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Another Blackthorn Book Signed!

I’m beyond thrilled to announce that the fourth book in the Blackthorn series has been signed! I’m also super-pleased that it has been signed by the current publisher of the series, Bookouture. They have done such an awesome job with the first three books that agreeing to them publishing this next instalment was effortless.

For those who have been following Blackthorn for a while (and read everything I write here and in interviews), you’ll know that the series consists of four pivotal couples whose forbidden love becomes integral to the future of Blackthorn. Each of their introductions to you ends at a crucial point in their relationship: a catalyst for the change to begin. Beyond book 4, the impact transpires…

So, book 4 is about the final couple I need you to meet: Eden and Jessie. I’ll have their Pinterest board up and running soon so you can get a glimpse. The title is Blood Deep. As you’d come to expect, it’s dark, it’s gritty, it’s sexy – and I’m having a great time writing it as we speak! You’ll be able to read the first chapter at the end of Blood Torn. And on that note…

Only four weeks to go until the release!! And, to add more exciting news, Blackthorn has a brand new look! Bookouture has been very busy in the background, and we’ll be unveiling all tomorrow – not least the full cover reveal for Blood Torn!

The countdown is on…

Blackthorn Christmas Wishes

It’s Christmas Eve! 😀

The great news:

That means it’s Christmas tomorrow. Yessss! I hope your stockings are up and the air is already feeling magical. I’m a big kid when it comes to Christmas, so I know I’m not going to sleep well tonight. Still, plenty of time to plot more of Blackthorn as I count down the hours…

The not-so-great news:

Unfortunately Blackthorn didn’t win a GraveTells Readers Choice Award. Boooo! But losing out to Jeaniene Frost isn’t all bad. 😉 Maybe next year? It was such a privilege to be nominated and I was utterly thrilled by the numbers that voted for the series – so huge thanks to everyone who headed over to GraveTells to do that.

And I just want to say a massive thanks again for all your support this year. Whether you’re new to Blackthorn or have be a part of it for a while, this journey really is so much more fun having others to share it with.

2013 is now almost at a close – just over a year since the first of the Blackthorn series was released. And there’s SO much more to come. I’ll be back in the new year with more updates, especially with only weeks to go until Blood Torn is in your hands! AND I have some other very exciting Blackthorn news too.

So here’s wishing you a fabulous day tomorrow as well as a peaceful and dream-fulfilling year ahead. Whatever you’re doing, have fun and enjoy time with those you love.

Merry Christmas, Team Blackthorn!

Linds xxxx

Blackthorn is Nominated in the GraveTells Readers Choice Awards!

I’m absolutely thrilled to have found out today that Blackthorn has been nominated for TWO awards in the 2013 GraveTells Readers Choice Awards. Woo hoo!!

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Blackthorn is up for the ‘The Most Original Story Universe’ award.

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And Caleb Dehain from Blood Roses is up for ‘The Most Sensual Vampire’ award.

(Sorry to Kane’s fans, but he can’t be in the running as Blood Shadows was published outside of the timeframe for this year’s awards.)

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Thank you to everyone who put these forward as nominees – I HUGELY appreciate it.

AND I’m just as thrilled to see that Bookouture is nominated for the ‘Favourite Publisher’ award too! I totally agree, obviously.

Voting begins this Sunday (15th), so if you think Blackthorn and/or Caleb deserve to win, or that Bookouture truly are the most awesome of awesome publishers for bringing the Blackthorn series to readers in the first place, please head over to the GraveTells site on Sunday and register your vote. You might also find some others you want to vote for in other categories – the more the merrier!

Have a great week, everyone! 🙂

Beneath Blackthorn – Introducing the Lycans into Blackthorn

When the regulations were first established, the third species were transported from holding sites to various locales around the globe. Each time a balance was ensured – either vampires or lycans would be the majority species in each of the cores. The aim behind this was to ensure peace across locales. If a minority group was mistreated in one, their equivalent could be on the receiving end of retaliation in another. Yes, word does spread between locales.

However, maintaining this balance meant that sometimes three or four lycan packs were moved to the same location whilst other packs were split and spread across locales, left to reform in their new so-called ‘temporary’ homes. This is what happened to Jask, hero of Blood Torn.

One of the most interesting aspects for me with introducing lycans into Blackthorn was the different social structure they brought with them in comparison to vampires.

