Having created Gavril as my first character as an Alpha Cwn Annwn, the next stage was to create his Beta, the Pack second in command. But I had a bit of a problem. Many of my characters start with a picture of a male model. When it came to creating the Cwn Annwn Beta, I had two completely different individuals whom I wished to use. So, what was the solution?

Simples! Create two Pack Betas. Welcome to Bran Cadwgan and Owain Cadwaladr.

Let’s look at Bran Cadwgan first. The model who inspired him was Angel Macho, and specifically, it was one picture in particular which caught my eye, and inspired the first Bran-oriented story. I will add at this juncture that I had found out that my maternal family contained Ashkenazi Jewish blood, courtesy of my great-grandmother. I know nothing more about this side of the family, but a few years ago, whilst on a business trip to Berlin, I was able to go to the Holocaust Museum. What happened to the Ashkenazi sect really hit home then. When looking for a photograph for “Bran”, this one struck a chord. There was something in his eyes, plus there was the Star of David around his neck.

How could a creature based on Welsh legend end up wearing a Star of David. The short story, “Eliana” was born, a short story which became the opening chapter of “Beta”, the third volume in the Diaries of the Cwn Annwn. In that story, Bran is involved in the evacuation of children at risk of deportation to the concentration camps towards the end of the Second World War. Eliana was a Jewish girl whom he was sent to evacuate. In return for Bran’s jacket, given because she was cold, she told Bran that she needed to give him something in return. The only thing that she had was the necklace her own mother had given her. Bran promises to return it to her, but when the time comes, she tells him to keep it. He does and continues to wear it in her memory.

Bran became the serious of the two Cwn Annwn Betas. He also became the one who was reluctant to expose himself to public scrutiny. He hid behind a wall of technology, espousing the emerging age of the internet until a point when he controlled the sourcing of information used by the Pack behind a wall. It was safe. There was no risk of humans finding out about the paranormal world and no risk of the Cwn Annwn being exploited in the way in which the Nazis had tried in “Alpha”, Volume 2 of the Diaries of the Cwn Annwn. It served a purpose, because in later years, that understanding of the Web would prove invaluable.

Bran’s world was to change further when, contrary to his belief that he would never find a Mate because of ‘failings’ during the War, he had found his Mate, in Alix Gosselin, a wolf shifter and the only daughter of a powerful Alpha from Canada. Alix’s ‘look’ was inspired by my own cousin, Nikeeta Bellgard, a student and model in India.

Returning to the story of my two Pack Betas, originally, Owain Cadwaladr was inspired by the actor, Manu Bennett. However, my pet troll struck again, and the original Facebook account for Owain was reported as fake. If I had not backed up what my co-authors and I had written, we would have lost significant sections of the story. I learnt from the incident, and changed the model for Owain, such that the image for Owain’s story looks like this:

The challenge was why did I need two Betas? What was so different between Owain and Bran. I made Owain the more lighthearted of the two. He was still aware of the responsibilities of being a Beta, but he was the jovial barman, he was the teacher of the Pack younglings. Unlike Bran, he was fairly certain that he would find his Mate, but he was willing to wait. Que sera, sera … That was Owain.

But, for all that lightheartedness, Owain has a serious side, and that will be seen in “Delta”, when along with his newly-discovered Mate, Merida Davinier, he investigates the sex-trafficking ring uncovered by Alix Gosselin and her human State Police partner, Jake Petersen.

In conclusion, Bran and Owain were two sides of the ‘Beta’ coin. Both are individuals, but each complements the other. Such is the challenge of developing a character. And, as the best TV shows say, stay tuned for the next installment, when I will examine how I designed some of my leading ladies.

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LINKS TO THE BOOKS IN THE DIARIES OF THE CWN ANNWN

“Bound”, Volume 1 of The Diaries of the Cŵn Annwn
Amazon.com $0.99: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016TQFBNY
Amazon.co.uk £0.99: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B016TQFBNY
Smashwords.com £0.00 (Free): https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/589130

I would like to dedicate this post to my ‘pet’ Amazon troll, since one of the accusations made by this lovely individual was plagiarism. My co-authors and I refute this accusation. It says it all that the individual refuses to engage in any interaction other than leaving relatively anonymous reviews against my books.

