Carol Van Atta

Guest blog by Carol Van Atta

Why Werewolves?

A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope (from the Greek λυκάνθρωπος: λύκος, lukos, "wolf", and άνθρωπος, anthrōpos, man), is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely, by being bitten by another werewolf, or after being placed under a curse. This transformation is often associated with the appearance of the full moon, as popularly noted by the medieval chronicler Gervase of Tilbury, and perhaps in earlier times among the ancient Greeks through the writings of Petronius. STOP! If you want more of this fact and folklore stuff, visit the werewolf page on wikipedia.

Instead, I'll explain "why werewolves"? Why write a series of books about wolfy-men, who according to legend, howl at the moon, shed fur, and shred their victims with their big teeth - oh my?

I think the explanation can't ignore the psychology of women. Do I speak for all women? Of course, not! But I do know (right or wrong) a wide range of women (myself included) are, or have been at some point in the past, drawn to "bad boys," men who, for whatever reason, live daringly adventurous lives doing things that often cause them to stand apart from other less intense guys, the type of guys we might refer to as uber-reliable or b-o-r-i-n-g. Bad boys are so refreshingly far from boring; they're not even on the same map. They're typically easy on the eyes, usually in a non-traditional way, and have strong, possibly overbearing personalities; they are decidedly masculine in every sense of the word. Dare we say they're predatory? They take control, go after what they want, and are nowhere near tame. Feral. Wild. Sexy. Dangerous. Yep. They're beastly. And what's more brave and beastly than a werewolf? See my point?

If you want tame, werewolves are not for you. Danger isn't for everyone. Yet, I challenge you to take a long look at the desires of your heart. Do you crave adventure? Excitement? Passion? If you're breathing, I suspect you've wished for those very things a time or two ... or three hundred. Don't worry. And don't be ashamed. You're so not alone.

Men with supernatural tendencies tend to live outside the box we call normal. Excitement, danger, and passion cling to them like peanut butter to jelly. Yummy! And we just can't help but want a taste. Granted, we may live our safe, predictable lives, but opening a book that rockets us into a world of romance, intrigue, and danger, along with a good dose of humor, allows us to experience those bad boys without the not-always-positive side effects. In other words, we can safely enjoy danger and desire without breaking a nail or nursing a broken heart.

So, if you think a man is a dog, maybe you're onto something. Perhaps you've found a wolf. In the case of Zane Marshall, purebred werewolf, you'll find an educated, protective, fiercely loyal, adventurous, and dangerously handsome werewolf. You will read how, Chloe Carpenter, a young woman with animal mind reading talents, discovers that just because a man howls at the moon doesn't mean he's a bad dog. A wolf, yes; but when evil has targeted you, having a werewolf on your side is well worth the shedding. Woof!

If you like werewolves, vampires, and other bump in the night creatures, check out my new book, I Kissed a Dog, book one in the Werewolves of the West series, and join Zane and Chloe as they find love and adventure in the midst of murder, mayhem, and magic.

Blessings!

Carol Van Atta

I Kissed a Dog 
The Werewolves of the West Series Book One 
Carol Van Atta 
Genre: Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy 

Publisher: Cambridge Press US under the umbrella of Charles River Press (CRP) 

ISBN: 1936185725 
ISBN13: 9781936185726 ASIN: B009SV179U 
 
Cover Artist: Ann Falcone







Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeuDqevNSXM



Book Description: Chloe Carpenter isn't like other women. She can communicate with animals. A gift she unwrapped following one of her frequent dances with death. 

In her otherwise wacky life, she's finally found a semblance of sanity working at the Plum Beach Wildlife Park, where her unique talents can make life or death differences for the animals in her care. That semblance is shattered when a new veterinarian roars into the park in his spiffed up sports car and sets his golden gaze on her. If she had her way, he'd roar right back out.

Problem: He's her new coworker and he's saved her life twice - in the past twenty-four hours.

Zane Marshall, Enforcer for the Pacific Pack of purebred werewolves, has a job to do - figure out who or what is mutilating the young men of Plum Beach.

With orders to find the woman who talks to animals, he accepts a position working alongside the fiery Chloe Carpenter, a female who ignites his interest far more than he ever expected. Remarkably, she's the one elusive female with potential to bring meaning and passion to his empty existence.

Problem: She despises him.

Together, they're forced to unravel a mystery of supernatural proportions, a murderous mystery with eternal implications for everyone. In the process, they discover opposites really do attract. Major Problem: Zane is pledged to another woman, and she'll do anything to keep him from Chloe. 

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About the Author:

Like most authors, Carol Van Atta is no stranger to the written word. She penned a short novel at age 12 (somewhat frightening illustrations included, and lots of bunnies were involved), and had a creative writing piece published in her high school newspaper (about David Bowie's Diamond Dogs LP). Yes, she's an ex-80's chick.

Devouring books from numerous genres, Carol developed a deep thirst/hunger for more reading material, and could almost always be found with her nose in a book.

She has contributed to several popular inspirational anthologies and devotional books, and lives in the rainy wetland of Oregon with a terrifying teen (another in college) and a small zoo of animals. She is taking an undetermined hiatus away from inspirational writing to delve into her darker side. (Though you can check out her latest spiritual suspense novel, Soul Defenders). It is rumored that this genre-jumping occurred after Carol discovered too suspicious red marks on her neck, and experienced an unquenchable urge to howl at the moon.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Werewolves-of-the-West-I-Kissed-a-Dog/153030771437034

https://www.facebook.com/carol.vanatta.1

http://www.werewolvesofthewest.com/

http://vampswereswhyohmy.blogspot.com/

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1237874.Carol_Van_Atta




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