Blackthorn vampires are primarily solitary in nature. Outside of the new world created by the regulations, their loyalty would be first and foremost to the same bloodline (family). Their social network would be classed as acquaintances rather than friendships, with loyalty earned from evidence. As part of their nature, they have an aura of clinical indifference to those who fall outside of the remit.

But now, under the new order, vampires, who are the majority third species in the locale around which the Blackthorn series is based, are forced to socialize within boundaries (which includes venturing into Lowtown if they so choose). In order to survive, they have to tolerate each other and, with it, change elements of their behaviour to compensate. (Don’t worry, I broke it to Kane and Caleb gently…from a distance…)

Don’t let this be misleading though – vampires will band together like any other species for their survival. However, when it comes to banding together, this is an art form for lycans…

By instinct, my Blackthorn lycans are a pack species. I have to say that because nowhere is there a hard and fast rule that this is how lycans should operate. In fact, in many references to lycan mythology they are frequently portrayed as lone creatures. But if you take into account their wolf heritage (an inherent gene in Blackthorn lycans), it only seems natural to make that an attribute of their behaviour. More importantly to the series, it makes lycans a contrasting species to their vampire counterparts.

So here are some wolf facts that might prove useful if you’re planning on getting to know Jask’s pack any time soon…

SOCIAL STRUCTURE

  • The wolf pack consists of a strict social order, with the leaders known as alphas regardless of gender. The alpha male and female lead the pack as equals.
  • The alphas are not always the biggest wolves in the pack, but they are the toughest and the most respected – the latter due to their ability to dominate and take down anyone who challenges their position. And it is their repeated success against opposition that secures their position.
  • Alphas have duties. They make the daily decisions, initiate defense attacks or hunting trips, keep the pack in line and harmonious, and are the primary caregivers.
  • Betas are the male or female most likely to replace the current alpha of the same gender.
  • Those too young to enter the pack’s social hierarchy look to adults or wolves older than themselves for guidance.

BONUS SKILLS

  • Wolves see well at night due to having more night vision cells than humans do. They also have larger pupils that allow them to gather more light when it’s muted.
  • They can smell their prey from as far away as a mile and a half.
  • Their hearing is extremely advanced, picking up sounds up to 10 miles away depending on the environment. They can also hear sounds undetectable to human ears – both in terms of high and low pitches.

BEHAVIOUR/PACK MENTALITY

  • Wolves are very social animals and form strong bonds with their pack.
  • Cooperation and order is integral to their success, with all members working together e.g. to develop complex hunting strategies.
  • Wolves will aggressively defend their territories from other packs or threats. And if put into abnormal situations (such as small enclosures) instead of shying away, they can become more violent to protect themselves.
  • A pack works collectively to care for and teach their young. Puppies will always be adopted by another female (or even another pack) if need be.
  • Wolves like proximity to a water source. Great swimmers, they are fond of water and will use it for play and relaxation (which is why all good zoos will have a water feature in the wolf enclosure).
  • Wolves are very communicative with each other and play fighting is common during relaxation time.
  • Like humans, wolves use eye contact and eye position as a form of social communication and bonding, including using it for greetings and dominance behaviors. A wolf can use eye contact to examine another’s mental state.
  • If a wolf is showing signs of hostility, returned eye contact can lead to an altercation. A smart submissive wolf will avert their gaze when a dominant wolf confronts them, with the most submissive eye posture being averted eyes wide enough to show the whites (just like with humans).
  • A fixed and aggressive stare directly into a wolf’s eyes is a blatant challenge of that wolf’s status. If directed at a dominant wolf, a fight is likely to ensue. High-ranking wolves will use ‘the stare’ to assert rank over pack members or to challenge an ‘outsider’.

‘ROMANCE’

  • The alpha male and female pair for life. But it’s not all sweetness and light – certainly not in the beginning. Alpha females have no shame in being the instigator and alpha males, in turn, can be grouchy in response. The greeting ritual is usually tense. Forget being on bended knee and playing gentle, it is not uncommon for alpha males to spar with their potential mate – all very playfully of course – until a mutual understanding is met. Sounds like an ideal basis for a dark paranormal romance to me!

