Hello Fellow Shifters!

I apologize for the delay in posts, I took a much needed break last week for the sake of my mental health.

This week’s post is going to focus on our resident gentle giant; Ben. Like I said in my previous post, Ben was the first of the Shifters to have a definite animal form. His is the only one that didn’t change through the planning/writing stages.

So in the book we meet him fairly early on, and then a couple chapters later we meet his parents, then his wife and kids. When I first started planning, I knew he had a wife. Ellie originally had a bigger role in the story, I had planned on her being a scientist working with the resistance. I never intended on bringing his parents, or his kids, into the picture.

Ben and his parents hold a special place in my heart. I modelled Ben’s parents around my Grandparents, names and all. They were the kind of people that always made sure you were fed, whether you liked it or not. I often joked if they had come home to find someone robbing their house, they’d make them stay for dinner, then give them twenty bucks and send them on their way. Their kindness helped mold me into the person I am today, and I am proud to immortalize them in this small way.

Ben didn’t start as the leader of the resistance. Originally I intended for Cassie to fill that role. As the story developed I realized that his steady presence and personality filled the role better. That’s one of my favorite things about writing; the characters take on lives of their own. I look forward to further developing his character as I write the next book in the series: Ben’s Story!

Stay Wild!

Allie