Novel Review: Hunter’s Moon (The Wolves of Wellsboro, Book 1) by Sarah Awa

 I reviewed this novel on 09/01/20 on a previous blog, now defunct.

Hunter's Moon

After a wild animal attack, Melanie Caldwell ends up sick and disoriented. She and her friends think she just needs to go to the doctor. Then she’s kidnapped on the day of the next full moon, and discovers in the worst way that monsters are real . . . and that she has become one of them.

All Melanie wanted was to get a boyfriend and graduate college. Now she has to somehow deal with agonizing monthly transformations, a secret organization stalking her, friends and enemies trying to discover her secret and hunters looming on the horizon.

Perspective by Peter:

I was asked by the author to review this debut novel. I am glad I did as this is a very different werewolf novel. It goes outside the usually predictable depiction of this topic. No romance and pack mentality. No feuds between werewolf packs. No dominant alpha male pack leader fighting over new female members, no challenges to the alpha male leadership of the pack.

Awa concentrates on other issues that you don't see in these other werewolf tomes. Her focus is on what it is like to become one. This involves the dangers they experience, the hatred and victimisation and the hunting and killing of them from the human population at large; it also focuses on their internal battles, supporting each other and coping with this new lifestyle that has been thrust upon them and one that they cannot control.  Hence it is referred to as a "curse". This implies some spiritual or otherworldly cause.

Awa depicts this well. In doing so and with this focus on these side issues, you are immediately endeared to Melanie, Gavin, Nicholas and those from The Organisation. This engages your empathy for what they go through, the monthly transformation and the preventative measures they engage in to stop themselves from killing or maiming others, the pain involved in transforming to and from the werewolf state and hiding all this from their family, friends and the community at large.

Awa has also focussed on the human side of these characters in that their humanness is what defines them and not the werewolf curse. In other werewolf novels, it seems to be the reverse (and the same can be said for the vampire genre). Is this a Biblical theme that Awa has run in the background of this novel? That no matter what happens or what is behind this curse, we are human first and foremost as God created us? This backs up what Gavin tells Melanie that there is no medical treatment, no drug or other medication or other forms of treatment and therapy to reverse this condition or halt its manifestations. All blood tests and other medical investigations show nothing abnormal or altered in the human DNA or genome (Awa does not mention DNA or genome, but implies this). Hence Gavin and those of The Organisation regard this as a curse and not of any physical cause from the bite or mauling of a werewolf.

If this is the case, then Awa has left this open for further explanation and development in the next instalment of this series. Awa does, however, show that a geneticist in The Organisation (also a werewolf) has come close to developing a treatment that enables a werewolf to keep their human mind alert, focussed and unaffected from and during the transformation into the werewolf state. One werewolf character already has this ability from this new treatment. We are left on a cliffhanger in this novel so further instalments will have to reveal the development of this plot arc.

I am hoping Awa will investigate this spiritual side as to its cause in future instalments. Am I hoping she will base it on a Biblical cause? Yes! Why do I say this? Mainly due to her depicting that there is no physical cause of this werewolf transformation, other than it being "transmitted" (my word) to its human victim while in a werewolf state, from being bitten or mauled, there is no known treatment or therapy, no change to the human/werewolf's physical being and they consider it a curse. I had to look up the word "curse" to support my theory. Go here for the many definitions of "curse".

Awa writes very well. Her command of the English language is a competent one. She is consistent in its application. This allows for a fluid and even pace and flow of the plot. It is hard to believe she is a debut novelist! Her pacing of the plot arcs and their position in the novel adds to this flow. It also contributes to ever-growing suspense and intrigue that lends itself to one huge cliffhanger ending that leaves you frustrated in wanting this next instalment now!

Awa is also competent in characterisation. As I have stated above, you become endeared to Melanie, Gavin, Nicholas, Pam, Jos, Timmy and, to a lesser degree, the members of the Organisation. Awa has depicted these teenagers as typical of this modern-day and age, with the pressures of their studies, and the usual teenage dynamics where they are learning how to relate to each other with many foibles their developing maturity contributes to.

While I was expecting, much to my chagrin, that there would be a developing romance between Gavin and Melanie, it was such a pleasure to see that Awa has not gone down this path. If she does in the instalments to come, then please, Sarah, make it a subplot/arc and not one that is usually associated with the werewolf genre! So far, the relationship between these two is based on them being united due to their werewolf status and what they have to do to protect themselves from each other and what they are capable of with any human they meet while in this state. Gavin is very protective of Melanie due to his bad experiences growing up at 8 years of age when he was bitten by a werewolf and his mistrust issues with his fellow humans growing up with this curse, while Melanie rebels against being smothered by his protectiveness. Hence, why she seeks out the assistance and guidance of The Organisation. This has the potential of destroying their relationship. It is Gavin's protectiveness that adds a very serious layer of suspense to the cliffhanger ending.

Awa developed the antagonist well in the character of Timmy. This endearment that I mentioned above, however,  is not of a positive or heartwarming one. It borders on despising and disliking him. He is just a product of his generation and most likely defective upbringing that has allowed his destructive attitudes towards his fellow students and his resulting insecurity and immaturity to dictate his actions. He becomes obsessed with werewolves from the incident where Melanie gets bitten and her subsequent change in behaviour, actions and attitude and then when a human exposes himself on YouTube showing him change into a werewolf, he singles Melanie out even more. When The Organisation get involved in this exposure, things turn pear-shaped leading more suspense layers to the cliffhanger ending. And yet another layer of the same is when Pam and Jos become involved in this ending as well. Awa is more than adept at suspense and plot development!

I only have two small gripes with this novel. The first is the title. Hunter's Moon is the title of the moon that Jos, one of Melanie's friends, is born under,

Turning her gaze to her window, she caught a glimpse of the fully round moon. The first one of the year—the Wolf Moon, the weather man had called it. Each month’s full moon had a name, but Jos only knew a couple of them. Her birth month, October, had the Hunter’s Moon. She’d entered the world beneath its watchful eye.

I wondered about this, seeing that this novel is about Melanie and not Jos. But then I remembered that Melanie was bitten in the full moon of October. Now, this would make sense, but why is this moon title singled out under the character of Jos? What relevance is this to Jos other than it being her birth month?