First that accusation. The name of the first character created for the Diaries of the Cwn Annwn was Gavril Negrescu. In my original outline for him, he was born in North Wales, his identity was based on the Welsh legend of the Cwn Annwn. I had asked myself why there was a stereotype involved in some legends. For example, Hellhounds were all sired by the Devil, and are loners who exist only to kill. I will address Hellhounds in another post, since that is the basis of my second creation: Fane Anghelescu. Both of these characters were original, because I took the basic legend, and added my own twist.

Such is the way that I write that I needed a model, a picture to inspire me to create Gavril’s stories. I used the Hungarian model, Andrei Andrei. To my mind, the sheer range of facial expressions in his photographs gave me the emotional range which I felt was essential.

So, who was Gavril Negrescu? Born in ‘the shadow of Cadair Idris’ in North Wales, his birth name was Gabriel Black. In his youth, he knew such figures in history as King Henry VII of England, along with his sons, Prince Arthur and Prince Henry, who would become King Henry VIII. I retained the part of the legend which had the Cwn Annwn in service to the Celtic Goddess of the Underworld, Mallt-y-Nos, but then my early interest in Greek legend came into play.

In Greek legend, the Underworld has two distinct elements: the Elysian Fields to where the heroes received their rewards and Tartarus, where those who had committed evil acts where punished for eternity. To me, it seemed reasonable that there must be some way of determining who was a hero and who was evil. Egyptian legend has a similar approach. So, I created my version of the Cwn Annwn, where Gavril  leads a pack of ‘judges’, who serve the Goddess by determining the truth of the soul. Those who are guilty are ‘harvested’, a euphemism for ‘killed’ and their souls damned for eternity. The innocent, often the victims of the guilty, receive their reward in ‘Paradise’ bearing in mind that each individual’s idea of Paradise is slightly different.

But there was a twist, which was where my version of Hellhounds came into play. However, I shall address that later.

I like a good romance, so that had to be covered in how I designed the character of Gavril Negrescu. Yes, it may be a bit stereotypical, but I liked the fact that everything in life has balance, and that was where finding his Mate would come into play. By definition, Gavril would encounter some pretty nasty individuals, so he would need balance. He would need the light provided by his Mate. However, finding her, and it was a ‘her’ for Gavril, was the trick. Eventually, he found her in the Carpathians, and this is why he is known through the books as Gavril, rather than Gabriel, because his Mate used the Romanian version of his name, since it was her birth tongue. Again, there was picture inspiration, in a lovely series of photographs done by Andrei Andrei and Gabriela Iliescu in a shoot by Thomas Synnamon called ‘Tenderness’. I suggest you check out the link, because you will see what I mean about emotion: Tenderness by Thomas Synnamon

Then, I needed to develop the character of Gavril. I had come across too many instances where the Alpha of a ‘shifter’ pack was abusive in some way. But Gavril was born in a time when being a leader meant that the lives of your followers, in his case his Pack, were in his hands. Add to that his ability to read the souls of those around him, and the chances of him being abusive was remote in the extreme. But at the same time, he was not going to be a passive wimp either. This is a male who was capable of standing up to Kings. Thus we have the beginnings of what would become “Alpha”, the story of Gavril and Aaleahya, his Mate.

After legends, my other passion is history, courtesy of my late Latin teacher Teresa Kiersnowska. Again, though, I wanted to pick up the less well-known bits of history, hence Gavril and Aaleahya’s story being based largely in an area of Eastern Europe. Most assume that all the ‘Eastern Bloc’ countries were overrun by the Nazis in the Second World War, but after talking to a Romanian doctor at a business meeting, I realised that this wasn’t always the case. There was also the Nazi regime’s fascination with the paranormal and towards the closing stages of the war, in anything that might give them an advantage.

So, take a character who has the need to care for others almost bred into his DNA, and the ideas were spinning merrily. My day job also means that I drive a lot, and when I am out on the road is when my plotting mind takes over, so that driving 250 miles doesn’t seem so bad.

The key thing was that Gavril was an entirely original character, made up from my own take on several legends: Greek, Celtic and Egyptian, to name a few. A simple Google search reveals that no one else has used the idea of the Cwn Annwn. A search on Amazon demonstrates that there is a band of that name, but that’s all. So, my dear ‘pet’ troll. Take your accusation of plagiarism and place it where the sun don’t shine.

The next installment will be about another favourite character of mine: Bran Cadwgan, one of two Betas of the Cwn Annwn. And yes, there is another male model involved: Angel Macho.

