BITCHES RULE!

Andrea Efstathiou
Feb 18, 2016
2 min read

I'm more often than not, asked. 'How did you come up with the concept of 'The werewolf chronicles'?

When I started 'devising' the idea for this book series. I didn't even know that, was what was happening. It started a VERY long time ago. A trailer appeared on the television for a TV series called something like 'Moonlight' (limited attention span- I'm not entirely sure, I remember it's name) I saw the title and got a gist of the storyline.

Private eye investigates crime and has a supernatural love interest who assists her. It built up (in this trailer) He was hundreds of years old, the son of King Henry the 8th (yeah, you know what series I mean) I was captivated. Moonlight. He HAD to be a werewolf didn't he? How original. How wonderful.

So was he a werewolf? No he was a damn vampire. My heart sank. ANOTHER bloody Vampire TV series. YAWN! (it was a good series actually - but you know what I'm saying)

HOWEVER. That idea marinated. I thought no more of it.

Few years later. NaNoWriMo comes around. THIS YEAR WAS THE YEAR I WAS GOING TO DO IT RIGHT.

SO WHAT DID I WANT?

A STRONG FEMALE CHARACTER ARCH THAT WAS NOT GOING TO BE RESCUED BY A MAN.

I believe in women who are heroes. Not heroines. Heroes. What is between their legs is irrelevant. They are heroes in their own right. Their gender is unimportant and doesn't need pointing out.

One of MY biggest heroes is Dr Jan Garavaglia. And it JUST so happens, she IS a medical examiner. A pathologist. Guess what profession MY main character would have?

Now at the begining. I was looking toward the same concept as the infamous TV Series. She would be human and her love interest would assist her. As a werewolf? Wow! The possibilities.

However. I didn't go down the route of pathologist that is assisted by the werewolf in her endeavors. For then ultimately. He would be the hero. No.

Lucy is a hero.

SHE'S the brilliant one. The clever one.

He doesn't save her. She saves him. THAT was important to me.

He is there merely for decoration.

To present this empowering story of a strong woman. I did something else in the creation of the pack and their lore. I flipped the patriarchy. They exist in a matrilineal society. (which was fun) but it merely helped in giving the story many more layers. I think (at least I hope) I achieved in my goal, to present a story where the message was BITCHES RULE! That is... 'The female of the species is as deadly, and as good a hero, as the male!'