We have a guest post from the mother/son writing team of C.A. Kunz describing the lore in The Childe series. The authors were so excited about their book’s series they also put together a great giveaway. Check it all out below!
The supernatural world inhabited by our main character, Cat Colvin, seems normal at first glance, but underneath its ordinary surface you’ll find a mysterious and wondrous place full of mythical beings. Vampires, werewolves, witches…they’re all there, but conceal their identities in order to blend in amongst their human neighbors in the fictional quaint port town of Astoria.
Vampires play a large role in The Childe series, and though most of ours closely resemble the ones popularized by movies, television, and literature, there are a select few that have “evolved” in a manner of speaking. These “evolved” vampires have beating hearts, can walk in the sunlight, and cast a reflection – they pretty much have all the strengths, but none of the weaknesses of their older brethren. These vampires attempt to live amongst humans and try to blend in, wanting to seem as mortal as possible, and hoping for a new beginning while shedding the emotions of their dark past. Their older brethren though, follow the strict code of the Vampire Parliament and disagree with this new life style. Due to secret circumstances, which are revealed throughout our series, the Parliament leaves the “evolved” ones alone; at least for the time being.
Werewolves are another major race in The Childe series. We actually refer to them as Varulvs in our books because of their European descent. Varulvs who have decided to live amongst humans have adopted the term werewolves because of the name’s familiarity throughout pop culture. Like vampires, Varulvs have a governing body known as the Council, which also follows their old ways. Unlike the stereotypical werewolf, our Varulvs are only forced to change during the wolf moon, which is the full moon during the month of January. They are free to change at will any other time, making them a little different. A Varulv also looks like the classic werewolf instead an actual wolf or shape shifter. They stand on two legs and resemble more of a hulking beast than your common wild dog. A Varulv does have a weakness to silver though, just as in common folklore.
Witches play kind of a side role in The Childe series. That is until the third book, Wicked Darlings, which actually centers on their backstory. In small pockets of the world, witch covens thrive unknown to the mortals around them. White witches watch over humans and help protect them from the evils they’re blissfully unaware of, but dark witches have something more sinister in mind. In our stories past, witches were not like most normal societies where there was good and evil, and their only focus was battling the dark side of nature. That all changed after darkness invaded them from within their own ranks. Now, besides keeping vampires and Varulvs at bay, they must also fight their own. Just like the other paranormal beings in our series, the witches are split into two feuding factions, white witches and dark witches. The white witches are more like spiritualists who possess magical abilities. They’re the most human of all three of the races we’ve mentioned thus far, and dabble more in the healing and protection side of magic. Most white witches reside in a magical place on the outskirts of Astoria, known as Wedgewick Village. This village is hidden through a labyrinthine forest and is only revealed to allies with the utterance of a secret phrase. Dark witches on the other hand, more resemble the mythological creature, the siren. They can put on a facade of a beautiful man or woman, but underneath they are ghastly creatures just ready to devour your soul.
With The Childe series, we’ve built such a rich back story behind all of these races and their tie to the supposed extinction of the Childe race. In our story’s history, a genocide-like purge, known as “The Cleansing,” caused a rift between each of these three races and helped to divide each one into two factions. One faction was for wiping out every living Childe and the other one was for the preservation and protection of them, even though it was prophesized that a Childe would bring ruin upon one of these races. When all was said and done though, “The Cleansing,” seemed to have destroyed this race of miraculously created beings.
Flash forward to present day and we’re brought into the story of Cat Colvin, possibly the last Childe alive. So we know you’re all probably asking, “What is a Childe?” Unfortunately answering that would ruin the huge mystery of the first book, but we will leave you with a hint though. A Childe shares aspects with at least one of the three races we’ve mentioned thus far in this post. Have a guess? Well to find out if you’re right, you’ll just have to read The Childe and see.
Now for the giveaway! Fill out the rafflecopter below for your chance to win this amazing prize pack.