Behind Rachel Vincent's Werecat World

Hey guys, is anyone here?

 I think we're supposed to be talking about worldbuilding right? If you have questions or comments feel free to post them here. I'll gladly talk about Pride structure, politics, characters' personal relationships (social, intimate, familial, or political), characters' backstories (Karen on the council, Ryan's grudge against Marc, Jace's childhood with Malone as a stepfather, etc...), Pride geography (who lives where, and in what Pride), rules of the world, or anything like that. This is your chance to have all your Shifter-world questions answered.

Or other questions, if you'd rather...

So, speak up if you're here!

Hi Rachel! Getting the ball rolling... [SPOILERS FOR PRIDE]

 If it doesn't spoil any future plot points, after reading Pride, we know that Marc is Werecat because he had the Shifter gene, but how will this effect any Marc/Fayth children down the road? Now that he's a Werecat, is the gene now dominate? Or will it be a 1 in 4 chance their kids will be Werecats cause its still, technically, a recessive gene?

 And since YOU mentioned it...can we get some Mama Sanders background info? Like how the other Alphas reacted to her being on the Council. They're so misogynistic, I can't imagine them all just accepting her and her advice seriously on the Council. 

Thanks!

KaT

Hi Dream, and thanks for having me!

As for the rules and stories, the stories definitely grow from the rules of the world. The most interesting plots develop when I take a rule--be it a world-building rule, like "cats can't breed with humans," or a behavioral rule, like "Faythe must be quiet during her trial"--and break it.

 Of course, you have to have a good reason for breaking world-building rules, and a good explanation. Otherwise, you just get angry readers. ;-)

If it doesn't spoil any future plot points, after reading Pride, we know that Marc is Werecat because he had the Shifter gene, but how will this effect any Marc/Fayth children down the road? Now that he's a Werecat, is the gene now dominate? Or will it be a 1 in 4 chance their kids will be Werecats cause its still, technically, a recessive gene?

That sounds like a question for a geneticist! Seriously, though I think it would be like rolling the dice. There's a chance each child could be born a werecat. And a chance he might not. Which brings up some interesting moral questions. If Faythe's children (especially her eventual daughter) would the council then be willing to infect the daughter to get a desperately needed tabby? Would they break their own laws to ensure the continuation of the species?

 Hmmm... Sounds like a book I might need to write...

 And since YOU mentioned it...can we get some Mama Sanders background info? Like how the other Alphas reacted to her being on the Council. They're so misogynistic, I can't imagine them all just accepting her and her advice seriously on the Council.

I did mention it, didn't I?  Karen was very well respected on the council, even if her gender wasn't. She was--on the surface--beyond reproach. She was married, and pregnant, and polite, and a calming influence on the council. Her methods of persuasion were very different from Faythe's. She could structure an argument so that the more obtuse members of the council thought her ideas were their own, rather than beating them over the head with them, as Faythe would have done in the first couple of novels.

And when Karen was on the council, its membership looked very different. Most of the Alphas she served with have since retired--other than Blackwell.

First:
I'd love to hear more information on the two example questions that you
used: the Ryan and Marc issue,

Ah, Ryan and Marc... Ryan and Marc are only a few months apart in age, and when Ryan turned 18, Michael was still an enforcer, and Ryan thought that following the same path would earn his father's respect. Ryan and Greg have never really connected. Greg is very Alpha, and Ryan is very not. Greg never really understood that, and Ryan was never confident enough to just be himself and let his father work through his own issues.

But Ryan could never have been an enforcer. Even his mother could see that. So when Greg needed to replace an enforcer, he hired Marc, even though he wasn't quite 18 yet. Ryan never forgave either his father or Marc, both of whom he believes betrayed him.

Marc never forgave Ryan for leaving. For abandoning his family and his Pride, when he could have served in another way. Running the farm with Owen, or working behind the scenes, like Michael later would. Family is everything to Marc, because he has none of his own. He's fiercely loyal, and cannot respect a coward. So they were already at odds when Ryan sold Faythe out. It will take a lot to make Marc forgive Ryan...

 and Jace's family history.

