The Blackwood Brothers Interview their author...

One day, while Mystia and I were talking, she suggested I look for a writer who would tell our story. It was a strange request but I had learned not to question Mystia too much. So I sat there, wondering how I’d ever find someone to do that when Mystia handed me a business card. Dragonheart Stories! Perfect name

as I love dragons, or I did as a child. I read a name—Mary Rundle—and Wolf Shifters were her specialty. Great! It seems Mystia solved

my problem.

After talking it over with my brothers, I hired her. And it was one of the best decisions I ever made. She is ideal for us as she lets us tell our stories the way we want to. Mary doesn’t try to tell us what to do even though sometimes I think she is in danger of biting her tongue trying to keep quiet. She is now writing Logan’s story. Oh yes I better not forget it is also Kieran’s story too. I think it was Dakota who suggested we interview Mary for our blog and everyone thought it was a great idea. It was an afternoon filled with laughter,

some tall tales and a lot of teasing. When the interview was over, we agreed it was an eye-opener for us and I think it will be for you too!

Jackson: Mary, you grew up in the Midwest. Do you remember much about your childhood?

I grew up in a large family of wolf shifters, on a small farm near the Canadian border. It was pretty isolated, perfect for our protection and for the long runs my siblings and I enjoyed when we shifted.

Carson: Really?

Hey, come on guys, you know there are shifters of almost all animal species on earth today, we happened to be wolves. But my family also knew some bear shifters nearby and even some deer and raccoon shifters. People tend not to believe what they can’t see and, in a way for us, that was a good thing.

Dakota: Did you go to school? Mix in with other human kids?

Sure. In our human forms we were just like everyone else. I had six brothers and three sisters and the school bus picked us up in the morning and delivered us back in the afternoon. From an early age our parents stressed the importance of not shifting except under their supervision.

Zane: Did any of you kids ever screw up on that?

Well, when my brothers were old enough to drink, they could get a bit rowdy, you know, have some arguments with other guys in bars about stuff like sports or politics and get a bit agitated and start to shift. But nothing extreme– just a bit of fang-dropping and hair growth. So dad told them to stick to dimly-lit bars.

Colton: How about you?

Well, one summer afternoon when I was about ten, three of us kids went to a nearby cornfield to strip some of the stalks for a few cobs to take home. The farmer saw us and started coming after us and, I guess, we just panicked at the thought of being caught so we ran deeper into the corn rows to escape.

Zane: And so…

When we realized he was going to catch us, I think we all had the same thought: that we could run faster on four legs than two so we shifted into our wolf forms. As you know, when you shift, your clothes get ripped to shreds and land in heap on the ground– which is what the farmer found after we were long gone. He picked them up and headed for the Sheriff.

Cody: Did anything come of it?

Oh yes! My mother was furious at us, not so much for shifting to get away, but for wrecking our clothes. But that was only the beginning. The farmer was a superstitious type and told the Sheriff he was sure some aliens had beamed us up to a spaceship and this was all that was left.

Logan: I guess Sheriff had a problem?

Did he ever. He and his Deputy made the rounds of every home in town and all the farms in the area asking if any children were missing. When everyone was accounted for, he wrote it off as an unexplained incident and told the farmer he’d probably just come across some old clothes his migrant workers had discarded. Everyone around started to tease the old man: “Hey, George, seen any o’ them aliens today?”

Dakota: That’s really funny.

What’s even funnier is that the old guy’s farm (he’s long been gone) started to be called “Alien Acres” and the last time I visited relatives, people were still calling it that.

Carson: You had to be naked, then, when you shifted back.

Bare-assed naked. That’s how our mom knew what we’d done. As you well know, most shifters undress before they go for a planned run –so their clothes are ready to climb back into when they shift back. Obviously, our shift was unplanned so we had nothing to put on.

Cody: As a young girl, did you find this whole shifting thing a bit embarrassing, when you went on a mixed run?

No, I guess you’re asking this for your readers because you know wolves and other shifters don’t have any human hang-ups when it comes to nudity. It’s not in our DNA. I guess it’s the same as humans who visit nudist camps. But, of course, when we’re in our human forms around others we conform to community standards.

Jackson: Let’s talk about your writing.

That’d be fine but before we do that, I want to make one more point. Each of us has a wolf spirit within us that guides us and with whom emotions can be shared. So when that farmer came after us, our wolves became agitated and protective and we took our cue to shift from them. You understand that?

Logan: Yes. Where do you shift now?

I have to go to some forested public lands now since I live in a small town.

Jackson: Your card says you are a Paranormal Writer. What exactly is your definition of paranormal?

Well, paranormal means “beyond normal”– things can’t be explained by science or other means and that’s the world I grew up in and know very well. It’s a world that includes shamans, witches, oracles, gods and, of course, The Fates– all of which were a big part of our lives. Most people regard these as unbelievable but they accept other things that can’t be proven– such as heaven and hell. So when you look at it that way, the paranormal world isn’t that far out– it’s really a part of most people’s lives.

Dakota: What made you choose to write in the male/male genre?

First of all, you chose me, but this assignment is more than male/male genre. There’s that old saying that a writer should write about what they know best so that’s what I do. As I said before, I grew up in a family like that. Our pack was very tight-knit and love flowed through our house like a mighty river. I think that is why you picked me. I understand how deep your love is for each other and your undying loyalty.

Logan: Well you do understand us very well but you also understand our relationships with men. Seeing how well you understand that, I assume your brothers were gay? How did your parents react to that?

Not all of my brothers were. Several of them came out at different times and there wasn’t a hint of disapproval from my parents– or from any of us. There was total acceptance. That’s just the way it was, the same as there are dark wolves and light wolves and so on. It’s just the natural order of things– nothing anyone got uptight about. Love is love; no artificial boundaries.

Zane: And how did that affect relationships among the kids?

My gay and straight brothers went through all the same growing up phases. At times the boys were as intolerable as the girls. The only difference is they didn’t have girlfriends but boyfriends, which was no big deal except when one of my sisters would occasionally get a crush on one of my gay brothers’ dates. That was really kind of funny and resulted in lot of good natured ribbing all around.

Cody: Ahh…so that’s why you are not fazed by the straight shifters in our stories.

Yes, I was surprised when I starting telling your stories that there were straight shifters involved. When I first received your letter about writing your story, I thought it would be only gays guys but I was intrigued to find out that wasn’t the case…and now a little girl shifter has just arrived.

Carson: How do you begin one of our stories and know where it’s going to go?

My gift from The Fates is the ability to channel you all. Seriously, you actually write my stories. I sit down and begin to write and it’s like you are driving the bus and I’m along for the ride. The words just flow and sometimes I don’t know where you guys will take me, but eventually we arrive at the right place.

Colton: Do you have any interesting anecdotes regarding your work?

Yes, one funny and the other very touching. When I began to write your story it was summertime and our windows were open. My husband was editing my book in our living room and I was in my office. One night, I called to him about something and he shouted: “Don’t bother me now; I’m doing a fuck scene!” It so happens some neighbors were out for an evening stroll and stopped dead in their tracks when they heard that. My husband, realizing what happened, simply called out calmly, “Sorry, about that.” He’s a very cool guy.

The other incident involves an older woman in the Midwest who messaged me that she was undergoing severe physical and financial problems and wanted me to know that reading my book had helped her slip away from her burdens for awhile and visit a happier world. When you get feedback like that, and after you brush away the tears, it makes the entire struggle to get words on a page totally worth it.

Wow, that is awesome! Well, that’s all for now. I hope you enjoyed finding out about Mary as much as we did! Till the next time…