Secret Societies and You!

I've always been a fan of secret societies, from the Freemasons to the Illuminati to the Mafia and Yakuza—though the term "secret" doesn't really apply when everyone from the History Channel to Time Magazine is doing specials on them. I mean, if you're secret then no one should know anything, right?

When I began worldbuilding for my series, "Blood of the Pride" it started out first as a NaNoWriMo novel and grew into a larger world where I had to fill in quite a few blanks about the Felis, my cat shapeshifter society, and how my main characters not only interacted with humans but with her own kind. So I borrowed quite a few bits and pieces from other groups and came up with something that worked for me.

The Felis are much like the Mafia, where family is everything—when Rebecca Desjardin is thrown out of her Pride because she can no longer shift it changes her world dramatically, to the point where she isn't allowed to have any contact with other Felis at all. They literally turn their backs on her and she finds herself alone in a human society that she's sworn to never reveal her inner nature to. Even if she can't shift she's still held to the prime directive of the Felis: No humans can ever know about them.

*****

 

From "Claws Bared":

 

"Reb, is that any way to talk to a Board member?" The snarl in her voice sent phantom pains over my back, where the scars were. I resisted the urge to sit up straight in my chair.

"Is that any way to talk to an outcast? I do you one favor and suddenly I'm on your mailing list? I'm not part of the Pride and I don't have to answer to you." I kept my voice steady despite the butterflies in my stomach. "You declared me outcast twenty years ago and threw me into foster care, banished me from the family. I haven't forgotten that."

Or forgiven. The scars throbbed, reminders of the thrashing I'd gotten at Jess's claws in a final test of my ability to Change.

I'd failed. Spectacularly.

*****

Granted, there are exceptions such as Brandon Hanover, her human boyfriend, but even that knowledge came with some serious risk and the poor man continues to have to prove his ability to not only keep the secret but also to gain respect within a group that sees humans as inferior.

The reason why the Felis don't want to be "found"? Pure and simple fear of what humans would do to a species like and unlike themselves; medical testing and tormenting (from the Felis point of view) of their children and of their society being destroyed out of fear. It's not that they want to take over our world; they need to be part of it and hold jobs in all types of occupations—but they can't ever be exposed.

A great deal of the situations Reb finds herself in is due to this almost paralyzing fear of being discovered—in "Blood of the Pride" the initial reason she's contacted by her old Pride after decades of being shunned and outcast is because a Felis is dead and they're terrified of being exposed thanks to a tabloid pictures. In "Claws Bared" the dead man is a human stripper, mutilated by Felis claws and the fear of having one of their own be responsible for the murder drives both Prides to agree to having Rebecca investigate, even if she does come with some serious baggage like Bran.

The theme of family runs through most secret societies, offering a home to those without one and an expanded one to those who need it, be it connections for political or economic power or something as simple as lodging after a long day of traveling. The best secret societies bring strangers together under one umbrella, forcing them to co-operate for the greater good (as seen by their leaders) despite their differences. For many it's a leap from one level of society to another, rubbing elbows with people they would never be allowed to in a regular situation. It's easy to see the appeal of many of these "secret" groups to those less privileged and downtrodden.

In my Felis society the Felis hold all types of jobs and help each other for the benefit of the entire group—whether or not it matches up with human justice. Reb and Bran often butt heads with the Board and the Felis leaders as they pursue justice for a victim and collide with what the Felis deem to be suitable punishment versus what human society would deem fit.

But in the end it seems to all work out, for now. And it's interesting to dip into the philosophy and thinking of other "secret" societies to create and maintain my own version where cat shifters aren't trying to take over the world but are, in fact, determined to stay as far apart as they can while still thriving. I like to think it's something a wee bit different for the readers and I hope I've interested you enough to consider what you would want in your own secret society and how would you resolve your characters in such a world. Do you try to take over? Hide? Intergrate and interbreed? Or stay invisible…

*****
And I'm having a giveaway at Goodreads! I've managed to get hold of copies of the print edition of "Blood of the Pride", a special edition that won't last long! Get in and try for a copy!


   

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Blood of the Pride (Blood of the Pride, #1)

by Sheryl Nantus

Giveaway ends March 07, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Greetings and an introduction!

Greetings all!

I'm the new kid on the block here, having been honored with a spot on this blog just recently so I thought I'd take a few minutes to introduce myself:

I got my start in writing when I was very young with an eco-friendly story about recycling called "Be Kinder to Your Binder" when I was in 5th Grade.

Yeah, I know.

I ended up cutting my writing chops in fanfiction with most of my work in the X-Files fandom where I not only wrote the mandatory million words but also found a mate - my sweet Wookie who first fell in love with me as a fan and moved it to the next stage, stalking seducing me to come to the US from my homeland of Canada to marry him and start writing full-time.

And now here I am with a successful superhero romance series with Samhain Publishing (Blaze of Glory) and an ongoing paranormal romance shifter series with Carina Press!

"Blood of the Pride" came out in February 2012 and began the story of Rebecca Desjardin, a cat shifter who... can't.

When a severed rabbit's paw is delivered to her office, outcast cat shifter Rebecca Desjardin recognizes the summons home. One of their own has been murdered--and a shocking photo published in a local tabloid--and her Pride needs Rebecca, now a private investigator, to track down the killer.
Investigative reporter Brandon Hanover wants to find out who slipped the photo of the half-shifted cat-woman under his door, marking him as a suspect in her death. Determined to stay one step ahead of the sexy journalist, Rebecca reluctantly agrees to partner with him to find the real murderer. But as their mutual attraction heats up, Rebecca finds it harder and harder to keep Brandon from discovering the existence of the shifter society--and her own true nature.
When the search leads them back to the Pride, Rebecca must attempt to Change for the first time in years to face the killer, and save the man she loves...

"Claws Bared", coming out on January 21 2013 from Carina Press, continues the adventures of Reb and Bran as they continue exploring their relationship and the two worlds they must live in.

Rebecca Desjardin, a P.I. and cat shifter, doesn't normally find herself in strip clubs. But a popular male dancer has been murdered in Pennsylvania, and it looks like the work of a shifter from the local Pride. Rebecca has a duty to help protect her kind--and she needs to find justice for the dead.
Her impromptu trip leaves her boyfriend, reporter Brandon Hanover, unhappy. He's only just come to terms with the fact that she's a Felis, and their relationship is still so new... Rebecca is determined to deal with the murder first, then deal with their future.
As her investigation unfolds, she's met with grudging cooperation and half-truths. Does the Pride want her to find justice, or help them hide a killer? Frustrated and unable to shake the sexy local shifter who says he's on her side, Rebecca can't seem to scratch out the truth--at least not on her own. But when Brandon shows up, is he there to help or to mark his territory?

The third book, "Family Pride", is tentatively scheduled for release in June and a fourth one is in the works right now!

I hope you'll decide to come along for the ride with Bran and Rebecca as they make their way in a world neither one of them is totally comfortable in!