Bonnie Vanak, author and pet-lover, shares a story with us about how werewolves helped heal a broken heart. Read on and have a tissue handy for this next Silhouette Nocturne Spotlight post…
The Healing Power of Werewolves
by Bonnie Vanak
My first Nocturne, The Empath, is a werewolf romance dedicated to my dog. Tia wasn’t just a pet, but a loyal friend. She died from liver cancer in December 2006.
When my husband and I got the diagnosis, our hearts broke. I was devastated. I lost my mom and other family members to cancer, as well as friends and co-workers. And now our dog was dying from cancer. Our wonderful, lively pet who barked with joy when we came home, used to howl when my husband howled with her, jumped in my lap when I wrote and rested her head on the laptop (ever try to write with a 24-pound Shih Tzu hogging the keyboard?) had maybe four months to live.
Typical of Tia, as I sat crying in the living room, she pushed her nose into my face and tried to cheer me up. I grieved, and began to write.
The story became The Empath. It started with a woman who tries to find a cure for the mysterious disease killing her beloved dog. Gradually the story shifted. The woman developed into Maggie, a veterinarian. She was a Draicon, a werewolf, and the pack’s long lost empath, unaware of her ability to heal. The hero took shape. Nicolas became a powerful warrior werewolf tormented by a dark secret, who longed for peace, but forsake it to kill the enemy destroying his pack. The hero’s pack leader, Damian, was a strong-willed werewolf dying from the same disease killing Maggie’s dog. Damian would do anything to protect his pack, even give his own life. The enemy became the Morphs. They were former Draicon who embraced evil to gain power and shapeshifted into any animal form. They turned into army ants, a fire-breathing dragon and bees to attack Maggie and Nicolas.
Maggie finally discovers her ability to heal through touch, and realizes the person in greatest need of emotional healing is Nicolas, her mate. Then I created the mating lock, in which they come together sexually in a pure moment of communion, and exchange thoughts, emotions and powers, the two halves made whole.
I wrote sitting on the back patio, Tia resting her head between her paws while lying at the back door or at my feet. I sent the proposal to my agent, who loved it and started shopping it around. The Empath became my balm those months while I visited the vet for new medication to keep Tia comfortable, experimented with food and coaxed her to eat when her appetite waned, and waited, watched and prayed. Not for a miracle, but for strength when the time would finally come for us to make the hardest decision of all.
That decision came December 2006. Tia was in extreme pain. My husband drove the car as I cradled my whimpering friend in my arms. When our vet went to give her the shot, Tia reached up and licked my husband’s face.
And then she was gone. It was so quiet, except for the sounds of all of us crying.
A few days later, my agent called and told me we had an offer from Silhouette to publish The Empath for their new Nocturne line. I finished the book and then went to New Orleans to research Damian’s story for Enemy Lover, my next Nocturne due out this November. The scars of loss and grief from Hurricane Katrina still mark the city, and blended with Damian’s dark past and the tragedy that haunted him.
Writing for Silhouette’s Nocturne line is an author’s dream. I have a terrific editor and I get to combine the darkest parts of my imagination with romance. I like writing strong Alpha heroes who have secrets that make them vulnerable to the heroine. Nocturne is a perfect fit. I can put characters through emotional turmoil and danger, have them explore magic powers new to them, and give them seemingly insurmontable obstacles to overcome.
And no matter how much anguish the hero and heroine suffer, everything turns out all right in the end.
In The Empath, Maggie’s tremendous powers cure her beloved dog, and heal Nicolas’s spirit, giving him the peace he’s sought for ages. It’s pure romance fiction, a world where the impossible becomes possible, and dreams and hopes come true with the help of love and magic.
For me, that’s the healing power of romance. When all around you is falling apart, and your heart is breaking, you can create a world in which everything turns out all right. And where a friend who was loyal to the end lives on forever in the pages of your book.
Oh man, Sybil, you weren’t kidding about the tissues!
*sniff*
I am often curious about the background to a book….this is incredibly moving. What a tribute.
I remember when my first dog had to be put to sleep. It was awful. Very moving post!
PS–I must read this! Was it difficult to go from historical mode to paranormal mode?
I actually here with tears. I think too because of personally going through this. Sometimes its hard to read those theme at time for me. But too, I so want to make sure I read this!
I love this background story, Bonnie!
We’ve all been there with our pets. For anyone who’s ever lost a dog (or any loved pet for that matter), read The Power of the Dog by Rudyard Kipling. I’ll make you cry yet appreciate that we all go through this and would do it all over again.
What a moving story. Thanks for sharing it, Bonnie, and for the background on The Empath. I your book on its way to me right now. I can’t wait to get started on it!
Thanks everyone, for reading. Tia was a very special pet. I do have a funny story about her. In Oct. 2005 Hurricane Wilma hit and a tree fell on the back of our house. I was alone with the dogs because DH always has to work in a hurricane. I took both dogs (our other Shih Tzu is Tiger) and ran into the back bedroom because our house was surrounded by trees and if the ones in the front fell, it would take out the whole half of the house.
They say to drag a mattress over you in a hurricane to protect yourself, but our mattress is too heavy. Tiger just ran under the bed. Tia tried to run under the bed, but she was too big. She just looked at me, like, “What now?” and I looked at her and said, “Well, dog, looks like we’re out of luck, we’re too damn fat to fit under the bed!”
Devon, interesting question. It’s tougher for me to go from writing paranormals to historical than vice versa. I just started the newest historical after finishing Enemy Lover. I usually spend a few days reading articles from the time period I’m writing about, and try to immerse myself in the history, as well as jot down notes about dress, mannerisms, etc.
Caffey, I’m so sorry you’re going through this! It’s so damn hard, and I wish our pets lived longer. Hang in there.
There is a wonderful Yahoo group for pet owners whose dogs have cancer. It’s called Canine Cancer. Lots of wonderful advice, exchange of information on new treatments, and good people who understand what it’s like.
Patrice, that sounds like a great book. I told DH after we lost Tia I’d never get another dog. We did. We adopted a rescue dog named Rainey that had been abused. Then Rainey died on Halloween. That was it, we both swore. NO more dogs. Right. Two weeks ago, a friend called and said she knew someone who was desperate to find a good home for her Shih Tzu as she was moving. If she didn’t find one she’d have to put him in a shelter. Well… guess what? Yup, we have a new dog. He’s nearly 3 and is very much making himself at home. Tiger, who is 13, looks at him as if to say, “WTH is this thing? Someone turn him off!” Pets have really enriched our life and I would do it all over again.
Thanks, Sandy, I hope you enjoy Empath. Let me know what you think and email me when you’re done.
((((HUGS)))), Bonnie. I remember you going through all of this and feeling so terrible for you and for Tia. When I read the book, I could feel your grief and your love, and I wished with all my heart that Tia had be able to be miraculously healed like that. Talk about taking a tragedy from your own life and turning it into a good book! BTW, the ant scene still creeps me out! LOL!