I enjoy writing about all different types of paranormal creatures—you can let your imagination run wild and as long as you stick to the rules of your particular world, absolutely anything can happen. But if someone asks me what my favourite paranormal creature is, my mind always flashes to vampires. They are my first love (ever since reading Interview with a Vampire, by Anne Rice, at an early and impressionable age), but all he same, these days I quite often find myself gravitating toward werewolves both in my reading and my writing. Maybe because I adore a bad-boy hero and werewolves are total bad-boys. Or maybe I just have a fondness for all things furry—I do have three dogs!
While I’ve written many werewolf stories, it’s usually my hero who goes all furry at the full moon. But how does it work if the werewolf in question is a woman rather than a man? So, for a change, in Betting on Julia, my latest release, it’s Julia, the heroine, who is the—rather reluctant—werewolf.
Julia has always considered herself a nice girl right up until she was bitten by a werewolf. Now, she is in deep denial, doing her best, between full moons, to ignore the whole furry thing. She’s looking for any means to distract herself, including her hot, new neighbour, Sebastian Crane. Unfortunately, her wolf doesn’t seem to approve of Sebastian.
So what is the lure of the werewolf and is it any different if the werewolf happens to be a woman? Here are a few things that come to my mind:
- They’re wild and they’re dangerous, and they have that whole animal magnetism thing going. So how did that suit “nice girl” Julia? In fact it was great fun to write as Julia came to terms with her bad-girl side. By the end of the book, she’s definitely dangerous.
- Their dual nature. The fact that they are “human” most of the time, but that the beast is always lurking below the surface. I love that you can get a flash of that beast from time to time—a feral glint in an otherwise human expression and you know there’s more to them than meets the eye. Poor Julia was in such deep denial, but her inner wolf just wouldn’t stop trying to help, showing up at the most inopportune times—mainly when Julia was trying to seduce her sexy new neighbour.
- Werewolves are super-fast and super-strong—perfect for protecting you. And while I love a strong, protective hero, I also love a heroine who is just as capable of protecting her hero as vice versa. Whether he likes it or not.
- They are earthy and spend a lot of time outdoors. I’m an outdoor person myself, so this definitely appeals. Again this was so much fun for Julia. Prior to her “incident”, she was definitely more a frothy cocktail and manicure type than outdoors. Now, she’s having to spend way too much time in the woods.
- Werewolves are passionate, temperamental, and hot-blooded. No problem for a woman.
- They form packs so you need never be without a friend or someone to protect your back. At the start, Julia’s not too keen on mixing with other wolves despite the fact that her brother is the leader of the pack, but I think she’ll come around.
- And finally, the whole “mate” thing works so well with werewolves. You can’t fight destiny—well, actually you can and that’s what makes it so interesting. Julia’s wolf recognizes Sebastian straight away. They have a love/hate relationship, but then there is more to Sebastian than is immediately obvious.
So, there are a few of the reasons why I love the furry beasts and why I believe women make just as good werewolves as men. What do you think? Do you have any favourite female werewolves?
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BETTING ON JULIA
Small, blonde, bubbly, and with a penchant for all things pink, Julia Melville has always considered herself a nice girl – until she was attacked by a werewolf. Months later, and still in total denial, Julia spends the time between full moons fantasizing that her life is normal. And who could be better to help her with that than her new neighbor, handsome accountant, Sebastian Crane.
For two hundred years, Sebastian, a powerful warlock, has been possessed by a demon. Each day, his soul grows darker, and he knows that soon he will be beyond salvation. But the demon loves to gamble, and he’s made Bastian one final bet—get a good woman to say the words “I love you” and he’ll be free.
Julia wants a normal guy. Bastian needs a good woman. Maybe together they can find something far more valuable…redemption.
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