That’s the last lycan insight post for now. I hope you’re feeling more prepared for what’s to come. Blood Torn will be with us before we know it. I don’t know about you, but I’m getting a little bit excited… 🙂

* Please note: I cannot verify the accuracy of anything in this post beyond references to my own works of fiction. I am not claiming any independent research outside of what is widely available from a broad variety of sources. Some of my notes are years old so impossible to trace back. 

A Year Ago Today…

A year ago today was the official release date of Blood Shadows (though some might remember it sneaking out early) and, with it, the launch of Blackthorn.

Blackthorn never started off as a project where I set out to get it published. It simply started as one idea that I found intriguing enough to write about…and keep writing about…and spend another sixteen years building and developing while I experimented with other genres and other books.

It’s ironic that the one project I thought would never see the light of day was the one that launched my writing career. But some works are a labour of love, where you’re led by the feeling in your gut that the story is best written than never said at all. For me, Blackthorn is very much like that.

The fact it got published and that so many readers have enjoyed it is the bonus I never saw coming. Especially because, when I first resolved to take the leap and try to get Blackthorn out there, I had the option to compromise. I could have easily pulled back on certain aspects or issues, have gone softer, lightened the darkness, let alone had my characters always making the right decisions or taking ‘appropriate’ actions. But life’s not like that. And fantasy though it may be, neither is Blackthorn.

So thank you every one who has accepted that. To everyone who has supported me, shared my posts and Bites, been on here and commented, retweeted me, taken the time to rate my books or write reviews, mentioned my books to friends, made open proclamations of your enjoyment of the series, and for every wonderful email – thank you for an awesome year and for being a part of it with me.

To Bookouture – thank you for your faith in the series and bringing it to readers, and doing so in such an exceptional and exciting way.

And to my long-suffering husband (who has spent almost twenty years stepping over post-it notes and notebooks, standing on blunt pencils, tolerating my excessive drifting off into space and switching on the torch at 3 a.m. to write down dialogue or plot points…), thanks for being there every step of the way.

So, to mark the occasion, here’s a reminder of the book trailer (now over 1,700 views on YouTube!) that launched the series…

Happy birthday, Blood Shadows. 🙂

Blood Torn Release Date

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I’m SUPER excited to be able to announce that Bookouture have disclosed the release date for Blood Torn (Blackthorn book 3) as…

FEBRUARY 2014

The exact date will be confirmed nearer the time (don’t forget to sign up via the ‘Email sign up’ tab above if you want to be notified instantly when the book is released).

Hopefully it’ll give you something to look forward to after all the Christmas and New Year festivities. Hold onto those gift vouchers!!

Our Blackthorn Quiz winner will be receiving her advanced copy in January along with all the official reviewers. Hope you’re itching to get to it, Tracey!

And if February seems too long away…

I’m also really pleased to tell you that you’ll be able to read the first 3 chapters of Blood Torn for free in January – just to give you a taster of what’s to come. Oh, and let’s not forget the cover reveal, the Bites, maybe a few sneaky insights from me… 😉 It’s going to be a busy couple of months – I hope you’re ready!

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Beneath Blackthorn – Blackthorn Lycans Vs Lycan Myths

CAUSES AND ORIGINS

People’s ability to change into wolves is mentioned in myths across countries and cultures, stretching back as far as Ancient Greece as well as appearing in the Bible. Despite this, there was no widespread belief in lycanthropy in Europe prior to the 14th century. Until then, lycans had only appeared in myths during the Bubonic Plague after wolves – believed to be the dead transformed – were frequently spotted leaving mass graves on moonlit nights. However, lycan sightings became prevalent during the witch trials of the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries when belief in evil mingling amongst us soared (and when the possible contamination of rye bread with ergot-induced LSD-type hallucinations).

Current beliefs are that lycanthropy is either a hereditary condition or, more popularly, that the ‘disease’ is spread to another after being bitten or scratched by the infected.

The idea of the disease being ‘transmittable’ is, however, not part of the original folklore. Instead, lycanthropy was first believed to be the result of a curse or divine punishment, not least because many saints were alleged to have inflicted lycanthropy as a curse upon those who upset them. This divine retribution theory was reinforced by the belief that those excommunicated by the Roman Catholic Church suffered the same fate.

Across various cultures, lycanthropy was also claimed to be caused by:

  • removing your clothes and putting on wolfskin;
  • drinking rainwater out of a wolf’s footprint;
  • drinking from enchanted streams;
  • sleeping outside on a summer night with the full moon shining directly on your face; or
  • being conceived on the night of a full moon.

