Further Thoughts on Facebook Roleplaying

I started my ‘public’ writing career through the medium of Facebook roleplay. Five years ago, I didn’t even know that such a thing existed, but as a result of it, I have gained the courage that someone might actually like my writing. Now, I have five novels listed on Amazon.

Jo Pilsworth: Amazon Author Page

There is one major problem: Facebook doesn’t like roleplayers. As a group, roleplayers contravene so many rules that it can be mind-blowing. There are two angles for this attitude: one is altruistic and one is purely commercial. The altruistic rationale is the public face. The commercial reason is probably closer to the truth, considering that Facebook is a stock market listed company, and it exists to make profit to the benefit of its shareholders.

So, the altruistic reason. A roleplayer, by definition, is not a real person. They are writing under a pseudonym or the name of their favourite character from a book, film or TV show. There are other instances of ‘not real people’ who use the internet for nefarious purposes, e.g paedophiles who pretend to be teens, with a view to grooming their victims. Therefore, if you are ‘not real’, you must be bad. Sure, some might not be, but for the safety of little kids everywhere, let’s assume that anyone ‘not real’ is bad, and their account must be deleted.

Did that sound slightly bitter? Well yes, because this has caused me a problem. My writing is a sideline and not my main form of income. Some of my book characters are baddies, since every novel has to have a baddie somewhere in the process, particularly if your book will have a ‘happy ever after’. My ‘day job’ is in quite a conservative industry, where one’s customers need to have a particular image of the person and the company with whom they are working. So, I do write under a pseudonym. I also have used my pseudonym to build a following of people who like my stories. It is beyond annoying when, because Facebook have decided that my author pseudonym is ‘not real’, the account is deleted.

That’s what will greet you when the axe falls. That’s it. No going back. No right of appeal. No chance to plead that the contact list of followers that you have built up so that you can launch your book to a targeted audience is LOST. No chance of saving what you have published on that account, unless you were canny enough to back up your work. You were not a ‘real person’ and therefore, you must ‘die’.

This brings me to the commercial reason why this happens. Facebook is, as I have said, a commercial entity, a stock market-listed company, which exists to make PROFIT for shareholders. It does this through selling advertising, which increasingly, is targeted based on things that one has written on a profile post, or links clicked. Now, when writing under a pseudonym, the ‘likes’ and clicks on posts might not reflect what you, as an individual, actually like. Therefore, from an advertiser’s perspective, they are being misled that you are a potential target customer. They could become a tad cross with Facebook for ‘selling’ a misleading demographic, and thus, take their advertising monies elsewhere. That would be bad for Facebook and their profit-making potential.

So, accounts belonging to ‘not real’ people must be eliminated, and then they can sell a ‘true’ range of demographics to their advertisers. Happy advertisers means more profit, which means happy shareholders. Perhaps that is a simplistic view, but that’s what it seems.

Please do not misunderstand me. There are some sick individuals out there, who do prey on people. Equally, there are people who, through the medium of roleplay, are able to work through some fairly traumatic situations in their own lives, or find a way out of depression, because someone likes a piece they have written. In recent days, I have seen the roleplay community being the ones who publicise what is happening in natural disasters like the Louisiana Floods because it is not of interest to the message in mainstream media. Another, now defunct, group did a fantastic series of pieces on bullying, highlighting it as a problem not just for children but for adults also.

The point is that the ‘fake’ profile is not necessarily a bad person. As I said, sometimes I write under a pseudonym, and sometimes I write as the ‘real me’. For the sake of avoiding the stalkers, hiding behind another identity, would one avoid all people because they might be a stalker? I doubt that one would.

Facebook should remember that some of those pseudonym authors might actually be their potential advertisers, although sadly, that is no guarantee that they will not delete your account. Please, Facebook, leave us to write our stories in peace. We mean no harm, and who knows, maybe your precious advertisers might find that our followers are their target audience.

Self-publishing advisory: formatting

So, you have written the book. You have either self-edited or you have sent it for professional editing. You have made the alterations and corrections, and now … now you are ready to format your precious for publication.

First off, this is not a step by step guide to how to format your beloved book. There are more that enough guides on doing that. As with my other posts, this will be about things I have learned as I have gone through the mill of setting up my books for sale on Amazon, Smashwords and as a ‘print on demand’ book.