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LINKS TO THE BOOKS IN THE DIARIES OF THE CWN ANNWN

“Bound”, Volume 1 of The Diaries of the Cŵn Annwn
Amazon.com $0.99: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016TQFBNY
Amazon.co.uk £0.99: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B016TQFBNY
Smashwords.com £0.00 (Free): https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/589130

So I knew that I had neglected the blog a bit. A bit? How about a humongous bit? How about a ‘did you lose the plot completely’ bit? In my defence, my ‘real life’ interfered with the pleasure of writing, as I am sure many will appreciate.

Let’s face it, we were talking December. End of the calendar year from a business perspective. End of sales quarter three for my employers, which meant that the pressure was really on to hit the end of year target. I don’t mind admitting either that hitting target has a definite financial benefit. Then add to that, there was the pressure of a few other matters.

I had this wild idea that I was going to do handmade gifts for my family and close friends. I mean, I have always enjoyed painting, and having rediscovered the sheer quantity of art materials I had around the house, it seemed like a plan. I had lovely ideas of acrylic paintings and pastels. I planned to make cakes, sweets and so forth for friends and family. And what happened? Oh yeah, time. There was that little timey-wimey problem … Not enough of it.

 

In September, my son had his first ever major motorbike accident. Cue maternal panic and tachycardia when I saw the state of his protective gear. He was fine, apart from shock, and a couple of bruises, but the upshot was that his bike, a Honda NC700X, was being written off by his insurance company. As he doesn’t drive, the bike had to be replaced. A replacement was found, in a second hand Triumph Tiger 1050

That kinda took priority, because, yes, my favourite pastime has to be arguing with an insurance company whilst looking at my ever decreasing number of working days and wondering how I was going to make it around all my customers … Was I ever beginning to feel like a headless chicken?

The only fun part in the run up to Christmas was the fact that my son and I went to MCN Live, and that’s where this winds it way back to my writing. One of the key features of my writing is that all my characters ride motorbikes. None of that stereotypical Harley Davidson stuff that you see in paranormal romances. No, I wanted to know more about the Ducati bikes which my protagonist and his team used. I had no idea how this need for research would be received. However, much to my surprise, I ended up having a discussion with the Marketing Manager of Ducati, who was more than pleased to help me, advising me of a specific model based on what my characters would be doing.

So, amongst all the end of year panic, there was something worthwhile. I had a good idea of what my characters should be riding, so that it fitted in with the story. This is a key detail for me. It can be the small details which can let a story down: is your character going to fit on your chosen bike, for example?

Details matter. I came across a review for a book I had  read a couple of years ago, which was supposedly set in the United Kingdom, in East Anglia. There were so many mistakes which were the result of poor research, including a mention of ‘pound notes’, which were phased out a couple of decades ago. A single incorrect, and verifiable, detail like that can sour a reader towards what they a reading, no matter how good your story.

So, moral of the story, as we draw to the close of 2016? What have I learned in my ‘writing journey’?

1. Balance is essential. For me, that meant finding a balance between work and between my writing time. But, it was not easy.
2. Being a self-published, indie author means a lot of hard work. I have had to find time for promotion of my books. This means working in a ‘smart’ manner. The tools are out there to make self-promotion possible: Twitter, Facebook and other forms of social media.
3. I am happy that I did not go down the traditional route, and I do not feel that I am a failure because of it. So, I have not sold many copies of my books, but that was never my intention. My intention was to find a means of relaxing from my very stressful day job.
4. Haters are going to hate. From early in my writing days, someone I know has maintained a level of hatred which I find quite staggering, to the point that she has orchestrated my having a personal Amazon troll. Do I care if she does still hate? No, because the only one who is hurting is that person. Not me, and not those who follow my writing.

Before I close, there is one other thing which has made my year in terms of my writing. Several months back, I sent a copy of one of my books to my old school English teacher. I didn’t expect to hear back from her, but just before Christmas, I did. She sent me a Christmas card and a review of the book. It was positive, and that, my friends, made up for the hater. More than made up for it.

So, as we come into 2017, keep writing everyone. Continue to keep the flame of imagination burning. It may sputter. You may have to nurse it. But take heart because all that effort is worth it.

