I decided it would be a good idea to feature backlist titles, in case you may have missed them.
Today: The Werewolf and His Boy
The Werewolf and His Boy was first published by the late and lamented Samhain Publishing, in 2016, and re-released in by JMS Books in 2021. The novel is a fantasy and a love story, set in a world in magic is real, as are magical beings, such as werewolves. These beings were created by the old gods as their Pets and amusements. When the gods left Earth, they set Watchers in place to protect the Pets by suppressing magical knowledge, and making knowledge of any kind hard to obtain. The Pets must be kept a secret. Witches were forced in hiding. Henry Thorn is the son of a werewolf but doesn’t know it. Jamey Currey is the descendant of the old gods, and doesn’t know this either. They meet, fall in love, and secrets wake up. Complications ensue. The Watchers are after them; a kind witch, Dr. Melloy, or Dr. M, helps them.
The original idea came from a dream my husband-then-boyfriend had, after many trips to Lowe’s in Richmond, Virginia, when he was fixing up his new townhouse. He dreamed of a monster in the rafters who came down at night. He told me his dream and I wrote “Lowe’s Wolf, which was published in the also late and lamented Icarus: The Magazine of Gay Speculative Fiction, in Spring 2010. In this version, Henry was named Harry. Dr. M was Dr. Mulligan. The Watchers hadn’t yet made an appearance.
Henry, Jamey, and Dr. M, the diabolical Watchers, and other minor characters are all present in the 2016 Samhain Publishing edition. Lowe’s is Larkin’s. And a lot more happens and a great deal more is at stake. Henry and Jamey’s relationship threaten to disclose the reality of magic, and put the Pets at risk. Their kiss has awakened the Watchers. These diabolical hunters will stop at nothing, including extermination, to keep magic suppressed. Dr. M and other witches tell them of an prophecy that only a Pet and a godling can discover an ancient key to restore magic to the world. Can it be found in time? Will they begin to understand the mystery of their own hearts?
But Samhain didn’t make it. In 2020, I submitted the novel, with only a few changes, to JMS Books, based in Colonial Heights, VA, and in 2021, Henry and Jamey were back.
What next? Will the old gods come back? How’s the world doing with magic restored? Will Henry and Jamey survive in this brave, new, and still very dangerous world? I have outlined a sequel, four chapters have been completed. Stay tuned.
Kingdom of Joria 