But lycanthropy wasn’t only associated with the supernatural. The term also became accepted in the medical world, used as a mental health diagnosis during the 16th and 17th centuries (though the later emergence of psychology meant ‘lycanthropy’ was soon replaced with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or multiple personality disorder).

Other medical conditions were also used to explain lycanthropy, the most popular of which were:

  • rabies (furious) – some symptoms of which include excessive salivation, confusion, photophobia (fear of bright lights) and aggression;
  • congenital porphyria (which has also been attributed to vampirism) – the symptoms of which are photosensitivity, reddish teeth and psychosis; and
  • hypertrichosis – an extremely rare hereditary condition of excessive hair growth all over the body and face.

LYCAN APPEARANCE AND TRAITS

Last time, I mentioned that one way to spot a lycan whilst in their transformed state was the absence of a tail. According to folklore, there are also physical traits to look out for whilst lycans are in their human form. These include:

  • monobrows;
  • curved fingernails;
  • bristles under the tongue;
  • hairy palms;
  • low-set ears;
  • fur appearing under the skin in the wound of a fresh cut; or
  • an index finger much longer than the middle finger.

Crossing cultures and eras, lycans are believed to have super-human speed and strength, with a particular ability to land on their feet from impressive heights. They are also renowned for having advanced healing as well as immunity to ordinary weapons both in their human and wolf state. It’s also widely accepted that animalistic urges (such as hunger, aggression and sexual arousal) are intensified and harder to control directly before and during transformation.

CURES AND DEFENCE

Unlike with vampirism, there were many beliefs that lycanthropy could be cured. Some claimed methods included:

  • exhaustion – long periods of physical activity could purge lycanthropy from someone’s system;
  • medication (particularly using wolfsbane);
  • exorcism;
  • striking a lycan on the forehead or scalp with a knife;
  • addressing a lycan three times by his/her Christian name;
  • scolding;
  • conversion to Christianity, with a devotion to Saint Hubert*, in particular, considered both a cure for and protection from lycanthropes (*possible interesting fact: I grew up in “Hubert Road” – maybe I was safe from them after all!);
  • extracting three drops of blood whilst transformed; or
  • if the lycan avoided eating human flesh for nine years.

In terms of defence against attack, lycans are commonly believed to be vulnerable to silver – especially silver bullets. Even touching their skin with silver will cause burns. However, there was no mention of this in original folklore. Not unlike the association with vampires’ allergy to silver, this concept didn’t appear until the 20th century, becoming a rapidly established belief linked to lycanthropy after the release of The Wolf Man (1941).

SO, WHICH MYTHS APPLY TO BLACKTHORN LYCANS?

Causes and Origins

As with Blackthorn vampires, Blackthorn lycanthropy isn’t evoked by something magical or a curse. Neither is it derived from something evil – despite what the Global Council insist upon in order to justify the segregation they enforce and maintain (please refer to my previous post The Third Species and their Shadows).

Instead, Blackthorn lycanthropy is a result of a mixed gene pool of integrated human and wolf DNA stemming back thousands of years, with their response to the lunar cycle comparable to an allergic reaction. Again, as with Blackthorn vampirism, lycanthropy cannot be transmitted any more than being bitten by a dog will turn you into a Labrador. Blackthorn lycans are a species in their own right.

Lycan Appearance and Traits

There is only one physical indicator of Blackthorn lycans when not transformed, and that’s their broader and more elongated canines (don’t forget Blackthorn vampires have an extra set of incisors to differentiate the two species). In fact, before ‘shadows’ were discovered, it was dental examinations that first enabled the Global Council to distinguish the third species from humans.

Just as folklore dictates, Blackthorn lycans are considerably stronger and faster than their human counterparts. Their wolf instincts also mean they have quicker reaction times.

However, most Blackthorn lycans see their condition as an affliction, not least because of the excruciating pain during transformations as well as their subsequent loss of control (yes, those aforementioned animal urges do increase). Their situation has become more risky since the regulations were put in place. More of that in Blood Torn! Also, in accordance with generally accepted folklore, after returning to their human forms they become weak, debilitated and depressed – another reason they see their condition as an affliction.

