Norse mythology, actually most kind of mythology, has been a subject that have been close to my heart for most of my life. I am by far the least religious person you can find but the myths and lore about the vikings and Norse Gods, bloody as it may be has always put a thrill in me. And in a way I guess it is just the fact that it is more lore and folktales than religion that suits me. Because lore and folktales are more commonly known as tales, unlike religion that most often is taken as a facts and truths even though there’s nothing that proves that it’s anything else but 95% lore too.
The idea of turning norse mythology and Native American lore into one well oiled series was never really the plan, Haven was at the start, was just like now a Native American, a were hunter who was going to have no other passion than traveling the roads like a nomad. His only mission in life that of killing off the entire shifter race because of what one crazed shifter did to his family and tribe. He was never meant to have a lover, a group of men and women who he considered his family, no his story was at the early stages of development of this story a very solitude and dark life. It wasn’t until I started plotting out his story that the idea of Norse Mythology and the Fenrir Ulv, being the ultimate father of all shifters, started to creep into my mind. First, the Fenrir Ulv was going to be the Ultimate shifter, the father of all creation, as he still is. He was meant to have been Haven’s ultimate challenge, who Haven in the end was meant to die from trying to kill, and who know’s he might just still do that, but all in all no matter, the path Haven ended up going down was nothing like I first anticipated or planned. Native American lore and history is another subject that has always been something that has fascinated and interested me. Native Americans being the real natives of the continent of North America, and it has always surprised me how little we see of their history alive in the US today. They were there, living the earth, making homes and a living long before Columbus discovered the Americas and were and are a huge part, the essential part of North American history and still “the white” man’s minute long presence is what dominates our history books. With Haven’s Revenge and the Caddo Norse Novels I wanted to change that, I wanted to make Native American history and lore a main part of the story. Those who have read my books, and I guess especially those that have read my books and knows me, know’s I favor the underdog, the odd ball, the grumpy goodhearted bastards of society who everyone else has lost faith in, those are the men and women I prefer since following the stream of political correctness has never really been my cup of tea. I can honestly say I despise political correctness for the sake of it, because way too many people hide behind it and are allowed to act like cowards because of it. Planning Haven’s Revenge, at the beginning was fairly easy because his cause, his reason was just going to be that of revenging his passed with his acts of devotion to killing of every shifter till all of them were dead. It wasn’t until I reacquainted myself with the Fenrir Ulv and Norse Mythology, and my love for it came back to live that I started playing with the idea of making it part of the heart of my story. I mean killing the Fenrir Ulv off when he was such a cool myth and when it would be so much more fun and interesting to have him stay alive and for once be one of the good guys! It is funny when it comes to Norse Mythology and vikings, most people get it wrong, Thor and Odin, and even Loki always somehow become heroes like Superman or Batman. Bad boys with good guys heart when in reality all of them were if you read the Edda or other sources of Norse Mythology information, they were all evil and selfish bastards. And as for the Viking, there was nothing gentle or loving about them, they were all brutes. Barbarians. Being pretty familiar with Norse mythology, researching it I knew what I was looking for and all I needed to look up were details such as how the Fenrir Ulv was captured by the Asa Gods, where exactly he was held and how they drove that sword through his giant jaws. The point was to keep as much of the original lore as possible, to keep the realness of what most people know or what is known as the “truth” so that you would get that familiar feeling as you read the story. Besides the most complicated story keeps to the basic facts, when you start swaying out too much and you need to explain in too much great detail that is when the story is lost. At least in my eyes it is. So, what happened between Haven being a pissed of and forever lost were hunter with nothing else on his mind than prowling the land of the United States killing shifters and ending up as ranch hand training horses, being the candy of a farm boy’s eye and becoming the key to that farm boy’s future as the King of Wolves? It is fairly stupid to call me romantic, because in reality I am