With the blessing of TV Tropes, the Snarkology is pleased to host a blog series based on the Periodic Table of Storytelling.
Enjoy!
HUNGER MOON is my folklore fantasy/wolf shifter novel that is heavily rooted in Norse mythology. The following molecule contains elements based on the characters, as well as those that affect structure, setting, laws, and plot.
My molecule begins where all stories start, with the main characters:
The Captain (Cap): The Captain — from the Latin caput, meaning "head" — is in charge. (TV Tropes)
Stoic and serious, Arik Koenig is well respected by human members of the community who are unaware of his true nature as an Alpha werewolf. He commands immense power but focuses his energy on protecting and controlling his son Logan. Following the tragic deaths of his pack and his wife, his existence is bleak until Victoria storms into his life and turns his world on end.
Victoria Storm faces seemingly insurmountable odds to keep her dwindling pack of werewolves alive and together. She fights hunters- including the brother and father of her deceased lover-and the pack takes another devastating loss. To save her pack, she uses her feminine wiles to seduce the Alpha. Nothing comes easily for Victoria. Her plans are complicated by the Alpha's erratic son, a ghostly wife, and a vengeful witch. Not even her status as a Valkyrie or the favor of the Goddess Freya can change the course of destiny for Victoria or her packmates.
A person you would expect to be a big Jerkass has some redeeming qualities behind their tough demeanor. (TV Tropes)
Awakened to his wolf at eighteen, Logan Koenig lives as a subjugated werewolf, a willing puppet to his Alpha father. He suffers guilt every day for the crime he committed, the sin of kin-slaying. Yet he has no memory of that fateful night, which haunts him always. When he isn't smirking, he smolders. Rebellious to the core, inappropriate when others are serious, Logan fits no traditional mold. He possesses the ability to change shape with lightning speed and is immune to silver. Sullen one moment, smirking the next, he runs the emotional gamut, ever quicksilver in character.
Romance Arc (Rar) - creates Conflict (C) - due to a Love Triangle
(Tri)
The Romance Arc (Rar) is a central plot driver throughout
HUNGER MOON. Victoria arrives in town seeking a suitable mate capable of
providing and protecting her downtrodden pack. She instigates a courtship with
Alpha wolf Arik Koenig. However, an unwanted attraction to Logan Koenig causes
her untold complications and a Love Triangle (Tri) results.
The Loki's Wolves series is based on the premise that monsters and magic are as real as the Norse gods--Magic A is Magic (A). The wolf shifters are descended from the monstrous wolf Fenrir from Viking mythology, and Victoria serves the goddess Freya in the capacity of priestess, healer and Valkyrie. The story also relies heavily on Chekhov's Gun (Chk), utilizing extensive foreshadowing to hint at events to come.
Working together, Victoria and Logan embark on an investigation to solve the mystery behind the murder of Arik's wife and Logan's mother. As They Fight Crime (Tfc), it just so happens that Hilarity Ensues (Hil). The culmination of the story brings about The Reveal (Re): the unveiling of the secret identity of the Big Bad (Bad).
Hunger Moon by Melissa Snark
A Victoria Storm novel
#2 Loki's Wolves series
Genre: Paranormal/urban fantasy
Published April 25, 2013
ISBN-10: 1492107581
ISBN-13: 978-1492107583Amazon ASBN B00CJ1D1BI
Victoria Storm faces seemingly insurmountable odds to keep her dwindling pack of werewolves alive and together. She fights hunters- including the brother and father of her deceased lover-and the pack takes another devastating loss. When they seek sanctuary in a small town near Lake Tahoe, high in the secluded Sierra Nevada Mountains, Victoria discovers they are infringing on the territory of a vastly more powerful Alpha wolf. To save her pack, she uses her feminine wiles to seduce the Alpha. Nothing comes easily for Victoria. Her plans are complicated by the Alpha's erratic son, a ghostly wife, and a vengeful witch. Not even her status as a Valkyrie or the favor of the Goddess Freya can change the course of destiny for Victoria or her packmates.
Excerpt:
"You killed my brother, bitch."
"Worry about your own life, Sawyer. Daniel is dead."
Victoria held the blade of her dagger even with his jawline, against the strong column of his throat. Cold steel kissed flesh, but she lacked the will to make the final thrust to sever his carotid artery.
"Because of you." His brown eyes blazed with hatred, more intense and consuming than the inferno raging around them.
Every part of the warehouse was on fire, and there was no way to know how much longer the structure would stand. Cinder and smoke swirled everywhere.
Red-hot embers dusted the bare skin of her face and arms faster than her enhanced healing could repair the damage, but she didn't feel the burn. Fury consumed her heart and protected her from the wrath of flames, but the pain of her loss, the weight of her guilt, crippled her.
