2 Book Lovers Reviews
About Scott Burtness
Scott Burtness is the author of Wisconsin Vamp and Northwoods Wolfman, Books One and Two of the Monsters in the Midwest series. His work can also be found in the Scarecrow Anthology by Rhonda Parrish and World Weaver Press.
Scott lives in the Midwest with his wife, Liz, and their boxer-pitt mix, Frank. He enjoys horror, beer, bowling, and rooting for the underdog. After not nearly enough consideration, he decided to write about all of the above.
Why Werewolves?
What can I say? I’m a sucker for the classics. Vampires, werewolves, and zombies (Oh snap! Was that just a spoiler for Book 3 of the Monsters in the Midwest series?!?) have been part of pop culture since before ‘pop culture’ was even a thing. They’re so deeply embedded into the collective human psyche that it’s hard to imagine a time when people weren’t talking about them.
When I started the Monsters in the Midwest series, I wanted to write about people not just becoming monsters, but having their transformations help them realize their true selves (in awkward and funny ways). That meant picking a monster for each book’s main character that was, in a sense, that character’s totem. I wanted monsters that would magnify the characters’ worst faults and best attributes.
After Herb’s awkward evolution from small-town schlub to “beedelie-boodelie bad ass,” (Wisconsin Vamp) I wanted his best friend Dallas to learn a little sympathy for the devil (Northwoods Wolfman). Dallas, a douchebag megalomaniac, needed to go through a transformation every bit as awkward as Herb’s to really understand and accept his friend as well as himself. After considering the options, ‘werewolf’ just made sense.
At heart, Dallas really is a dog. Simple, completely lacking in introspection, and always 100% in the moment. He’s a slave to his most basic desires: Booze, sex, and bowling. However, Dallas is also a wolf. A born alpha, a natural ring leader, and a damn tough son-of-a-gun. As I wrote Northwoods Wolfman, I tried to find both aspects of Dallas and weave them into his transformation. When people read Northwoods Wolfman, I hope they look at Dallas as a werewolf and say, “Oh. Yep. I totally get that.”
The other part of ‘why werewolves’ was the challenge of making them funny. I write horror-comedy, and really enjoyed picking at the parts of werewolf mythology that don’t get explored much. When human, do they still pee on trees? When the full moon rises and they get all wolfy, do they like having their ears scratched? Werewolves have spent plenty of time being scary, vicious demons. I wanted to write about one that drools when it smells beef jerky.
So why werewolves? Heck. Why not?
Scott Burtness - October 15th, 2015
October Month of Horror - Guest Post
2 Book Lovers Reviews
© Copyright | Privacy Policy
2 Book Lovers Reviews