Secondly, I will add a caveat, a warning. There are a lot of companies out there who will offer to format your books for you, and many of them come under a thinly veiled disguise. A bit of digging will show them to be a vanity publisher. They offer to format, and then they offer to publish. Self-publishing via the Amazon Kindle Direct option or via Smashwords costs nothing, other than the cost of having a decent front cover. That is the only thing on you should need to expend money.

So, why do I reckon it is so straightforward. If you look at this illustration, you might well think, “Noooo! I can’t face this …”. But it is possible. It just takes a bit of planning. I am going to make the assumption that you are using Microsoft Word. Not everyone does, but the majority do.

That picture looks scary, but it is not. The basics that you need are a style for your main body text, usual ‘Normal’ and one for chapter titles, for which you can use something like the one shown in the picture as ‘Book Title’. Everything else can be based on those two titles. It really can be that simple.

The key thing is that if you use those pre-set styles, you can fiddle with the fonts later. You can decide if you want block or indented paragraphs later, bearing in mind that indented paragraphs works better on Amazon, and Smashwords specifies block paragraphs in their Style Guide.

When it comes to CreateSpace and the concept of ‘print on demand’, this is NOT vanity publishing. This is a facility where you can still offer paperback editions, but without having to splash out for a print run of 100 copies, which would be your only other option if you wish to keep the cost per copy down to something where you make a bit of a profit on the cover price. Also, if you don’t use CreateSpace, you will have to buy your own ISBN, unless you use a printer who can supply this. With CreateSpace always order a print proof copy, because the screen version and the print version look very different. Key things which I learnt were that margins look at lot bigger in reality, and you can go with a 9-point font if you wish and have a lot of words. CreateSpace defaults to a 6×9″ book size. If you have an 80,000 word or less book, this will result in a very thin book. But if you go for a less common and smaller size to give a decent thickness, then the cost per copy will change.

In summary, scour the internet for specific guides. I have added some links to the ones I found useful. Both are free to download:

Smashwords Guide by Mark Coker: essential reading if you want to publish on Smashwords, which will give you access to Barnes & Noble and iBooks is here Link for Smashwords Guide

Publish on Amazon Kindle via Kindle Direct Publishing: this is specific to Amazon and may be found here Link for Amazon Guide

Above all, relax. It is not as scary a process as some people might think. Even if you don’t class yourself as a ‘technie’, you will be able to do this. You wrote the book. Go for it.

Using ‘Furrin’ Words in Novels

I had a couple of comments which I picked up from recent visitors to my Blog as to why I use foreign names or speech in my writing. There is a very simple reason: authenticity.

My characters are based on a Welsh legend. Now, I could give them ‘ordinary’ names, but when you consider that, for example, the Alpha of the Cŵn Annwn was born in North Wales in the 15th Century, it stands to reason that his name would fit with both the area and the time period. Hence, his name was Gabriel Black, until he accepted his Mate’s modification of his name to Gavril Negrescu.

Collage 280416 — Andrei Andrei, the Hungarian model provided the inspiration for the ‘look’ of Gavril Negrescu, Alpha of the Cwn Annwn

In comparison, his Mate, Aaleahya, was born a Romany, so her name would reflect her heritage. Other names of the Pack members also reflected their heritage: Bran, the Pack Beta, and Owain Cadwaladr, his co-Beta; Rhys and Taren are Sentinels. Then we have Angharad, the Healer.

Yes, the names may not be the easiest to pronounce, but I felt it would do my characters a disservice to give them modern names. Why would a Welsh character have an modern American style name? It might be easier to pronounce, but would it feel right?

As to the use of foreign speech in the novels, well again, there is an explanation. I remember reading somewhere that the definition of one’s mother tongue is the one used when you hit your finger with a hammer, i.e. the language in which that unexpected swear word erupts.

In “Alpha”, Gavril had to face situations where he is under stress. As he points out when he swears in Welsh, it is the language of his birth. Born in the 15th Century, it would have been the language his parents used. Another character in a later book speaks French as his cradle language. So, when he vows his love for his Mate, it is in the language that comes from his heart. Equally, her response is in Spanish, her own cradle language.

For me, those are the touches that make my characters more ‘human’. Paranormal creatures they may be. Born of legend they may be. They may live longer and they may have abilities which are unknown to humans. But, they live and they love. When tragedy strikes, they mourn. I can but hope that they will come to life for you also.

