Another Story Behind the Book with Maryann Paige

Welcome today's guest, Maryann Paige. She will be holding a contest where one lucky commenter will win an ecopy of her book. So be sure to post a comment.

Wolfstrap

By Maryann Paige. http://www.maryannpaige.com/

E-Book Link:
http://clublighthousepublishing.com/
HORROR_NOVELS_PAGE.htm#WOLFSTRAP

Paperback Link: http://www.amazon.com/Wolfstrap-Maryann-Paige/dp/1453702857/ref=sr_1_2?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285807009&sr=8-2

Cover Art: Martin Rowe

The Story behind the Book:

I had never planned on penning a novel about werewolves. I never had any interest in the creatures until one evening last year. A huge snowstorm had hit the Hudson Valley of New York putting the area in a state of emergency within hours.

I did what I could to maintain my driveway. After about thirty minutes and short of breath from shoveling, I threw the tool onto the ground and lost it in the deep snow. Oh great, I thought to myself, as an animal growl echoed in the distance.

Suddenly, I became aware that I was alone. Where was everyone? Where were the children that were sleigh riding only moments ago, I thought. Where were the sounds of spinning tires that accompany every storm in my neighborhood, as folks tried to make it up the large mountain in which we all lived.

Cautiously, I moved into the street as the howls grew closer. Experience should have told me it was the local coyotes, but this evening, they sounded different. Their barks and howls were deeper and more malicious, and much closer than moments ago. The creatures were on the move!

I heard a scream in the distance. Was it a cry of terror or the laughter of a teenage girl during a snowball fight? I thought the former. Chills ran up and down my spine as I turned toward my house. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw an animal-like figure on the roof of my home. Another howl, followed by a throat gurgling sound filled the air. That is no coyote, I screamed to myself.

Now blanketed under a cover of fear, I ran toward my front door. I have to get inside, I heard myself scream aloud. Once safely inside, I latched the door, and peeked out of my blinds for any sign of the paranormal.

I started to worry that something evil lurked out there and it came with the storm. Thoughts of how to kill a werewolf filled my mind. I knew I had no silver bullets, but there had to be other ways. Surely, many were killed before the invention of guns. How did our ancestors do it?

It took me almost forty minutes to finally raise a neighbor on the telephone and I took a deep breath of relief after his hearing his voice. I then made a cup of coffee and sat in front of my computer and typed in ‘ways to kill a werewolf.” Sure, many say what occurred that evening was all in my imagination. But, I wasn’t taking any chances. I still don’t.

How do your characters come to life?

For me, it usually takes a bit of time for my characters to come to life. I’ve always been a people watcher. I’ve studied people’s reactions to others, to sights, to smells and the way in which they carry themselves while walking during a flea market on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

As I mentally plan my story as if a mini-movie, I will use various personalities that I have met over the years to see how they’d fit inside of that particular role. I will allow a few different character types to the fill the roles for various scenes. They play a part as if trying out for a movie, and I will choose the best one based upon their reactions.

It’s never easy with the paranormal or horror genre because so many times you need an intelligent character to belief in extraordinary circumstances in order to survive. We all know the bad, the naughty and the those that still will not believe what they see with their own eyes, don’t; often survive in horror movies. The same types of characters need to be chosen for the horror novel as well. They need to doubt enough to build the tension but need to grow quickly in order to survive.