Return of the Beast

Twenty years ago, the now-defunct 3F Publications released my debut novel, Shara, which soon became part of The Werewolf Saga, and for a while I enjoyed the status of “the werewolf guy” among horror authors.

Ten years ago, to make sure my dealing with Scrybe Press would end, I killed off most of the Saga’s primary characters in Nadia’s Children, a book I ended up releasing under my own MoonHowler Press imprint.

I thought I was done with werewolves. But I was wrong.

Nadia’s Children closed with Kelley finding Fenris’s journal, and for most of a decade I thought the next Werewolf Saga book — if I ever wrote one — would be that journal. Then, last year, at the last minute, I decided to write about Shara’s son, Joey, for National Novel Writing Month. I had only the vaguest notion for a plot, and that had to be changed when I was reminded that one of the principal characters was dead.

What I came up with is this novel, First Born. I’m pretty proud of it. Not having much idea of where it was going made it an adventure to write. I would literally sit down, not knowing what was going to happen, and the story appeared under my fingertips. Once the draft was finished, I was afraid it was an awful mess, but when I made myself reread it, I thought it was actually pretty good and the spontaneity made for a story full of twists and turns.

The book was featured in this month’s issue of Rue Morgue magazine, where Rick Hipson said,

“The book kicks off with a chapter so brutally savage, it’s sure to test the limits of the most hardened horror hounds.”

–Rick Hipson

He then went on to say of The Werewolf Saga series,

“What elevates this series above so many of its ilk is not just Wedel’s inventive take on lycanthropy, but his realistic approach to the characters, which forces readers to care about each of them, despite the fantastical story elements.”

–Rick Hipson

If you enjoy stories about werewolves, about people trying to find where they fit into the world, and about relationships, I hope you’ll give The Werewolf Saga a try. If you’ve already read the previous books and liked them, I feel confident you’ll enjoy First Born. I’d love to hear from you if you do.

Buy First Born here.

Get Shara, the first in the series, here for just 99 cents in ebook (more in paperback and audio).