The other gripe is concerning the "sterilising" of the needle used by the geneticist to take Melanie's and Gavin's blood. Awa states that they were in sterile packaging as they are worldwide today, so why would you insist on it being sterilised under the flame of a bunsen burner? Not only is this unnecessary but to then insert it into a vein without it cooling to room temperature would cause intense pain, burning to the skin and also to the vein itself. I know this was to show Melanie's fear of needles and her mistrust at that point of The Organisation but credibility is lost here by including this obsolete and redundant measure. Awa could have dealt with this fear of needles and mistrust of the geneticist (representing The Organisation) by an appropriate discussion from this geneticist stating his technique is the same as any Pathology centre worldwide [skin disinfection, tourniquet, sterile, single-use, disposable phlebotomy equipment (needle and syringes)]. I had to take my Nursing and Phlebotomist hat off to read this section!

This novel is a great introduction to this series and Awa's interpretation of the werewolf genre. It is a satisfying and welcome take. I cannot wait for more of this series and I beg Sarah to not delay in giving us the next instalment. She is an author to follow, read and review. I know we have not seen the last of this author.

This is one very promising debut into fiction and this genre. I would love to her take on another popular and crossover genre, that of vampires! Move over, Stephenie Meyer?

I highly recommend this debut novel. While the Biblical and spiritual themes are either lacking or not obvious, it is a very entertaining and satisfying read. Awa gives justice to this often controversial genre.

Don't pass on this novel!

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Wargs: Outcast (Wargs Trilogy, Book 3) by D. Allen Rutherford

Wargs: Outcast 

 Wargs: Outcast is the heart pounding and gripping conclusion to the Wargs Trilogy. It’s been three years since the bloody and gruesome battle in the remote wilderness near Misty Hollow. A battle Matt believed ended the harrowing threat against the peaceful residents of Misty Hollow. Since then, they have learned to maintain a peaceful co-existence with the wargs. Meanwhile, sinister forces have been working to resurrect a program to create the ultimate transgenic human-animal hybrid, bringing possible new threats to the valley’s residents.
After receiving a cryptic message, Matt is plagued with more questions unanswered and left with a bone-chilling fear; who’s behind this dark veil and what is their connection to Misty Hollow? With the new threat looming, one has to ask, are they ready to face a new adversary? Join Matt and the people of Misty Hollow as they struggle to unravel the new mystery and thwart the rising threat before it brings more misery and death back to the valley.

The Guru's Review: 

I stated in my review of Wargs: Dominion that Wargs: Outcast would be an explosive finale and it is definitely so! If anyone thought that Dominion was the better sequel, well, this one trumps it hands down.

Sometimes the third book in a trilogy can be a bit of a fizzer and total let down as if the author ran out of ideas or just got tired toward the end, but not so in this final instalment. Rutherford has been consistent in all levels of this trilogy, plot, suspense, action, characterisation, descriptions of genetics, science and technology and animal behaviour. Even his depiction of romance never lets up. Not only does all this form a solid basis for this series but adds depth and strength as well.

One thing I have loved about this series is how it plays like a movie in your mind as you read. I guess it goes without saying that this would make a great movie. It would, but somehow, I would just like to have this trilogy the way Rutherford's worldbuilding has been captured in my own imagination. Sometimes a movie destroys this and you are never the same again, and how you saw the novel in your imagination is gone forever.

In some final instalments, the plot is mainly tying up loose ends to close the series, but in this one, the plot continues the Dominion plotlines and sets the scene for the finale in the last third of the book. The plot actually gets thicker as the saying goes, reaches a crescendo or peak two-thirds into the plot and then a roller coaster ride to the end but that ride is not so fast as to leave you with a suddenly finished book and you are wondering what happened, it all being over so fast. Admittedly, I was left breathless and panting at the end while the epilogue enabled me catch my breath and leave this series satisfied with a contented smile on my face. It was hard accepting that this wonderful tale had ended, though!

Rutherford is one author who successfully translates the knowledge of his occupations to his imagination as he poses the question what if.......? making this tale very edgy and speculative, "....former army officer and a retired international technology consultant with a B.S. and Masters degree..... taught a year as an adjunct professor and three years as a science teacher in secondary education..". He is very much suitably placed and qualified to conduct research into the themes of this series and to blend this into fiction, blurring the lines of what is true and what is not.

Rutherford held back on some plot twists until this final instalment adding to the explosive ending and successfully revealing all. I thought that some of these plot lines were dealt with in Dominion but did not see that all was not as it seems until half way through this instalment. These twists I did not see coming as Rutherford successfully blindsided me and this was a great tactic on his part. Another quality of being a master storyteller.

Throughout this novel, I kept wondering where the title came from and who would be the Outcast, and just when I thought I got it right (and I did up to that point!) Rutherford throws a twist at the end and I discovered who the real outcast is! Again, did not see that one coming, another blindsided tactic from this author! Makes sense once all is revealed.

This final instalment Rutherford has used to add a few questions that transgenics poses and I don't believe will be answered before science successfully creates the first transgenic "species". Just like other medical advances in the past, the moral, ethical and spiritual issues will not be addressed until after the fact. One these issues or themes that Rutherford investigates is whether the defining quality/characteristic that separates humans from the rest of the animal kingdom will be lost in the creation of a transgenetic/chimera species. This got me thinking too and I also considered that if we believe that all life was created by God in their own kind then what does He say about one of his created interfering with His creation? If God is Sovereign, Omnipotent, Omniscience and Omnipresent, He has created life for a specific reason into their own kind. I feel this novel shows enough to see what a minefield society will have to deal with and the severe consequences if mankind goes down this path. The latter is my own thoughts and beliefs as I don't know if the author has any belief in God but I suspect that he does due to his inclusion of God and some of His precepts and the fact that he has portrayed God favourably and with respect in this novel, including the new pastor who represents the Christian faith and God.

Although I read and review mainly Christian fiction, this trilogy will remain one of my favourites. I love Rutherford's writing and imagination. I cannot wait for his other works in progress to be in my hands/kindle! Thoroughly enjoyed this trilogy and Rutherford has definitely found his niche in life!

Highly Recommended.

Wargs: Dominion (Wargs Trilogy Book 2) by D. Allen Rutherford

Wargs: Dominion (Wargs Trilogy Book 2) 

In the second novel of the Wargs Trilogy, we find Dr. Matthew Kershaw and the residents of Misty Hollow engaged in a desperate fight for survival. While Matt Struggles to assemble a team to deal with the rising threat posed by the human-warg hybrids, Dr. Bertram is racing to develop a cure for the transgenic virus. Unknown to Matt and the others, the threat against them is much more ominous than anyone can imagine. Behind the warg threat is a sinister plot by a rogue colonel and his band of human-warg hybrids who are intent on establishing dominion over the indigenous warg packs. With the wargs under his control, the colonel plans on unleashing a reign of terror upon the residents of Misty Hollow and then the population at large outside the valley. Can Matt, Victor and their team uncover the plot in time to stop it before it's to late? Can Dr. Bertram develop a cure for the virus before it can be exploited by some other group?