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LINKS TO THE BOOKS IN THE DIARIES OF THE CWN ANNWN

“Bound”, Volume 1 of The Diaries of the Cŵn Annwn
Amazon.com $0.99: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016TQFBNY
Amazon.co.uk £0.99: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B016TQFBNY
Smashwords.com £0.00 (Free): https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/589130

See, I am a normal person. Really, I am. Yes, I have a propensity to create stories based on paranormal creatures, generally pulled from myths and legends and then modified, with my own take. But, when all is said and done, I am normal and … errr … sane. So why do I do it? Why do I expose myself to the trauma of NaNoWriMo?

The intention starts of really well. This year, I even went as far as to have a plan for my story that I wanted to write, so imagine me giving myself a ‘high five’. Go, Jo! But the thing is I work full time, and my job involves a lot of driving. So, there came the first day when I was just too tired to think of writing. And another. And another.

Then I realised that I had to write something like 5000 words over the course of a weekend. But, it seemed that salvation was at hand. Dictation software. I saw other people talking about dictating their novels. That sounded like a cool idea. It turned out that the manufacturer of said software offered a 30 day free trial. Even better. Thirty days and I would have finished NaNoWriMo. I tried using my Bluetooth headset and the computer microphone to record. Bad plan. No problem, I thought, buying myself a decent Plantronics headset.

Full steam ahead! Or not. Last week, I drove 900 miles in three days: 420 on day 1, 205 on day 2 and the rest at the end of the week. Then I went to the Foodie Festival in London on the Saturday, and the MCN Live Motorbike show on Sunday. The latter was for research, honestly. I wanted to use Ducati bikes in my novel, so I needed to be sure I had the right bike. Sorted that one after talking to the Marketing Manager on the Ducati stand.

But what did it all mean for my NaNoWriMo entry, when a scant nine days remain of the month. The fact that I am writing a blog post and not writing my NaNoWriMo entry probably says it all.

I think that is a big fat “Ooops!”, don’t you? Can I still make it? That’s 21,295 words to write before I have reached the magic total of 50,000. That works out as 2,366 words per day for the next nine days.

There’s one other thing that I have done, which hasn’t made it easier for myself. Remember that plan that I had, the one where I wanted to give myself a pat on the back for not being my usual ‘pantser’ self? Well, I decided to change things slightly. A story which started off as a recollection of what made one of my characters into the Psycho that everyone believed him to be became much more introspective and that was really hard work.

I like to think that my characters talk to me. But this was an adult male character, explaining why he had acted the way that he had and really considering whether he made the right decisions along the way. My stories are based around him being able to see timelines and how those timelines might evolve. Knowing that your decision could lead to the death of another is never going to be easy, and trying to prise those emotions from someone who became accustomed to hiding his feelings? Well, I can think of a lot of things which are easier on the brain, such as climbing the North Face of the Eiger.

Okay, so that might be an exaggeration. To return to my original question, if I know I work long hours, if I know that writing a book never quite turns out the way it was planned, then why do I do this to myself?

Well, some stories need to be told, and often, it is the ones which are the most enlightening which are also the hardest to write. Is it an exercise in writing? I don’t know. Perhaps it is. Is it a necessary exercise, if that is the case. I would have to say, yes. Continuity in a novel is important. Understanding what lead a major character to act the way that he did, watching as the character slowly works out the reasons behind his actions. All this is a very fulfilling process.

Hard work it may be. I might not finish by 30th November. But, in the process, I will have gained some invaluable insights into a major character. That makes it all worthwhile. I will close with a graphic from Mandy Eve Barnett’s blog, because it did make me laugh …

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LINKS TO THE BOOKS IN THE DIARIES OF THE CWN ANNWN

“Bound”, Volume 1 of The Diaries of the Cŵn Annwn
Amazon.com $0.99: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016TQFBNY
Amazon.co.uk £0.99: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B016TQFBNY
Smashwords.com £0.00 (Free): https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/589130

What is the scariest thing when one realises that you would like to write? It is that “Omigosh!” feeling, the one where you ask yourself, can you write? Should you write? Will people want to read what I have written? You look at the news stories on the various book prizes and you think, “That’s not the sort of thing I do, so I can’t be any good.”

My own approach is that I have self-published my own books, born of a love of reading, and a crazy idea of a story which I wanted to tell. Well, that and far too many nights in hotels on business with my present job. Someone asked me how many books I had sold. Not many, I know, but what I also know is that I am not going to allow myself to be hung up on that. I know that there are people who like my writing. I have people who have followed my writing online, and that’s great.

But, you have to start somewhere. This is the story of another person’s journey, starting out, testing the water. Who knows where it might lead? But the important thing is that, if you don’t try, like Katie Sweet, you will never know.

