Animals in fiction writing by Chrystalla Thoma



Cats are mysterious. Eternally feral, stalking dust bunnies under beds and hunting shadows, they were always connected with the supernatural. They are witches’ favorite familiar, and black cats are connected to the devil and all sorts of magic.
They are also a nuisance and a pest (I say this with love, since I love cats dearly).
We authors are also peculiar animals. We live precariously in the worlds we build and surround ourselves in our stories with things that make us tick, that carry associations from our past and our current lives, symbols that haunt us in dreams and names that mean so much to us.
Being a cat-lover, therefore, I’m expected to have stories densely populated with cats, my favorite animals.
But I don’t. Instead, I have snakes.
I’m sure it won’t take you long to figure out that I’m afraid of snakes, at a visceral level. I used to wake up soaked in cold sweat after dreams of slippery snakes crawling all over me, biting me and not letting go, lurking to get me in the shadows. So there transformed into dragons and other serpentine forms in my stories.
Cats, though, we missing. So I decided to rectify that.
In my latest novel, “Rex Cresting” I have introduced Cat. Cat is a small black cat who plays an important role in the story. Cat is not a shifter and doesn’t posses human qualities. He is a real cat, independent and mysterious, cuddly and unpredictable, his small claws coming out at unforeseen moments. He sniffs, licks, explores and is sometimes my protagonist’s only friend.
There is something special about Cat, but I won’t tell you not to spoil the fun if you decide to read the story.

Rex Cresting is the second book in the series “Elei’s Chronicles”. Although it is a series, I’m quite confident that the books can be read as stand-alones as well.

Summary: Still recovering at a hospital on the north coast of Dakru, Elei is convinced that his part in bringing down the Gultur is over. Rex has infected the other race and their dictatorial system is starting to collapse. Not every Gultur, though, has been affected, and on top of that, inside Elei’s body, Rex has matured and goes through another transformation. Elei isn’t sure he can survive Rex’s new strength — but that may prove the last of his worries as the Gultur descend on him again.  
Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007IRO9FU

Also check out Book 1 in the series – Rex Rising:

Summary: In a world where parasites create new human races, Elei leads a peaceful life — until a mysterious attack on his boss sends him fleeing with a bullet in his side. Pursued for a secret he does not possess and with the fleet at his heels, he has but one thought: to stay alive. His pursuers aren’t inclined to sit down and talk, although that’s not the end of Elei’s troubles. The two powerful parasites inhabiting his body, at a balance until now, choose this moment to bring him down, leaving Elei with no choice but to trust in people he hardly knows. It won’t be long before he realizes he must find out this deadly secret — a secret that might change the fate of his world and everything he has ever known — or die trying.
Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005GZPOQE

And Hera, a novelette set in the same world (for Free):

Summary: Hera, member of the Gultur race governing the Seven Islands, thought she knew right from wrong and what her future held in store. A chance meeting with a lesser mortal, though, will turn her world upside down and force her to see her race and the laws with different eyes. For Hera, knowledge means action, so she sets out to put things right and change her world.
Taking place in the World of the Seven Islands almost three years before the events in Rex Rising, this is the story of Hera’s first confrontation with the truth. 
Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005UY43EA

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2 comments:

Marie Dees said...

The covers for both those are amazing. I love Chrys's writing.

Chrystalla Thoma said...

Thank you, Marie!

About The Author

Katie Salidas is a USA Today bestselling author and RONE award winner known for her unique genre-blending style.

Since 2010 she's penned five bestselling book series: the Immortalis, Olde Town Pack, Little Werewolf, Chronicles of the Uprising, and the all-new Agents of A.S.S.E.T. series. As her not-so-secret alter ego, Rozlyn Sparks, she is a USA Today bestselling author of romance with a naughty side.

In her spare time Katie also produces and hosts a YouTube talk show; Spilling Ink. She also has a regular column on First Comics News where she explores writing from a nerdy perspective.