 The Guru's Review: 

 

I read Wargs: Curse of Misty Hollow (Book 1) earlier this year.  I read it for a variety of reasons, it had a great story line, it featured human/animal hybrids, which scientists are trying to bring to fruition in this day and age and that this is similar to what the Bible says will happen in the days before Jesus returns in that just like in the days of Noah where the fallen angels bred between humans and animals. I did not have time to leave a review which annoyed me immensely, but decided I definitely would with Books 2 and 3. I did not know that the author was a Christian as in Book 1, there is no hint of this or any Christian content that was obvious to me but I still thoroughly enjoyed it and the author was spot on with his research into animal/human hybrids.

It was while reading book 3 that I began to notice that the author introduced Christian themes and the social, ethical, and spiritual issues related to the creation of human/animal hybrids. Well, my spiritual radar was on full alert and I mentioned in my review of Book 3, Outcast, that I would not be surprised if the author had some belief in God to have done this. I contacted him and this is what he had to say, 

In the trilogy there is a strategy behind the perceived absence of a spiritual orientation in the early part of the story (book one)... then as the struggle takes on an evil, sinister tone, the people begin to turn to God. You will recall in Book 2, Wargs: Dominion, when Matt's mother, grandmother, and great uncle visit Graymere for the Holidays that his Grandmother questions the absence of a church. Then when Uncle Charlie offers to host services the locals came out of the woodwork to attend. There is an undertone of silent fear, absence of spiritual leadership, and challenged faith that is working in the background. This all comes to the forefront in book three as the people of Misty Hollow come face-to-face with the realities of their "curse" and find that the real evil is MAN who exploits what God and nature have ordained and what was once in harmony, but now exploited for nefarious purposes. The books have much more spiritual depth from beginning to end than most people will catch on the first reading, but which I hope they will figure out at some point.  

So what I thought at first glance was just a good, clean entertaining read, became so much more and I am so glad to have been introduced to this author's novels. I loved the first novel, Curse of Misty Hollow, which was very effective in setting the stage on all accounts for the continuation of this story and Dominion takes off very nicely from this predecessor. Rutherford further builds on characterisation, plot, and pace, in fact, this latter is faster and the plot has more twists and turns which only makes this sequel all the better than the first.

If any reader wondered what would happen after finishing Curse of Misty Hollow, I don't think they would have been prepared for lays in store for them in this sequel. Everything is ramped up and it is taken to the next level as any sequel should. One thing that I loved being ramped up was more focus on the wargs and their integration not only into the plot but into the lives Matt's team and the Misty Hollow community, becoming an integrated war machine, thwarting the warped plan of Livingston and his minions. Bringing in a new character, Dani, and her skills both in military and veterinarian wolf science also helped in this new plot development and her introduction and use of her skills bridged the gap between the wargs and the human barriers. One could not help but become attached to Fenrir and Skoll and their relationship with Dani and Matt.

Rutherford seems to love romance and this reader does not like this as a genre but when it is introduced as a subplot, I am one happy camper! I would rather have romance included like this by a male author than a female one, I always find it refreshing coming from male authors! Looks like I will have to wait for Wargs: Outcast to see what happens to Freya and Matt now that their relationship has been taken to the next level and how a newly formed relationship between two other characters develops. I loved how Rutherford has not kept this romance apart from the main plot of both novels but has used it to added more suspense and plot twists. Makes for one very cohesive plot and integrated on all levels.

In novels like this where there is a lot of medical science and jargon, it is easy for a reader to become lost and skim over this information and therefore lose the connection between this and how it forms a backbone to the plot. This can be unfortunate as this is not what the author intended but where an author's shortcomings effect the novel and its reader negatively. It must be quite a challenge to successfully avoid this pitfall and Rutherford shines here. He does not bog the reader down with a lot genetic science but integrates it into the plot and events so that the reader is very much engaged and understands how this science affects the plot and the warg/human hybrids as well as how viruses change a being's genome. It is what every author needs to do in writing a novel; showing the reader rather than telling. The former engages them, while the latter disconnects them. From Rutherford's Goodreads profile it is stated that he “.....attempts to create science fiction novels that blur the line between modern science and science fiction...”. Well, Rutherford definitely does this and one wonders how much of what he portrays in this series is based on modern genetics or transgenics and what is not! The lines are definitely blurred. There is no compromising as an author on conducting and manipulating research into a well-crafted novel!

When I read Curse of Misty Hollow, I noticed how skillfully Rutherford created the environment of Misty Hollow and it surrounds, its buildings, the Inn (Wolf's Lair), and how the reader is transported there and can picture all this in the reader's imagination. Rutherford further expands on this in this second novel and I must say from all this, that he is one very competent worldbuilder. As I read both novels, I became immersed in this environment and feel as if I have been there to the point where I wanted to believe that such a place as Misty Hollow exists.

I am looking forward to reading Outcast as this was just released as I finished Dominion so I have the pleasure of not having the wait in between novels. Love it when this happens!

Rutherford is one very clever author who not only entertains but also educates in the topic that forms one of the backbones of his novels, in this case, transgenics.

Highly Recommended 5 Stars

Isaiah: The Spirit of the Tree (Isaiah Tiller Book 2) by Andrew Simmons

Isaiah: The Spirit of the Tree (Isaiah Tiller Book 2)

It was very late in the evening and the sky above the glass-covered garden was dark, as the moon had already set. The garden was very peaceful for Ichiro Katsumi as he walked the main path near a small babbling stream. A few moments later, he settled on an old wooden bench beside the running brook. The sound of the moving water always helped him to relax, so he closed his eyes and rested his head for a few minutes. Soon the beeping of his watch told him he needed to return to his late night work. He stood up and stretched as his ear caught the faint sound of singing drifting on a non-apparent breeze. 

“Where is that coming from?” he wondered to himself aloud as he strained to listen. 

Ichiro’s curiosity caught the better of him as he walked toward the soft melody. He followed the man-made brook and came upon a Japanese maiden dressed in a full kimono sitting at the water’s edge. She had a basket of Japanese pears on the ground next to her and was singing ever so softly. Ichiro watched from behind a bush for a few minutes before he decided it was time to present himself. 