So where did Katie start out? From our chats, she reckons her defining moment was 1991, when she was in 5th grade, because that was the year that she fell in love with reading. Her preferred genre is fantasy, driven by her dreams. I can understand that, since it is similar for me. Let’s face it, our dreams are the doorway to our imaginations.

But, then came the practicalities of life. As a History Professor, academic writing is what she does. The old adage from my own science background applies to her as well: publish or disappear into obscurity. But writing papers requires research which requires time … There goes the dream.

Or does it?

With the encouragement of an old friend, Katie joined a fantastic group on Facebook called the Kosher Critique Crew, run by Kel Nichols. The group was established to provide a sounding board for people who wanted to write, but who wanted feedback. Was their writing up to scratch? Overly harsh criticism, whilst necessary in a hard world of professional publishing, could result in turning dreams into ashes.

By her own admission, Katie will pluck up the courage one day to make her dream of publishing her fantasy writing a reality. But that will come, when time permits her to devote more time to what she feels is a hobby.

So, and this was the reason for this ramble, help Katie see that her writing has merit, and that she is already making those first steps. The Kosher Critique Crew recently ran a Hallowe’en themed short story ‘competition’. Katie was the proud winner.

Click on the this link, which will take you to a file containing her story on my own Facebook page. Have a read, and please, do leave her some comments. Help her to grow, and help her to realise that a dream can be a reality.

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LINKS TO THE BOOKS IN THE DIARIES OF THE CWN ANNWN

“Bound”, Volume 1 of The Diaries of the Cŵn Annwn
Amazon.com $0.99: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016TQFBNY
Amazon.co.uk £0.99: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B016TQFBNY
Smashwords.com £0.00 (Free): https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/589130

 

 

 

 

 

Hands up if you have read a fantasy/paranormal novel with one or more of the following:

• Love triangle
• Hero or heroine who is orphaned
• Rough and ready, bad-boy-hero
• Is the hero a Harley-Davidson-riding biker
• Supposedly kick-arse heroine who buckles under the ‘manful gaze’ of the hero
• Biologically impossible hybrid species

Yep, probably seen at least one of these if you are a fan of paranormal or fantasy stories, and at some point, you want to kick the ‘kick-arse heroine’ into touch or tell the rough-and-ready hero to take a shower and smarten up.

Stereotypes. The bane of any author’s creativity. Use them, and you will risk the yawn factor from your reader. Don’t use them, and you are not following the unwritten style-sheet for your genre, and also risk alienating your reader. Coming as I do from the world of Facebook role-play, it seems that when people are designing a character, there is an element of what is popular right now. A few months back, when everyone was watching The Originals, the characters were a wolf-vampire hybrid or some form of ‘noble’ vampire. If people were fans of vampire fiction, then it was vamps vs. werewolves. Right now, it seems the fashion is for characters with a mafia background. But that’s another topic altogether.

The trick is that, if you have to use a stereotypical image, then try to add your own unique twist to it. Well, that’s what I have tried to do.

Let’s use Fane Anghelescu as an example. He is a Hellhound, or at least, in the course of “Bound”, that is what he believed himself to be. There is more to him, but that will have to wait until later books, “Caduceus” and “Ddraig” (pronounced “Thrrraig”), Volumes 5 and 6 respectively.

Examining his character, is he orphaned? Yes, his dam is dead, but he lives in a violent world and he is a pack animal, so she may have died, but he is not ‘orphaned’ as such. Is there a love triangle? No way. His Queen won’t allow him to look elsewhere. She wants complete and total control over her chosen Alpha and all his paranormal capabilities. Is he a rough and ready bad boy. Yes, he is a bad boy. He is a Hellhound and he knows that he exploits the weaknesses of the humans around him. But does he ride a Harley? Hell no! Apart from the fact that I am British, I don’t think Harleys are the most comfortable ride around. Yes, the one-percenter culture is built around Harleys, but there are other bikes out there. So Fane rides a Triumph Rocket 3 Touring, a behemoth of a bike without a doubt.

His first bike was a Vincent 1000, a classic bike. The workshop his Pack runs deals with classic British bikes. Fane does deal with motorbikes, but not the usual stuff.

Then we have the kick-arse, but inexplicably wilting heroine. So Stefania Anghelescu is a Hellhound also, for all that she has been absent from her pack for half a century, and has been living with humans. She is a survivor and a fighter. Wilting is not part of her game plan. But, even the toughest can have a point when they might break. That’s the trick there. That’s where there is scope to buck the stereotype.