"Yes, because of me," she said. She blinked back tears. She should kill him. There was no other choice, because the survival of her pack depended upon stopping the hunters who pursued them, the hunters he led. Doubt stilled her hand. The man's life hung in fragile balance between her desire for revenge and uncertainty.
"Do it," Sawyer said with a sneer, as if he sensed her hesitation. She straddled his chest, keeping one of his arms pinned against his side with her knee. His free hand groped for the shotgun on the ground, just out of reach.
"Has your death wish gotten so strong you're committed to joining him?" She sniffed, attempting to scent his fear, but inhaled a lungful of thick smoke that scalded her throat. Tears filled her eyes and a cough racked her chest.
"I'm going to rip you to shreds." Teeth bared, Sawyer's upper body heaved while he attempted to unseat her. The hunter had plenty of fight in him. Her wolf's strength far exceeded that of any human, even a skilled hunter such as a Barrett man. He gave up obtaining the shotgun and grabbed for her throat with his free hand.
Victoria placed her palm flat on his breastbone and shoved him back.
"Yeah, yeah, I've heard it all before, and yet I'm still here. I'm starting to think you're incompetent, Sawyer."
"Give me a knife. I'll show you incompetent!"
"Now, why would I do something stupid like that?" Despite her taunting tone, doubt twisted her gut into knots. Her hand remained rock steady. The dagger never wavered; the fine edge of the blade bit into his flesh and drew a thin line of blood across the side of his throat.
He's Daniel's brother.
He was also the man who had helped murder her parents and most of her packmates.
The pain of the cut caused Sawyer to grunt; his throat worked while he swallowed, a convulsive clench that betrayed his fear, though his features remained set in a stoic mask.
A hand brushed her wrist, confident and intimate, cool to the touch. Victoria glanced up to stare into a face she knew by heart, every plane and angle committed to memory, although he was far more handsome than her imperfect recollection.
She stiffened.
Impossible! It can't be.
She gazed into the man's familiar face, and the entire world beyond his warm brown eyes ceased to exist: the fire, her pack, the man at the business end of her knife—all of it simply stopped.
She blinked, and her surprise faded. Her mind made the logical leap: it was possible.
He's a ghost.
A strangled snarl emerged from Sawyer's throat, but Victoria did not look at him. The hunter shouldn't have been able to see his brother's ghost. He lacked her gift of spirit sight. She kept a steady grip on the hilt, discouraging him from moving lest he slit his own throat on the blade.
"Daniel?" she whispered. The roar of the inferno engulfed her voice.
A faint smile fluttered across his lips but the expression remained deadly serious. His hand locked tightly about her wrist. Daniel leaned forward. His lips feathered a soft kiss upon the shell of her ear. His honeyed voice murmured as sweet as her memories, causing her excruciating pain, soul deep. She missed him so damned much.
"Not my brother, lover. You can't kill Sawyer."
Victoria's fingers relaxed. The knife fell from her hand. "I won't, for you."
Daniel turned his head and looked his brother in the eye. "There's been enough killing."
Sawyer's features contorted in agony and his hand rose, reaching for his brother. "Danny, I—"
Before Sawyer's hand touched his brother's face, Daniel's body lost substance. Energy crackled in the air, and his form shimmered about the edges. His firm grip grew weaker with each passing second until his hand opened, and he released her wrist.
Her eyes filled with tears. "Please, don't go."
Daniel looked at her; a sad smile touched his lips. "I've got to go, baby."
She closed her eyes, and tears slid down her cheeks. The hot air of the burning warehouse sucked moisture from her skin. Her aching heart pounded, full and heavy, ready to burst. She opened her eyes and forced a brave smile. She extended her arm and brushed his fingertips. "I miss you."
His hand closed on her fingers, and he squeezed. A smiled played on his lips.
"I miss you, too," he said. Then he was gone.
Hunger Moon is currently on sale for $2.99 on Amazon Kindle.
Fast Facts About Melissa Snark:
- Melissa Snark is published with The Wild Rose Press & as an Indie author with five unique titles: A CAT'S TALE, THE MATING GAME, LEARNING TO FLY, THE CHILD THIEF, HUNGER MOON.
- Her Loki's Wolves series includes THE CHILD THIEF, HUNGER MOON AND BATTLE CRY (to be released in 2014).
- She lives in the San Francisco bay area with her husband, three children and a glaring of cats.
- She is a professional cat herder and unrepentant satirist who blogs about books and writing on The Snarkology.
Connect with Melissa Snark:
Email: melissasnark at gmail.com
Love this! What a wonderful story arc. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kayelle! :-)
DeleteMelissa, What an intense, exciting story!
ReplyDeleteOh, my favorite summertime activity is to lie on the beach at Salmon Creek, sand at my back, sun on my front, baking.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Beth. I love going to the beach too. But not the baking part. ;-)
Deletewalking w/ the pup :) Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteErin,
DeleteThank you for stopping by and commenting!