“Excuse me young lady, but may I be of some help to you?” he asked in Japanese as he stepped into the open. The maiden focused her attention on Ichiro as she gracefully stood to her feet. Her singing grew louder and completely mesmerised Ichiro. She held out her arms and he started walking toward her. His face displayed total bliss as he found himself wrapped in her outstretched arms. She raised her lips up to his and they kissed. Tears of joy streamed down his face as the magic of the moment touched his soul. Then without warning, it was replaced by pain as tree roots erupted out of the ground and dug their way into Ichiro’s legs. He tried to scream, but he could not pull his lips off hers. His body shook violently as the roots made their way up into his abdomen. Ichiro ceased to struggle when they pierced his heart. The maiden let go of him and he fell to the ground, his dead eyes open wide in terror and blood dripping from his mouth. She continued to sing the hauntingly beautiful song with her blood red lips as she disappeared into the garden. 

The Guru's Review: 

Any reader is going to be in a very opportune position when they discover a series that has either some or all of the series already published. It is even better when, on top of this, the series is one action packed, attention-grabbing, cannot put down, all absorbing and thoroughly enjoyable read. Such is the case with the Isaiah Tiller series. 

After finishing Book 1, I just had to read Book 2 and it was such a joy to have this available. The only downside to this is that I have to wait up to six months for Book 3 to be released and how Book 2 ends, I am very eager to read this next instalment.

Simmons has constructed this series with an ongoing storyline from Book 1 interspersed throughout the action of this instalment and it gives the impression that this not only enhances and add layers of suspense to this instalment but also provides further continuation of all these in preparation for Book 3. It does not detract from this book's storyline and the flow between the two is very smooth and seamless. A very clever technique. So if any reader of Book 1 has any questions about Deena and the rivalry between the Jahai and the Valcarda families and the associated subplots, and more about the vampire hierarchy, then keep reading! With every new chapter, I found myself wondering if I was going to get more of this book's story line or more of the continuation from the last book! Kept me guessing and I liked this feature very much. 

This instalment shows more of the demon entities that the Hunters, as Isaiah calls his team, fight. We have the same weapons as in Book 1, but this time Isaiah fights ghouls and an evil spirit. Again we have the reliance on God by Isaiah and how he comes humbly before God for strength, guidance and discernment. This time however, Isaiah may have met his match as the supernatural entity he fights is one formidable opponent and he nearly succumbs to its power, but as usual he has it all worked out in preparation before this confrontation. Simmons has even introduced a touch of romance for Isaiah! Despite this being 71 pages, the suspense, action and all the clues are lined up and very nicely tied up very tightly. I love the log book entries that he includes in each book, his case notes if you like. Reminds me of the Captain's log that Captain Picard from Star Trek has in each episode. This closes off very nicely these instalments. I also love this spiritual warfare, special ops type environment and Simmons creates and develops this extremely well. The blend of these genres at first glance one would not consider they could ever form a compatible marriage, and yet they do. 

I admire Simmonds talent for writing, characterisation and plot construction. I would love to see him write a full-length novel in the future. If this series is giving him confidence and refining his craft, then all I can say is his future novels are going to be well worth reading and supporting. 

I sincerely hope that Simmons has no delays in preparing Book 3 for release as I cannot wait to see what he presents us with next. 

If any reader liked the first instalment, they will love this second one. It will sit extremely well between Books 1 and 3. 

Highly Recommended. 

Isaiah: And the Night is Gray (Isaiah Tiller, Book 1) by Andrew Simmons

Isaiah: And the Night is Gray (Isaiah Tiller Book 1)

After his wife Deena was attacked by a vampire, Pastor Isaiah Tiller sets his old life aside to become a hunter of the very thing which took his wife from him. Isaiah threw himself into his physical, mental, and spiritual training and then when he was ready, Isaiah slowly began his exploration into the dark underworld which destroyed his life. Soon, his investigation would bring him face to face with his own failure from the past which had haunted him for years: his deceased wife and the vampire which turned her. 

The Guru's Review: 

I chose this book to buy for one reason only. I was intrigued with the concept of a pastor being a vampire hunter! I considered this would be a fun read. It definitely fits into the edgy, Christian, speculative fiction genre. 

Looking at this author's background I am not surprised that this short (71 pages) turned out to be a fast paced, action packed, pocket rocket! I love it when an author successfully packs a lot into such a short word/page limit. The other factor that makes this such a successful short is the background of the author. In his own words,

15 year animation veteran from the Walt Disney Animation Studio in Orlando, FL. I worked on most of the animated movies from The Little Mermaid, the Lion King, to Brother Bear doing various jobs as: Cel Painter, Traditional Film Camera, and Final Check.

During my time in the field of animation, I spent many hours learning exactly how Disney went about telling a story. I was able to watch film stories grow and refine as the process of completing the film went along. Soon I started writing and developing my own ideas and stories and Isaiah Tiller is one of the many ideas to come out of my time at Disney.

Simmons has a unique background to write this series and it definitely shows in this short. What also intrigued me about this series, is his development of the vampires and his world building as described by Tom Bancroft in the foreword, 

Somehow, Andrew had created a world where you could have a cool, tough, and spirit-filled hero who knows something that most in this world do not-that demons are real and they can take many forms. They can even take the forms of myths and legends so it is possible that - in this world at least-werewolves and vampires exist. And not the wimpy, gorgeous male vampires that read poetry and romance women more than they suck blood - these are horrible, death-bringing monsters. And forget all the wooden stakes and silver bullets - it's really about your faith in an all -powerful God that will defeat those horrors! What? That's right; Andrew Simmons has found a fresh and new angle to tell stories with vampires and werewolves that no one has been brave enough - or sincere enough - to try. 

Too bad this is in the foreword, if this was part of the blurb, then this would have been enough for me to buy this short. Simmons has created a story that grabs you and does not let go until the end. It reads like a movie and I am not surprised seeing the background Simmons has come from as described previously. 

I love the structure of the bounty hunter world. Isaiah Tiller is a Pastor who seeks to destroy the vampire that turned his wife. He belongs to a group of fellow bounty hunters, all Christians, who report to another Pastor who co-ordinates their activities and sets their assignments in breaking up this mafia type vampire empire. Within this empire there are two ruling families, the Jahai and the Valcarda and it is the Jahai family who want to expand their empire and I guess, in doing so dominate the Valcarda family. 