My stories are about strong females and undoubtedly Alpha males who realise that being part of a whole can result in greater strength. And before anyone takes me to task over the whole ‘showing equality’ side, and only having M/F relationships, one of the planned titles, “Rhyfelwraig” says it all. Warrior women. Being strong doesn’t mean there is no ‘soft’ side, but it is all about finding balance.

Just as, as an author, I need to find balance in my own life in order to write, so I would like to think that some of this also comes into play with my characters. There is no harm that Fane enjoys holding his Stefania. He is an Alpha. An Alpha does not take chunks out of his pack just to prove a point. Hellhound he may be, but he is an Alpha. He is allowed to care, although he might show that in a … strange manner.

So, stereotypes or characterisations necessary for your genre? That is the question. Make your character unique. Remember, to sell your books, you have to sell your character and no one likes buying a ‘Me Too’ product. A little twist can make all the difference.

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LINKS TO THE BOOKS IN THE DIARIES OF THE CWN ANNWN

Amazon.co.uk: £3.05 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01KB20OL6
Amazon.com: $3.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KB20OL6#nav-subnav
Smashwords: $3.99 https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/660156

In the last few weeks, I have contributed a couple of extracts from primarily future volumes of the Diaries of the Cwn Annwn series which feature the character, Casimir Gosselin. Feedback has been that he seems like a fascinating character, and one about whom people would like to know more.

Therein lies the difficulty. Casimir is probably one of the most complex characters in the series. Deliberately, I have laid clues as I go, wanting my readers to wonder and to ask questions. How successful that is will depend on when people find out the truth about Casimir Gosselin.

So, regretfully, that ‘truth’ won’t be here, although I will give a few details. Rather the focus will be on building that complex character and the pitfalls, particularly when you are writing a series involving that character.

Casimir Gosselin was inspired by a picture of the American model, Sean O’Pry. Having my author origins as a Facebook role-player, the concept of a ‘face claim’ is quite key. This is generally a picture which the writer feels epitomises some aspect of their character. Admittedly, there are some writers who choose busty female pictures for their characters because they just want to attract attention. I look for something more, perhaps the background of the individual which says that, if they were an actor, rather than a model, they would be my choice for the role.

So, Sean O’Pry was my choice for Casimir. As a character, he was first mentioned in “Alpha”, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, commenting on how corruption and appropriate lobbying can have a ‘desired’ effect. In “Beta”, the impression one gains from the descriptions given by his siblings, Alix and Adhémar Gosselin are that he is a barely leashed psychopath.

Casimir himself makes it clear that he never had any intention of supporting his sire and elder brother when they must face a duel to the death against the Negrescu Cŵn Annwn, even though the remnants of his sire’s followers flock to his ‘banner’, believing him his sire’s only heir. At the end of “Beta”, he is heard to give a very cryptic instruction on a secure mobile phone:

Casimir smiled, as he pulled out his secure phone. He spoke briefly. “Alert the team. The plans are in motion.”

That is perhaps the first clue that there is more to Casimir Gosselin than seems obvious. This is probably the hardest thing about a complex character. In leaving the trail of clues, one doesn’t want to give away too much, but equally, one must also make sure that the continuity works out as intended. Recently, I pondered entering a writing competition with an extended episode from Casimir’s backstory which would shed more light on his motives. I was advised that I should avoid revealing too much, at the risk of ruining the ‘surprise’ in Casimir’s own book, “Anatarachí”.

Casimir, like most of my male characters is a biker at heart. When I had discussed his choice of bike with a colleague, I outlined his visible character.

“Definitely a Harley.” said my biker friend. “It is the ride of choice of the outlaw-type.” But does Casimir ride a Harley? No, he has two bikes at his disposal: a Ducati Diavel and a Triumph Tiger Explorer. Work that one out if you can.

According to the core group of my followers, who have access to the ‘raw’ version of my stories, they had no clue how the truth would pan out, and the overall consensus was that it was more than worth the wait, considering that his book was the eighth book in the series.

Suffice it to say, I would like to think it will not prove to be a disappointment. The difficulty for me as a writer is knowing his background and keeping it all to myself. But then, even as Fane has proven to be a far from typical Hellhound, understanding Casimir’s motivations has been a rewarding experience as a writer.