Book Links

“Bound”, Volume 1 of The Diaries of the Diaries of the Cŵn Annwn
currently free on Kindle Unlimited
Amazon.com $4.99: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016TQFBNY
Amazon.co.uk £3.99: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B016TQFBNY

“Alpha”, Volume 2 of The Diaries of the Diaries of the Cŵn Annwn
Amazon.com $4.99: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ENZ972O
Amazon.co.uk £3.47: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01ENZ972O
Smashwords $4.99: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/631708

The Inspiration Behind “Alpha”

As a keen student of history, both ancient and modern, it was hardly surprising this much of the inspiration for events in the second of the “Diaries of the Cŵn Annwn”, Alpha, came from historical events.

I had discovered a few years ago that my maternal great-grandmother had been an Ashkenazi Jewess from Palestine. She had converted to Christianity at some point in the process of marrying my maternal great-grandfather, so the only name I had for her was Agnes Angeline McCurley. On a business trip to Berlin, some ten years ago, I visited the Holocaust Museum, which left a significant impact on me, hardly surprising one might say, but it was more than I expected.

Nicholas_Winton_in_Prague — Sir Nicholas Winton (1909-2015)

Stories and snippets came into play. There was the story of Sir Nicholas Winton (1909-2015) and the way that he had saved 669 children from death. There were letters, such as those on the “Letters of Note” site: http://www.lettersofnote.com/2016/08/farewell-my-dear-brother.html, a letter from a brother before his deportation to Auschwitz, to his sibling in a forced labour camp. I wondered, with the focus of modern history, how many realised that not all Eastern European countries were immediate victims of the Nazi regime. Hungary did not suffer invasion until the Spring of 1944, for example, or that when the wrath of the Nazi regime fell on their former allies, it was with an impact which seemed greater as a result of how Germany had been viewed previously.

So many details and so much emotion. How would a member of a paranormal race like the Cŵn Annwn react to the knowledge that children were at risk? Bearing in mind that, for my interpretation of their legend, they lived under a duty to their Goddess of hunting down the souls of those who would do evil, could they sit back and do nothing, because it was the world of humans?

I would like to think that they would not. Knowing that innocent souls were at risk, it would not matter to them that they were human or a different species. What would matter to my interpretation of the Cŵn Annwn was that they had the ability to do something to help, perhaps to save some of those innocent lives, like Sir Nicholas Winton had done. I would like to think that if they could help, then they would do so.

But, at what cost? And, having paid that price, how would that impact on their willingness to help humans in need again? Knowing that a price was paid when humans had no idea of the cost paid by their rescuers, would they say “Enough!” or would they continue to help, even thought they would receive scant thanks for their efforts?

The research for section of Alpha which focussed on World War 2 was not easy reading, but it was necessary. To tell a story, I had to understand the motivations of those who lived through those events. Nothing is as straightforward as it might seem. That is where the craft of telling a story plays a part.

Now, as I work on Volume 9 of the Diaries of the Cŵn Annwn, “Cythraul”, the research is again harrowing, because now, it is events happening in the world today, reported by the media with the different sources slanting the story for their own reasons. As with Alpha, my hope is that I have and can continue to do justice to those events and the individuals who refused to become victims.

Book Links

From Roleplayer to Novelist

Life can change dramatically in five years. Little did I know when I started a new job in 2011 that by 2016, I would have five book titles listed on Amazon. I had been writing since my teens, but it was a hobby, right? Nothing serious? It was just something to kill time?

Then I stared a job which involved spending a lot of nights in hotels away from home. Talk about lonely! One evening, I was flicking through the ‘Other’ messages on Facebook, the ones not from ‘Friends’ and there was a message from a character in a book series which I enjoyed reading: Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunters. Online conversations and a face to face meeting, and I started to write online fan fiction, playing the part of one of the series characters.

Unfortunately, ‘good’ things come to an end. Jealousy, rivalry between other groups, and that original group started to fracture. I was invited to join what was known as an ‘Own Character’ (OC) group run by the same person, but found that the story she envisaged was not to my liking, not least because it used thinly veiled ideas from other book series. Instead, I set up my own OC group, using the ideas I had from my own writing all those years ago. I was delighted when two of the other writers joined me, not least because the pleasure of writing had been restored. I was even more delighted when several followers of the original Facebook group followed my own group. What would become the Negescu Cwn Annwn and the Anghelescu Hellhounds had begun.