not, I am way too cynical to be called romantic but I guess there’s a part of me, even if that part is fairly small, that still likes the idea of love like no other kind of love. The kind of love that will make you break all the rules, even your own, the kind of love that will get you through that long and dark tunnel and out into the light, the kind of love that makes you a possessive son of a gun and makes you wait forever and a lifetime just to be with that person for no other reason than that you have no room for anyone else. I guess a small part of me hopes that exists out there, at least for some people. Mind you now I say love, not being in love, because even if the idea of being in love and the idea of that one perfect mate/lover/partner/second half (call it what you want) is something a lot of people hope is true, love can be any type of love it doesn’t have to be boy meets girl or boy meets boy. It can be the love between a parent and child, grandson and grandfather and so on and so forth, and I think that you see all those kinds of loves all through Haven’s Revenge, that love is what love is and come in all different shapes and colors and none is better than the other just different. As soon as I started to toy with the idea of making Thor and foremost Odin into the bad guys of my story and the Fenrir Ulv (and his siblings the Midgard Snake and Sleipnir) together into the good guys everything just sort of fell into place all on it’s own. Coleman and Vojin they were the first characters to take form in my head, Vojin immediately being the key to the Native American lore of things. To me Native American culture and lore is a lot about self discovery, about finding you inner strength, personal spirituality and sacrifice. That you are willing to give up a lot of your own things to bring pleasure, happiness and safety for your people/family/tribe and at times that ultimate sacrifice is death itself but it is not feared because you are always protected by the spirit you made part of you. In Haven’s Revenge all of the Caddo community are a proof of this Zacharias, Haven’s father, death, Vojin being the link between the Caddo community, the Fenrir Ulv and the Shifter council with the original eleven (twenty) cubs that were the children of the Caddo man who was the first man to ever be possessed by the Fenrir spirit and who managed to not go crazy. And Haven having his fate that will be revealed further into the story, finding love and safety in Alexander was not his sole purpose, not at all. The Caddo Norse story is for the lack of a better word, a complex story, and I think that partly show’s in the actual criticism the book has gotten both from people who love it and hate it. The most common criticism that I have gotten from readers and reviewers is that there’s “things” that doesn’t make sense like who the hell is Viktor and Hawk, they pop up and disappears and we don’t really get a grip on them, Vojin is essential to the story but we don’t see him enough, and this was supposed to be Haven’s and Alex’s story but it is stolen away because of all those other characters or their story was rushed (which I personally don’t get because it was dragged out to the point of almost becoming too much) but all these criticisms all have answers. The M/M Romance community is very used too, or spoiled (winks) with HEA’s with stories that starts and ends with boy meets boy and then they live happily ever after. They are used to series where the MC are the main focus and there’s a new couple in each book and the couples from the past book or books only, if at all, makes small guest appearances. Not in mine, they don’t even though there will be new couples because I love to weigh up conflicted and troubled stories with an even more troublesome love affair. I don’t, only, write traditional romance stories, I obviously don’t mind them, but all my stories (with one exception of Finding Home) the main plot of the story isn’t love (and not even there is the main plot falling in love) and getting the two MC’s together as a couple. The couples are always a sidekick to the bigger picture, the red thread, the moral of the story which as in the Caddo Norse Novels is the war between the Asa Gods and the Fenrir Ulv/ Paranormal and human world. It is the war between good and evil, look and you shall find a lot of my own personal views on things all the good and all the evil represents real situations or people. What is the moral of the story. Characters pop up in Haven’s Revenge and disappears for a reason and will come back later on to fulfill their purpose, we are shifted back and forth in time to show the reader historic events that has a purpose for the future. Haven’s Revenge is the start, a beginning not the end. And as for Haven and Alexander, whatever possessed you to think that their story was over to begin with? (Grins) There are load of things still going on with those two and their fate, their story, together as well as apart has only just begun (and that goes for Vojin too.