Within this world building, Simmons has given a brief outline of vampire folklore. There is the status level a vampire has to attain first before turning a human into a vampire, or else the turned will be a lesser type of vampire, there is the rogue status of vampire and finally how to kill a vampire. There seems to be two methods of doing this, one purely by physical means (and not the wooden cross or silver bullet either), the other by spiritual. Of course, Tiller employs the spiritual means by way of using the heightened senses that the Spirit gives him to detect their presence, the Word of God, prayer and the use of "holy" water consecrated by God. He also uses various weapons and combat warfare in fighting them. Simmons adds a further spiritual aspect, through Isaiah, in the redemption of vampires, as he says to his turned/vampire wife, 

......everyone deserves a chance at redemption, even a vampire

This possibility of redemption seems to be a common theme in vampire fiction written by Christian authors. This same theme runs through Ben Wolf's Blood for Blood, Vicki Lucas' Devil's Pathway (DAWN: Warriors of Valor Book 1) and Vikki Kessler's The Christian and the Vampire: A Short Story.

I like what Simmons has to say about the whole story of Isaiah Tiller and him being a vampire hunter: 

The concept for Isaiah Tiller started when I was gaming some Call of Cthulhu with a local group I used to play with years ago. I wanted to play a character which stood up for what I believed in, even if it was just a game world. Well, I created an ex-pastor that went around destroying evil. The game character ended up dying in one session, but I enjoyed the idea so much I resurrected the character in one of my first short stories. I have spent the last fifteen plus years refining the idea. If I was to describe the essence of Isaiah and what one can expect when reading his adventures, it would be this: one part faith, one part action, and one part classics monsters with a modern twist.

Simmons definitely portrays Isaiah as someone who stands up for what he believes in. You can see that it is this conviction plus his faith in God and obedience to Him that provides his motivation to be vampire hunter. At first I thought that he was mainly motivated by revenge for his wife being turned, but at one stage where his attempt at killing Gray fails, he repents for fighting in his own strength and asks His help to rely on God instead. Important lesson in spiritual warfare. 

This is one well crafted and very unique concept. I like what I have read here and I am now a devotee to this series. I am glad Book 2 is released as I can now get into this. Book 3 will be released in a few months time. 

Highly Recommended.

Crazy Moon (Lou's Bar & Grill, Book 1) by Frank B. Luke

Crazy Moon (Lou's Bar & Grill Book 1)

Welcome to Lou's Bar & Grill where the house special looks like a bargain but will cost more than you think. Lou and his staff have everything a person could want, and they know the best way to present it to you.
After being stood up, werewolf fanatic Laney McMurphy went to Lou's to forget her sorrows. To her surprise, Lou offered her a place in the local pack. To progress within the pack's ranks, she'll have to give in to her wild side. And most importantly, she'll have to indulge her wrath. Each victory means a step up in rank. What she knows about wolves will help. What she doesn't know just might get her killed.

The Guru's Review: 

Every since reading Blood for Blood by Ben Wolf, The Last Werewolf Hunter: The Complete Series by William Woodall and Devil's Pathway (DAWN: Warriors of Valor Book 1) by Vicki V. Lucas, I have become more curious in seeing how Christian authors treat the subject of vampires and werewolves from the Christian/biblical worldview. These authors have treated this subject very well, all very plausible and well grounded in the Biblical perspective from this worldview.

I came across Crazy Moon by Frank B. Luke from him being one of the newest authors who joined The Crossover Alliance that I am involved in. I knew this to be a short story, all 23 pages long, so was not surprised it took close to an hour to read.

I found this to be a fun read! Yes, there is the killing that goes with werewolves and vampires (not graphic) but that is avoidable with this subject matter, but I was more interested in the spiritual side of this plot. In one sense I was disappointed in that there is none to see except that it outlines the contract established between the devil (yes, satan) and the main character, Laney, and that by agreeing to become a werewolf, this means she has sold her soul to the devil and an eternity in Hell. It would have been nice to have had it balanced a bit more with the other side of this spiritual doctrine, that is, whether there is any chance of redemption such as is portrayed in the Blood for Blood novel, The Last Werewolf Hunter series and alluded to in The Devil's Pathway novel previously mentioned.

At first I was annoyed that this had not been established but then realised that there is only so much that can be packed into a short story of this length. Based on this, I do hope that Luke investigates this more in future shorts in this series. It would be good to see what Luke comes up with from this Christian/biblical worldview. 

My only criticism is that despite Laney intrigued and fascinated with everything to do with werewolves from the media, and its folklore, she is portrayed as accepting too easily Lou's offer of becoming a werewolf without much thought of the spiritual side of it. As Luke explains, 

Just the standard contract I've been offering for centuries. Your soul upon death for becoming a werewolf until then.

I knew it, she muttered. If you're the Devil, there's a catch.

Everything is spelled out in black and white. Laney, whether you sign or not, upon death, you will enter the afterlife and go to one of two destinations. I am amassing an army for the war that will follow the end of the world. If you take my offer, you can be an officer in that army.

The contract looked solid, and she couldn't spot any loopholes for him to exploit. She signed her name with flourish.

I am also hoping that Luke expands more of this plot line in future shorts. If he does, then this series shows encouraging scope in both these plot lines from a biblical worldview.The other reason I say this is that Luke is described in his bio as writing, 

fantasy and science fiction to explore God's truth in fantastic ways. He finds such story-theology connects with readers on both cognitive and emotional levels. 

Strongly Recommended.

Interview With William Woodall (Author of The Last Werewolf Hunter series, Stones of Song Series and The Tyke McGrath Series)

Today, I am interviewing William Woodall, author of teen and young adult, edgy Christian speculative fiction. He has written three series, The Last Werewolf Hunter, Stones of Song, and Tyke McGrath. William requested that I review The Last Werewolf Hunter series. I had bought this series last year and had not read it since. His request gave me the incentive I needed to read it now and not later. I am glad he did as I loved it so much, I felt it was worth interviewing him to see where his ideas come from, discuss the ins and outs of this engaging series with a unique take on the werewolf story. 

I found William to be a person with a great love of God, a vivid imagination and a passion to entertain, uplift, encourage and educate in Christian living and biblical principles his teenage and young adult readers in the three series mentioned above. I would have loved to have had these series when I accepted Christ at 19 years of age. It would have contributed to my learning to be disciplined in living the Christian life and increasing my faith in God.

So, allow me to introduce to you, William Woodall! 

William, thanks for stopping by! We are all eager to learn about you as author and story teller extraordinaire! 

How about we start with you telling us a little about yourself?