As was common with such roleplay groups, each writer would write the parts of a character in the stories. A ‘face claim’ would be used, either an actor or a model whose looks embodied or inspired the character. My own group was no different: the ‘look’ of the Negrescu Cwn Annwn Alpha was inspired by the Hungarian model, Andrei Andrei. A photograph of the Spanish-Israeli model, Angel Macho, inspired a short story about rescuing a young Jewish girl from the Nazis during WW2.

It was about this time that I found out about Smashwords.com and self-publishing. I discovered the fun of finding covers and ensuring that the finished product looked professional. Amongst all that, my friends and I continued to write. We survived attempts to wreck our novels. And yes, we even sold some of the finished product to people who were not family.

It wasn’t easy. Sometimes I wondered if I had made the right decision. I think I did. For what I have learned and the friends I made along the way, yes, it was the right decision.

And further on the plus side, I found a role-play group being run by someone I knew where I might reprise my first role-play character. Like the picture said, there were those who wanted me to fail in my dream. Well, tough!

In Defence of Self-Publishing

There are so many articles out there about self-publishing: the joys, the perils, the problems and the success stories. I can only speak for myself. What worked for me might not work for others. Equally, you might say, “No way I have the time/money/will to do that …” At the same time, I am a firm believer in learning from mistakes. If someone learns from one of mine, that’s fine.

So, what started it? Let’s start with an explanation of the world of online roleplay, as it pertained to my own work. I was scrolling through a role-play site on Facebook, and noticed that a group had self-published one of their group ‘storylines’, which is effectively a short story or piece of fan-fiction written by a group of roleplayers, each taking the role of a specific character in a story. Some can be detailed (multi-para) and some can be fairly simplistic (one-liner, single para).

That sounded interesting. After all, if one group could do it, why couldn’t my own group? So, I checked out this site, Smashwords.com, because until that point, I had not heard of them. Strange as it may seem, I did not know about Smashwords. I downloaded the ‘How To …’ guide, which is excellent reading by the way. That was the starting point. It sounded daunting, but follow the instructions and you will end up with a file which may be uploaded.

The most important thing that I learned from the Smashwords experience was that, when writing the next book, set up style-sheets within Word or whatever word processing programme you are using. It will make life a lot easier at the publishing stage.

So, Smashwords. Then I thought, why not take a look at Amazon and Kindle Direct (KDP) publishing. First of all, avoid Kindle Unlimited if you only have one book. Sounds like a great idea, but I will explain why it doesn’t work out as planned in a bit.

But take a step back, because there is that other big issue in self-publishing: quality. Now there is more than enough on the internet about the benefits of having a professional editor. I have friends who are professional editors. However, and this is my own view, I was fortunate that I went to a traditional convent school with an emphasis on learning English Language and Grammar, and yes, you damn well knew there were capital letters involved. Former school-mates have spoken of being given two sheets of A4, with the word ‘get’ in various contexts, and being told to find alternative verbs. That’s the sort of education which I was privileged to receive. And, don’t even let me start on the lecture I had from my English teacher on the definition of a finite verb. A good ten minutes …

So, yes … drum roll … I have the temerity to self edit. Remember what I said about learning from my mistakes? Well, my first publication was so full of mistakes it was damned embarrassing. Simple truth. But, I learned from my own mistakes. Now, I use the following method.

Retype the original text, as I have to change it from 1st person present tense, to 3rd person past tense. Yes, other tenses are involved, but the description is for simplicity.
LEAVE THE DAMN THING FOR AT LEAST A WEEK.
Send it to my Kindle app via e-mail.
Use the Kindle app to go through and proof read, because it is a doddle to mark up the errors.
Use different colour highlights to mark up spelling, grammar and text flow.
Return to the original document and cross-check all the errors on the Kindle version.

Only then do I consider uploading a version to Smashwords and KDP. At this point, the original script will have gone through at least four to six version changes. I am also fortunate that I am a member of an excellent, small critique crew, the Kosher Critique Crew run by the excellent Kel Nichols (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1819407404971997/), where the members, all independent or aspiring authors, help each other to find the not-apparent mistakes.

The simple fact is that self-publishing has a bad name for poor quality writing. If a cover or a blurb has spelling or grammar errors, then I would not go any further as a reader. That is the simple truth. But, it is difficult to see those mistakes. If your grammar or spelling is not up to scratch, then really, consider using some form of professional editing. It is not a case of being a grammar Nazi. It is simple sales technique. Poor quality will not sell. You might have the best concept in the world, but poor quality will not sell. Are you hearing me?

