight. But when those you love are caught in the crossfire, the choice isn’t always easy…

Believe it or not, that basic description took me a long time to craft. You think it would be easy to sum up in a paragraph what your novel is about, but it’s actually one of the hardest things to do. Hopefully this story piques your interest and you’ll continue to watch this space for updates as I progress towards my dream of getting Winter Wilder published!