Cures and Defence

There is not a cure for Blackthorn lycans, any more than there is cure for being human. However, if you’ve read Blood Shadows, you’ll know the lycan condition can be ‘managed’. You’ll find out lots more about that and the ‘meds’ (as referred to in Blood Shadows) when you read Blood Torn.

As for defence against attack, you’d better be faster or stronger than your lycan opponent. But just like Blackthorn vampires, they are not immortal (though they do equally have extended lifespans). A bullet or any other object can be fatal if lodged directly in the heart or any other vital organ – if you can get close quick enough, that is. 😉

It’s the last lycan post next time, and I’ll be delving into the aspects of wolf behaviour that contributed to refining my Blackthorn lycans.

* Please note: I cannot verify the accuracy of anything in this post beyond references to my own works of fiction. I am not claiming any independent research outside of what is widely available from a broad variety of sources. Some of my notes are years old so impossible to trace back. 

Blackthorn Back at the Top!

Okay, so my next post was supposed to be about lycans…but this is too exciting not to share!!

On a day that started like any other Wednesday – me bleary eyed and gulping down coffee whilst stumbling around getting myself ready for school – I was greeted by a fabulous email from my publisher…Blood Shadows is back at the top!

In the Summer, I was bouncing off the walls with excitement when Blood Shadows hit the No. 1 spot in the U.S. Amazon Gothic Romance chart. Not convinced I’d ever get that close again, I made the most of the moment. But now today, Blood Shadows is back – and at No.2! 😀

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 Not just that but No. 6 in the Vampire Romance Chart on Amazon.com… 😀

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My home country is being equally as supportive, with BOTH Blood Shadows and Blood Roses in the Top 4 in the Gothic Romance Chart on Amazon UK! 😀

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Convincing readers to try your books is tough, really tough – especially when they have no idea who you are. Sometimes comparisons help. I get compared to J.R. Ward more than any other author. Some readers are in agreement, some are not. I’ve only read one of Ms Ward’s books so I’m nowhere in a position to comment, but I do know what an incredible author she is. So when I stumbled on this comment yesterday, I was beyond flattered – even more so because it was posted by the awesome Ilsa Madden-Mills, author of the Amazon bestseller Very Bad Things:

“…holy hell, I stumbled across a vampire book by a British author Lindsay J. Pryor. It’s layered and deep and riveting and sexy all rolled into one. It reminded me a little of the Ward books, although…and this is hard for me…I think they are better. Yes, I said it. Don’t get me wrong, Ward is my all-time fav paranormal romance writer, but Lindsay managed to combine the dark with MORE sexy…”

So, as I’m sure this recent chart peak is no fluke, I want to say a MASSIVE thank you to Ilsa Madden-Mills for her public declaration of fandom for Blood Shadows and to the equally fantastic Maryse of Maryse’s Book Blog for posting Ilsa’s comment on her blog. Ladies, you’re wonderful!

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And, of course, to everyone who has recently bought a copy of Blood Shadows (and Blood Roses), I want to say HUGE thanks to you too – this doesn’t happen without you. Welcome to Blackthorn!

Beneath Blackthorn – Creating and Naming Blackthorn’s Most Pivotal Pack

It’s been a little while since I’ve written a ‘Beneath Blackthorn’ post. For those new here, please feel free to catch up on all my inside info on creating Blackthorn, not least my vampires, via the About Blackthorn tab. But for the next installment into my Blackthorn series, those delectable bad boy vampires are going to be jostled aside (temporarily!) to make room for Jask Tao – my first lycan hero.

If you’ve read Blood Shadows, the final chapter of Blood Roses or the first chapter of Blood Torn, you would already have met the uncompromising and stoic leader of the other core third species in Blackthorn.

I was nervous introducing Jask into the Blackthorn mix – first and foremost because lycans never were ‘my thing’. But this species quickly became the perfect contrast to vampires, let alone an integral facet of the series’ overarching plot. Their ‘pack’ mentality, in particular, was fascinating to explore as was a hero who not only carried the weight of responsibility as leader, but headed up the minority species compared to the more prevalent vampires. From the outset I knew I was delving into very different territory, but it didn’t take long for Jask to take on a life of his own.