So, yes, self-editing does not mean your work is damned for eternity. Remember, this is the route that I chose. This is the route that works for me.

Finally, in closing, why do I think Kindle Unlimited is an issue? It is a crowded marketplace out there. If Amazon promoted all books equally, then it might work. If the payment model was based on uploads rather than number of pages read, it might work for indie authors. If the ‘you might like’ selections featured more regularly those who are not published by major publisher, then it might work.

However, as I can’t see a pig flying past my window right now, then, I would say, having tried Kindle Unlimited for both a full-length novel and a ‘freebie’ sampler, it is not worth the effort. I would also point out that Smashwords gives the option to upload free books as samplers, and I had more success there.

The key thing will remain, if you wish to self-publish, you have to be prepared to put in a lot of effort. There are no short cuts. Do the work, and eventually, the results will show. It ain’t easy, but it is possible.

Dowsing: The Neem People Approach

“That’s that thing with pendulums or when you walk around with sticks.” Fortunately, the attitude of most people to dowsing has changed considerably. I was introduced to dowsing by my parents over ten years ago, and I still have the first pendulum, a rose quartz one, which my father gave me.

So, what makes my father’s approach to dowsing any different from other people’s ideas. It is best summarised in his own words, taken from his website: www.theneempeople.com

This web site is all about The Neem Tree, so what has Dowsing to to with Neem? I will tell you. Marjorie and I do Mind, Body, Spirit type exhibitions all over the country and also in Ireland; people coming to the events come looking for help spiritually, emotionally, physically etc. and there are far too many exhibitors more interested in pushing their products and “latest technology” than in whether the person will really benefit. Mammon rules!

Simply put, my parents saw too many vulnerable people being sold inappropriate solutions to their problems. Through dowsing, they might be able to determine if their purchase was in their best interests.

I won’t go into much detail about the ‘how’ of pendulum dowsing, other that to simplify it:

Hold the chain of the pendulum between the thumb and forefinger, with enough length that the weight at the end can swing freely.
First ask for the pendulum to show a ‘yes’ motion and then ask for a ‘no’ motion.
Second question, ask if you are dowsing at greater than 90% accuracy.
Then the matter on which you are dowsing. There are three questions: “May I dowse for/about …”, “Should I dowse for/about …” and “Can I dowse for/about …”

Provided that you receive a ‘yes’ to all three questions, you are good to go.

I have a particular reason for finding dowsing invaluable. I have an unusual food allergy, and I eat out a lot due to being away on business. Not all the menus are in English, so how can I be sure that the dish is safe. In this day and age of using convenience ingredients in the majority of restaurants, it is a real problem for me. A reaction can knock me out for 48 hours.

So, dowsing. What I have found is that I can dowse over a menu. “Is this dish safe for me to eat?” or “Will this dish cause a problem for me?”. To date, despite using this around Europe and the UK, my pendulum, a lump of Ethiopian opal on a cotton cord, has not given me a wrong answer.

As to the material for your pendulum, my parents sell a very pleasant range of hand-made wooden pendulums. I have used crystal and wood, and currently use either my opal or a wooden pendulum my mother made for me. The material is your own choice. There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ material. You could use a tea-bag on a string if necessary. One thing I would say in this age of airline security: crystal pendulums do not scan well on security arches, so if you fly regularly, you may want to use a ‘safe’ material.

If you have any questions, leave a comment, and I will be happy to answer.

Dare You Walk In Our World?

These were the prizes on offer. Prize draw is now closed.

* $5 or £5 Amazon Gift Card

*$5 or £5 ITunes Gift Card

*One (1) Autographed Paperback copy of Bound, Vol 1 of the Diaries of the Cŵn Annwn

*One (1) Autographed Paperback copy of Alpha, Vol 2 of the Diaries of the Cŵn Annwn

***

# of Winners for this stop: 4

An Introduction to the World of the Negrescu Cŵn Annwn and the Anghelescu Hellhounds

Back in 2013, three friends from the world of Facebook role-play started work on an original story, born of the imagination of one with the character interactions developed with the help of others. Over time further contributors joined them. Some stayed and some left, but amongst it all, they realised that a story drawing in creatures from Welsh and Celtic legend, European paganism and Sumerian myth was going to be much longer than the single book they had thought might be possible. Fast forward to 2016, and, to date, the three friends have produced two books, with a third due for publication later in the year, and sufficient material for ten books in total (so far!).

