@floofpaldi

2/2

I do my best to base their “wolf” behavior on actual wolves. That means, a pack is basically a family, and their hunting is also realistic. Many wolves eat a lot of mice and rats, it’s not all a glorious hunt.

As Alice finds out in Book 5, eating rats is not always safe, however...

Wolves of the South (Book 1 is free in all stores)
https://books2read.com/WolvesSouthQuest

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#TTMD
#WolfShifter

@floofpaldi

"How does the full moon affect your wolf's behavior, or do you give them control over their transformations?"

The moon does not affect my wolves, so yes, they have full control over their transformation. It’s why I never call them werewolves (they don’t like that term, either). Instead, they are always “wolf shifters” in my world. It also means they really look like normal wolves, not giant ones or the TV werewolves.

1/2

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#TTMD
#WolfShifter

#ScribesAndMakers 2.21 — Talk To Me Day. Featured Creator: @Firlefanz

From one author with "wolf shifters" to another, something along the same vein, I have two questions for new readers to see...

• How does the full moon affect your wolf's behavior, or do you give them control over their transformations?

• What's the most challenging part of living with a wolf identity in your world?

I thought they might be interesting for others to read.

#WritingCommunity #WritersOfMastodon

#ScribesAndMakers @Firlefanz
What about the English language drew you in? Do you find it easier to express your thoughts in English than you do in German?

#TTMD

@kagan

Oh lordy yes. I usually explain that no part of the brain is "unused", but that if you actually used it all at the same time, you would have a massive grand mal seizure and probably die

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#ScribesAndMakers 2.20 — The alpha male is a misconception perpetuated in popular media that our featured creator works against in her wolf books. What's a misconception that bothers you in popular media?

Oooh, I could say so much about this one. *cracks knuckles* Let me gather my thoughts first. I write both spicy and sweet romance. Paranormal romance, romantic fantasy, romantasy, dark romance, etc. The whole shebang. Let's talk about somethings that bother me about the genre, or common misconceptions you'll find. I'll list them.

• Romantasy is only about dark themes... While some romantasy stories may have darker themes, there are also lighter and more lighthearted stories within the genre.
• Romantasy is only about love... *rolls eyes* This is a misconception, as romantasy can explore various aspects of love, including relationships, love triangles, and even love for magical creatures. Basically, understanding these misconceptions can help our readers appreciate the depth and variety of romantasy stories available in the market.
• Romance novels are all the same... This is a common belief that romance novels follow a formulaic structure, but in reality (as we as writers obviously know), they can vary widely in plot and character development.
• Romance is only about love at first sight... Ugh. Romance novels explore a wide range of love stories, including misunderstandings, personal growth, and the complexities of relationships.

#WritingCommunity #WritersOfMastodon

#ScribesAndMakers 2.20 — The alpha male is a misconception perpetuated in popular media that our featured creator works against in her wolf books. What's a misconception that bothers you in popular media?

Oooh, I could say so much about this one. *cracks knuckles* Let me gather my thoughts first. I write both spicy and sweet romance. Paranormal romance, romantic fantasy, romantasy, dark romance, etc. The whole shebang. Let's talk about somethings that bother me about the genre, or common misconceptions you'll find. I'll list them.

• Romantasy is only about dark themes... While some romantasy stories may have darker themes, there are also lighter and more lighthearted stories within the genre.
• Romantasy is only about love... *rolls eyes* This is a misconception, as romantasy can explore various aspects of love, including relationships, love triangles, and even love for magical creatures. Basically, understanding these misconceptions can help our readers appreciate the depth and variety of romantasy stories available in the market.
• Romance novels are all the same... This is a common belief that romance novels follow a formulaic structure, but in reality (as we as writers obviously know), they can vary widely in plot and character development.
• Romance is only about love at first sight... Ugh. Romance novels explore a wide range of love stories, including misunderstandings, personal growth, and the complexities of relationships.

#WritingCommunity #WritersOfMastodon

#ScribesAndMakers 2.19 — Our featured creator is an avid gamer. Does gaming affect your creativity?

Always. I'm a heavy, heavy gamer, anything sci-fi, fantasy, horror, etc. I also love Animal Crossing. I'm a huge fan of the The Witcher in general, books and games, for example. We have Baldur's Gate 3, The Witcher 3, Diablo 3 or 4, Stardew Valley, Mortal Kombat 11, Skyrim, LotRO, Call of Duty Zombies, and many others.

Gaming only further grows my creativity; it never smothers it. There's nothing better for writers, I swear. A lot of my author friends are also gamers as well.