Well, let’s see. I’ve lived my whole life in Arkansas and Texas, and I became a Christian at the age of sixteen. My relationship with Jesus is the most important thing in my life, and it’s my dearest wish that my life and my writing will give Him glory and be a blessing for my readers. I’ve worked as a high school science teacher, a child abuse and foster care worker, a family counsellor, and even as a real estate agent for a while. I studied family counselling and molecular biology at college, which I guess goes to show what eclectic tastes I have. I’ve taught English in Russia, survived two tornadoes plus a vicious bout with cancer, and witnessed some answered prayers that were nothing short of miraculous. God has taught me a lot of things over the years, sometimes in very colourful and turbulent ways, and I hope to share some of that with my readers.

What inspired you to become an author?

I’ve always enjoyed telling stories, ever since I can remember. I still have a few that I wrote with a green crayon in first grade. I started out writing poetry for the most part, and I’ve been told that now and then some of that lyric quality still shows itself in my novels. For example, when Cody McGrath (in Many Waters) says things like “In the beauty of love may life be finished; to the glory of God may all things come to completion”, then that’s just poetry, of the same type you’d find in the Psalms, the reflection-with-variation type which the Hebrews used. You wouldn’t necessarily recognize it as such because it’s buried in the text with nothing to mark it off, but it’s definitely there.

Were you expecting your books to have been so successful?

At first I really didn’t think much about that aspect of things. There’s not a big market for a Christian werewolf story, unfortunately. I wish the series received more attention than it does (as any author would), but then on the other hand I’ve had dozens of readers who wrote to me to say what a blessing the stories have been to them. Even if I’d never sold a single copy, it would have been worth it to me just for that.

Do you think there is anything significantly different about Christian Fiction as opposed to non-Christian Fiction?

The only principle that unites all the different varieties of Christian fiction is the desire to honour Christ, which is also the only thing that separates it from all other fiction. It’s the intent of the heart which matters, and not the content. A book could talk about Jesus on every single page and it certainly wouldn’t count as Christian fiction if the only reason it mentioned Him was to curse and blaspheme His name or to mock His teachings (either explicitly or implicitly). On the other hand, a book which teaches readers to follow His words (even if it never mentions Him by name), is something which honors Him.

Do you prefer to extensively plot your stories (plotter), or do you write them as they come to you (pantser, that you write by the seat of your pants)?

Some of both. I don’t write down a lot of plans ahead of time, but I’m always turning things over in my mind and figuring out how I want them to work. I’ve been known to scrap an entire book and start over if I decided it wasn’t going to work out the way I wanted it to. I mostly write the first draft in pantser mode, and then come back to it for several major rewrites after at least two or three readings by people I know I can trust to rip the book to shreds with the harshest and most nitpicky criticism they can think of. I want them to be meaner than snakes, because I know in the end it will make my story a thousand times better than it could have been otherwise.

What was the hardest part of writing your books?

I think for me it’s the fact that stories can get uncomfortably real sometimes. There are times when characters encounter situations that make me uneasy and which I’d really rather not deal with if I had my way. Readers often have the idea that an author can write a book any way he pleases, but that’s not true at all. Within reason, yes; we can choose our characters and settings and the genre we’ll use and those kinds of things. But after the story is begun, it tends to take on a life of its own and sometimes it leads us to places we never would have willingly gone. Writing a book is one of those humbling experiences which will force you to do a lot of soul-searching you never anticipated. You can’t really live inside a character’s head for months or years without learning what it’s like to feel their pain and sometimes even cry with them.

How has writing and being an author impacted your relationship with Jesus Christ?

One of the most important ways that writing has deepened my relationship with Christ is through simple vicarious experience. The more my characters suffer and yet still hold on to their faith in Jesus, the stronger my own faith becomes. Walking with God is a beautiful thing, full of excitement and wonder and love, which is something I try to display in my stories. But writing about these things is also a way of experiencing them myself in fresh ways that never would have been possible in real life, and I find that those vicarious experiences draw me closer to God just as they would if it happened in real life. That’s exactly what I hope they will do for my readers, too. Another thing writing has done for me is that it encourages me to study the Scriptures more often than I might if left to myself. Part of what I try to do in my work is to teach my readers (mostly kids) some truths about God, and for that I have to study. The things I learn for the sake of writing a story don’t just disappear when the book is finished, though. They enrich my life as a Christian in all kinds of ways I never could have foreseen ahead of time.

Do you have a favorite genre that you read?

Mostly the same kinds of things I like to write. Science fiction, fantasy, paranormal, and similar genres. I prefer Christian fiction when I can get it, or at least relatively clean stuff. Some science fiction is so openly and relentlessly hostile to Christianity that it’s like slogging through a blistering desert of atheist propaganda just to read it, so I try to avoid that kind. Other than that, I read a little bit of everything from time to time, even classics. I like Victorian novels and Romantic poetry, even Shakespeare on occasion.

What do you like doing when you're not writing?

I like to read, and fish, and spend time with my children. I like most of the things Zach and Cameron like, actually.

Why target teens/young adults in your writing?

Mostly because that’s what I like to read myself and that’s the age group I spend the most time with in everyday life. I’m a high school teacher and I’ve always enjoyed working with kids, so it was natural for me to write for this age group.

Do you think you will ever write for adults? If so, what type of novel would you write or genre?

I like to think my work appeals to adults as well as to young people. A child can read it on one level as an entertaining adventure story, but there are always more subtle themes under the surface which are there for more experienced readers. Kids won’t catch them, but adults will. There are jokes that only adults will understand, and nuances that only someone who’s been a parent himself, or been deeply hurt by a romantic partner, or struggled with questions about God, would ever spot.

Where did the idea for werewolves come from for The Last Werewolf Hunter series?
 
The original seed for this series came from watching “Teen Wolf” when I was a kid, and even though the two stories are a lot different, sharp readers might detect the same light and humorous approach in both of them. I knew I wanted some comic relief now and then, and that I didn’t want to write something dark and scary. I wouldn’t have enjoyed that, and I don’t think my readers would have, either.

In your research on werewolves, did you come across any convincing evidence that they exist?

No, but I have no intrinsic reason to disbelieve in such things, either. I don’t doubt that Satan has the ability to grant such powers to human beings, nor that there are human beings who would be glad to accept those kinds of powers if offered the chance. That’s why I deliberately didn’t keep the traditional werewolf folklore about the curse being passed on through getting bitten or inheriting a gene for it. I wanted it to be a deliberate choice on the part of those who accepted it. If such things really exist, then that would be my best guess as to how they came to be. I’m not by any means trying to say that I think my story is a true one, but it’s not completely out of the realm of possibility, either.

In Behind Blue Eyes, Book 2, you have the solution for the breaking of the curse something simple and biblical rather than something more spiritually complex such as what can be found in other Christian novels of similar ilk. What was your motive for this?