What if those legends and deities of old had been more than stories? What if they walked the world of today? And one for all the conspiracy theorists … what if they continued to protect us, hidden in the shadows? Do they guide us, or are we masters of our own destinies?

And here are some other thoughts to ponder. Why are Hellhounds always the bad guys? Could paranormals not follow ‘type’ and what would happen if they did? Nostradamus is said to have predicted many events of the modern era, so what if there was a plan to counter some of those events? Religions rise and fall. What causes that?

So many questions, and so many possibilities. Yes, my stories have romances, but they have action also. I wanted to weave my love of history, with my love of paranormal possibilities in with those ideas, and hey presto, the worlds of the Negrescu Cŵn Annwn and the Anghelescu Hellhounds was born.

I hope you enjoy what you see, and perhaps you might be tempted to hit the Buy button for one of the books. Volumes 1 and 2 are available on a variety of e-book outlets. Volume 3 is being edited for publication by the end of this month.

And, if you want an insight into Fane Anghelescu, then check out the 3-part interview on the contents list. https://huntersarrowcouk.wordpress.com/2016/08/01/an-interview-with-fane-anghelescu/

Bound, Vol 1 of the Diaries of the Cŵn Annwn

Fane Anghelescu cares only for two things: his sister, Roxana, and the Hellhound Pack that he would make his own. His desire to protect both defined him, drove him. Establishing Chain and Sprocket, a motorbike customisation shop and bar with Roxana enabled him to blend in with the human world ‘topside’. From there, he could continue to serve his Queen of Hell, to whom he had sworn Bound-LowRes-KDP himself body and soul in return for his sister’s safety. What more did he need?

Stefania Anghelescu fled the Hellhound Pack of her birth and wandered the human world for over fifty years, hiding her true nature as a Hunter. Circumstances drive her to return ‘home’, only to find that her birth Pack has changed. A new Alpha rules. And, he wants answers from his ‘missing’ Hunter.

A Hellhound Alpha with questions. A Hellhound Hunter reluctant to give answers. A jealous Queen of Hell. Enemies who want nothing more than to annihilate them all. No problem. Life for Fane and Stefania was going to become a whole lot more interesting.

“Bound” is the first volume in The Diaries of the Cŵn Annwn, a series of paranormal romance and adventure loosely based on Welsh legends. Dare you walk in our world?

“Bound”, Volume 1 of The Diaries of the Diaries of the Cŵn Annwn
currently free on Kindle Unlimited

Amazon.com $4.99: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016TQFBNY

Amazon.co.uk £3.99: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B016TQFBNY

Alpha, Vol 2 of the Diaries of the Cŵn Annwn

Can a Welsh legend be relevant in the modern world?

“I have walked this world for 410 years, with 170 years having pas Alpha-Ebook-Smashwords sed since I assumed the role of Alpha of the Cwn Annwn. In that time, I have seen the world change dramatically. I have found my Mate. I have lost close family and throughout, I have remained true to my promise to my Goddess.”

“I harvest souls.”

Gabriel Black, born of the Cwn Annwn, must find his Mate or face losing his sanity. The question is can he remain true to his Goddess as the world around him changes? Is his Pack even needed? Surely mankind has evolved?

“Alpha” is the second volume of “The Diaries of the Cwn Annwn”, a series based on the Welsh legends of the Cwn Annwn and the Ddraig Goch, relating the story of Gabriel and his Pack, as they try to remain true to themselves in an ever-changing world.

“Alpha”, Volume 2 of The Diaries of the Diaries of the Cŵn Annwn

Amazon.com $4.99: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ENZ972O

Amazon.co.uk £3.47: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01ENZ972O

Smashwords $4.99: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/631708

Fane calls time on The Interview

The last response from Fane made me think that perhaps he was willing to reveal more about himself. After all, at the end of Bound all that we knew of him was that Roxana had died, and he had split his Pack from his former Queen, binding them to himself instead. Surely there was more to come. The change in Chain & Sprocket hinted at that much.

So, it led to the ‘obvious’ question off the list which I had submitted to the Hellhound Alpha. “My final question …” I was not willing to admit that I felt I had managed well just to reach this point. I cleared my throat. “My final question is this. How do you feel about your life right now? What, if anything, would you like to change?”