#WritingCommunity #WritersOfMastodon #Gamer #Gaming #GamingCommunity

#ScribesAndMakers 2.18 — Our next featured creator has done her own book covers. Have you ever or would you ever do your own cover?

I do! I make all of my own covers. Ironically, mine are also done similarly to hers. But I'll say this a million times, @Firlefanz has the best book covers in the world. And not only that, her *books* are the best as well.

Anyway, here's a few of mine that I'm particularly fond of. I've made so many over the years, but there's a handful that I love dearly.

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#ScribesAndMakers day 20: The alpha male is a misconception perpetuated in popular media that our featured creator works against in her wolf books. What's a misconception that bothers you in popular media?

The "we only use 10% of our brains" thing is the first one that comes to mind. Oooooh, do I hate that one!

[Edited to Add: And I love the variety of really good answers other people are giving! *So many* excellent ones!]

#ScribesAndMakers Feb 20: What's a misconception that bothers you in popular media?

I can't tell you the number of times I've seen someone in a medical drama use a defibrillator to restart the heart of a flatlined patient. This does not work.

#ScribesAndMakers 20.1 Alpha male misconception 2/2

It's tragic and honestly pathetic how this theory is still being held up in modern bro culture. It's using a debunked theory from the 1970s on wolves in captivity as an excuse for being a douchebag today.

As much as some might long for an innate superiority that matches their poisonous egos, we humans do not have alpha males, and that hierarchy is just a sad delusion.

#ScribesAndMakers 20.1 Alpha male misconception 1/2

This is something I truly appreciate in @Firlefanz 's work.

The original study that came up with the Alpha male theory has been long debunked, even by the biologist who wrote it. He initially observed a group of wolves in captivity. Wolves who weren't related to each other, just chucked into the same cramped space. The whole idea of the hierarchy is just wrong. Wolf packs are families.

#ScribesAndMakers 20, What's a misconception that bothers you in popular media?

How mental health is portrayed is doing some significant harm.

It tricks many into remaining passive about theirs, thinking they're one elusive, bestowed epiphany away from blissful happiness. And there should be more emotional ambivalence, but instead it's oversimplified as a dichotomy of happy and sad. Out of all the things that frustrate me about misconceptions in popular media, this one irks me the most.

#ScribesAndMakers 19, Our featured creator is an avid gamer. Does gaming affect your creativity?

It absolutely influences my story structures. The reignition events, and replaying the same world and main narrative with different choices, will feel very familiar to gamers who have replayed games. And the Fates shuffle the chessboard every time. Though they can only do so from the moment Freya appears as a 2yo, the characters will make different decisions based on their manipulations.

#writing

#ScribesAndMakers day 19: Our featured creator is an avid gamer. Does gaming affect your creativity?

There are parts of my current WIP that sprang from pondering long and hard about some of the implications of a few concepts from the TTRPG _Shadowrun_.

#ScribesAndMakers 18, Have you ever or would you ever do your own cover?
#PennedPossibilities 934, Do you have a book cover for your WIP?

Well, I've started doing it, but it takes so much time. I spent about a week on the design of a novella I want to put out soon, but maybe because I had to first model the character, then rig it, then pose it, then light and composit, all in Blender. Perhaps I should pick easier cover concepts that won't take so much time.

#ScribesAndMakers 18, Have you ever or would you ever do your own cover?
#PennedPossibilities 934, Do you have a book cover for your WIP?

I constantly design and redesign covers for the series as I work on it. I'm currently bringing some colour back while keeping the film noir meets cinematic fantasy vibe. To be honest, it would feel a little odd to have someone else do the cover. To me, it's part of the thing.

#writing #mastoart #eyecontact

#ScribesAndMakers 18, Have you ever or would you ever do your own cover?
#PennedPossibilities 934, Do you have a book cover for your WIP?

I constantly design and redesign covers for the series as I work on it. I'm currently bringing some colour back while keeping the film noir meets cinematic fantasy vibe. To be honest, it would feel a little odd to have someone else do the cover. To me, it's part of the thing.

#writing #mastoart #eyecontact

#ScribesAndMakers day 18: Our next featured creator has done her own book covers. Have you ever or would you ever do your own cover?

I would absolutely not; graphic design is not one of my skills. If for some reason I had to, I'd go with some kind of design based on text and abstract shapes, because art is even less one of my skills. But in reality, I plan to either let my publisher handle cover art (assuming I find a publisher), or contract an artist/designer (assuming I don't).