So, just as a bit of a teaser, I will use something my son suggested. Depending on the kind of day or my mood, he has been heard to grade the situation as a ‘Gavril’, a ‘Fane’ or a ‘Casimir’. Bearing in mind that Fane is a Hellhound who will kill his enemies without compunction, a ‘Casimir’ ranks as worse? Writing a complex character is beyond ‘fun’. It is a challenge, both the understand his motivations and to communicate those motivations to my readers.

Are you ready for what he has the potential to unleash?

(Copyright of the photographs used in this piece belong to the original owners.)

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.LINKS TO THE BOOKS IN THE DIARIES OF THE CWN ANNWN

Amazon.co.uk: £3.05 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01KB20OL6
Amazon.com: $3.99 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KB20OL6#nav-subnav
Smashwords: $3.99 https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/660156

I thought I would ask Fane to consider a question, and write something up. Character development, particularly if it means that they stray away from the norm, is a difficult process. I will be the first to admit that I had not envisaged how much Fane would change, but he remains himself, true to the clues in “Bound”. One other point, Fane has tried to control his language, but, let’s just say that it may be a work in progress ...

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So, that human wanted to do another interview with me, but for some reason, she finds me intimidating. Me? So, I am 6ft 5in in my socks. Add another couple of inches if I am wearing my bike boots, which I would be doing at the workshop, so 6ft 7in. I work out and I swim, so yeah, I am not a small person. She’s what? 5ft 3in in her tights. Does the extra 16 inches make that much difference? I suppose it must, because, instead of turning up in person, she sent me an e-mail.

“Describe how you have changed over time?”

She had to be fu …, err, joking? Describe how I had changed over time. “Make it funny.” Stefania said. Am I surrounded by

interfering females? Make it funny? From the time I was whelped to now, and she reckons I can make it funny? So I am ranting. Boo hoo! I am a Hellhound Alpha. I enjoy a good fight, and I win them. Given the sort of opponent I might face, if I didn’t aim to win, I would die. I prefer to live.

So, how has my life changed? Born in the mountains, I believed that I was sired by the Anghelescu Pack Beta. I wasn’t, but that comes later. My dam suspected that I had it in me to be an Alpha, and let’s face it, Aurelija, our Alpha at the time was making a pig’s ear of the whole leadership thing. We hadn’t won a battle against the Lupei Pack in years, so my dam told me. It was only a matter of time before the Queen’s wrath meant that she would lose to a challenger. My dam intended that I would be that challenger, but she didn’t now how to achieve that. Key thing was keeping me alive, and keeping her other pup, my sister, alive.

Now, the whole thing about my becoming Alpha has been told in “Bound”, but what did it feel like, all those changes? Well, let’s look at what Hellhounds are usually. They are normally sired by a demon, or from the Devil’s blood. Boring! With you humans, you are not all clones, so why should we as Hellhounds be any different? That is part of this whole character development gig. Did my human writer go for the same old, and admittedly tired, stereotype, or did she come up with something different.

Well, let’s see, my sire wasn’t the Pack Beta, and I wasn’t a full blood Hellhound either. Turned out that my dam was a little bit more frisky that many thought, and she had a dalliance with a local demigod. I was the result. I was the planned and quite deliberately conceived result, more to the point, because my sire had a damn good idea what might happen if you mixed Hellhound blood with that of a demigod of warfare, fertility and divination.

Next point, genetics. When you mix two species, have a think how that is going to work. Which species will predominate. In my case, the mix was interesting to say the least. The warfare from my sire mixed with my Hellhound dam’s ability to fight, amping up what I could do. My weapon of choice became a blade of pure energy which I could wield as easily as some might a dagger. The fertility side? Even better, because I am an incubus. Now whilst I was enslaved by my former Queen, she used that part. Sex magic, and I raised psychic energy like a damned generator. Like I said, genetics and how it affects a character can be fascinating.

What else affected me? Circumstances. I wanted to protect Roxana, so I became even better at fighting. I was going to become Alpha, so I put up with all the crap thrown at me by the Queen’s trainers, because it was all for a good reason, I told myself, to protect my pack. But it also changed me. Nothing motivates you more to change that wanting to protect others. Every single skill that I have learned, I have done so because others … not depended on me, but they looked to me. I was the Alpha. The protection gig is part of the job description. Another circumstance? The death of my dam at the hands of Vladimir Lupei. That changed me. Revenge is a dish best served cold, and by the time I caught up with that jerk, it was so damned cold, it was almost frozen.