I told myself that the last thing I could show right now was fear, but then I forgot one key thing. Fear is what Hellhounds can scent from their prey, and the way that Fane’s eyes narrowed, that infinitesimal flare of his patrician nose, and that slowly, so slowly, growing smile, all of them told me that I could try all that I wish, but the Hellhound Alpha sitting in the really quite small office with me could not only smell my fear but he relished in that scent. Nectar to a bee. That would be it.

“What the fuck are you? Some kind of agony aunt? Or do you just have a fucking death wish, human?” The smile was more than just a hint now.

“Do you appreciate what it means that I have broken my oath of loyalty to my former Queen? Let me explain Hellhound politics to you. If you thought human elections could be cut-throat and full of vituperation, you have never seen the Hellhound version.”

“Well, I know it was an oath, so does that make you some kind of oath-breaker and thus a sort of outlaw?” I was taking a guess, if he said it could be worse that some of the anger and hatred generated during a political campaign.

“Hellhounds are created with one purpose and one purpose only: we exist to serve our Queens. We are their bodyguards and we are the ones who provide their food in the negative human emotions. The Queen’s Alpha conveys that ‘food’ to her, and in return, either she will share some of that bounty with her pack, or … other things might happen.”

I had heard rumours of those ‘other things’, and certainly, Fane showed no signs of impairment. Then again, after nearly six months since seeing his Queen, it was not surprising that he would have healed.

“I tore my Pack from our former Queen. Not just said, see you later. I tore us from her service. The Pack is now bound to me, through my use of blood magic: my own blood and that of my late sister, Roxana.” Fane’s voice had taken on a patient tone, almost like he was explaining to a child. I was too fascinated to take offence that he might consider me as such.

“With the energy that my Pack generates now flowing into me, I am the sole beneficiary, but it is a positive feedback loop. What they generate, I refine and feed back to my Pack. You humans might say “You scratch my back, I will scratch yours”. So, how do I feel abut my life right now? Pretty fucking good.” I had the impression that there was more.

“I will give you this much, human.” Fane leaned back in his chair, the leather squeaking under him. I jumped when a cat, incongruously wearing a leather vest, jumped up on the desk, before I recognised the workshop pet, Thing. Fane laughed at the visible sign of my tension. “It’s only a fucking cat, human.” He seemed to find this more than just amusing.

“I will admit that there are things I wish to change. But …” Again there was that smile. “… the point of this interview is that you find out about me, and I reveal just enough that it might tempt someone to read more about me. Am I correct?”

Fane sat up, leaning towards me, steepling his fingers, elbows on his knees. “Suffice it to say, there will be a couple of fairly major changes to the Anghelescu Pack in the very near future.” Again that smile. “Some fairly major changes.” He repeated. “They will involve all my Pack, not just me. Also, you may be certain that my former Queen is not going to just give up on my being her Alpha. She needs me as much as I might have needed her in the past. Roxana used to call me the ‘fucking Energizer Bunny’, and that is at least part of what I am to her. But I have also set a dangerous precedent. I broke free from my Queen, and my Pack thrives despite us not having a Queen to lead us.”

He smiled. The smile was wider. “Think about that, human. My Pack is thriving. We will continue to thrive and our former Queen will not enjoy any of that power. Do you really think she will let bygones be bygones.” He sat back in the chair again, watching me, waiting for my reaction.

The swallow was inadvertent, I swear it was. “I suppose when you put it that way, no, I doubt she will let you just continue on your merry way.” My voice was quiet. From what I knew, his former Queen was beyond vicious, and in breaking away, Fane had harmed both her power base and her reputation. Shit hitting the fan was an understatement. There was also the unknown of his relationship with Stefania, whom I understood had been appointed temporary Pack Beta following Roxana’s death. “She’s going to come after you, is that what you mean?”

“State the bleeding obvious, why don’t you, human.” Fane’s tone was derisive to say the least. “Of course she will come after me. She will want me back in service. More than that, she will want me to be her obedient slave. If she succeeds, anything she did to me before will seem mild in comparison.” Again that smile, the relish in the challenge facing him. “Having enjoyed six months of freedom, I have no intention of becoming a slave again. Of that you may be certain.”

Standing, he moved to the door. “Interview is over.”