Jace's father died in a fight when Jace--his only child--was very small. That left his Pride undefended, and his mother unclaimed, a bit like Penelope while Odysseus is gone. His mother had to pick a new husband, before she would have under other circumstances. But she's not a particularly strong woman, emotionally, and Calvin is persistent, if nothing else. Once he'd won his wife, he had little use for a tomkitten that wasn't his.

In the wild, when one male lion is replaced by another within the Pride, he will often kill the kittens sired by his predecessor. Malone didn't go that far, but the urge was definitely there. He made Jace's life hell, and Jace's mother did little to help. So when he turned 18, Ethan talked his father into hiring Jace, to get him out of the Appalacian Pride. They'd been best friends for years, because Jace spent summers at the ranch for the same reason.

Second: Do you separate werecat culture from human culture?  For example: The treatment of women in American culture -vs- treatment of tabbies in the werecat culture, should it be the same or treated completely differently.  This seems to be a common discussion between your readers and on your discussion group, and I've always been interested in your stance.

I'm not sure I'm understanding this question right, but here goes:

There is a definite rift between human and werecat culture in Shifter society. Especially regarding the women's movement. Werecats are several decades behind, for obvious reasons. Most of the older werecats believe that filling a tabby's head with too many choices will lead to the extinction of the species.

The frustrating thing is that they may be right. If Faythe never has children, or only has a couple of boys, her Pride will have no future generation. That's a fact. Which means that her choices are never easy. She's being asked to give up everything her classmates take for granted in order to give birth to a series of children and stay out of the action to keep them safe.

It's not what she wants. But it's what her society needs. Which brings me back to the question that started it all: Should the needs of the majority overrule the needs of one?

Tough call, huh?

finished Pride and it was great but I read it much too fast and now the wait is on for Prey. I was really into the characters and wanted to drop kick a couple of council members which brings big questions on where they're going next.

My question has nothing to do with the plot and characters of the shifter books, but I feel its important to me! ;) Anyways, here it is: I'm wondering what the meaning is behind the cover. I mean, I kinda can guess what it is after having read the book (amazing, BTW) but when I first saw the cover I kinda assumed that Faythe was preggo or something! It's just the way she's looking down and the hand placement. So I was wondering what the cover has to do with the book, and how was it picked? And am I the only one to think that she looked pregnant? lol.

Thanks!!

One more question:

Can you give us a timeline of Marc/Faythe? Specifically, what happened Pre-Stray? Like where did everything fall...her eighteenth birthday, high school graduation, Faythe running away, the wedding...all the major events mentioned in your books so far.

Please and thank you!!!

KaT

Hi KallieKat

I'm wondering what the meaning is behind the cover. I mean, I kinda can guess what it is after having read the book (amazing, BTW) but when I first saw the cover I kinda assumed that Faythe was preggo or something! It's just the way she's looking down and the hand placement. So I was wondering what the cover has to do with the book, and how was it picked? And am I the only one to think that she looked pregnant? lol.

No, you are not the only one to think Faythe is pregnant because of the cover. In fact, I've been fighting that rumor from the time I first posted it. I told my agent and editor a year ago that I was afraid people would think she was pregnant. But she's not. And while I do see her eventually becoming a mother, I don't plan to show that in the books. That's never been the plan for the series.

As for the covers themselves, I have little to no say about what goes on them. I fill out a fact sheet explaining who the characters are and what they look like. But at this point in the series, all they're really interested in hearing is where Faythe's latest scar is located, because they already knew the rest. I had nothing to do with the pose, and I apologize if it confused some people. I've been adamant on as many online forums as I can find that she is not, nor will she be in the course of the series, pregnant.

But having said that, I'd like to add that the cover for Prey is awesome! It's my favorite so far. If you haven't seen it, check out my blog: http://urbanfantasy.blogspot.com

I am really enjoying this discussion!

I had to chuckle at the pregnancy comment... I have to admit, I was wondering the same thing, but afraid to ask and spoil the story. :)

I just finished PRIDE and was completely blown away.  I got totally involved in the trial ~ and seriously wanted to take a hit out the one council member ~ MAN I don't like him! ~ and I sincerely hope that he'll get his SOON! 