So, in a few decades, a blink of an eye in the life of a Hellhound, I went from pup to a juvenile and Alpha-in-training, to Alpha, to Mated.

Yeah, that definitely changed me. I shan’t go into details, but I am sure most humans will agree. Committing yourself to another is a giant leap into the unknown. Would I have done it had I known what might happen? That’s why I delayed things, why I didn’t want to admit what was staring me in the face. Of all the things that changed me, that, mating Stefania, was the one thing that had a huge, life-changing effect. More to the point, it is an effect that is anything but over right now.

Having pups? Well, you will just have to wait and see, won’t you? You don’t expect me to give everything away, surely. Yeah, I have changed. The little caterpillar changed into a butterfly? Not bloody likely! But I did change and some might say that in doing so, I have betrayed my species. However, I would remind you. All species evolve if they wish to survive. Why should my own be any different, just to enable you to stay in your comfort zone?

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Following on from my last post, I was delighted when Facebook pulled up this from a ‘Memories’ post. Such bliss that might be: having the time to nothing. It made me recall a talk I attended several years ago on the subject of ‘Modern Human Sacrifice’ by a prominent pagan author, whose name I can’t recall for the life of me. I will say, that this piece is from a female perspective, because, duh! I am female.

Now, if you perform a Google search for ‘human sacrifice’, you will pull up some fairly gory images. Blood, damning statements on abortion, pictures of military cemeteries. That’s how many see human sacrifice. But how does that work in the modern world? You know that modern world where, if you are still a wage-slave like me, whilst trying to write and publish books as an indie author? You day consists of waking early, bolting a breakfast down to join the morning commute. Actually, you might even skip breakfast, which I consider to be a major thing, because then you will end up snacking mid-morning, before you might even risk indigestion all afternoon by bolting lunch down, because you have ‘stuff’ to do.

Then there is the evening commute. Home with the family. Food preparation, unless you have an understanding spouse. Evening tasks, including preparation for the next day. Sleep – probably fairly late. Then it begins again. Nothing changes. Everything continues, and there comes the point where you want to cry because you can’t cope anymore. And then you break.

So, modern human sacrifice. What is it? What is the one thing that is lacking? How often have you said to yourself, “If only I had a bit more time!” To me, that will always be the essence of modern human sacrifice. Time. Cue the sound of the Pink Floyd song. Make time. Now that is easier said than done and I will admit that I am the worst when it comes to that. Yesterday, my bo

ss queried the number of hotel nights I had last month. Hotel nights cost the company money, and behind his apparent concern was the question: “Will the company see a return on their investment?” Mask it how you will, but that is what the thought will be, because that is modern business.

If you want to feel less like a commodity and more like a person, then you have to make the changes in your life. Yeah, right! Like that’s going to work.

Baby steps. That’s how you make change. Baby steps. Small changes. Perhaps agree that you take turns with your partner to cook dinner? That would give a breather, at least on some evenings. Breakfast: eat it. It doesn’t take long to make a bowl of porridge, and sling some fresh fruit in it. Apple goes well, frozen blackberries. Tesco sell a bag of frozen berry fruits; a handful goes well as the porridge cooks. Look at your bedtime routine. Do you keep your phone/tablet computer by the bed, and ‘do a bit’ before turning in? Guilty here of that one. My husband reckoned the apocalypse was imminent because I left my phone at home one day. So, charge your equipment in another room. Read a book, of the paper variety, that has nothing to do with work. The lack of flickering screen will make a huge difference in your brain shutting down. I have started to use an aromatherapy vaporiser in my room. I set it off about an hour before bed, with some lavender and patchouli to fill the room with a relaxing scent. When I go to bed, the scent is conducive to sleep.

Little things, but they are changes. So, what’s the To Do List?

• Make a list of EVERYTHING that you do from waking to sleeping: eating, drinking, etc. There are plenty of ‘timesheet’ type apps that you can use to record this.
• Look at where your time is going.
• Can you introduce the ‘baby steps’?

You don’t have to do it all, but even one change is a ‘baby step’ in the right direction. Baby-steps, small ripples in a still pond … However you look at it, it is your life and only you can start the process to change it to the life that really works for you.

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LINKS TO THE BOOKS BY JO PILSWORTH & THE HUNTER’S ARROW LTD

Amazon.co.uk: £3.05 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01KB20OL6
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