Fane Anghelescu speaks out …

Part 2 of An Interview with Fane Anghelescu, Alpha Hellhound

Fane’s stare was really quite unnerving, I decided. I knew that he had only recently lost his sister, roughly five months ago, and that she had been the reason why he had sworn himself to serve his Queen. Yet, here he sat, no longer in service to her, clearly very much in control of the situation. While his sister had lived, the motorbike workshop had produced the sort of typical custom motorbikes seen all around the USA. It had been a convenient cover for their activities. Yet in under six months, it was clear that the business had undergone a significant change. The British bikes? Where had that come from? I knew enough about them to know that what was in the showroom represented a small fortune to collectors of specific marques.

Again, a brow twitched as Fane took a long drink from his own mug of coffee. “Well, I am waiting. You asked for this interview, remember?”

I nodded. Yes, that I had, but my curiosity had been piqued. Also, his attitude. I mean, he is all about the brooding hero. Clearly he wasn’t the typical Hellhound, because of what had happened between him and Stefania along with his reaction to his sister’s death. But that attitude, bordering on a non-verbal ‘piss off’, it also raised my own hackles. The number of times had I had sat facing a customer with that same ‘I am seeing you under sufferance only’ attitude, and yes, I was going to react just as I had with customers. It was a challenge to me, plain and simple.

I indicated the bikes out in the showroom. “So, are the British bikes an indication that you have changed Chain & Sprocket to your preference, rather than your sister’s choice?” It was sort of one the questions on my original list, but not the exact wording.

The mug of coffee slammed down. “That was not on your list of questions, human.” The attitude took a downhill slide very abruptly. “That was the deal. I would answer a selection of questions from your list.”

“So, is this reaction part of the impression that you wish to make on people when they first meet you?” Hey, what’s the worst he could do to me, I asked myself? Well, other than kill me.

Fane stood. Standing upright he was intimidating. The step forward towards me made him even more so. “You really seem to struggle with this concept that I … am … a … Hellhound.” He smiled. A cold smile. A killer’s smile. “I could lose my temper, but that would mean that I would set the smoke alarms off. Humans do make a lot of smoke when they burn, you know?” From snarling to a pleasant conversational tone. Jekyll and Hyde much indeed, I thought, recalling how Stefania had described him in “Bound”.

“Clearly you like to intimidate.” I was recalling the way I had stood up to one of my teachers in school, when my class-mates thought he was going to tear into me. I may have been shaking inside then, just like I was now, but damned if I was going to show it. “Do you maintain that attitude once someone knows you more?”

For a moment, Fane glared at me, before he resumed his seat. He took another long slurp from his coffee mug. “You are ballsy; I will give you that.” He commented. “So, yes, in answer to your question. I like to push people on a first meeting. It is interesting to see how they react. Do they expect a stereotypical Hellhound Alpha, or do they know that I am playing them? You know a bit like a cat plays with a mouse.” He scrunched up a sheet of paper into a ball, tossing it from one hand to another. “You know, bat you around, a bit like this paper, until …” The ball of paper was dropped to the floor, and the decidedly large biker boot landed on it with a resolute thud. “… until bam! Squashed.” He smiled, that predator’s smile. “Or maybe not. Maybe I will be nice. Maybe I will let you walk out of that door.” He picked up the squashed paper ball, and tossed it into the bin. “Next question.”

“Right.” I nodded. “So, what’s the worst thing that’s happened in your life? What did you learn from it?” I tapped the stylus on the top of my iPad. “I am going to take a guess it was something to do with your sister.”

“Very clever, human. You are right. The worst thing was the realisation that I didn’t have to swear myself into the virtual slavery of being an Alpha in service to a former bride of the Hunter.” Another pause as he drank from the coffee mug. “My dam raised me in the expectation that I had what it took to be an Alpha. She knew that much. But, she believed that the only way for me to be an Alpha was to swear my oath the our now former Queen. Until Roxana died, that was my belief also. But, what I didn’t allow for was that my sister was also a Hellhound. We are not some pathetic Hollywood wolf-shifter species. We are Hellhounds. My sister was more than capable of protecting herself. The question is whether I would have learnt enough without the Queen’s training of me to beat Aurelija and take the title of Alpha?”

“And the second part of the question? What did you learn from it?” I was dogged in my determination.

“What did I learn from the experience?” I learned that I must know my Pack. I must know their capabilities and I must be ready to trust that, with the correct encouragement, they will act in the way that I need them. Then again, if Roxana hadn’t made her opposition to my former Queen so clear, would the bitch have killed her?” He gave another bark of laughter. “I might still be in service to her. Now there’s a thought.”