The second reason I was nervous introducing lycans was my lack of knowledge surrounding the myths. Without the internet (gee, I feel so old when I admit to that), my only insight was via films or TV. But because of my previously mentioned fear of all things anthropomorpically wolfy, all I had left was rooting out books in my local second-hand bookstore – and they wasn’t exactly in abundance.

So, straight out of a psychology degree, I was lead more by social psychology in the creation of the ‘pack’ characters than pure mythology. With some later wolf research thrown into the mix, the pack’s personality started to develop.

For many years, I quite happily referred to Jask as just ‘Jask’ and his fellow lycans as ‘the pack’. This was fine whilst I was world-building for myself but, when I started considering publication for the series, I stumbled on a problem – how was I going to ‘officially’ refer to them? By then there were two established terms out there: lycanthropes (lycans for short) and werewolves. I decided to find out if there was any difference – and what a headache that turned out to be! But with the joy of the internet then on tap, the research floodgates opened.

MORE THAN ONE TYPE

Whether a permanent or temporary transformation, there are three core categories of these notorious wolf-humans:

Category 1: Shapeshifter

Shifters have become extremely popular over the past few years in books, on TV and in films. By their very nature, shifters can choose what animal to become. Wolves remain an ever popular choice, no doubt because of their dramatic potential on screen and in stories. The key factors that define this category are, firstly, shifters can change any time they choose (though sometimes heightened emotion, particularly anger, can also cause it) and, secondly, they physically become identical to the creature. Think Sam in True Blood or Jacob in Twilight.

Shifting is as old and established as mythology itself. It has always been particularly popular amongst witches. If you adhere to the original folk stories though, you can always spot a shifter through one simple feature – the animal they become never has a tail. In some Swedish accounts, a ‘werewolf’ would run on three legs, stretching the fourth one backwards to become a ‘tail’ to cover their deceit.

Category 2: Wolfman

In the days before advanced special effects and CGI, there was The Wolf Man (1941)  and the Oddbods in Carry On Screaming (1966). A ‘wolfman’ is fundamentally a human that develops wolf-like features rather than morphing completely  i.e. they still walk around on two legs but become covered in hair and develop fangs and claws. This always happens at night. By day, they’re ordinary humans.

Category 3: Werewolf/Lycan

The debate around the difference here is immense – not least due to the popular introduction of the term ‘Lycan’ in the Underworld films. Some argue that they are two entirely different species. But with film influences aside, I’m going to class them as the same.

The significant difference in this category is that werewolves/lycans have no control over their change (like I said, ignoring what happens with Michael in Underworld). They are subject to change under a full moon and only return back to their human state at dawn. The other core difference is that, once transformed, they are distinguishable from ordinary wolves. They are larger, more powerful and often have more grotesque physical features. They are also more intelligent and frequently maintain their human eyes (not sure I’d stick around long enough to check!). Think George and Nina in Being Human as well as David in An American Werewolf in London.

Blackthorn lycans fall into category 3, basically because it’s the most applicable and best-fit for the series.

BUT…WEREWOLF OR LYCAN?

The terms werewolf and lycanthrope are arguably interchangeable. The term “werewolf” derives from Old English whereas “lycanthrope” is Ancient Greek in origin. In essence, both mean the same thing: a human able to transform themselves into a wolf.

In Old English, “were” (from the Saxon “wer”) means “adult male human” – and, if you spell it correctly in Old English, “wulf” to mean “wolf”. The term originated in Europe and much of its folklore, like vampirism, was linked to Roman Catholic influences – not least with the magical or viral connotations.

The Ancient Greek term lycanthrope, is a bit more ambiguous. “Lykos” means wolf, however, “ánthrōpos” apparently translates as “human” not just “man” – hence, lycanthropy means “wolf human”.

If we had lots of coffee, enough time in the day and plenty of experts on hand, I’m sure these terms could be further debated, primarily because ‘man’ is often regarded to encompass all of ‘mankind’ to include women too (think Biblically), thus negating any of the above argument. But, basically, I had to make a choice and the feminist in me decided to stick to “lycanthrope”. Adding to my decision was wanting to link back to the oldest origins, and the very first mention of a human-wolf transformation was in Greek Mythology with King Lycaon turned into a wolf by Zeus. Thus my Blackthorn pack adopted the term “lycans”.

Next time, I’ll share what I discovered about the causes and origins of lycanthropy as well as the cures and methods of defence – and relate that back to my Blackthorn lycans.