A Collection of Werewolf Tales
Growing up I was always afraid of the dark. Each bump in the night made me think that the boogey-man was coming.
As an adolescent my fascination with werewolves began after seeing
Michael J. Fox in “Teen Wolf.” It was the hot, animalistic features that
I believe I was drawn to.
Recently I was introduced to author J Nelson Aviance
and I had the pleasure of interviewing him. His interpretation of the
modern day gay werewolf not only has satisfied many childhood fantasies,
it has given me a better understanding of the lore of the werewolf.
That’s funny, as I look back and think about “Teen Wolf,” I should have
known I was gay. From the struggle of being accepted to falling in
love with one of the hottest guys around and having to keep it a secret,
you are immersed into the intriguing stories that are found in his book
“Three By Moonlight: A collection of werewolf tales."
Q. How would you describe “Three By Moonlight?”
A. Three By Moonlight: A collection of werewolf tales is a collection of three short stories focusing on the lives of three men, each in same-sex relationships, all dealing with the harsh reality of the supernatural world they live in. Brennen only recently discovered he was a witch, his first love, and his first encounter with monsters. Duke, a mage and mate to the local werewolf pack alpha, brings his best friend to work for the pack’s company only to have some werewolf drama go down, and tries to shield his friend from it as best he can. Justin is a teen runaway who was rescued from the street by Aiden, a werewolf. When he returns home to reconnect with his family with Aiden in tow, he runs into his first love, a local tough guy named Mickey, and emotions run high.
Q. Why did you decide to self-publish?
A. I finished work on these stories last summer. Since then I’ve been trying to get them published in short fiction magazines, but no one was taking them. It was important that I get them out into the world, and I’ve recently been reading more and more about self-publishing options, especially with Kindle and Amazon. Earlier in the year I was involved with helping Mother Juan Aviance produce the album I Am Art by EJ Aviance. At that time we discussed the possibility of a future project involving me.
I wanted to reach out to readers who would perhaps never see them if they were in an obscure fiction magazine. It was also important that I get my name out on the market. Mother Juan has been a huge support through all of this. He’s been especially instrumental in helping me market the book and myself as a brand.
Q. What has been one of the biggest challenges or learning experiences with self-publishing?
A. It’s a real entrepreneurial process. I’ve worn that hat a number of times now, as a performer, and as a concert producer. The challenge was to adapt what I already knew to the publishing industry. Without the background that I have, I doubt I would have been able to do it. Or, I should say, I would have been hiring a lot more people to help.
Something I’ve noticed, though, is how many different people go into making a novel successful. It’s not just the author and cover artist. It’s a team of different kinds of editors, all of whom perform very different tasks, marketing people, and design people. And that’s just for the book. If you aren’t computer savvy enough to run your own website, then you have even more people for that, too.
Q. From where did you draw inspiration for these stories?
A. I’m an old-time D&D nerd. I’ve been a fantasy reader all my life and enjoyed the story design aspects of role-playing game. Once I was out of college, I began writing as a cathartic process, and eventually writing my own material. Gradually, this whole fictional world came together, sometimes in ways I didn’t expect. When I discovered the writers in the new Urban Fantasy genre, which combined my love for Buffy, Harry Potter, and Lord of the Rings, things all came together.
Plus, some of it is just biographical. I’ll leave the readers to guess what.
Q. Why did you choose werewolves as the linking element for these stories?
A. I know the craze in Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance has been with vampires, but they don’t really inspire me. There is something wild and visceral about werewolves that makes my blood boil. I find it easier to write about them as three-dimensional characters, with relatable human emotions.
With these three stories, I wanted to show different aspects of werewolf characters. They’re not just crazed beasts, but also passionate lovers. They are loyal, but dangerous. In Brennen’s case, they’re not really bad guys, but not really good guys either. In Justin’s case, the werewolf Aiden is his rescuer. Duke’s relationship with Eyulf is fated and primal, each of them like forces of nature colliding.
Q. Where and how can someone purchase “Three By Moonlight: A collection of werewolf tales?”
A. Three By Moonlight is available on Amazon.com, in both paperback and Kindle formats. The paperback version is $5.99, the Kindle version is $2.99. Here is the link to my author page on Amazon.com, where they will find both formats: http://www.amazon.com/J-Nelson-Aviance/e/B00CR38XHK
Q. Can we expect to see these characters developed further? What’s in store for the future?
A. For sure you can expect to see Duke and Eyulf. The novel centered on them, giving you the beginning of their story. All three couples are part of their own larger story-lines, and I’ve written a number of short stories around them, and other characters. Depending on the outcome of my adventure in self-publishing with Three By Moonlight, I may self-publish more of these short stories.
“Three By Moonlight” is a great read plus the author is someone who I believe can transport you into the genre of urban fantasy. Pick up his book today on Amazon. That's all we have to say on the subject.
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