This was mostly because I wanted to move gradually from simpler situations to more complex ones as the story progressed. Zach needed to learn his “milk lessons” before he was ready to accept or understand the meatier ones. I also thought it was important to show that solutions don’t always have to be complicated and difficult.

What was your rationale for keeping the werewolf mythology/tradition regarding the use of silver bullets and knives to kill werewolves, and silver crosses to ward off werewolves?

I kept quite a bit of traditional folklore about werewolves, because it seemed to me that it added to the realism of the story. The idea that silver is poisonous to werewolves already exists out there in the world, so it wasn’t a thing I needed to make up and then convince readers to believe. The story about the Beast of Gevaudan is also real, and so is Mont Mouchet and many of the other things. If any reader became curious and decided to look these things up on the internet, he or she would find plenty of background information, just as Zach did in the story. All the settings involved in the story are real, too, including Wolf Mountain, Coca-Cola Lake, and all the other places Zach visited. It was my intention to add the smallest dose of fantasy possible, to make the illusion stronger. Local people would have no difficulty instantly recognizing almost every place I described.

You specifically leave out the blood and gore that typifies other werewolf stories. This seems to be appreciated by many readers even some who would not read other werewolf stories. What was the rationale behind this?

This was partly because I don’t care for blood and gore myself, and partly because I didn’t feel that it would be appropriate for my younger readers. I feel that in a way it’s my job to protect them from things like that, just as any adult should protect any child he knows. I also didn’t feel that a lot of gratuitous blood and gore would honor Christ in this case, which must always be the first question that anyone should ask about anything he’s thinking about doing. The key word is “gratuitous”, of course. There were a few bloody scenes when that was appropriate, such as when Cameron was shot in Behind Blue Eyes and when Gabe Garza attacked Zach in Truesilver. Those scenes wouldn’t have been effective if I hadn’t done them the way I did, so they were necessary. But I did try to keep it to a minimum.

You have created a very convincing background to the Last Werewolf Hunter series. Some would call this world building where an author creates an infrastructure to make the world of the novel realistic, believable and credible for the reader. You have achieved these three criteria in The Last Werewolf Hunter. You have created this by showing:

• the nature of the curse,
• how it is invoked/created,
• its effects,
• history going back two centuries,
• Related mythology,
• prophecy,
• spiritual solution including “supernaturally empowered” artefacts and substances,
• characters in your three series related genealogically to each other in some way and the series' are interlocked.

Did you find this difficult to develop? I can imagine that you would have also had fun doing this regardless!

I did have a lot of fun with the world building for this series. Much of the back story I didn’t actually have to invent myself, since it already exists as part of various mythologies. The rest of it took several years of hard work, and even though it was mostly enjoyable it was never easy. One thing that became really difficult as the years went by was to keep my story straight. That is, to make sure I didn’t contradict something I’d already said in a previous book. That puts some pretty rigid boundaries on where you can go with a story, and those boundaries narrow down still further with each new book that comes out because there are more and more facts that have to be conformed to. I think that’s one reason why sequels are so often not as good as the first book in a series. They get progressively harder to write every time. That was something I never understood until I tried to do it myself, but the challenge was fun.

You write very well in the first person narrative, it really does bring Zach alive, makes him relational and very three dimensional. Experiencing this series from his point of view, draws the reader in and keeps them engaged throughout. Was this your intention to use this type of narrative when you were planning TLWH?

It was partly intentional, and partly just that it made it easier for me as an author to get inside Zach’s head and think the way he would have. I was able to project myself into his shoes and imagine what I would have done in his place, and that made the story much easier and more fun to write. I actually enjoy reading the story myself occasionally, even though I’m the one who wrote it.

The Last Werewolf Hunter series is your first published work, have you written in second or third person in any of your unpublished work, if you have any?

I’ve never written in second person because I don’t like it, frankly. But I’ve written three books in third person: Nightfall (Book one of the Tyke McGrath Series), Unclouded Day (Book One of the Stones of Song series), and Bran the Blessed (Book Three of the Stones of Song Series). Everything else (so far) is in first person. Cody McGrath tells his own story, and so does his grandson Tyke. There are particular reasons why those three books are done differently, but it would be hard to explain them without giving away spoilers.

In a previous interview, you were asked is there anything you would change in the TLWH series. You answered that you might tone down the opening ritual scene in Book 1 as some readers felt this was too graphic. I personally did not find this scene overly graphic and I had to read it again to see if I had missed something when I read this feedback. I then realised that the edition I had read had this ritual scene modified. Just wanted to ask that instead of considering toning that original scene down, could you not had added a warning or disclaimer at the beginning stating that some readers might find this scene disturbing but you have developed it this way to add realism and credibility to the werewolf curse to show how it is accepted?

In the first edition of Cry for the Moon, there was a short additional scene on the second page in which Zach’s grandmother killed a rabbit, and it was this scene which some readers had thought was too graphic. It was only one paragraph long, and after thinking about it I agreed with the readers and removed it because it gave several people the mistaken impression that the book was much bloodier and more violent than it actually is. The scene was never crucial to the plot, and no one has noticed anything missing since it was removed several years ago, so I think it was the right call to make. The first few pages are much more representative of the book as a whole at this point.

I stated in my review of Behind Blue Eyes that I felt Zach was based on you as a teen and Justin as you as an adult. Any truth in this observation?

There’s a lot of truth to that, actually. Zach is very much me as I was at that age, although maybe a little wittier at times. It’s always so much easier to come up with exactly the right comment when you’ve got plenty of time to think about it. And Justin is me too, a little older and wiser perhaps. Not everything is the same, of course, but enough that those who know me well wouldn’t have any difficulty spotting the resemblance. It’s very much there, even down to little details like the kind of truck I like to drive and my fondness for EasyCheese, bass fishing, and marshmallowy-soft beds. You’ll learn all kinds of things about me by reading my books if you pay attention, even though you might never know which details are real and details are real and which are not!

In More Golden Than Day, you have further developed the history of the Werewolf curse and this necessitated the solution outlined in Book 2 to be applied in a more complex way to the final solution of the werewolf issue worldwide. I found this a really clever development and I can draw a correlation to the reason of the incarnation of Christ. I cannot say it any other way without giving away spoilers for potential readers of the series. I see this as a subtle way of connecting the message of this series to the bible and spiritual truth. Your thoughts on this?

