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 We will be talking to her for a few days, Feel Free to ask any questions or give comments!
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Tell us about your books:
All my stories deal with the environment or
animals, my passion.
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How do you get your stories?
Most of ideas come through dreams. I dream sitcoms. I will watch a sitcom
and dream up an episode that is more interesting to me. Many times I have to
get up and write things down before I forget. I write in layers, the
outline, the first draft, and about the six draft it is fleshed out.
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Tell us about Wild Evolution:
When Dan defends his livestock against a wild dog attack, he is put in a
'kill or be killed' battle. When he takes the head of a wild dog in to be
tested for rabies he discovers he has the head of a human male instead of a
wild dog. Now he is forced to cover up a self-defense killing because no one
would believe he killed a wild dog when he has a human head.
A werewolf by contamination, Dan's life spins out of control. All his senses
are heightened including his passion for the wild. His passion for the wild
compels him to try to stop a new housing development that threatens the
local wildlife from loss of habitat, but things don't go according to plans
and now he has a second body to dispose of.
While under investigation for murder, Angela gives Dan her unflinching
trust. Because of an abusive father, Dan has never been able to trust
anyone, but now he has someone he wants to start a family with, someone to
build a future with. Â
Here is what our very own Lainey had to say about Wild Evolution:
This is not your normal werewolf tale; in fact it grips you from the first and keeps you going. Killer dog or werewolf, whatever it is it you will not be disappointed. Without giving away the ending or the whole story I am going to say that you will enjoy this novel tale. If you like werewolves you will find that Ms. Cook has a very unusual approach here and you will get quite an insight into the inner workings of the wolf pack including being the alpha male as well.
Lainey
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More (4-cups)
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Website:
www.muddymuttsacres.com
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- About the Author
- Posts in the Past
Claudine The Mean-
Welcome to my wicked world where I talk about the important things in life, for instance me! All right, I’ll throw in some books just to make Bonnie happy.
Thanks for the intro. Today I am defurring my house. Today is my day off from my real job so it is cooking, cleaning and shopping.
With 2 dogs and 2 cats, I spend a lot of time sweeping and brushing the animals. But they are really worth it to me, they give me a balance in the hurry-up world I live in.
For instance, our oldest dog loves to chase the laser light and so the does the youngest cat. When the oldest dog chases the cat away from the laser light, she will come back and attack her tail. It is very amusing and always cracks me up. And we all know we could use more laughter in this world.
Hi Fern, your book sounds intriguing! Would you classify this as a paranormal romance since there is a werewolf theme, or would it be more close to a cross-genre, like suspense/horror? Thanks!
W. Kaye Danes
I read Wild Evolution and it is very suspenseful. I like the budding relationship between Dan and Angela, and they seem so sweet together. But there are also a few of the usual (and very human) common misunderstandings that take place in any relationship. Except poor old Dan, since he has this ‘affliction’, is more prone to temper and paranoia. So that complicates his interactions with Angela, even though it is clear he really does love her.
I enjoyed the psychological impact the story had on a lot of the characters in the book. And Dan’s transformation from a mild-mannered small rancher to a more aggressive fellow that cares deeply about nature and wildlife, and isn’t afraid to do something about it, is vivid!
-Dana Warryck
Hey Fern,
Fellow animal lover here – I enjoyed looking at the pictures of your dogs on your web site, and how you rescued them from the pound. I’m a cat person myself, after being adopted by one who showed up mysteriously and didn’t leave. You sound like you really care about and love your animals.
How did you come up with this story line? I am interested in learning about background information that prompts people to write stories. Your intro info says you dream about storylines, so did you have a werewolf dream? Just curious!
-Gwynn
Hiya Fern,
Thought I’d drop by and say howdy!
I am amazed by the difference between your first book (South Dakota Way) and your new book (Wild Evolution). South Dakota Way was a sweet (inspirational?) romance that I enjoyed reading because even though the characters had a few problems, it was a feel-good story!
Wild Evolution is quite a departure, with lots of conflict and detail. Wow! It was suspenseful trying to figure out what Dan was going to do next to try and evade capture – just like a wild animal but with the advantage of a human brain to devise ways of keeping himself one step ahead of his pursuers.
You did a standout job with both books, which seemed targeted to totally different sets of readers. The interesting thing is, I enjoyed them both, but I like to read a lot of different kinds of fiction.
I wonder how many readers are like that. I don’t expect anyone to know, but I figured that would be a good topic of discussion, when a writer wants to write something totally different from what they wrote before, what kinds of changes (if any) do they have to prepare for?
DALLAS
In answer to W. Kaye Danes question. The romance is a back story but I would not classify it as a paranormal romance. The few sex scenes that are in the story are very mild compared to the normal paranormal romances.
I classify it as an eco-thriller with romance elements.
In answer to Gwynn’s question.
First of all, I am cat person too. The older cat we have was a feral cat a friend of mine had. It took about a month tame her. She was living under the office building my friend worked at. I can’t say which I like better cats or dogs. I think it takes a more understanding person to have a cat as a pet.
In answer to your question about how I came up with the story is a little complicated. All my stories deal with animals. We lived in Colorado for a long time. Most ranchers are against wolf packs, but a few know how to share the land.
I tend to relate to the coyote, mostly because of my grandfather was from the Blackfoot tribe. My Indian name is smiling dog.
But back to the question. I wanted a story about a rancher how ran with a wolf pack and that eventually turned into a werewolf story. The hardest part as how he would become a werewolf.
Thanks Dallas, I am fan of your writing too. I found your latest book, Dominatrix-online.com to be the difinition of ‘snarky’.
I have to agree with you about the two books. I don’t want to say South Dakota Way was not as good, but I will probably leave the sweet romance novels behind. In retrospect I believe Wild Evolution is better story all around. Of course, I had learned a lot about writing from the first book.
I think writing the Wild Evolution story fits my voice better. I find it to be easier to write and closer to what people can expect in the future.
Fern, I thought you handled very creatively the method of how Dan would become a werewolf, and it gave your character more leeway as to when he would make the transformation. It was quite different from the usual ‘full moon syndrome’ – a refreshing change. Hats off to you for coming up with that one.
-Dana W.
The ending made me wonder when you are going to start working on a sequel. Or are you going to take a break from werewolves and put out another surprise? Can’t wait – what are you plans for the next book? Any hints????
DALLAS