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 #5StarReview 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 #HavensRevenge #ReaderReview
~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~ An amazing read! Very original story, nothing like I've ever read or heard of. Emotional roller coaster, in all the best ways. Wanting to be able to actually slam a book shut out of frustration, then finding myself laughing Shock and on the edge of my seat before ending up in tears for varying reasons. I'm already chomping at the bit for more!! Website: www.phetranovak.com ~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~• #Excerpt His wolf was driving him crazy, pacing inside him, howling for its mate, wanting to have him near. Alexander wondered how much Haven had changed in the four years they’d been separated. Was his hair still long strands of silk for him to run his fingers through? Did he still wear those well fitted jeans that made him look like any gay man’s wet dream? And was he still the mouthy, grumpy, lovable asshole he’d always been? Most people found Haven disturbing or rude. He didn’t. His lover to be was how he was. The attitude was a shield to protect himself. A great challenge Alexander couldn’t wait to get on top of. He’d tame his lover, and teach Haven to submit to him—his wolf. But mostly he was interested in seeing Haven's reaction to his change. When he left for college, he’d still been that tall, skinny kid. His ma said he was a late bloomer. Being eighteen and still looking like he was fifteen was worse than anything else he could have thought of. Especially when you were trying to impress your future mate with your size. He’d spent the past four years bulking and toning up. He’d never be like Reid, he’d always be a slimmer build but he felt better now. The biggest change, though, was his attitude and personality. In his eyes he was the same Alexander he’d always been but he was more confident and secure in himself, both as a person, and in what he wanted. He was becoming a leader. "Hey, dude, you still in there?" Alden gave him a hard slap on the chest to get his attention. “Oops. I spaced out, sorry." "He should be back any minute. He and Andreas have been out at the east pasture to look over the fence. They said they’d be back in an hour or so and that should be pretty soon." No sooner had he said it, when the clatter of horse’s hooves came into the yard. Alexander spun around on his heels, moving to the stable doors. When he saw Haven's tall frame up on that brown, mottled horse of his, the world around him stopped, and all he saw was his Haven. His heart picked up the pace and beat heavily in his chest, and his palms were sweaty. God, he was even more gorgeous than he’d remembered and up on that horse, he looked almost wild. His mouth was set in its normal thin, stern line, but he was stunning. He could feel his nostrils flair as the scent of him carried through the breeze. His wolf sniffed the air too, pushing his chest out, trying to make himself look bigger and more attractive to his mate. He was even hotter than Alexander had remembered. How could he not have remembered this? The picture he carried with him hadn’t done his Haven justice but then again, it was a few years old. Time had been good to his man. His hair was longer from the look of things. It had to be almost down to his ass but still looked silky smooth. Alexander smiled to himself as he walked farther out onto the yard, his eyes glued to Haven. Up on that horse, he looked almost regal with his brown hair moving in the light breeze. Alexander was so struck, he couldn't take his eyes off him even if he’d wanted to, and he didn't. He must look like a fool, standing there drinking him in like a parched man, and Haven was his oasis. But he didn’t care who saw his thirst. Haven was his and his alone. They’d better get used to it because he wasn’t going to hide his love or desire. Alexander watched as Haven jumped off Bullet, landing with ease on the ground. Bullet was a young horse Haven trained himself; they’d given him to Haven for his twenty-first birthday, five years earlier. "You’re starting to turn blue in the face, kid, maybe breathing would be a good idea." Alexander jerked his head around to look at Alden who’d come up to stand next to him, his face serious. "You know, you can do a lot better than him. He doesn't deserve someone as good as you." "What?" He had to bite his tongue not to growl at Alden but his eyes narrowed, and that was enough to get the message across. "You heard me, kid. You don't have to get all defensive. The choice is obviously yours. But someone needs to tell you like it is." He gave Alexander a last look before turning on his heel and walking back into the barn. Alexander let him go, deciding to deal with Alden later. Right now, Haven was more important. "Hello, Haven." Haven had been deep in thought when he heard the familiar voice, the surprised look on his face was probably proof of that. The instant awakening of his dick in his pants was a second giveaway. Rolling his shoulders, he felt instantly annoyed at his body’s betrayal, just from hearing his voice. He didn’t have time for this. The fence along the east pasture was worse than they’d initially thought. They’d only managed to fix half of it and had to come back for more supplies. The way the wire had looked cut in places was odd. Some posts hadn't been that bad—they shouldn’t have given in as they had. He was almost sure some of the poles had been switched. They didn't look like the others at all. He hadn't mentioned his suspicion to