You’re absolutely right. As Brandon Stone says in another book, “God loves reflections”. The world is full of hints and images, things that remind us of something bigger than themselves. Not a single snowflake or grain of sand is ever identical in all the world in all of time, but yet we never fail to recognize sand or snow. This method of endless variation on a few central themes, this spiritual counterpoint, is the very idiom by which God writes the story of the world. Therefore I was only imitating Him when I took an idea from a previous book and used it in a slightly different form for a new purpose. That’s what He does all the time, and it’s something which will be seen again throughout the other books that follow these. There are a lot of Scriptural references like this, such as the use of blood sacrifice to give life and the use of the werewolf curse itself as a symbol for sin.

You use items that were blessed from God (the sweet water, the crystal rings and Guardian stones) to be the vessel/method of breaking the werewolf curse instead of other direct spiritual warfare/biblical methods such as using the name of Jesus, praying against the curse, using the Word of God etc.?

Yes, and that was intentional also. While there’s definitely a place for the kind of direct spiritual warfare that you mention, there’s also a place for the indirect kind. As Dr. Anderson mentions in Bran the Blessed, God likes matter. Jesus healed a blind man by putting mud on his eyes, even though He could certainly have done it directly just by speaking the word. The lame were healed by bathing in the Pool of Bethesda when an angel stirred the water. Moses brought forth water from the rock by striking it with his staff. We see God using material things as a conduit for His power in this way throughout Scripture. No one should make the mistake of thinking the objects or substances have any kind of intrinsic power themselves, but no one should overlook God’s liking for indirect methods, either. I wouldn’t venture to try to explain why He sometimes chooses to work this way; I only know that He does. There’s a mistaken tendency among some people to think of God as something purely abstract and spiritual, which makes Him seem less real and less involved with the world. By having Him use material things to exert His power I was hoping to partly counteract that false impression.

In a Facebook discussion we were involved in relating to what is edgy Christian speculative fiction, you state,

"I have written about werewolf curses, witches and sorcerers who have real power, Christian characters who have true dreams about the future, and other things like that. But still, my work is deeply Christian both in outlook and in content. My opinion is that there should be no topic whatsoever which is off limits to a Christian writer, and that we need to fight the enemy on his own ground, without fear and without apology. That said, I don't put any sex or cussing in my work. My books include The Last Werewolf Hunter series, the Stones of Song series, and the Tyke McGrath series, which form an interlocked set of twelve books with overlapping story lines."

What do you consider is characteristic of edgy Christian speculative fiction (ECSF)?

For me, ECSF is any type of Christian fiction which deals with topics or situations one doesn’t normally find in that genre. Christian fiction has a reputation for being an unexciting genre, to put it mildly. And even though I can respect and understand that readers often use regular Christian fiction as a kind of sweet escape from the ugliness of the modern world, I don’t think it should be limited to that purpose. There are real monsters in the world, and as C.S. Lewis once said, since it’s so very likely that our children will meet cruel enemies, at least let them have heard stories about heroes and saints who conquered the Devil and the World through Christ our Lord. Then let them remember those things and find courage in them when they have to face their own battles with darkness, which they will surely have to do sooner or later. This, to me, is what edgy Christian fiction is really for, to train the minds and strengthen the hearts of those who read it. It’s a kind of spiritual battle-training, if you will. Here we can meet the worst that evil can throw at us and learn not to be afraid.

I have not read the Stones of Song series or the End of Days, (The Complete Tyke McGrath series), but I plan to very soon!. Are these series also in the ECSF genre?

Yes, they are, although not quite in the same way. Tyke McGrath is science fiction, which deals with the relationship between faith and science and follows the journey of one boy (Tycho “Tyke” McGrath) from a kind of lukewarm Christianity which he rarely thinks about to a living faith which can work miracles. Tyke himself is the nephew of Cameron and Joan from The Last Werewolf Hunter. The Stones of Song deals with some very harsh topics like child abuse, alcoholism, and teen pregnancy, but this is done in order to illustrate another Scriptural principle – that however deeply we’re crushed, to that same degree God will exalt us if we keep faith in Him. This series is largely the tale of Brandon Stone, the youngest of the Curse-Breakers and undoubtedly the one who suffers the most for his calling, but also the one whom God entrusts with the greatest gift and responsibility of all. He’s also Tyke McGrath’s great-uncle.

What take home message did you want readers of TLWH to embrace?

That God is great beyond imagining, and that He can and will turn even the most terrible things into blessings for those who love Him.

You have 3 series that are interlocked with overlapping storylines, The Last Werewolf Hunter, Stones of Song and the Tyke McGrath series. Would you mind giving an exclusive glimpse of what we are to expect next?

Right now I’m working on two projects at once. The first one is a non-fiction study of the Law of Moses compared to the slightly different form of it found in the New Testament. I have to admit, that’s been a fascinating study which yielded a lot of surprises. I discovered I didn’t know half as much about the Law as I thought I did, and I hope some of the insights I came across will prove to be as useful for my readers as they were for me. My other project is a new science fiction series which will involve Camber Carpenter, Stephen Stone, and a few other of the younger characters from the Tyke McGrath series. So it will be another continuation of the same basic world, just with different focus.

Anything else you would to say about your books or specific series?

Each series is quite different in tone and focus, even though all of them deal with the adventures of the five Curse-Breakers and the ways in which God has called them to fight evil in the world. Their stories are tightly linked in both simple and complex ways, and all five of the Curse-Breakers are related to one another in various ways. I’ve provided family trees on my website so interested readers can see these relationships at a glance. I’m often asked in what order my three series should be read. All three of them are written to be self-contained, so it doesn’t really matter in which order you read them. Chronologically speaking, The Last Werewolf Hunter would come first, then Stones of Song, and finally Tyke McGrath. But even if you started with Tyke McGrath, it would only mean that the other two series would be background story for you. It wouldn’t keep you from understanding anything.

Any closing comments?

Interested readers should definitely visit my website, which contains a wealth of information about me, the three series, and other things. You will find family trees displaying how all the characters are related, a glossary of terms and places, free downloadable discussion questions for each book, quotable quotes, photos of several characters and locations mentioned in the series, music files where you can listen to songs mentioned in the text, links to free novels and short stories, and many other things. It’s a huge site which is easy to navigate, and well worth exploring.

Where can readers find you?

Website - http://www.williamwoodall.org

Smashwords - https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/bluearkansascowboy

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2876219.William_Woodall

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/William-Woodall/e/B002FQ9VZM

William, thank you very much for a very insightful look into your world as an author and the background and structure to your 3 series. This has enhanced my appreciation of your novels especially The Last Werewolf Hunter series.  I pray that more teens and young adults will investigate your series and be encouraged in the way of the Lord as they read them.  I am looking forward to your next novel and I am sure your fans are as well.