I also enjoyed scrolling through the questions and answers already here and will definitely be coming around often.  As to questions:  boy not sure I can ask anything that's not been asked already.
It's killing me that Malone and Blackwell have such negative attitudes ~ Malone especially ~ and I'm wondering just why he hates Faythe so much. 
I know Faythe mentioned that the first proposal that she turned down was made by Malone's son, but is there something else behind his venomous attacks. 
He really doesn't seem to like Marc either and in a way it seems as though a lot of his animosity goes back directly to Greg.  Any big blow-ups in their past?

Just want to add, THANK YOU for the fascinating look into the werecat world.  And hopefully I'll come up with a question that is actually more question and less answer.

ok i only have one question for you right now, and that is if marc is going to play a big part in prey. i can not wait till july to find out.

Yes, Marc will be back in Prey, but his role may not be quite what you're expecting. And that's all I can say...

But if you heard my reading from Prey in Dallas this past weekend, you know what I mean.

When you were worldbuilding, did you set out everything first, all your rules for the world, before you started writing book one, or did some of the rules come into play and evolve as you wrote book 2 and now 3?

Oh, man, I wish I'd laid it all out in book one. But when I wrote Stray, I wasn't thinking about a sequel. I was thinking about a sale. ;-) But I had to stick to the rules I'd establishe in Stray, even if I realllly wished I could change them later. Fortunately, I knew by book two to get the rest of it all ironed out, and that's when the political structure came into play.

If Faythe's full name is Katherine Faythe Sanders, why does she go by Faythe and not Katherine, or some form of that name? Just personal preference? Doesn't want to be called Kat (because I sense Faythe wouldn't much appreciate the irony)? I have to say, I think Faythe suits her better, but I was just curious.

 Why does Faythe go by her middle name? I honestly have no clue. It just came out that way. When her mom got mad at her in Stray, instead of using her middle name, she added a first. And that's the first I knew of it. Seriously. ;-)

The second question kind of follows on from the question asked about Michael and his human wife. Why are they allowed to have intimate relationships with humans? Wouldn't the risk of their existence being found out be too great for the Territorial Council to want to deal with? Or is it simply a gender issue (okay for Michael and Ethan, but not for Faythe), because tabbies are rare and need to marry a Pride cat to continue the species, leaving the rest of the toms with only human women to be with?

For the most part, it is a gender issue. Until recently, they didn't know that toms could actually breed with human women, and since there were no where near enough tabbies to go around, turning to human women for company seemed natural.

But most toms who don't marry tabbies never marry at all, so yes, if/when Michael's wife retires, a selective disclosure may be in order. If he can get the council to approve, of course. ;-)

I am totally in love with your Shifters series and can't wait for the next book!

I have just a few questions I hope you won't mind answering. (1) What are the chances that once the series is over we'll be treated to an "In the future" epilogue, just to see how everyone ultimately turns out? (You know, maybe Malone could get eaten by a horde of hungry fire ants.) (2) Now that Pride is out, will we get to read an unblurred version of Prey's back cover? and finally (3) when will the rest of us poor, neglected fans () get to read what you read out from Prey? The suspense is killing me!

 Thank you! I'm so glad you're enjoying the series!

(1) What are the chances that once the series is over we'll be treated to an "In the future" epilogue, just to see how everyone ultimately turns out? (You know, maybe Malone could get eaten by a horde of hungry fire ants.)

 That's certainly possible. I'm not opposed to writing something from Kaci's POV later, and that would show how everyone else is doing. Or, if there's no demand for that, maybe an online novella, or something along those lines?

(2) Now that Pride is out, will we get to read an unblurred version of Prey's back cover? and finally (3) when will the rest of us poor, neglected fans () get to read what you read out from Prey? The suspense is killing me!

Yes! In fact, I was thinking of posting that today, on my discussion group. They get all the good stuff first. Membership has its privileges. ;-) And we love new members.  

Oh, are we done?

 And you're more than welcome!

Hi Rachel,

Thanks so much for answering questions!  I just finished Stray and am a little confused about the Alphas.  This may have been explained in the book, but I can't find it if it is.  Faythe's dad wants her to be the next Alpha after him and I believe Sara was supposed to be the Alpha for her territory.  Why does he want Faythe to succeed him instead of one of her brothers? Are all the current tabbies supposed to become Alphas?  It seems that all the current Alphas are males and make up the council although Faythe's mom was a council member at one time.  

I'm looking forward to reading Rogue.

Thanks again!