Andreas because he didn't want to alarm the man in case he was wrong. Instead he wanted to take it to Coleman before lunch and have him ride out with him before the others were even done. Someone had purposely tried to cut the fence to make it look like it had broken. He had a feeling he was right. It all looked suspiciously like foul play. He wasn’t here to play footsie with the boss’s son. But having no choice, he took a deep breath before turning around. "Alexander." He felt proud of how calm and sure he sounded, even though Alexander was right in his face. No emotions in his voice. He cleared his throat, forcing himself to give him a half smile. "Good to see you, buddy." He patted him on the shoulder once, before gripping Bullets reins and led him toward the pen next to the stables. He closed his eyes, groaning inside. Good to see you buddy! Jesus Christ, Haven, that's the best you could do? But what did it matter, he wasn’t here to impress Alexander. If he thought he was a boring prick, all the better for him. He made a quick job of removing the reins and saddle, then hanging them over the pen fence. There were no point in putting it away when he was going back out there. He could feel Alexander’s eyes boring into his back but he ignored it, and him, refusing to turn around. "Haven." He jerked as he heard Alexander's voice next to him. Why the hell didn't he hear him move? His shoulders tensed involuntarily but he didn't turn to look at him. This was ridiculous; he was the boss’s kid, nothing more, nothing less. Never had been, never would be. That was what he’d been trying to convince himself of and wasn’t changing his mind. He let out a snorting huff, a stiff evil smirk formed on his lips as Alexander said his name again. "Haven. Don't ignore me." Alexander was forced back a couple of steps when Haven turned to look at him. The look he gave Alexander was intended to hard and cold, even more so than normal. His smile on his lips wasn't warm or inviting. "It was a couple of kisses a hundred years ago. It meant nothing and it will never be more than that. Unless you want a good fuck up against the barn wall? I need a good release after the week I’ve had." He could see the hurt his words caused Alexander but that was the point. Please! Just leave. Forget about me! He begged inside his mind. As Alexander turned and walked away, he convinced himself that was exactly what he wanted. He grabbed some water and hay for Bullet. On his way out from the pen, he met Alden in the doorway. "You’re a fucking asshole, Haven," he hissed as he walked by, slamming into his shoulder, forcing Haven to take a few steps forward to keep his balance. Haven didn't bother saying anything. Instead he rolled his shoulders as well as his eyes and stalked up the yard toward the main house, muttering to himself, "Like that was fucking news." He knew his words had hurt Alexander but he’d thank him later when he realized what a loser he really was. That he couldn't...wouldn't love anyone, ever again.  The day has finally come when my first novel goes live on Amazon! What do you say when you're finally in that point in your life that you never thought you would experience? I am currently out of smart words to say. It is surreal, it is amazing and completely and utterly terrifying all at the same time. I don't know if I can remember another time where I felt as vulnerable as I do now. It like they say when you have that dream when you are walking down the street naked and you don't get why people are laughing. Sort of... *wrinkles my nose* but better somehow. Or it might just be some joy of self torture, I think I might fall under the masochistic tendencies category. *winks* There's no other explanation.
With that said I truly hope that you all love reading Haven's Revenge, as much as I loved writing him. Happy Reading! Blurb: Haven Naranjo is a proud Caddo Indian, with a frightening past. He was a mere fifteen year old boy when he found his parents, part of his tribe, and his high school sweetheart slaughtered by a wereman gone mad. Falling victim to a system that is not always prepared to deal with a shattered young mind, Haven finally gives up on himself. He grows up to be bitter and hateful toward the creatures he hates. Werewolves. Alexander Prescott is the younger of the two Prescott boys and comes from a large werewolf clan. But things are bigger than that. Alexander, is the true vessel of the Fenrir Ulv and is to become the leader of all supernatural beings, the King of Wolves. On top of that, he’s in love with Haven. He’s known since he hit puberty that Haven is his true mate. But there’s one problem, Haven hates what he can become. However, Alexander has a plan on how he is to charm his, and his wolf’s way into the grumpy Caddo Indian man’s heart. But fate has other plans for them. The Asa Guard enters their calm country living, determined to use their own kind against them and kill the true vessel—Alexander Prescott. When war between the Asa Gods and the Fenrir Ulv starts knocking on their door, what side will the damaged Haven choose? Will he find a way of trusting those, especially Alexander, who he feels has betrayed him and let his animal, the eagle, lead him straight to his fate by his mate’s side? Or will he trust the words of strangers, who come to make his quest of seeing all shifters dead a reality? Haven’s Revenge is a story of an emotional journey for a whole community. It’s about finding acceptance not just from others but in yourself. Amazon Link: http://tinyurl.com/og9yc29 |
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